my story

Apr 04, 2014

Well I have been really enjoying all the stories and advice and helpful hints from everyone on this site.  I guess it is time that I shared a bit of my story with you all.  My name is Val and I am 62.  I don't remember a time in my adult life when I was not over weight.  I was married at age 19 and I was 245lbs then.  I tried all the diets and some I have to say were pretty successful for a time but for what ever reason I could never get down below 200 lbs.  That seemed to be my number that I shut off at.

We wanted children but it just was not happening for us.  I was too heavy.  Well finally two beautiful children did come along and I lost 100 lbs and then I gained it back and more.  You know the drill.  The only thing that went up and down more than my weight was my toilet seat l lol.  My Hubby was always very supportive but alas he was also an enabler.

At the time when I was going up up up and down but not down enough I always wondered why they did not have help out there for people like me that could lose but could not keep the weight loss off.  I knew there were more out there, there had to be.  I couldn't be the only one with this problem.  Not me.  I knew because I started to notice just how many fat people there were out there.  

Anyways life went on and I settled in to the natural ebb and flow of it.  It was a big job being a Mom and a wife.  It seemed to take all my time running here and there doing this for the kids or my Hubby not to mention holding down a full time job.  You know how it is ladies. Whew!!  i had to take a breath just remembering it all. By time I turned 40 yrs old something changed in me.  I got a back bone!  Yup that's right.  I woke up one day and said no.  That's right no! No I wont and No you cant and No No No.  Little did I know that this was the beginning of something much greater than just that little word.

So on I went getting still heavier with every passing year.  I found things and reasons not to look at my self and when I did I would always find an excuse.  I cant get that gym membership because I'm too busy.  the kids have Ball or Music or tykwondo. My Hubby needs this or that. Before I knew it life had moved on at an alarming pace.  Our kids were gone and we were getting ready to retire and I was FAT.  No not just fat but Morbidly FAT.  I had developed High Blood Pressure, Diabetes and my body hurt so bad I could not move without great effort most of the time. 

We decided to retire in Elliot Lake Ontario.  So we packed everything up and headed for or new life up north were I had always wanted to live. We settled in quite nicely and got very involved in our new community.  Long story short there was to be a huge change in my life I lost my Hubby of 36 yrs and found my self a lone with no one to cook for clean for be a sounding board for it was just me.  Me.  So I had to learn about me who was I what did I like, what did I want to do with my life now.  That is when the song bird came out that's right I realized that I am a singer and a darn good one at that.

So everywhere I went to sing for people at all the different venues I would get lots of wonderful compliments.  People telling me wow you have an amazing voice why did you wait so long before you did this etc.  all through this there was one comment  people would say to me you remind me of Rita McNeal  well you know what I thought.  If I was skinny they would not say that .  Nothing against Rita but I don't sound anything like her.

I enjoyed that ride for a while but even so my weight was bothering my singing.  Anyone that sings knows you need air to sing out and I was getting too fat for that.

Life continued to go by and I lost a bit and gained a bit more.  Then I met Vaughn.  He changed my life again.  He was a widower and had lost his wife to cancer as I had lost my Hubby.  I say that the Creator put him in my path.  We were married 4 years ago now and it's been a real trip let me tell you.  He is very supportive and very concerned for my health being that we both lost our previous spouses.  I told him its time for me to start to take care of me.  I had heard of WLS for a while and I broached the subject with him.  He was all for it if that is what I wanted and so it began.

A year ago I went to my family Dr.  and told him I wanted to see someone to get information about WLS.  So he set it up and here I am today. I am on day 12 of my Optifast and my surgery is back in Toronto  at ST Joeseph's Hospital on April 22nd.

What I can say about all of this, my story is that anyone out there that is undecided or wondering do I really need this? I'll say that you don't stay young for ever.  Twenty turns to thirty and then to forty ... well then before you know it you are 62 and hurting so bad at times you can hardly breathe!

I am so glad that I am giving myself this gift.  All I can say to myself is " What took you so long!"  Val  :-) 

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