My name is Melissa; I am 37 years old and have been overweight my entire life with the exception of a couple of years.   Not only am I considered morbidly obese, but I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hypothyroidism.  My highest weight has been 275 lbs.  My lowest adult weight has been 135 lbs.  

I can remember being teased, picked on, and made fun of even back in elementary school, and that continued through Jr. High and High School.  Those were some of the saddest days of my life.  Little did I know that the sadness would turn into misery. 

I had great parents, but they were ones that did not really encourage exercise or a healthy eating life style.  I was raised in an environment that food was not our friend but our best friend.   And that we live to eat not eat to live.  We would eat when we were sad, upset, stressed, and certainly when we were happy.  We would eat till we felt comforted, happy, felt better or could just not eat anymore. I have been on some sort of a diet ever since I can remember.  I have tried them all, literally all of them!  The year was 1992 and I went to a diet doctor and was prescribed a combination of diet pills.  They worked great as long as I took them.  I lost 100lbs in 10 months; I was down to 135 pounds and 23 years old.  I was ecstatic and thin for the first time in my life.   I had not weighed that since 4^th 

grade.  This was achieved with diet pills alone.  No nutritional or psychological counseling for support.  I was just there all by myself.  And the one huge thing I did not do even though I was thin and able; I still never got into an exercise routine or a healthy way of eating.  The weight was bound to make a comeback and bring friends when it came.  And that is exactly what happened. 

When you are obese everything is more complicated.  You have issues with everything because you have issues with yourself.  You cannot really love or like your spouse because you do not like or love yourself.  Being obese is such a horrible thing, there is so much shame and guilt that is involved.  You are your worst enemy in a lot of ways.  You hide and become a prisoner of sorts in your own home.  The depression is an awful experience.  Your fear of another failed experience at weight loss is something that looms over you daily.  I went through a lot of "junk" mentally and emotionally and instead of being able to really seek out counseling due to lack of support, I ate my problems, all of them!!

I am not only ready for this weight loss journey, but I am excited about this weight loss journey. I am so ready to be healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.  When you see me you see an obese person, but it is not really me that you are seeing. Don’t take my explanations above as excuses that is just how it happened and how I handled it.  I now take full responsibility for my obesity.  I am ready to use WLS as a tool to finally shed the miserable, sad and unhealthy years of my life for good.  My husband and I have 2 wonderful children a daughter that is 8 and a son that is 4.  When I shared with them my plans for “tummy” surgery it was from the view point of becoming healthy.  As I am finishing up the pre-op phase, I have already begun to make major changes in our family regarding food and food choices.  We talk about making healthy food and drink choices, and that we eat only when we are hungry not for emotional reasons.  I am very excited about the positive changes that are happening in me and my family. The exercise phase is in the beginning stages but it will come around too.  The WLS is going to make an even greater impact on not only my health but the life of me and my family.  I will finally be able to have fun with my kids and my husband because I not only feel good; I like myself.  And I will not die an early death because I never addressed and dealt with the issues of my obesity.   If by sharing my story I can help and encourage just one person then I feel my obesity will have not been in vain