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

I clearly remember thinking during the worst of my childhood abuse, “When I get bigger, I’ll show them.” Fifty years later I was 427 pounds and being bigger only meant I was my own worst abuser. Like most of us, I had multiple medical problems but the worst was surviving blood clots to my lungs 10 years ago. That ended up triggering exercise-induced asthma and eventually panic attacks. I had to stop working at a job that I loved, was very good at and defined who I was. After my service animal died in November 2010, I hit 427. (That’s Kimba in the picture, I taught her to surf with me. Kimba could give me warning of pending anxiety and panic.) I was misdiagnosed with gastric varices and no one will do bariatric surgery if you have those. I fought doctors and insurance companies for three years and finally the fourth surgeon did my gastric bypass on Feb. 22, 2012. I worked my way down to 383 in early February, was told I had to lose 20 pounds in the three weeks left to surgery and was 361 rolling into the operating room. I’m now 333 -- 50 pounds down from Feb. 1st.

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

Definitely the health effects first but also the social stigma. Both beat you down long-term

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 can sit in a chair, bend down and tie my shoes. Before I had to sit on the bed and bring my leg up because my belly was so large. I also enjoy fitting back into clothes that were in storage for five years, and now they are getting too small and I am looking to find the 3X box.