Ljadams
My story is not a simple one, but I feel that it is a common one. I don't feel any different from anyone else. As a toddler, I was overweight in every picture. Way before I was self feeding, I was overweight. I have asked many times to my Mom, why that was the case, and she really didn't have any answers. As I have searched for answers for all of my adult life, the answers have really only came in the past year.
I was diagnosed at 14, with a Bicuspid Aortic Valvular Disease. I had dealt with this disease as long as I could remember, before I was diagnosed. Dizzy spells, heart racing a hundred miles an hour, fainting and shortness of breath. Of course, every one wants to blame my weight for my symptoms. I remember , my Mother often telling me, when I was young, that I needed to cut back eating if I wanted to feel better. My weight was key to every thing, or so I have been told.
At 18, I married and had my first baby. I had gained 20 pounds that didn't leave when she was born. At 21, baby number two, 25 more pounds. Then after 9 years of a horrible marriage, I aimed for a divorce. It took two years to acquire it, but finally it was done. So two children, and 11 years later, I weighed 239 pounds. I remember the day that my first child was born, weighing 181 pounds. So 58 pounds of misery gained. Unsure of how to get it off, I tried everything. The only actual success that I had with weight loss was the Atkins diet. 30 pounds would come off, and then come back. This yo yo dieting lasted for years.
Working 60 hour weeks, then coming home to cook and clean, did not leave much me time. With having overcome years of stress, after my first marriage, I did not know how to deal with my weight. It continuously crept up 5-7 pounds a year. Gradually, my clothes would get a little tighter each season, until eventually, they were weeded out, for bigger ones. In 2010, I had an aortic cardiac ablation. In the winter of 2011, I found out that I had type 2 diabetes. Followed with medicine for high triglycerides, high cholesterol, In 2012, my weight hit its all time high at 324 pounds. I also had to have my gallbladder removed in 2012. I was wearing a size 24 in clothing. Some 26/28's. Also, became diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Wearing a CPaP machine to sleep every night. It was then, that I became aware of everything going on my mouth. I still would eat carbs from time to time, pastas, etc., but not as much as you would think.
Just eliminating sodas and desserts( for the most part) gradually brought my weight down to 290's-298's. Body 4 Believers, helped me reach 272 pounds. This year, 2016, I had to have another cardiac ablation. I know I know must get dedicated and lose this weight. Now I am on a serious weight loss journey heading toward the Roux En Y surgery. I started all of my monthly visits with my primary care physician in October 2015. My surgery has been approved and scheduled for June 27, 2016. I pray that God will give the strength to be successful with my weight loss journey, because my health really depends on it.
About Me
Before & After
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