Siena Yates: Guys, I've made a discovery - called hip bones

Siena Yates. Photo / Alan Gibson

Guys. I made a discovery.

They're called "hip bones" and it's a strained relationship, to say the least. For years my hip bones have had luxurious padding, so as to limit their interaction with the outside world and now, all of a sudden, I can feel them - and they can feel everything else. I now get sore lying on one side for too long and feel springs in the mattress I never used to be able to feel.

I expect some people would see this as a "victory" as far as weight loss goes but I'm starting to understand the appeal of mattresses that you'd need a mortgage to afford. And this is just one of the many changes I've noticed of late.

There's a bone in my wrist so sharp it feels like it's trying to escape my body. I can feel my ribs in the same way I can feel my hip bones; that is, they hurt when I try to lie on my front.

My trusty sweatpants have started to fall down, I'm doing my bra up on the first hooks instead of the last and, speaking of bras and things that go in them; my boobs have deflated like a punctured air mattress. Similarly, my butt seems to have become nothing more than a weird extension of my back.

I think a lot of people think that drastic weight loss is a case of waking up one day with the body of Megan Fox and feeling comfortable in it but when you've lived in your body for so long and it begins to change drastically - and this fast (this is week 8, post-op) - it can be a bit of a shock to the system.

The funny thing is, to look at me, you wouldn't notice it as much as I do. But it's sort of like all the other invisible changes; like how the other day I sat in a chair with arms without a second thought (usually, I would do a quick scan of the room to find one without - just in case).

Or how at the weekend, I got a massage and, for the first time ever, I wasn't hyper-aware of my body. Usually, I can't fully relax because I'm so conscious of my fat being pushed and pulled and prodded but this time I simply didn't care.

Some days I have moments of barely recognising myself. Others I feel I haven't changed at all - except on those days I get little reminders, like getting to the top of the stairs without a struggle or bending over to tie my shoelaces without having to suck in my tummy and hold my breath.

Of course, it's still not easy. I'm currently going through a phase where even the smell of food - no matter what it is - makes me want to vomit. I'm also the poster child for dehydration and am probably Blistex's best customer, plus I have so many tubs of protein powder lying around I could probably do a reader giveaway (had I not already opened and used them all, of course).

I've said it once, I'll say it again; WLS is not the easy way out. It is, as predicted, one of the hardest things I've ever done. However - also as predicted - I do think it's worth it. You know why?

Because here's this week's NSV: I did a burpee. Just one. But a proper one. For the first time ever. Usually, I walk it out because I'm too scared to commit and my belly gets in the way when I try to jump back in but I did it. And I'mma keep doing it because doing non-regressed burpees has been a long-time gym goal of mine.

It may not seem like much to anyone else but while physical changes are one thing, mental changes and being able to hit personal goals like this mean the entire world. They're why I did this.

Next week: Steve Braunias