What a Difference a Coupla Years Makes ...

Singing about the crumbling Interstate-40 crosstown bridge to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," with my talented cohort Robert Burch. I'm about 80 pounds down in this shot. Photo by Bob Frowe. I still have pounds to go, but this looks and feels a whole lot better. 

I've been singing and dancing badly since 2000 in the Oklahoma City Gridiron Club benefitting about $500,000 in journalism scholarships since the club began long before I was born in 1928. 

The musical political satires, similar to Capitol Steps, happen some time in February after the Oklahoma Legislature's annual session starts. It's generally right after the governor du jour gives his or her State-of-the-State address. We've had three presidents, three governors and two lite guvs during that time. 

Two years ago, I was probably pretty close to my all time high weight of 273 pounds. Here's a screen shot off the club's website.  I'm the tub on the left, hamming it up as a race speedway fan, and there is my friend Robert Burch to the right in his lovely plaid shirt. 

I'm playing a disgruntled speedway fan on the left in the February 2011 show at 273 pounds, my all-time high weight. 

It's been a long couple of years, deciding to have my gastric sleeve surgery in June, working through all the tests, losing the 5 percent of my body weight my insurance company required and getting my surgery Dec. 27, 2011. 

I'm always amused when people say things like, "well, I lost the weight the real way...." or "I lost it the natural way." The People magazine after the first of the year had two women on the cover who had lost half their weight. The sub-headline screamed, "No gimmicks. No surgery." 

I don't advocate for weight loss surgery, but I also resent it when people put it down like it's the easy way out or that it's a gimmick. You still have to do the hard work of portion control, choosing your foods wisely and it's not all that fun to be on the liquid diet for the couple of weeks after surgery and then gently teach your stomach to eat again, like with cottage cheese and scrambled eggs. 

Weight loss surgery is a tool — a very effective tool to get the weight off. But it's not easy and it's not a gimmick. 

Working on losing an additional 10 pounds to fit in a dress for my darlin' daughter's wedding. She's lost more than 70 pounds in the past year, partly because she was scared she was going in the same direction as me on weight. She looks fabulous and will be wearing a size 4 wedding dress. It makes me smile. 

I'm not through yet. 

Onward,

Carol