Questions/History of weight gain

Here's some toughies... answer as you can... ----------------------------------------------------------- Were you a heavy child? Were/are your parents overweight? Are your children (if any) overweight? When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? How long did it take to get to your highest weight? Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? -------------------------------------------------------------------

Were you a heavy child? Yes, after about the 3rd grade, I was noticably chubby. Were/are your parents overweight? My dad was always overweight, he's thinner since last spring, he had heart problems and was forced into a healthier lifestyle. Are your children (if any) overweight? Yes, my oldest is overweight... she's seven years old...and needs to lose weight or grow dramatically taller... :-/ Her weight is partially environmental I know, and partially her own emotional issues... When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? 1997-2002...between three pregnancies...from about 200 lbs to over 300. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? For *me*--- it was definitely pregnancy, followed by being an at home mom... combined with stress...:-/ Before pregnancy, I was overweight, and just ate too much... and always overate the wrong things... it just got intensified after babies.... How long did it take to get to your highest weight? Hmm....not long at all! I was 200 lbs when I got pregnant the first time... and 313 after the second baby was born.... so 1997-1999!! Two years!! Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? I lost 40-50 lbs three times before WLS... lost, regained, lost, regained, lost...regained.... What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Weigh****chers...Atkins Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? Pretty much. I sort of gave up on dieting for a while...since I was breastfeeding my daughter- I didn't pay attention.... and probably got heavier than I realized... but I didn't weigh myself until applying for WLS. I lost about 15 lbs pre-op... was told to lose 30... Beth 313/298/165/130

Were you a heavy child? No Were/are your parents overweight? Yes Are your children (if any) overweight? No When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? early 20's What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? Sexual abuse (along with years of yo yo dieting and no portion control) How long did it take to get to your highest weight? 7 years Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? Yes What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? The slim fast plan and lots of exercise. And I had no kids then. So I could focus totally on myself. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? Yes, I was shocked when I realized I had surpassed my pregnancy weight. I gained about 15lbs in the year I was trying to get surgery. Ah stress eating.

Were you a heavy child? NO, although as a teenager who weighed about 125 at 5'7" I thought I was and was always starving myself and even went to weigh****chers once. Were/are your parents overweight? My mom was a few pounds over weight at times not all the time, my dad was obese, now is just overweight. Are your children (if any) overweight? My dog is a couple pounds over weight (a couple pounds to a 28 pound dog is a lot - obviously it's not genetic.) When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? My weight crept up slowly through my 20's do to yo-yo dieting till I got up to about 180. Then my mom died when I was 27 and I gained about 20 more pounds. Then I got divorced and gained over 100 pounds in a year. Obviously, I eat when I get depressed. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? Depression, grief. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? 21 years of pigging out. Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? The most I ever lost going to weigh****chers was just under 75 pounds which took 2 years and then I broke up with my boyfriend and gained it all back plus some. What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Weigh****chers/OA Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? When I first met the surgeon I weighed 317, by my surgery date I was up to 340. Luckily he had no rule that you had to be good before surgery. I ate like I was never going to be able to eat again.

Were you a heavy child? No but I thought I was Were/are your parents overweight? Yes, both of them Are your children (if any) overweight? 1 out of 2 is When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? after babies What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? stress and depression (unhappy with my marraige) How long did it take to get to your highest weight? 10 years Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)?Yes, several times What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully?Hi protein low carb diet and excercise Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? Highest weight = 297; day of surgery 286.5 (my surgeon put me on an all liquid protein diet for 3 weeks before surgery) Ronda

Were you a heavy child? No, I looked deathly thin. Pudged up as a pre-teen. Then Anorexia'd my way to thinness as a teenager. Were/are your parents overweight? Just my dad. Are your children (if any) overweight? No When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? Right after birth of my son. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? Depression. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? About 2 1/2 yrs or less Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? No What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Honestly nothing could get me to lose more than 15 pounds. I even did Optifast (Oprah liquid diet) for six months - no solid foods and only lost 15 pounds. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? My highest was 274 (day of surgery), I tried to lose the year before with the optifast stuff.

Were you a heavy child? From about age 2 on Were/are your parents overweight? Slightly, but not bad. Both are about 30-40 pounds overweight Are your children (if any) overweight? Luckily, no. My daughter is Asian (adopted 4/2/00) and is very petite and small....40 pounds at 5 1/2 years of age. When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? I made a big jump (185 - 260 from my mid 20's to my early 30's) What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? I like food way too much. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? I played with about 15 pounds for the last 10 years before I had my surgery. Otherwise, the big weight gain was as stated above. Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? Nope. I went from 185 down to 161 when I joined TOPS, but then slowly gained it all back plus lots more. What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Calorie counting and keeping a log of my food. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? My high point was about months before surgery. I lost a whole 3 pounds before I had it.

Were you a heavy child? No, not at all but was told I was big, fat and ugly like my mom, so at 5'8, and 150 lbs I thought I was obese. Were/are your parents overweight? My parents were not overweight, my mom did gain weight after she had my youngest brother. Are your children (if any) overweight? No, my daughter and only child is 5'6, weighs about 138 lbs When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? I began my weight struggles after I had my daughter 17 years ago, I gained 50 plus pounds during my tough pregnancy. I got preclempsia. I struggled to loose weight maxing at 127 lbs, but eventually went to 193 lbs then I gained went to as high as 267 after taking Phentermine to loose weight. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? Pregnancy and depression. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? about four years Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? No, I never was thinner than 190 lbs since I gave birth to my daughter. What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Absolutely nothing, other than diet pills, but then I gained the weight back. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? No, my starting point for WLS was 258. Lori 258/168/148

Were you a heavy child? ...No, didn't start to gain weight until puberty. Were/are your parents overweight? ...Yes, grandparents (both sets), 6 of 6 blood Aunts, and 11 of 13 Uncles. Are your children (if any) overweight? ...None When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? ...I gained steady over many years; however, my last jump of 60lbs happened 10 years ago over a three month period. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? ...(1) Heredity and yo-yo dieting. (2) Last big jump was due to depression. I had to move for my job. Away from family. Away from friends that I had known for twenty years. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? ...Ten years. Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? ...Nope. I was a constant dieter, but never lost all my excess weight. What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? ...Nutri-System and Jenny Craig with both programs I lost in excess of 70lbs at one point. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? ...I won't confess my highest point (still coming to terms with that), but yes, I was required to lose 43lbs before surgery...I only lost 13.

Were you a heavy child? I started my obsession with food as a comforting mechanism around the age of 4. I started to become overweight around age 10. Were/are your parents overweight? My mother is SuperMorbidly Obese. She has been most of my life, and is severely ill. She lives in a nursinghome. My father vacilates between Overweight and Obese categories depending on his physical activity level. Generally the amount of food he takes in is significantly more than his physical activity level can address. Are your children (if any) overweight? I have no children. When did you gain the majority of your excess weight? I became Obese at age 10, and it has been a steady increase since then. What do you think was the precipitating factor in your gain(s)? My relationship with food as comfort, numbing, anything other than just fuel for my body. My struggles with depression and bulemia made my weight issues further difficult. How long did it take to get to your highest weight? I reached my highest around 1999. Did you lose all or most of your excess weight previously (before WLS)? I have never lost more that a 40 lbs loss before WLS. What worked for you to lose weight before the most successfully? Exercise, Smoking, Medically supervised loss with a nutritionist program, and unfortunately bulemia. I can't call any of them a true success as none of them was undertook with my best interests fully at the core. Was your highest weight the starting point for your WLS- or did you lose some before deciding on WLS? My decision to have WLS precipitated a 45lb loss before my surgery. It could have been more, but I don't really know how much I lost before, because I never found a scale that measured over 400lbs. ~Lara