Christopher B.
Hi there - it is Wednesday November 18th, 2009 and I will be meeting with my Surgeon Dr. Monson in Fargo in less than 24 hours from right now.
I am 36 years old and live in Vergas Minnesota, a tiny little town about an hour or so from Fargo North Dakota but in the heart of the lake country of MN. I have a beautiful wife Shari who has put up with me for over 11 years and we have 4 wonderful boys; Isaac (8), Jackson (5), Peter (3), and Samuel (1 1/2).
I weigh today about 350lbs give or take a couple and depending on the scale I am on.
I have been overweight since I can remember. I remember being in T-ball and having a different shirt than the other kids cause I was too big for the same shirts they were wearing. I remember being teased all the time as a kid, my neighbors nicknamed me "bubba" which I never liked but put up with. I was always shy and never had too many friends. .
I remember in 5th grade walking home from school one day, which normally wouldn't be a big deal but we lived 3 miles from school and I was supposed to ride the bus. I walked home crying one day because I hated myself because of my wieght and thought that by walking home I could lose weight. The sad part of it was that I got in trouble, and my cry for help was ignored because I scared my parents.
My family moved to Minnesota from Michigan after that 5th grade year and we lived in town. I loved it - I had a paper route, played baseball, walked to school, and really enjoyed life. But I still was fat. I remember 6th grade social studies one day when I went to class and sat down, the chair busted underneath me. How embarrasing. I had my first crush, Christine Carlson - but she would never ever think of me, even though we sat next to each other in band every day and we talked all the time. I was not attractive, I was fat.
Before I could finish 6th grade my family moved to northern MN and bought a resort way back in the sticks. I had to make new friends with only 3 weeks of school left. It was hard, made more difficult when no one really wants to get to know you. I struggled to make friends. Through Junior high and most of high school I was still overweight, I remember having a hard time finding Marching Band uniforms that would fit. I remember when I went out for football, they didn't have a jersey for me so I wore this old Florida Gators Jersey I got when my family went to Florida for a vacation. It seemed I never fit in anything for a long time.
It was my Junoir Year of HS that I met my best friend. Matt didn't care what I looked like or anything - we just hung out and played music and sort of avoided other people together. I decided that I was going to ask someone to the prom - Kim - and was going to work really hard on getting in better shape. AFter Christmas that year I weighed 255 lbs and by prom I weighed 220 or so. I worked really hard - but prom sucked. Then Matt graduated and I felt so alone. After that I simply worked on school and exercise. I lifted weights every day, ran, and by the beginning of Football camp the summer of my Senior Year I weighed in at 190lbs. 10 pounds more than I weighed when I was in 5th grade. I felt great, I could do so many things - then something happened. People started talking to me. After football season some guys aksed me to be Basketball manager (which I did), and 2 days later the wrestling coach asked me to be in wrestling (which I did not!) and I was invited to my first party ever, and it just seemed like a whole new life opened up for me. I was the same person - I just looked different. And I then blosomed! I found my voice - I was no longer the shy guy, I sang in the choir, I announced the opening line up at Basketball games. I went to prom and had a blast with a very pretty girl - but we were friends which made it so easy and fun. Then I graduated.
I went off to college a new person. But what I did not know was that because I was working so much, and going to class, and eating that good dining service food (really, the food at Concordia Moorhead was excellent!) I was slowly gaining what I worked so hard to lose back, and quickly. MY sophomore year I was back to 220. By the time I graduated I was 250lbs again.
My first job after graduation saw me weigh in at 265 lbs and I was able to maintain that through some rough changes. I work in the church and it is not always the most benifical place to work and stay healthy. I sit a lot and of course churhes always have food of some sort around - my weight jumped to 275 in 2 years.
When Shari and I got married I lost 5 lbs and was 270 at our wedding. I did not feel great but I did not feel horrible. I was so happy Shari loved me for me but I really wanted to lose wight and try and get back to my late HS weight, when I felt the best ever.
We moved back closer to home in 2000 and then had our first child Isaac in 2001. I was active as could be and kept close to 270 but it seemed like it was a constant battle. By the time our 3rd child was born I had crept up to 300 and then things began to get so stressful at church. It didn;t take long to be 320 and then in a short while I was 346lbs.
Almost 2 years ago I got into a weight loss study - done by Pfizer drug company - where I took medication and had to meet with a dietician and also a mental health person and they kept track of my progress. Through work with them I managed to drop to 300 . I then had a series of back problems and then ballooned back up to 340 even to 360 at one point. It has been a year since the study now and I pretty much have been between 340-and 350lbs.
At the end of my study the doctor asked if I had thought about Weight loss surgery and I was pretty quick to say I was not too interested, although I had thought of it in the past. I felt that by going the surgery route it was an admission of defeat or perhaps taking the easy way out - or maybe even worse it would be giving up forever the things I loved so much - food. Well this past summer was very frustrating for me as another diet attempt, actually never really got going, failed. I decided in September I would investigate - just get info on the Gastric Bypass surgery.
So I went to a meeting, told my wife I was going to a weight loss class. I sat and listed to the info and left with the real knowledge that this was the route my life needed to head in order to be a healthy whole person I want to be. I left with a strong desire to do this for ME. Yes my kids will benefit, yes I will enjoy things in life more, yes people will view me differently - but I want to be healthy, I want to run and not be winded, I want to look at a challenge and not decide on whether or not to do it because I am to big, I want to have clothes that fit, I want to have a closer relationship with my wife on all levels!! ! I want to do this for me!!!! Everything else is just gravy!
So what is the next chapter - well tomorrow is going to be an awesome day!!! We'll see what happens!
Blessings,
Chris
About Me
Before & After
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