One year ago I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be 117 pounds on October 24, 2012. I can honestly say that Gastric Bypass was a choice well made! 

 I had my surgery yesterday morning. I think I'm doing fairly well with recovery. Hopefully I can go home tomorrow. The staff at EMMC is super nice and Dr. Toder is awesome!! 

I'm having my surgery in 10 days. I started my 2 week preop high protein liquid diet. I am soooo hungry, tired and cranky. I know that it will be worth it in the end. The other day I was looking for something to wear and I caught myself saying "I'm too fat for all of my clothes". That made me smile because I know that soon I'll be too small for all of my clothes.

When I was in elementary school I spent most of my time with either my parents or my grandparents. There was a constant stream of junk food at all times. Potato chips, snack cakes, baked goods and ice cream are a few examples. Although most meals were well balanced, portion control was never a practice used. I was encouraged to clean my plate most of the time. If I expressed that I was full my parents would say “just eat what you can “or “just eat all of your meat’. Something sweet was always available after meals as well as any other time I wanted it. When I was in 6th grade I weighed 135 and climbed to 165 in junior high.

When I was in high school I was more in control of what I ate. I decided that whole milk had too much fat in it and chose not to drink milk at all. My mother noticed that I wasn’t drinking it and asked why. When I told her the reason she started to buy skim for me. She was very supportive of my efforts to lose weight. My father tried to be supportive but was always concerned that I wasn’t eating enough. He is a thin man and never gains weight no matter how much he eats. I started weighing and measuring my food and keeping a food journal. I followed the diabetic exchange system to help with balance and portion control and exercised at least 3-4 days per week for about 30 minutes. I was very successful following this program. I lost 25 pounds when I was a freshman and kept it off until I was pregnant with my daughter when I was a senior. I gained 25 pounds when I was pregnant and it immediately fell off plus more after I had her. I was down to 119 when I graduated from high school.

My lifestyle changes from high school lasted with me until I was 21 and pregnant with my second child. I allowed myself to eat as much as I wanted and didn’t exercise regularly. After I had my son I continued the same eating habits and gained even more weight. I tried to lose weight after that and it seemed like I kept gaining instead of losing. I would use over the counter diet pills and felt like they were making me gain rather than lose. The weight loss was never quick enough and I’d give up. I felt so overwhelmed with trying to get on track that most times I would give up. At this point in my life I was up tp 221.

For the last 10 years I have been yo yo dieting and exercising 6 times one week and not at all the next. Since the beginning of 2011 I have been trying to limit my portions and exercise more regularly. Unfortunately dining out has been a huge downfall for me. For the last few months or so I have limited my dining out as well as controlling my portions at home. I have increased my exercise little by little. Dessert is my biggest challenge but has been limited in my diet. I am anxious to continue my new habits and achieve the results that I need to stay healthy.