Where to start. Well I've been on the "heavier" side most of my life from childhood up to now.  Even when I didn't think I was that big I was constantly reminded that I was by people in school.  Over the years I've tried diet after diet with minimal success only to see the weight that I lost be put back on and then some. It's always been like that. I needed the extra help that bariatric surgery provides. I looked into surgery after being sick most of last summer and having a TIA (mini-stroke) got me more motivated than ever. I'm only 31 years old and this should not be happening to me at this age.  I went to my first informational meeting in December of 2010 and made the decision that I need to do this before anything worse happens.  I started the program in January.  Throughout I had my ups and downs and in late April at my 4 month appointment I weighed in at the heaviest of my life, 368.5 lbs.  Over the next month I was able to lose some weight and come June I was approved and given the go ahead for surgery by the insurance company.  My surgery was on July 28th (the beginning of a new healthier and happier life).  At the time of surgery I was able to get down to 321 lbs. I've continued to lose weight after surgery and currently I weigh 290 lbs.  The time that I got on the scale and saw that I was under 300 lbs. I cried.  I never thought that I would ever see the day that I would be under 300.  It has been a good 8-10 years since I've been that. I feel great my sleep apnea has resolved, my hypertension has improved tremendously. I may not need to be on blood pressure medicine much longer. No more back pain. I feel great!!!!