Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

Before my surgery I was diagnosed with Diabetes II. I knew I had to do something, I was 36 years old mother of 2, recently remarried and had my whole life ahead of me. I was always heavy but after my 2 kids I really put on a ton of weight. With my weight came lots of pain, I was in a car accident when my youngest was 3 and even after over 10 years since, I always suffered. I also suffered with costocondritious, everything I did put strain on my body. I was very unhappy. The diabetes were causing me to have nerve damage, I had only had it approx 6 months before my surgery but it was debilitating me fast.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

I was never able to sit on the floor to play with my children. I wasn't able to run around with them. I couldn't even walk all that far without totally feeling out of breath or my back going into spasms. My newlywed husband enjoyed outdoor activities, I would go with him but stay back from his friends and siblings because I was unable to climb in and out of his JEEP. If I needed to go on an airplane, I needed to get a seat belt extender, I was almost unable to fit in an amusement park ride. I had very low self esteem so I started drinking a lot on the weekends when my kids were with their father, that of course made me hungry so I would binge on Wendy's, BK or Taco Bell. I never thought about what to eat, I just ate it and big truck driver portions. I was out of control and spiraling downward fast.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

First and most important, the Diabetes are GONE! I left them behind at the hospital a year ago. I am on zero medication and my body feels like a new person, minus the occasional bouts of not feeling well but I take that as normal. I am able to run around and sit on the floor with my kids. I am able to climb around the JEEP, I can climb on the top roll bars and sit up there, Recently, I went away to Fl to visit my family and I didn't need that seat belt extender. The seat belt was perfect and I had so much room in my seat, I was able to sit with my feet on the seat hugging my legs in front of me. I can shop at any store. I recently needed a dress for my sister in laws baby shower and I bought a size small, me in a small-I used to wear anywhere between a 22/24-26/28 and now I am a size 8!!! My face is so small, I can feel all my bones, I can see and feel my clavicle, I have bony hips, LOL. I am amazed at myself. I look at pictures and videos of who I once was and I never want to see that me again. I am so proud of myself, it was a long hard year and I even when I first had this surgery and I had issues of eating and throwing up and not feeling well, I wouldn't trade it in for the life of me. I haven't told that many people about my surgery, its nobody's business, when people see me they don't recognize me, when asked what I have done, I say I started to eat healthy and cut crap out of my diet which yes, in essence that is what I did and I am still teaching myself to do. The other day, I was told by 2 different people that I am losing too much weight and all I can say is Thank you :)