I LIKED YOU BETTER BEFORE!
(Support People Have a Hard Job!)
By: Jennifer Ross Sawyer, MA, LPC, NCC, Jennifer Ross Sawyer, Counseling and Consultation
My husband and I just celebrated our 2nd anniversary.
I met Kenneth again after thirty years. He used to sit behind me in grammar school. When we got married, he was a jolly, fun, delightfully pleasing big guy. I felt like a princess around him.
But, I had concerns about his health. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. No matter how much he dieted and took those long walks, he never was able to lose more than 30 to 40 pounds without a weight regain to follow.
I encouraged him to have weight loss surgery. I prayed for him to have weight loss surgery. I secretly asked my weight loss surgery friends to encourage him. And so, last September, he had RNY.
In the ensuing months, he has lost at least 105 pounds, looks like a different man, is neat, handsome, and confident.
BUT, now I know how others must have felt about me when I was in this honeymoon stageWhen I went through this wonderful time of discovery, it was ALL ABOUT ME!
Now, its all about him.
He would deny that, of course.
My word to you today isbe patient with each other. There are so many changes in your relationshipKenneth and I have together lost over 200 pounds. That changes things! We are NEW people.
New, healthy people.
I want to give credit to all those supporting cast members who are patient and kind while their spouses are going through the fascination of being a new person.
Can I get some feedback from anyone on this topic?
Jennifer Ross Sawyer, MA, NCC, LPC
Married to a 100+# Loser
A Loser Myself
www.jentalk.com
