lindae108
My story, like so many others, dates back about 30 years, and I'm only 42. As a teen, I was not overweight because I started dieting at age 12. I would do whatever the latest fad in the grocery store magazine was suggestiong for the month. I did the grapefruit diet, tuna fish diet, cabbage soup diet, calorie counting, and by 15 was taking diet pills. I remember the day the scale went over 120# and thought I had died and gone to hell. How could I be so fat!! I broke the scale which began my tortuous relationship with the bathroom scale. In my first year of college, instead of the freshman fifteen people talk aobut, I gained 30#. Then I joined weight watchers and a health club. Basically from then on, I continued to climb upward. I had several years in my early twenties where I maintained at about 150 # and was actually okay with that. I wore a size 12, walked a lot, and just watched what I ate. Then I got married and had two beautiful daughters. The weight gain started to increase. Also, after my second was born, I started to experience depression and was eating to satiate my depression. I began a vicious cycle of eating, hating myself for it, eating more becasue I hated myself, fasting, dieting, bingeing, and just plain being miserable over the years. I read a million books on food addiction, overeating, diets, etc. Nothing worked. I went to a "diet doctor" who gave me shots and diet pills. I also tried anything that seemed would work for me. If I lost weight, I'd gain it back quickly. Before I decide to have surgery, I could diet for three months, lose 10 pounds, and gain it back in one week! I don't care what anyone says, I know that the more overweight one becomes, the more one diets, the more screwed up our metabolism gets!
I started thinking about srugery a couple years ago and made goals for myself. The first was that I would follow Dr. Phil's plan for one year. If that didn't work I'd have surgery. Well, when the year was up, I decided to try something else yet again. I went back to weight watchers. I decided I would follow weight watchers for one year no matter what. I did, and it was not successful. Also, within that last year, I went to a personal trainer ant the Y and got a workout to build muscle (burns more caolries, right?) and cardio to burn off fat. I did lose aobut 10 punds in about three months and was feeling pretty good physically. I went on vacation for two weeks and came back 11 pounds heaveir! That was when I decided I am going to have surgery. I knew I was committted to having a new, healthy lifestyle, but I needed intervention to get me there.
Here's a list of "small" reasons I wanted surgery that also add up:
1. I waited in line to ride a roller coaster for an hour and couldn't ride becasue the seatbelt was too small.
2. I won't go jet skiing becaue I know the life vest will be too small. Too embarassed to even try it on.
3. I HATE the clothes they make for plus sizes. Everytime I shop I imagine the designers sitting around thinking of ways to punish us fat people.
4. Always worry that if a fire or accident occurs, the rescue team will be struggling to lift me.
5. When I fly on an airplane, I have to put the seatbelt at the maximum length. If I gained 5 more pounds I would not be able to buckle up.
6. I couldn't take another day of obsessing about my food and weight every minute of everyday. It totally consumed my being.
7. That is all I can think of now, but will add more. I know there are many!
