Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I remember being chubby from an early age. I can remember the negative things kids would say at school. How they would pick at me and make fun of me. I can remember the adults and the way they would look at me as I got older. I started my journey at 527 lbs. And I have to say being that large can really hurt your self esteem or self image because people can be cruel and you are already having trouble dealing with your weight because you are so limited to as what you can do for yourself and what you can't. I can remember how horrible I felt because I could not tie my shoes, I could not dress myself, and I had to rely on others to help me with everything. When going to the store or a theme park I had to have a power chair or cart. I could not go to the bathroom without being out of breath. It was horrible. I tried so many diets it is not funny. The most success I ever had on diets was with weight watchers and when I would quit the program after losing about 50 lbs I would gain it all back plus some.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
The worst thing about being overweight was having to rely on others for any and every thing. I could not dress myself. I could not sit in a booth at the Restaurant. I had to have seatbelt extensions to buckle my seatbelt in vehicles. And I had to have a big full size truck to drive because I could not fit in a normal sized car. I hated having to order all my clothes from King Size Direct mail order company because I could not shop at a regular clothing store. And one of the worst things is the way people look at you and talk about you.
If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?
I am now down to an XL shirt and size 44 pants so I am able to buy clothes at any store. I am now able to dress myself completely without any assistance. I am also able to drive a small car now and buckle the seatbelt. I am also able to sit in a booth when going to the restaurant. It feels so good also to get compliments on how good I am looking and how far I have come. I am so thankful for the second chance at life I have been given thanks to the aid of Gastric Bypass Surgery. If I had it to do all over again I would do in a heartbeat.
danny7995
