bowknot
I'm 47. I'm happily married for many years. Between the two of us we have four children (all out on their own) and 10 beautiful grandchildren. We have a very active lifestyle and wonderful friends. I haven't watched the world go by. I've been an active participant.
I didn't have weight issues growing up. My weight struggle began in my 30's. I didn't recognize my bad habits for what they were. My weight continued to creep up. I was in the military and had to meet fitness standards. I exercised like crazy to compensate for what I now realize where bad eating habits. It was very stressful having my job performance judged by my size not my ability to do my job. I retired in 2007 after 20 years. My weight was over 200. After retirement my weight exploded to the point that I began avoiding my military friends because I was embarrassed about my weight. I just continued to gain.
My husband sat me down one day after the the birth of grandchild #7 and had a talk with me about my health. Of course it really meant my weight, but my blood sugars were high. My cholesterol was high. My blood pressure was creeping up. I was snoring so loudly he couldn't sleep. He said he wanted me healthy to grow old with. To get healthy, the weight has to come off. He was right. He wasn't mean. It was hard for him to bring up the issue. I just hate it when he is right. :-)
As luck would have it, a lady (and now my dear friend) who was working on her PHD in Health Care Administration joined my company. Her dissertation is on weight loss surgery and the costs of health care. I proofread her paper. We got in a discussion about the possibility of surgery for me. I wasn't ready. I tried another diet and failed. I finally decided to attend a WLS seminar. I called my friend and she recommended a doctor. I decided after the seminar that it was the right path for me.
This is the start of my weight loss surgery journey.
