Lecia Gibson is not afraid to put herself out there. The healthcare professional in her 40s, wife and mother of two, shares her personal journey since bariatric surgery at The Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center on her blog – Skinnymejourney.blogspot.com. “Originally the blog was a therapeutic thing for me,” she says.
“I have spent the biggest part of my life as an obese person,” Lecia explains on her blog. “I have (as most people) tried multiple fad diets, exercise and have played the yo-yo weight loss game for many of those years.” She knew that, although she was not yet plagued with multiple health issues, it was on her path with a strong family history. Realizing “I had a skinny person in me, dying to get out,” Lecia began researching her options, and attended a Bailey Bariatrics seminar.
“I am still not at my goal weight, but I am still battling to get there and maintain that weight,” she blogs July 7, 2014. In two years, Lecia has lost 123 pounds since bariatric surgery – the same weight she notes her 14-year-old son weighs. “I have lost an entire human.”
Blogging began to help Lecia stay on track. She quickly found, however, it became a tool for others as well. “It was helping me with my challenges and accomplishments,” she says. “Then as I began to blog more and more and had people following me, telling me how I was helping them and what an inspiration I am to them, it became bigger. It was no longer just about me losing weight and becoming a healthier person. The blog became an outlet to help others as well.”
What do you share with an anonymous and expansive online audience? Lecia says she started her blog without a real agenda about what she would or would not share. “I just sat down at the computer one day and started typing,” she recalls. “I have shared some personal things that I never thought I would, pictures that are now forever in cyber world and non-scale victories that have meant more than that number between my feet on that scale ever will.”
One of those victories came when she reached back in her closet for a smaller dress, which had been hanging untouched for 20 years. “Putting it on and it being too big was probably the first one,” Lecia shared July 6.
Skinny Me Journey is updated when she has time between the commitments of a full, busy life. “My blogging varies depending on my crazy schedule,” she says. “I work full-time. I'm married and have two boys (ages 14 and 10). I'm truly busy all the time. Some weeks I blog daily, some weeks I blog once during the week and there have been some weeks that I've missed completely.”
The blog is a reflection of Lecia’s hard work and determination to reach her goals. It is a mirror she can look into and see how far she has come. “I get to share things that I might not have shared with someone face-to-face,” she adds. “Sharing my goals and accomplishments keep me in check. I don't want the people who follow me (some are friends, some are family, some are fellow weight loss surgery alumni and some are total strangers) to look at my blog and see that I've failed. I want to succeed for myself, my family and all of them.”