My name is Michelle.  My "story" is probably very much like many others.  I've had a weight problem all my life.  As a child I was, as my mom put it, "healthy", translation - chubby!

In high school I thinned out with lot's of activities, tennis, surfing, bikes, boys, just being a young girl.  But after my daughter was born I got very comfortable not being active.  This went on for years and inbetween these many years I would through in a diet for good measure.

Let's see, there was the water diet where you drank tons of water and got a weekly shot of who-knows-what at a "clinic".  I shrank down from a size 18 to an unnatural size 2, then regained all the weight plus an additional 20.  Then there was Slim Fast, which for me is good for about 7 days and 4 hours until I'm sick of it and suggest to whomever is around we go out for a pizza... been there, done that!

But I must say that in my early 30's I got a bit more serious and joined Weight Watchers.  I lost 90lbs and was thrilled, so thrilled I would go with a friend after the meetings to the local Sizzler for the salad bar (ya right).  Took me 6 months to regain all 90 PLUS another additional 20.  Then in my early 40's Weight Watchers looked good to me again and I lost 120lbs over the course of 1 1/2 years and added exercise and a health club membership.  All was going well until I moved and got out of my routine and said the hell with it, regaining all 120lbs PLUS the customary additional 20.  See the pattern here?

Since that I've lost 20 here, 20 there and those little pesky pounds have continued to find there way back to me.  And during all of this I've watched several dear friends take the leap of faith and have RNY surgeries and loose all the weight.  Most have kept it off over the course of five to seven years, some have had complications.  Then my bestfriend snuck off to Mexico and got the lap band.  Next thing I knew she was down 20lbs in one month.  She was my personal guinepig and I've tracked her progress.  After two years she is doing great and I was convinced that was the surgery for me.

So that's my story, on 10/8/07 I had my surgery and am thrilled and scared at the same time.  I had to do this, I've done everything else and I'm running out of lifetime to find something that works.  I'm obviously not unable to diet, I just need help and pray this is it.

I plan to work this to the best of my ability for myself, my daughter and most importantly my grandson.  I want to fish with him and watch him learn to surf and play sports.  Because of my weight I've missed out on so many things, I refuse to miss out on this.