Taking Flight

I'm back from a wonderful vacation down south!  I shopped 'til I almost dropped, and even though I had vowed out loud to NOT buy too much clothes given that I'm trying my best to shrink... the cheap clearance prices got the better of me and I ended up getting a "few" things.  But like I said to my dear Hubby, when you see awesome boots on sale that happen to be your size (10W) that were originally $79.95 but reduced to $9.99, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

I remained mindful of nutritional needs, and also kept control of my old nemesis; mindless snacking.  I made sure to have at least one protein smoothie a day, which helped me curb the desire to graze like a happy bovine in a green field.  I felt good, and for the first time ever... I enjoyed the heat to the point where I came home with a tan.

There was one small glitch.  I travelled down south with my parents, which allowed me to have wonderful seat-mates.  I had managed to push aside my fears of an irate seat-mate on the return flights until a few days prior to my departure...

First of all, let me set the record straight.  I completely understand the displeasure that it would cause to sit next to someone who is spilling over into the next seat.  I get it.  It's not pretty, and would make for a pretty darned uncomfortable flight.  However... I took any and all precautions possible to avoid inconveniencing someone else.  I called the airline 3 days prior to departure and asked if there were any empty seats.  Nope.  Then I asked if I might be able to sit next to a child.  Nope - and I'm lucky I explained my way off of the "this lady is a perv do-not-fly list".  Once I informed the kind lady that I spoke to (who was clearly working in an over-seas call center)  that I was a person of size, she reminded me that the policy with this particular airline is that if you "only" need one seatbelt extender and not two, you need not buy another seat.    Any chance of changing flights to ones less crowded?  Nope.

So... I did what any sensible person would do.  I upgraded to first class, and saved both a small fortune with my luggage fees and also my humility as I fit quite well into the 23 inch leather seat, and was a comfortable and polite distance away from the business man who shared my row.  No, I didn't find the money tree in Florida... I merely lucked into a very helpful gate agent who pointed out that anyone could upgrade if it was available.   First class was lovely and spacious... and I didn't even take advantage of the free (alcoholic) beverages because even I had better sense than to push my luck with an airplane washroom...

Now I am settled back into my home and the routine that comes with it, and yet I find myself thinking of the bends and turns that I've been on so far with this weight-loss journey.  In preparing for surgery I am merely once again preparing to take flight, and taking whatever precautions I can do to make sure it is a pleasant one.

I have been lucky enough to have travelled a fair bit and seen a few corners of parts of the world, even though I have always been overweight. 

I am truly looking forward to future travels when I hopefully won't have to worry about causing discomfort to a fellow traveller or to myself.

Spreading my wings has been easy... I'm just looking forward to carrying a lighter load with me as I fly!