My story is pretty ordinary. From looking at my school photos I began gaining weight when I was about 8 years old. I was not an active kid, I preferred to read, draw and watch TV rather than play sports. I was teased a lot in grade school and I vivdly remember one of the boys in my class calling me "Cincinnati Slim" because I was so fat. The other kids thought it was absolutely hilarious. I continued to get fatter.

In high school, I was good at languages and math. I dreaded gym class since I was slow and shy. Two girls in my gym class saw that my gym shorts were size 40, so from then on they would ask each other "how much is 4 times 10?" or "what's 5 times 8?"  Pretty funny, huh? I did not date in high school and I didn't go to the prom. But I did gradulate in the top 10% of my class.

I continued to be fat throughout college. I again did well in science, languages and art. I loathed phys ed but 4 semesters were required. The first day of my self-defense class, the instructor wanted to demonstrate that the size of the opponent wasn't near as important as your technique so he picked the fattest person (me) to balance on his back while he explained that a person could defeat another person even if they are much bigger and heavier (I was 5'9" and probably 230 pounds). I graduated with a BS in Biology in 1978.

Immediately after graduating I moved from Cincinnati to Columbus, Ohio with my best friend from college (Debbie). We were both really fat and since it was the middle of the Disco era, we decided drastic measures were needed in order to become dancing queens *L*. We went on a crash diet where we ate no food Monday through Friday. Liquids only. Weekends, we would eat one meal. I was 22 years old and just desperate to experience life as a normal person. I lost 70 pounds in three months. I spent the next 10 years at a weight of about 165 pounds, which was a good weight for me. I ate one or two tiny meals per day and played racquetball 5 or 6 times a week.

I was able to keep the weight off as long as I maintained this hyperactive, starvation-diet lifestyle. When I met the man of my dreams, the man who would later be my husband and best friend, I thought I couldn't gain weight. I had gotten cocky. Once Steve and I married, my whole lifestyle changed. I moved back to Cincinnati, stopped exercising and started eating like he did. It took me about 2 years to gain all the weight back that I'd lost when I was 22. That was when I began the yo-yo weight loss that we all know about. Every time I regained the weight I was fatter than before. Steve loved me the same no matter whether I weight 175 or 275. God bless him, he was the only thing that made my life worthwhile during that long dark time between 1991 and 2003. I'm forever grateful for his love and support.

In 1995 I investigated WLS but was turned down. At that time, I didn't have a computer and didn't know that I could appeal. I was deeply disappointed and after a struggle with depression I put the idea of WLS behind me. In August of 2003, a coworker of my husband had WLS and told Steve about a WLS seminar in my area in mid-October. I attended it and learned a great deal. Things went very fast at this point. I found out in early November that my insurance (Humana HMO) covered the RNY procedure but that it would no longer be covered as of January 1st, 2004. Incredibly, I found a surgeon who could do the surgery before the end of 2003. My doctor (who I suspected would be against WLS) agreed to sign on the letter I drafted about my weight loss efforts, diets and co-morbidities. Humana approved everything within a week! I had the surgery on December 8th of 2003. It was open RNY. The surgery went well and I had no complications.

I lost weight pretty slowly but steadily. It took two years for me to lose 120 pounds. I have had some small weight gains but I WILL NOT regain the weight. I see my WLS as a tool, not a magic pill or a cure-all for life. Every day I am thankful that I had the surgery and that I have my "real self" back again.