Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I have spent my whole live overweight. I weight about 300lbs when I graduated high school, I was also over 6' tall. From 18-37, I gained over 300 more. I was isolated, I never went anywhere, I was emotionally crippled. I was depressed all the time. I thought of suicide but was embarrassed at the body I would leave my family and thought of how many people it would take to carry my casket, and how big the casket would be. I tried every diet I could, but I was addicted to food. I was addicted to the satisfaction that food gives you. I was addicted to soda, fast food and eating large amounts. When I was younger I binged and purged until I rotted my teeth from all the stomach acid. Towards the end after stopping smoking, breaking my leg and being in a wheelchair, I had gained so much weight I just stayed in that chair inside my home... wheeling myself around the kitchen to cook or wash dishes. I was trapped.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

The worst thing is the immobility, as well as self-loating. The looks on childrens faces or the mean things they say.. Not being able to fit in any seats. Not living life to the fullest.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

WALK. LIVE. and LOVE myself again.