Nip/Tuck

It is H-O-T-T hot outside.  I knew a fellow in college who was full of colorful expressions & this is the kind of hot that TR would have deemed "hotter than two dogs [doing something indelicate] in a wool sock."  I'll spare you his original verbiage, but you get the idea. 

Because of the heat, I had planned on treadmill running at the fitness center at Dave's work, where they have so kindly opened the facilities to spouses.  I woke up & my fear of gyms gripped me hard & though I was awake & craving a run, I sat there fretting for long enough that I decided I had to go run outside because I had wasted my driving time being a frightened goose.

I've been going back & redeeming my C25K experience, doing the runs that I skipped in the interest of time on the way to my 5K.  I decided that I would do one of the short interval runs to help me cope with heat & humidity (aside: I'm in awe that I consider 3 minute intervals "short!").  Good idea.  The air was so thick & while I have gotten much better with heat since I have shed pounds (Dave & I unscientifically figured out that my body feels the temperature about 15 degrees cooler now!), I still don't sweat very well so my skin just gets sticky & doesn't really cool off well.

Because of the stickiness, today was the first day that I have felt like surgery is an inevitable at the end of this process.  The topic of cosmetic surgery after weight loss is extremely controversial.  I have taken a fairly political stance on the issue, feeling like it's an individual choice.  As for me personally, there are too many variables for me to know what I'll look/feel like when I'm at goal & have given my body a chance to bounce back.  Even a small, elective surgery has risks & who knows if the negatives of my extra skin will weigh out the risks.  But, Holy Bat-wings, Batman!--today I didn't feel like it was a choice.  The skin under my arms rubbed so raw, sticking with each stride, that I nearly quit running.  Instead I opted for a flapping, airing-out posture that was neither attractive nor efficient.  I think my legs would have had a similar problem, but thanks to Old Navy for cheap compression shorts that keep my thighs in check. 

I'm not about to head over for a consult today, but there might be something to the idea that the skin hampers me physically, not just visually.  Food for thought.