Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
Weight control? There was no weight control in my world. If I wanted a whole pizza, I ate a whole pizza. I was in to the instant gratification thing. I had tried and failed at almost every "diet" I had tried, giving up after 2 weeks because the scale wasn't moving fast enough for me. So, I doomed myself to a life of being overweight. I wasn't happy with it, but if it gave me access to what I wanted, when I wanted it, then I was content with my decision.
I didn't become overweight because of my lack of activity; I played softball, volleyball, basketball, and track for many, many years. To this day, I still play softball. However, years of greasy, fatty, carb-laden foods coupled with a desk job caused me to pack on the pounds.
As I got older, it got worse. I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a perfect blood pressure, no sleep apnea, and no diabetes, but my cholesterol was climbing from the extra 100 pounds I was carrying around. To make matters worse, no one believed that I weighed 250+ pounds. Everyone always said that I "carried it well." Little did they know that I was hating every second of talking to them.
My VSG has been a gift - one that I am not taking for granted.
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
Hearing comments such as "you aren't that big; you carry it well!" and "you have such a cute face." I also hated living in a country that catered to very petite women and never being able to find clothing in the stores. I had spent the last 3 years shopping in the men's section and was miserable.
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 had VSG on 06 December 2011 and am down 39 pounds as of today (23 January 2012). I love the energy that I have. I look forward to going to the gym now when before it was always a place to be feared. I love the people who no longer recognize me because of the weight loss. I love being able to take the stairs to my mom's house and not become winded. I love playing with my 2 puppies. Most of all, though, I love that I have a new lease on life.
Samantha H.
