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

When I was younger I was not overweight, but after the brith of each of my 3 kids, plus a lot of moves for my (ex) husband's job, I gained. Food seemed to be the only "constant" in my life - I changed homes, friends, helped kids cope with moves,started over multiple times. The kitchen became my comfort zone. Eventually our family moved to LA, the poster city for judging people by their size and shape, and my (ex) husband started to see me as an embarrassment because of my size - 5'6" ,about 200 lbs. Right after our 25th anniversary, we separated after i discovered he had a younger, thinner girlfriend. And the journey to reinvent my life in a physically and mentally healthier way began. I tried walking , gym classes, cleaner eating, but I couldn't stick with it and I lost very little. 18 months ago my brother, only 48, died from a sudden aortic dissection. All of his sibling had tobe checked out, as this could be a hereditary condition. When I went to the doctor, they found a significant heart blockage, high cholesterol, and quickly thereafter , developing Type 2 diabetes. i was put on a bunch of meds, some of which started to affect my liver. I knew I had to get serious about improving my health quickly.

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

How I feel , physically and emotionally. My joints hurt, I hated to buy clothes, and I knew I was doing something that could shorten my life.

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

My knee and back don't hurt anymore so I can be more active. I can buy smaller tops in the "non-plus" department, adn I feel empowered to change my health.