My Weight Loss Stats

12/15/2006 -- Why I'm here.

I've been thinking about whether to have WLS (or not) for years. My first exposure to it was nearly 30 years ago when an aquaintance had the surgery. She had this done while it was still being pioneered and it wasn't without a few bumps in the road. She lost a significant amount of weight and nearly 30 years later has maintained a relatively good weight for her. At the time, I really didn't even consider it for myself even though when I got married 29 years ago, I gained about 50 lbs stress eating and went over the 200# mark. Since then, I have "flirted" with the 200# once in a while, but mostly my weight has fluxuated between a high of 260# and 235#. I'm 48 yrs old, 65.5" tall and usually wear a 2 - 3X. Like many people my size, I've been somewhere between Overweight when I was about eight yrs old to Seriously Morbidly Obese during the past 30 years. I remember that I was 7-1/2 to 8 when I started having a problem with my weight, because my Dad took me to Sears for my 8th birthday and bought 8 new dresses because Sears had just added "Plus" sizes to their Girls department. Like most other people that are morbidly obese, I have struggled with most types of diets available, including medications, hypnosis, physician directed Very Low Calorie diets, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig ... I could go on for days. Like most people I have some success, but once the diet ends I gradually (or sometimes, not so gradually) begin gaining it back; often, gaining more than I lost in the first place.

About 8 to 10 years ago I started thinking about WLS, but dismissed it as too dangerous. I had pretty much decided that I had better quit dieting because I just keep getting bigger each time I went on a diet. I'm sure that my weight has a negative impact on my self-esteem to a certain degree, but it really hasn't been big factor for me. The times it would really bother me (and still does), is when someone would make comments in my presence or to my children ... How could they and "who do they think they are" to make judgements about me?! Other than that, I doubt that I am significantly more psychologically uncomfortable with myself than my beautiful size 10/12 sister generally sister is when she would rather be a size 4/6.

The thing that really made me know I have to do something that will work in the long term, was my diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes this past summer (August 2006). I have watched how insidious that disease is; my father, a Type 2 Diabetic, died of a heart attack at age 58 ... my mother, a Type 2 Diabetic, is suffering from Kidney Failure. My Grandparents all had diabetes and/or severe cardiovascular disease. I don't want to have these things happen to me. I think that the only possibility of preventing an early death will be to loose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. I want to live long and well.

I consulted with my family Dr. and we discussed the options. I told him I needed a permanent solution, not one that will leave me weighing more when I'm done. He suggested that I contact Duke Weight Loss Surgery and attend one of their seminars. I did that have read about 20 books on the subject and have been visiting this sight since this summer. I finally decided that WLS is what I need to do and Duke is the place I want to have it done. I have submitted my application to them. That has been accepted and I have my first appointment with their team in mid January 2007.

I truly believe that I need to change my lifestyle to conquer my weight. I need to conquer my issues with food and exercise to live long and well. I need to use physical and psychological approach attack my weight issues. I think that the surgery will give me the "physical tool" to learn to change my eating habits. I know that exercise will give me a physical and psychological tool that will allow me to lose the wieght and keep it off. I know for me that I'll also need "psychological tools" if I am to truly conquer this monster of obesity. I'll use a counselor to help me recognize "triggers,"self-sabotage," and other behaviors I need change to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

About Me
Raleigh, NC
Location
2.3
BMI
RNY
Surgery
06/05/2007
Surgery Date
Jul 27, 2006
Member Since

Before & After
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You have such a pretty face ... Have you tried ...
249lbs

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