Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I grew up in a traditional, post-depression southern family. Food was the easiest(and cheapest) way to show love to everyone. My Grandmomma was a fantastic cook and she loved everyone around her through food. She was the rock of our family and everyone looked forward to time with Grandmomma and Granddaddy indulging in our favorite foods(She had 4 kids, 7 grandkids, and numerous great grand kids...each had a favorite food and she fixed ALL of them for every get together) and sharing the love of a closeknit family. The sad, unspoken truth of this situation was you "loved her back" by eating her food. The more you ate, the more you loved her. The more you loved her, the more she cooked, and the more you ate...and the cycle continues. As a small child I spent a summer with my grandparents and packed on my first 40 pounds(as a 7 year old kid). It took until junior high athletics to shed the weight. I never shed the love with food though, so in college(without exercise) the food won out and I packed on the pounds. It took my husband telling me he loved my food but would be sick if he ate everything I cooked to make me realize that food had become my "lover". It didn't talk back, it never disappointed, and it reminded me of my wonderful childhood. I wept as I thought of the trends I was setting(and are now breaking) with my own children by associating love with good food. I have spent the better part of 2 years breaking my love cycle with food. I do enjoy good food, but I know that I don't have to eat my weight in it to say I am satisfied.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
The worst thing about being overweight is the hesitation. An overweight person subconsciously hesitates before venturing out to do anything...walking into a crowded room, getting on a plane, getting in a car, talking to strangers, living life. There is the momentary concern that you're too "big" for this activity and someone is going to say that directly to you. It takes so much courage to do the simple things that most "normal" weighing people can take for granted.
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 2 weeks out from WLS and I already have more energy and feel more comfortable in my skin. My clothes all fit much better. Even my shoes are roomier. I can walk on the treadmill daily without exhaustion or aching. I cannot wait to feel the rest of the perks for WLS!
Jennifer H.
