Almost every single person who has direct messaged me through Instagram, Facebook or this site has said that the fact I am not negative about my body before I started lose weight made them want to talk to me. Not only do I not post before and after photos, I don't berate myself for any weeks that I put on weight or stay the same, I don't talk about how horrible my fatter body was and I try not to alienate those who are bigger or who are trying to lose weight - all of which I have seen other people who have had a gastric band do both on social media and in blogs.
While I wasn't completely happy when I was bigger, it was at my largest that I truly started to think about body positivity and what parts of my figure I liked. I knew I wanted to lose weight but I didn't hate my body, in fact, it got me a long way just as it was and you have to respect everything that it went through. This is something I've kept in mind throughout this whole process and it's good to hear that other people see that.
The comments about being positive about all the changes I've gone through and refusing to compare myself in a side-by-side before and after images got me thinking about my old body. It made me realise that there are some things I do miss about being larger, which I think is just as important to admit and discuss as the things I love about my body now I have lost weight. As with most of the random thoughts that pop into my head, I figured this was as good a topic as any to cover in a blog.