Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.
I have been overweight my entire life. Childhood was not fun with all of the name calling. I remember being teased from Kindergarden on. In the 4th grade I was already in plus size clothes a 13/14!! I went home from school and cried and ate. When I was in Junior high school, one of the most humiliatiing experiences EVER happened. The football coach was my PE teacher and he brought the scale to our classroom for weigh ins! He was oblivious to what he was doing. He called us up one by one and weighed everyone. He would say it out loud as he wrote it down. the class was talking and all and then when he called my name everyone got quiet so they could hear. And he did it - he announced 186 lbs!!! the class laughed hysterically!! The next time I allowed anyone to weigh me I was 18 and 6 weeks pregnant. I weighed in at 210lbs! By the time I had my son I was 268 lbs. After having him I lost down to 220lbs. Then at 21 I had my 2nd son and I did much better. I only gained 17lbs and I maintained a very active lifestyle during that pregnancy. I lost all of that weight afterward by stayin active. When I was 23 I was pregnant with #3! I gained up to 268 again! I thought he was the last one and I enjoyed every second of being pregnant and I gained and gained. I weighed that 268 when he was born and after I sat around holding him all the time. Im pretty sure I had the baby blues! I knew he was supposed to be our last. I gained up to 325 lbs!!! After holding on to that weight for a while I finally decided to get that off. I took Ephedrine and lost down to 200lbs. I eventually started gaining it back and I got back up to almost 300. Then I lost it again and got back down to 200 lbs! This time I was sure I wouldnt put it back on! I had a tummy tuck in 2003 and breast reduction in 2004. Those two surgeries were hard and actually caused me to stop being active and I ended up By the time she was born I was at 272! When I weighed before leaving the hospital I was at 273! I couldnt believe I had an 8lb 5 oz baby and weighed more than what I did BEFORE she was born! Anyway, I held onto most of the weight until Jan of 06. I checked myself into CURVES and started the 3 hour diet by Jorge Cruise. I did so well. I lost from 265 to 188 In a year!! It was the lowest weight I had been since Jr high school. I was hired as a trainer at Curves and soon promotoed to Manager! I was working out at least once every day sometimes twice. I couldnt get enough. I couldnt hold the 188 very long. I gained back to 190-195 and teetered around there for a while. Then in mid 2008 I started struggling with eating right and started getting lazy on my food choices. I still was working out HARD at curves 1-2 times per day AT LEAST! I started putting on and I was hold at 210. Then in Sept of 2008, my father passed away. All the funeral food came to my house and I remember sitting at the dining room table with my mom EATING... We had both been so successful at Curves, mom started gaining in the 6 weeks dad was in the hospital. chocolate has always been her medicine. From the funeral on, I was once again addicted to sugar and bad comfort food! I couldnt get myself under control. In the summer of 2010 I was back up to 220. I went on the HCG diet and lost 27 lbs. As soon as I Came off of that the weight came back on SUPER FAST and after that I couldnt lose at all!! Over the rest of 2010 all the way till the fall of 2011 I kept gaining. I decided it was time to look into surgery. My family dr put me through all kinds of tests to make sure I was healthy enough to undergo surgery. After passing all that I got my referral. I was at 240 when I went to my class. I was going to undergo the lapband surgery but, after sitting in the class I decided I wanted something that worked better and was more permenant and I also didnt want to have to go to the hospital every couple of weeks for adjustments. The process started in late January. I finally saw my Surgeon. I weighed in at 254!!! My dr was very strict and very clear! You start NOW making better choices! Start NOW losing weight. The drs at the Naval hospital want to KNOW you are going to succeed. So I did just that. I downloaded a food diary program on my nook and it told me how many calories to eat. I logged EVERYTHING. The good the bad and the ugly! My first weight in with the surgeon in late feb/early March I was down 14 lbs!! I kept one going and when I saw him again in May I was down 20lbs. On my surgery date of May 23rd I had lost 35 lbs!! I weighed in the day of my surgery at 219 lbs! I was proud of myself. And I KNOW I can make it through this!! and Definately I can keep this off after!
What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?
Being made fun of. The looks that people give you. One time I had a kid in the navy exchange, and I mean little kid he was in the front seat of the grocery buggy. he says to his parents oh my god mommy thats the fattest lady Ive ever seen. The parents giggled and then kept following me so the little boy would keep saying it! they thought it was so cute! I was horrified, just minding my own business trying to buy clothes in the PLUS section!!
I know how people have treated me when I have been at lower weights and people just treat you different! I HATE IT! People also just assumed that you eat 24/7 because you are fat! Its an assumption! My family is all big people! My aunt had gastric bypass surgery! She was way over 325 when she had hears. All of my family are big people. Its a genetic thing. Yea I made poor decisions in eating but I have never been one of those who could eat and eat. I have never been an eat a whole box of anything!! I didnt ever see myself eating any different than the skinny friends I hung out with!
Also, The CLOTHES!!! PLUS SIZE CLOTHES SUCK!!! just because Im fat, I need to dress like an OLD LADY! REALLY!!! Plus size fashionable clothes are hard to find and when you do EXPENSIVE! I want to go to walmart and buy inexpensive fashionable clothes too!! Not that I want to dress all hootchie and revealing. I just want Fashionable! NOT dress in old lady materials and styles!
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 only 11 days post surgery right now. Ill have to check back in here later.
karencuts40
