Do I Know You? - Question Time

Good ones Jody...I feel like miss America answering these questions! lol Here are my answers:

1. What final moment/event lead you to say to yourself and follow through with getting weight loss surgery? I am different from most here...I was actually ok being big all my life. I loved being a BBW and never felt I was as large as my pictures now show me I was. I actually thought weight loss surgery was an easy out and was very vocal against it.....talk about eating crow...lol I had no co moborities except for bad knees..... My orthopedic dr. told me I will be needing a knee replacement in the future and there is no way they would do the operation at my 410 pounds. He simply said either do bariactrics or you will be in a wheelchair in 2 years. I got serious and called for a consultation December 6th , got insurance approval in 1 day and had my surgery February 3rd....and lived happily ever after :o)

 

2. What personality trait do you have that would surprise people if they really knew you? I can be really quiet and withdrawn at times...for the most part I am really bubbly and funny but i have my quiet moments and I love to curl up with a good book and just get lost in it!

 

3. What do you think of the state of and statistics concerning overweight and obese children in the upcoming generations? I thing that we need to get to the root of it all.....broader education for all...parents...teachers.....churches...etc. We need to be able to look at nutrition as it should be used for our bodies and not to learn to lean on food as a "pleasure" factor only. Schools need to revamp lunch periods and allow more time for children to eat well balanced and nutritiously. Good manner and diplomacy should be exercised to deal compasionatly with those already affected and to help build their self esteem and help them change the direction they are going. I believe nutrition teaching is as important as reading, writing and math. We are a poorly educated society as far as nutrition goes and so many do not understand how it all affects not only our weight but the way we feel and how well our bodies operate. i will now step down from my soap box! :o) PS..I nominate Sherri for our National Secretary of Nutrition! Do I get a second here??

1. What final moment/event lead you to say to yourself and follow through with getting weight loss surgery? All I would do is lay around on the couch for hours and not play with my kids and be in pain from my knees and back allday and eat like 8 advil a day. I went to my PCP to talk about it with her and then shortly after that was diag. with Diabetes and HBP.

2. What personality trait do you have that would surprise people if they really knew you? I get agittated very easily and can be very moody. But since I was put on my anti-depresants I am like a whole new person. I would let things eat away at me forever and make myself worry until I got sick.Also I would get panic attacks. Nothing.....Any more. I love my zoloft!

 

3. What do you think of the state of and statistics concerning overweight and obese children in the upcoming generations? I think it's digusting.....I work in the restraunt business and I see these parents come and order their already overweight kids fried crap and then turn around and order them a large blizzard or freakin' 1000 calories royal treat. I guess it's job security for me. Get your kids involved in sports and nutrition early on. All 3 of my nieces were soccer/chearleaders/dancers. Tyler has played baseball for 11 years...football/wrestling ofr several years. Get them active!

1. What final moment/event lead you to say to yourself and follow through with getting weight loss surgery?

 I was sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time!  I hated my clothes, I hated myself.  I hated everything I had become.  I was depressed all the time on the inside but joked about my weight with everyone else (put on that false front).  I had some major back problems and weight was a big issue.  I also was just a pinch away from starting diabetes medicine and I didn't want that.  My mothr and father were both insulin dependent and had had open heart surgery.  I didn't want to end up like that.

2. What personality trait do you have that would surprise people if they really knew you?

 I was Mrs. Congeniality for Boone County in 1990.  I think that means I am supposed to be a fun person to be around, but I think I am somewhat shy and reserved.  I dislike really large crowds, but absolutely LOVE going to garage sales.  (I'm an addict!)  But when I have a friend, I am fiercely loyal to that friend and will do anything for him/her!

3. What do you think of the state of and statistics concerning overweight and obese children in the upcoming generations? We were just talking about this the other night.  Everyone, whether it is a child or adult, seems to be overweight these days.   My oldest son is battling the bulge and now has high blood pressure and he is only 28!   What can be do to change it?   One thing is to take only nutrious treats to dinners that we go to.  Prepare and teach our children/grandchildren how to cook nutriously.  Unfortunately, most of the nutrious foods are expensive.  Somethings got to give! Thanks Jo for the questions...really learn alot about people!

Well these are really tough ones! #1. the final moment was when my BFF died in her sleep at the age of 40 and left me alone to think. I was so hurt and angry I thought I will show her! We were supposed to die at the same time! I would shoot her and she would fall on me and choke me to death. I started after that and just had my surgery in may and she died in January 2001.  THe #2? is that when I love ya I love and when I hate ya I hate ya forever! I think that has to do with how much the kids at Lebanon made fun of me for being FAT. I hate 97% of the people that I went to school with from 1974-1977. I would never pay money to see anyone from my senior class by going to a reunion! I have been out of school since then but can still tell you that I still hate which one for what reason. #3THe state of overweight that concerns me the most is that now is that bullying is still a part of the fat kids life! Our society has come so far with desrimination but the fat kids are still made fun of today. This has gotten so bad that these kids commit suicide. That is the only thing I can think of.

These are really good. 1. I have been looking at wls for sometime,  but got really serious when in the pool with my sweet granddaughter she said, Grandma you look like Ursalla, she is the wicked sea urchant from Little Mermaid. I am sure that my black strapless bathing suit didn't help, but when I looked in the mirror I could see what she meant. That was just the start of the list tho. 2. That Iam very shy, some people think I am actually a snob, but when they get to know me, they see I am just shy, and have been that way all my life. 3. I think it all has to do with the parents, my daughter  in law has raised the girls to eat all kinds of veggies and fruit, something I never did my self or with my kids. She also makes sure they are always busy playing, not jus****ching the tv or movies. It starts at home when they are young, it will follow into adult hood.

1. What final moment/event lead you to say to yourself and follow through with getting weight loss surgery?           For me, I don't think there was ONE final moment. As my co-morbidities kept increasing, I started thinking 'you know, this is stupid...especially when there is a medical solution available to help with this!'. I, like Marianne, was very comfortable in my fat-filled skin. I enjoyed being the fat, jolly, BBW. I did not enjoy my health going downhill fast though.

2. What personality trait do you have that would surprise people if they really knew you?     As I get older, the more 'see-through' my personality is. I am what I am. If I had to name something though I guess it would be that I too have many, many self-doubt moments and can also look to the heavens and say 'why?'.                    3. What do you think of the state of and statistics concerning overweight and obese children in the upcoming generations?                      Until we as a nation, as a people, and as a person all begin to change our thinking process, obesity is going to keep increasing. Our kids are fat because they are lazy. Our kids are lazy because we are lazy. We don't want to have to take the time to take them to the park so we plant their butt in front of the TV or hand them a game boy. Yep, that's GOOOOD exercise! We don't want to put up with temper tantrums so we feed them to 'tie them over'. Like...making them behave is toooo big of a chore! I have even witnessed this at our clothing exchanges! Let's feed the kid to get him to behave (hmmm...giving him a swat on the butt too hard?..oh, and for the time I'm thinking of, that kid could have cared less about eating, he just wanted to touch & finger all the food..oh, after he wiped his nose on his hand!). For the kids who are in soccer, we as soccer mom's are too busy running them here & there to fix a good meal so we KFC it, Pizza Hut it, or McDonald's it. IF we do happen to fix a meal, we just grab whatever is easiest or cheapest on the grocery shelf. We don't think to read the labels, compare, and get the best nutritionally. Even on a tight budget, there are healthier choices that could be made than usually are. Am I picking on anyone in particular? Nope. Am I pointing fingers? Nope. My daughter is 27 & step-daughter is 32..both are obese. My son is 25...I don't think he is quite to obese, but definately over-weight. My own hubby is on that same border (not that he would admit being so close to 'obese'...lol.).  Of the 4, my hubby is the only one who does actually try to watch what he eats...as best as he can. My grandchildren are all of normal weight..for now. I have talked with my step-daughter about the granddaughter who will be 3 in September though as I see her gaining weight (and her butt getting bigger & bigger). If it weren't for the high level of energy of the other 3 though, I know they'd be overweight. All four of them are TV-haulics. So..until we learn to turn the TV off and become active parents, we aren't going to have active kids, and obesity will thrive.

I'm new, but I'll play.  LOL 1. What final moment/event lead you to say to yourself and follow through with getting weight loss surgery? I actually had known for a few years that I would likely have WLS.  My cousin/dear friend is 4 years out from her surgery, and as she started going through the process, I knew that I would also do it.  My hold-up was that I was planning to have children and I was in my mid-30's.  I knew that I had to start my family first and then address my weight, due to the age.  So we had our son in Sept. 2005, our daughter in Aug. 2007, and we are "complete".  After a few of the postpartum months passed, I gained the weight I had lost after pregnancy.  That was my deciding factor - I happen to have "cadillac" health insurance, so in January I decided I would get the ball rolling.  Well....turned out that insurance that is so great EXCLUDES WLS.  This knocked me down and I gave up for a while.  After a few months had passed I realized, insurance or not, I had to do this.  So I am going the self-pay route.  It's a LOT of money but my health is as important as a new vehicle!  I have lots of co-morbities (diabetes, hypertension, GERD) and with my age, I knew that if something was not done, I might not see y children graduate high school.  I also wanted to do this while they were very small, before they go to school and are embarrassed by me, while there is still time for me to get out and PLAY with them, etc. 2. What personality trait do you have that would surprise people if they really knew you? Hmmm, no one here "knows" me yet as I have not been posting much (a little on the lightweight board).  So instead I will give a little more intro.  I will turn 38 this September, 10 days after my RNY.  We will celebrate our 17th anniversary in October - we were married a LONG time before we had our kids.  I work from home and my DH is a stay-at-home dad for most of the year.  In the summers he is quite busy with my family's farm, so we have a babysitter during the summer.  The kids like her, and she does OK, but I can't wait to have my house back!  Working from home has its ups and downs.  I am in the middle of that "sandwich" time in life, with 2 small kids, aging parents (Dad has Alzheimer's), a high-stress job/demanding boss.  So my life is a big ball of stress.  I know that the WLS will not change any of that, but it should make my own health less of a factor to deal with and allow me to cope better, having more energy. 3. What do you think of the state of and statistics concerning overweight and obese children in the upcoming generations? UGH, it is a mess.  Everyone has made good points.  A lot of it is laziness/lack of time on the parents' part - being a parent I can say it is EASY to fall into those traps!  Another motivating factor for me to do this is so that my kids DON"T become part of those statistics.  I figure that the diet I need to follow is also what my DH and kids need to be eating for the most part, just in higher quantities.  Our house is going to become a much healthier place to eat SOON, while my kids are young enough to accept it fairly easily. OK - so now I have sort of introduced myself along with rambling about the questions.  Good questions!  I have lurked here a bit and it is such a pleasant group, I am hoping to become a part of that.  :-) Julie Edited to add - I am 5'3" and about 240-242~ish.  Don't know why but thought I should throw that in.  I am busting out of size 24's and 3x's and TIRED of it!