Fa La La La Loser

Christmas has always been about food for me. As a kid, I'd look forward to the angel food candy at my Grandma Schmidt's house. And my Aunt Betts had the best Mexican Wedding Cakes. My mom made awesome Spritz cookies. And when we went to my Grandma Toot's house, my brother and I would play in the basement so we could raid the stash of Christmas cookies she kept in the extra refrigerator and above the washing machine.

This pic is probably from 1972. I was 5. I loved that purple dress.

I think this year is the first time I didn't gain weight during the holiday. I did taste a cookie and a peanut butter ball. But while everyone snacked on sweets, I relished gourmet cheeses. I took along the food that I knew I'd most enjoy and that would be the best choice for me.

December 26th marked four months since my surgery. My dad hadn't seen me since the beginning of November. He was a little suprised by how much I had changed.

My mom got a new digital camera, so I had her take a picture of me in front of the fridge for my official 4-month snapshot. Here's how I'm looking today. The "before" photo was taken in June at my highest weight.

When I see pictures of myself side by side, the weightloss is really obvious. It's easier to understand why my family is freaking out about how different I'm looking.