How sad is it that the highlight of my day is that I'm the first commenter?

However, being as you get 35,000 comments a day, it IS a feat in and of itself :)

GREAT HAIR WOMAN!

Awwww.. cute hair!!

You look happier.. and glad your (at least pretending to be) happy with yourself! :o)

Hope you enjoyed your nice day..

and.. can i come with you for a pedicure.. my toe nails are not pretty and my cut my self on my prickly heals every night in bed!!

Oh so pretty! I love your hair!

When you get your pedi, have them paint little flowers on your big toenails. Trust me. You will look at them every day and smile.

The twinkle in your eye is so bright from here! You look amazing. You're doing great. I love reading your blogs. Thanks for making me smile.

Thanks, ladies.

And Ry-- I'm so TOTALLY PRETENDING. BUT! It's better then being depressed and I'm hoping at some point, I will convince myself that I really AM happy, no matter how much I weigh. It can't hurt, right?

Woohoo! Hot Mamacita! The cut looks great!

Y, you look great! The haircut really suits you. It's so easy to get depressed with a weight struggle, especially when you have little to no control over it due to a medical issue. Just hang in there. If your cholesterol is low, that's a good sign that the weight is solely an aspect of your thyroid condition and otherwise, you're probably in good health (except that you feel awful - I know!). I've had to struggle with weight for my entire life due to hypothyroidism. I've lucked into some good docs though that will play with my meds to get the right combination. I'm not nearly as heavy as I used to be but it still is a constant struggle. I just can't eat what 'normal' people my size would eat. Otherwise, I'll gain at least a couple of pounds a day. But it's something that I've had plenty of time to adjust to it and tinker with it so it's not all bad now. Just very frustrating. I wish you all the luck in the world with this and hopefully it will level out and get better soon. I know that you hate your weight and you probably cringe every time you look in a mirror but from the rest us out in blogspace, from the pictures you're been generous enough to show us, you really DO look great! :)

Your hair looks fabulous! And as for the weight, I hear you. But, you're doing a good thing taking care of yourself! And seriously, the haircut looks great!

Maybe I should get a haircut.
Funny thing - in the feed, it said the second picture was unavailable. So then I started wondering if it was your deep way of saying the happiness was unavailable. Glad it wasn't.

GORGEOUS! I love the power of a good haircut. Bad haircuts just suck the life out you. Yes, I am shallow enough to let that happen when I have a bad haircut.
You look fab!

I think that's a beautiful almost smile and your hair looks great!

Oooooooh! I can tell you feel so much better! I looks gorgeous!

Beautiful hair.

And Y? YOU are beautiful, too.

I don't know what you see when you look in the mirror, but I see a gorgeous person, Y. And I don't mean that in a Hallmark way, I'm SO not a Hallmark person.

But I think you're beautiful and I want you to know that I think that.

You look great!

Your hair is the prettiest! And you are pretty, too.

hair looks fab :)

I've been lurking around for a while now, and although my health problems don't seem to be as severe as yours, they sure seem to be similar!!

I'm 25, and at the end of last year started putting on about 1kg per month. I've always been fit, I sail competitively and no one had any answers for me.

After much to-ing and fro-ing the doctor took a punt that it was PCOS and put me on metabolism boosting meds (metformin), and also a weight loss drug for a month. This in combination with the nutritionist and gym enabled me to lose 7kg in that month. It's stopped at that, but it has stablised and hasn't gone up again. I'm heading to the doctor to get another weight loss boost next week.

I feel like I'm cheating, but seriously- when your body refuses to co-operate and act in a healthy manner there needs to be an intervention!

Good luck with it all, I'll still be lurking!!!

Andrea

OMG your hair! It is so beyootiful! I may have to use this as inspiration for my next haircut.

I think you AND your hair are amazing. Hugs!

you look like two different people. i can attest to how much better you feel after a day of beauty since i got mine at the end of may. of course, i look like crap again..but, eh, what're ya gonna do. i can also sooooo identify with the weight loss situation. i lost 5 lbs. in the first week and was bound and determined to keep it going - after 4 weeks...still the same 5. i gave up. my hubby loves me and i will learn how to love me again too.

YOU LOOK GORGEOUS!!!!

I don't comment much but check your blog daily for updates just wanted to tell you that your hair looks great.........

I so know how you feel (or I think I can relate)... I have gained so much weight in the past three years due to PCOS and other health problems meaning I had to take steroids for a year. I hate the way I look. Add to that the fact that I'm bald... but I just got a new wig and I think it is so nice that it makes me smile a bit seeing myself in the mirror. Something that hasn't happened in a LONG time.
I'm still not happy with the way I look, but I can pick one thing about me that I like, even if it's fake hair, and concentrate on that.

Hiya, gorgeous! You look wonderful.
Don't sweat the weight too much- it WILL come off someday. I'm a year older than you and would kill to be 230 lbs (a weight I left behind a long time ago), and am slowly working my way back to that range. I've got a LONG way to go, and it's going very slowly, but it's happening. It'll happen for you too.
I'd also like to commend you for not punching a doctor in the throat by now. My family is dealing with a medical crisis (Daddy's had a stroke) and the doctors are so hard to get answers from that it's beyond frustrating.

hugs and wishes for brighter days.....

You look gawjus!

Hot stuff!

Dude, I weigh a little more than you, and when I look at how WIDE my face is I want to cry. But you know what I say?

FUCK IT.

Everyone who matters doesn't care if I am fat or not. And I struggle with accepting myself, but in a flattering outfit with some pretty jewelry and makeup and a nice 'do, I manage to like the person I am both inside AND out.

And if all else fails, I remind myself that I'd rather be fat then have loose saggy skin. Some would disagree, and that's fine for them, but for me, I want my rolls filled with some jelly, you know?

You look BEAUTIFUL :)

I LOVE your new haircut! It is beautiful, and so are you! And honey, I WISH I was 230 lbs.

You are gorgeous, inside and out. You DESERVE to be happy and I'm thrilled to read that you are embracing this chance!

i love the new cut!

Girl, I can feel the glow.

The hair is lovely, as is the (almost) smile. I'm glad you got a cut you're happy with!

I love it! You look great!!

Oooh! Yes, that's a great cut.

Your hair looks cute. It has taken years for me to accept myself as I am ... and be proud of myself even with my zillions of flaws. It's very freeing.

Sassy Do! Love it.

Absolutely beautiful!

You look great!!!!!!

I love the new hair. I do have to be honest though and say that I get sick of hearing about how you can only wear sweats and jeans don't fit and how all fat clothes are ugly.

There are lots of wonderful stores out there for bigger ladies, Lane Bryant being the most well known, but also The Avenue and Fashion Bug and even Hot Topics chubby sister Torrid for that funky T-Shirt fix. There is no reason for plus size ladies to walk around in mom jeans with tapered legs and elastic waists. LB and others sells boot cut jeans and trendy well designed tops as well as super cute dresses. If you are serious about embracing this new you, spend some money on the essential plus size clothing and realize that fat does not equal ugly.

Love your hair! I am kinda having the same issue, as in I know that it would make me feel better to get my hair cut (in addition to the fact that my hair just needs it right now). I'm just too lazy to make the appointment and go. You've inspired me, I'm going this weekend.

Fair enough, Melissa. But, to say that I don't look good in jeans isn't the same as saying all fat clothes are ugly. I've conceded that they're not. But, again, I can understand your frustration.

Love it. You look amazing!

good for you, Michelle! I hope you get just the cut you want.

You look fabulous, Darling!! Keep up that attitude. I know you want to loose but if you at least stay in shape when they figure out what's going on then it should come off easier.

And the smile does wonders!

Y - please try to smile more. Even with that half smile you look so beautiful (psst! It's not just the hair).

Wow! What a cute haircut! It looks awesome. And you smiling? Made me smile. :-)

You have gorgeous sexy hair!

MAN I can't wait for mine to grow out a little more! I LOVE it!

Mine is BARELY long enough for a pony tail, which I have been doing a lot lately, because there is something about the particular length of my hair that reminds me of Peter Boyle in "Taxi Driver" right now, minus the baldness. Not good. not good at all.

-H

You look beautiful, Y!

(And it's not just the hair.)

First real smile I've seen on you in a long while... whatever you paid, it was worth it!

That 2d picture is so beautiful!

And, big props for figuring out how to take a full on picture of yourself without having your eyes rolling back in your head, which is what happens to me when I try it.

Y, you look SO CUTE. That's what I want my hair to look like, if it would EVER grow. I love it!

Lovely hair! And best of luck in getting to the bottom of your health issues.

I don't comment often but I read your blog faithfully. You are such a beauty, inside and out ... your hair looks amazing, but you were gorgeous before the cut.

Y, you look adorable! Seeing you look so cute cheered me right up!

You have gorgeous hair and a wonderful smile. So, just keep working that angle girl!

No fair.
The woman in the first picture is pretty too! They ALWAYS do the "Before" with without makeup or smiling.

That IS great hair.

Your hair looks fantastic! Amazing how much one little thing can lift your spirits!

you are beautiful but it's not really the hair (although it is a great cut), it's the smile.

Y; I've been reading your blog way longer than you'll know and I have a few things to say. So listen up, said the stranger...hoping to touch your soul.
1. You are strong, beautiful, funny, blessed and so important to so many people.
2. Your weight is a number. Some day it will go down. Give yourself a break. You're perfect just as you are.
3. If you're looking for a feel-good way of eating...check out Suzanne Somers "somersizing" or email me for my version. I've yoyo'ed on it a little, but dang it feels good to feel good. My face cleared up, my hair looks healthy, my spirit soars, and my energy level lifts. But the greatest...the greatest...is you can eat til the cow comes home and still feel the weight dropping. I am not considered "fit", but I do feel good about myself...and I too, if I looked too closely, would be down about the extra weight. I try to walk 3 miles 4--5 times a week, it's a great way to calm the ickies. I'm pushing 40, and I have accepted that I am who I am. I just bought some great tops at Kohls and I feel like a model (XL), but every bit helps.
4. Do you know? Do you seriously know? Just how many people look to you to get them thru the day? You're not some car wreck that we can't turn away from...you're someone we've stumbled upon and have become atached to. You are a human with imperfections...the same as every other human. I've learned the hard way that you never know the battles that someone is facing, EVERYONE has a cross to bear. You're a gift to us. And thank you, you need to appreciate what you are to others.
5. You know when to humor others. You're an awesome singer....your kids are amazing....and your DH is too. Life is good, embrace it. Things happen for a reason, you're stumbling now, but soon you'll be setting your own pace.

Keep on keeping on!!!

Y, you look great! Good on you lady!

GORGEOUS! Truly! I love it!

It's hard to be what you didn't think you would be. I feel similarly, although I don't have a medical reason, I weight more than I ever have, 250 last time I checked, but I avoid the scale. Good job with the exercising though, at least you can be in good shape! LOVE the hair, it's really cute!

BEE YOU TEE FUL!!!

I've got a few more entries to read...catching up from internet connection issues...but the new do looks great - as do you. SASSY!

Your hair is gorgeous! I likey!!

This is probably going to sound hateful and probably out of line but try to keep up with the exercising. Even if its walking. That tends to help out more emotionally than just physically.

I am so happy for you that you are able to feel a little better. Your hair looks beautiful and it is nice to see you smile.

I don't have a bitch of a thyroid, but I have PCOS, I spent years being skinny and thinking I was fat (um, hello? I was a size 3). Now I am 230#, and I have been dx with multiple sclerosis and can't get too hot or I could lose the ability to use my left side until I cooled down again (and have bouts of severe fatigue)! I found a way to laugh though. You'll find a way too.

If they think you have PCOS, go back on the pill. Not the triphasic pills, the monophasic. The estrogen will help (especially if your testosterone levels are high). I just and my annual violation and my OB says that even though I will have my tubes tied with the next c-section (we are trying to get pregnant again), I will still have to take birth control pills until menopause to combat the PCOS... though I prefer that to the life long weekly self-injections (my MS treatment) I will start once I am done nursing the last baby!

CUTE HAIR! So pretty.

I bet the stylist loves you because you make her job so easy. Your hair looks gorgeous, and I'm so glad you're feeling happy, and also that you're not beating yourself up.

Beautiful!

You are all sorts of beautiful.

You is fine.
lol
I love it love it.

Your hair looks great! Good for you!

AWESOME HAIR!!!!!

The haircut is AMAZING!!! :o) You look like a totally different woman! :o) You really are a beautiful lady.

You look beautiful...but it is not the hair (although the hair is gorgeous)....it is because you are smiling. It is so nice to see you...well.....smiling!

I love it! I say go for a pedicure next with the whole paraffin wax thing.

First, I'm going to second ELF.

Second, a great haircut can work wonders.

Hello wonders! You long lost cutie, you!!

Never doubt that you are beautiful :-) Love the new haircut btw and yes, it is amazing what a haircut can do. My 13 yr old daughter, who is VERY hormonal right now, has been a nightmare to live with lately - until she had her hair cut on Saturday. The change is unbelievable!!! So, I am sending out a hug to hairdressers around the world for making people feel that way.

Keep smiling - it suits you :-)

hey, you look great! look, it even made me want to comment! :)

You're beautiful, dahling. Absolutely beautiful.

fake it till you make it, babe.

and you are always gorgeous... even when your hair matched the panelling at your dad's church.

x

Beautiful.

I always feel better when my hair and feet are properly cared for.

pretty pretty pretty. i now have hair envy.

Ya know... I've seen the last 2-3 photos you've posted here...and you are a very pretty lady.

Your body is acting all crazy... don't blame yourself.

I'm so happy that you are happy... seriously!

Beautiful!

Do you think Kolbe worries about his weight? Do you think Kolbe busts his ass working out?

Perhaps these are terrible examples, but it's not so easy weaving Kolbe into everything.

Isn't it funny what one little thing will do to make you feel better? I find wearing lipstick to be the key for me.

You look lovely.

Awesome!!!

Happy looks good on you, girl!

Gorgeous!

Beautiful!

Gorgeous!

You look beautiful!

You are beautiful!

I'm so glad to see this post today! You look so shiny and bouncy and pretty. Keep it going, Y!!!

1) You're naturally gorgeous (whether you think so or not...YOU ARE)
2) The new hair makes you glow-y and gorgeous. Enjoy your glow-y state!

Your really pretty you know with or without the new haircut.

Wow - you sure do look happy in that photo, Y! Your eyes are smiling, too (just like Tyra!). You are gorgeous!

Yes, yes, your hair looks great.

But SERIOUSLY.

EYEBROW THREADING?!?!

Oh dear God Woman WHY!! Ow. Ow. Ow. WAX. Ow.

Wow, Y, you look gorgeous!

(And dude, threading is so totally the way to go. ;-) )

The new haircut is adorable!!! You are beautiful Y, just beautiful!

Love the haircut! Very good look on you!

Have you been checked for ovarian cysts or PCOS? 11 years ago I had an 11 pound cyst removed from, along with an ovary and fallopian tube (with a free appendectomy), and I went from 195 to 160 pounds overnight! I swear, it was the most horrific thing for my 21 year old self, but now I know it can happen and some doctors don't think about it. The only reason they found the cyst is I had such irregular periods they did an ultrasound. There in all it's glory was the cyst, and man did my doctor look like an idiot for not being able to palpate my abdomen and distinguish it from just fat! Just my experience, but I don't trust doctors to know it all anymore, just keep asking questions!

Love ya Y!

Love the hair. Love love love the hair. I've always wanted long hair, but it's never cooperated.

yay! Good job, it's amazing what makes you feel better!

I am so happy you are happy. And doing good and healthy things even though they feel entirely useless. I am so proud of you.

You don't have gto believe me, but every time I visit your blog I think about how pretty you are. And no, I don't have hideous taste! Love your hair and hope that you figure out the secret to truly being able to say "fuck it" and enjoying your beauty the way you are now. If you figure that out, please let the rest of us know...

For as long as I've been reading your blog I have always thought you were beautiful. I swear on everything I can think of it's the god's honest truth.

Whoa! HOTMama!! you look even more beautiful than usual

Y, you are an inspiration! Don't ever give up on yourself - you are worth it!

GORGEOUS!!!

Great hair! You look so beautiful, especially with a smile on your face!

Pretty Pretty! :)

LOVE your new hair cut! It looks so shiny and smooth--my hair is always frizzy...there is no way I could get mine so sleek-looking.

I love the haircut...its beautiful and so are you. I hope someday you can realize that.

I am going to get mine more one length tomorrow. I am done w/layers for now.

Love the hair. Makes me miss my super straight hair. Then again, the 2nd time around I almost lost it (chemical straightening) so for now, I'll live through your hair.

OMG! I honestly could type ALL IN CAPS! GORGEOUS Y! Absolutely... GORGEOUS!!

Super cute 'do!!!

coveting your hair...all the way from canada..

looks GREAT!

You're beautiful.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race (I'm relishing in my .7 loss this week, when I could feel otherwise). Good luck to you!

Love the cute hair!

Really, really pretty! You look fabulous!

your hair rocks, mama!

1 word. Gorgeous!

HEY, why am I the only one who can't see it???? Fix it, fix it!

GAWGEOUS!

You look lovely and your hair is so! very! shiny!

Ooooh. Cute hair! Nice and floofy. I need to do that too. I shove a headband in my hair every day and call it good.

My doc said getting my thyroid in check won't really change my weight loss. WTF?

Nice haircut! It's so sassy and stylish!

Your previous post was titled "Remind me to tell you about the greatest "hmmmm..." comment in the history of this blog." I'm reminding you! Do tell!

Y,

Your look beautiful. You will never really know just how many people you have helped by posting about your health & weight

Linda in Miszippi

So pretty!

Awwww, you look beautiful, Y! Keep fighting the good fight. I wish you nothing but the best. xxoo

YES YES YESSSSS to that hair, Beautimus! Also, you have perfect clara bow lips and amazing eyes!

You are beautiful. I am so happy you are having a happy day. May there be many more.
xoxo
Annie

Ooh, love it! And can't wait to see it IN PERSON.

Dude. That is totally what you needed. I LOVE it. Adorable.

Your hair looks great and so does your half smile. You look really pretty.

You look beautiful!

A long time ago- well, at least a year or so, I read somewhere on the net about a lady who had symptoms very similar to yours. She would barely eat, work out and gained tons of weight. At first her Dr. told her she just wasn't dieting when in fact she really was. She went through a bunch of Drs and had a bunch of tests and was about to give up when one Dr did "some" test and found "some" rare thing he had just learned about. I cannot for the life of me find what I read because I am sure you would be interested.

Eyebrow threading - OY VEY that always looks so so so so painful.

But then I'm a chicken like that and you are so brave for even thinking about it.

That is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen of you. Sure, some of it is the hair and make up. But most of it is the smile.

hey pretty lady! u r so inspiring!

HOW CUTE ARE YOU, with the bouncy hair and all???

I'm not currently dealing with weight issues but my hair is baby-fine (as in "looks fine on a baby, but on a grown-ass woman? No.), stringy, AND my cholesterol is over 300! So don't come up behind me and yell or anything, I might fall straight over with my legs up in the air like one of those Tennessee fainting goats.

LOVE your haircut. LOVE LOVE.

You are beautiful.

Y, you ARE beautiful! I love your hair too.
I just wanted to say I suffer from thyroid disease and all its lovely symptoms (note the sarcasm), I have my good days and bad days, and the weight gain has been awful. Luckily, I found a better doctor and he is helping me get everything under control. Thank you for being so honest on your blog about what you've been going through, I know it sucks but it makes me not feel so alone and that Im not the only one that suffers from the thyroid disease curse. I hope for all of us that some day, they find a cure for it.

Your hair looks amazing! I'm glad that you are doing something for you--your face is lit up in that second picture. You deserve to be happy!

Greatest Hair Eh-ver Award coming your way at BlogHer.

Oh wow that looks amazing!! You deserve to be happy with hair like that. Excellent!!

I love it. It makes you feel good, which is what matters most.

I recently got hair I love, and that has made a HUGE difference.

Have I told you that I have a thyroid problem and want/need/long to lose as much weight as you? Sucks, huh?

But I have been working hard on ME over the past year, and I'm really liking all the other aspects of me that don't involve my body. I'm hoping the rest of that will catch up to my "inside", because I'm proud of who I've become.

Hugs.

You look absolutely Beautiful :-) !!
Love the new Hair!!

PRETTY Y!!!!

The hopeful look suits you!

The hopeful look suits you!

LOVE the cut!

You look FABULOUS!

Y,
You look gorgeous! I absolutely love the new haircut! It makes you look thinner and your eyes look so bright!

Oh you look all kinds of cute! I LOVE your hair!!

Hey glad to hear your cholesterol was down. I am also 36 and I also go to the gym. When I signed up I told them, "I just want to be more healthy. Of course, weight loss would be great. A bonus. But really, I just want to have a healthy heart, more stamina when going on bike rides with my kids, stuff like that." and their response: "People who sign up for the gym do so for one of two reasons: looks or health. And the people who say they're doing it for health are just lying." WHAT???? I go 3 times a week and I have not lost a single pound, but I know I'm stronger. Keep up whatever you're doing and forget the number on the scale. Be healthy and enjoy your kids.