DEBI P.
Like many others I grew up a chubby child, overweight teen and then an obese adult. I always felt different, like I was looking in on the party, but never fitting in. In high school I was the class clown and voted "most humorous" my grad year. I guess I figured the more I kept people laughing the less time they had to laugh at me. I still do that. I was convinced that every fad diet I went on was going to be the one that finally worked. Of course every diet ended up in failure at one point or another, and the search for the next diet continued on. I never understood why I could not be like "others" who could stay committed through a diet, who lost the weight, who then kept it off and stayed motivated. I was very successful at most others things I did in life, so why not something so important... ME!!!
When I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000 I was horrified. Not because of the seriousness of the diagnosis, but because I had something that was going to restrict or eliminate the consumption of the foods I liked. I was in denial, and while I took the medications as prescribed for the diabetes, I didn't follow the rules of eating in my new role as a diabetic. When I got pregnant in 2003, I was placed on insulin pump (which was hell), and fortunately I had enough sense to follow the rules and had a healthy baby boy. Soon after giving birth I was back to my old ways. I was still trying every new diet that came along, and still failing at significant weight loss. I carried on that way for 4 years... taking my meds, occasionally monitoring my glucose and eating what I wanted when I wanted it. In early 2008, when my toes started to hurt daily and my feet were constantly cold, I knew my body was starting to show the effects of the diabetes. I finally realized I was running out of time and the diabetes was catching up with me. At my heaviest I weighed 224. With the help of a new, no nonsense doctor, I began to take control of the diabetes and was ready to also take control of my weight. I had always kept the option of WLS in the back of my mind and started looking into it. In August 2008, I attended a seminar on WLS and knew it was right for me My time to succeed in weight loss had come. I am scheduled for VSG on 1.12.09. I feel like this is it... my big chance... not my last chance, but the chance that is going to finally work. I am committed to what VSG will require from me. I am motivated to succeed for myself and for my family. I am confident VSG will help better control my diabetes and possibly eliminate it.
Life is good, I feel blessed and am really psyched to see what lies ahead. 
