Alyssa P.
I have been overweight all of my life... I take that back. There may be some scattered old photos here and there of my toddler years that I was not heavy. But when I think about my weight during my childhood, I think about having to wear leggings (of course they were stirrup pants back then); having to shop in the Plus section or order from special catalogs. I remember being teased by classmates with "fat jokes" and names. In high school, I went on crash diets. I would lose so much weight, and then gain it right back at record speed the moment I stopped eating cabbage soup or whatver the diet flavor of the month was. The last 20 years has been the typical dieting life of someone who has struggled with chronic obesity.
In September 2008, I was 29 years old and 39 weeks pregnant with my second daughter. I went in for a routine OB visit. The scale reached the highest number I have ever seen for me: 400lbs. It was in that very moment that I realized I had to do something. All of the years of "at least Im not this big..." or "I don't think I look like that...." had all came plowing into my head and I had my epiphany. I am that big. I do look like that. After I had my daughter, I immediately joined Weight Watchers. I had success with that program in the past; and I was ready this time to make a committment. I lost 80lbs and suddenly my support team (my sisters) were no longer there for me and I gave up. I was scared and I lacked the confidence to go on alone. I gained nearly all of the 80lbs back at lightning speed.
That is when I decided to look into WLS. I wanted a tool to help me feel full. I felt I had the healthy diet down, but I could eat 5 servings before feeling satisfied. So here I am. After 2 educational seminars, I chose RNY over the Lapband. I started early with my insurance requirements; so when I made my final choice, the rest of the process was actually very smooth and quick. I now have a surgery date scheduled of 4/21/10. This is my story.
