Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I've been overweight since I was at least 4 years old. I would wake up in the middle of the night crying for food and my mom would feed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich....which was a horrible idea. I did not own a pair of jeans until 6th grade because none would fit me...I wore sweat pants and stirrup leggings until then. From 6th grade on my life was about fat dieting. I've done Prism (aka Prison), Atkins, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach, Cabbage Soup, and many more....all multiple times. Occasionally the diet would work and I'd lose a little weight, but the second I went off of it I would gain that weight back plus some. I graduated high school at 180 lbs and I'm 5'2" tall, needless to say I was much fatter than most of the people I graduated with. My freshman year of college I ballooned up to 230 lbs, did the lose and gain thing a lot over the next 8 years, and hit my highest weight of 252 lbs. I was miserable and hated my self. I was seriously hungry ALL the time, which made me hate myself even more. Buying close was depressing and I would go to the store and just buy whatever fit. My mom commented all the time that I was constantly pulling at my clothes to hide myself. I had given up on controlling my weight and would just eat whatever I wanted. I refused to work as a teacher (which is what I went to college for) because a student had called me a walrus while I was substituting. I felt like my life was over.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
I personally let my weight control every aspect of my life. I became a hermit as my weight went up and had a hard time making friends and meeting new people. I was out of breathe just walking around my house and everything hurt. At 26 years old I felt like I was 60. My blood pressure was high, as was my cholesterol.
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'm living my life again and enjoying every minute of it. Before I would hide out in my house, now I'm always out doing something. I enjoy any sort of exercise and even run daily. I've become a social butterfly, which my husband is really excited about. At one point my husband and I were completely different, I'm now more like him and the wife that he has always deserved. I have my life back!!!
megan0402
