Dawnru
My story is a long one, but then whose isn't. I have been struggling with my weight since I was 13 years old. I remember being 162 pounds and nearly 5'7', and thinking that I was just so fat. I went on my first crash diet, and lost 20 lbs in a month. Then, because I had no guidance whatsoever, I regained 40 pounds. It ruined my life in high school. I was smart and popular, and even an athlete, but I was still so insecure. I always pretended to be strong and not to care, but no matter how successful I was, I felt fat and ugly and undesirable. I continued to diet on and off, and after high school got up as high as 220 or so pounds, but mostly stayed around 200. When I got married and had my first child, I gained another 30 lbs. By the time my son was 18 months old, I couldn't stand myself any longer. I commited to a healthy lifestyle and lost 80 lbs. That still only brougt me down to 170 lbs or so, but I was healthy, active and happy, and stayed that way for 4 years, until I became pregnant for a second time. During that pregnancy, I gained 80 lbs, all of the weight I had lost. I though I would be able to lose it again after the baby. Not so. I bounced and yo-yo'd. I had difficulty dealing with my daughters diagnosis of autism. Year after year I would commit to a healty lifestyle, lose 20 or so pounds, and then fall off the wagon and slowly gain the weight back. When my daughter was 8 or 9 years old, I started to think about gastric bypass. It took me about 3 years before I actually had the surgery. 2 years to mentally prepare, and a year to do all the insurance requirements. I finally had my surgery on Oct 8, 2012. So far, it has been a dream come true.