cat59
I was born the lightest one of 3 children. My mother always said, "You were my smallest baby..and now you're my biggest child." Gee, thanks a lot, Mom. Anyway, I was a thin child until second grade. My big sister whom I always idolized graduated and left for college that year. I missed her terribly and used food to compensate for it. I was heavy until freshman year in high school. My grandfather was sick/dying and mom and I went to stay with him. No snack foods available except fresh fruit. Plus, I had developed a crush on a very cute boy. Both of these combined dropped me to my smallest size ever...size 9. I can't tell you what I weighed, because I never weighed myself.
That cute boy became my first serious boyfriend. He graduated from high school and entered the Marine Corps leaving me behind. We were going to get married, but he married someone else instead. That hurt went very, very deep..and the pounds starting coming back on.
In college, we would eat in the cafeteria and be hungry 2 hours later. I lose track of how many times we ordered pizza at 9, 10 or 11 at night after having supper at 6 in the dining hall. Living in a town of 15 different pizza chains during my college experience was a wonderland for a girl from a tiny rural town that doesn't even have a stoplight! And the pounds keep rolling on..
I met my wonderful husband in April of 1983 when i was a sophomore in college. Looking back, I wasn't THAT heavy..but I was..I was a size 18 when we met, and on our wedding day in June 1985 my wedding dress was a size 20 altered to fit me. Translation: Larger. After the wedding, we lived on a ranch in Texas. I had been going to college year round to graduate on time and suddenly had nothing to do with myself on that ranch. So, I did what I do best...I cooked...from scratch..homemade bread at every meal, cakes from scratch...I spoiled that man, or tried to, and in so doing, I put 30 pounds on him in 3 months of marriage..don't know how much I gained, but I did too.
By the time I got pregnant with our daughter in 1985, I was a size 22. After that pregnancy, i was a size 24. I never took the baby weight off. By the time I got pregnant with our son in 1992, I was a size 26. That baby weight stayed with me until 2005.
After my dad passed away in 1998, I ate with a vengence.
I started a diet with my chiropractor in 2005. I lost 30 pounds and could lose no more. Then we moved to Edmond in July 2006. Separating from my daughter to move here for what I thought was going to be more money was very tough. It was also very tough when all the "big money" went to the rent, and I wound up making no more than I was in Enid with a house 3 times the size of the current one for less money per month. So, those 30 pounds I lost? All but 15 of it came back in one year. I was miserable.
I clearly remember the defining moment for me. I was sitting at work and suddenly burst into tears. I called my husband and said, "I can't do this anymore. I know you're against it, but I'm going to have surgery regardless of how you feel." He simply said, "Ok. Make sure you're doing it for you and not for me." He's always loved me at whatever size I've been..he just loves me for me, and you can't get any better than that.
I burst into tears again when I saw that Dr. Walton was right here in Edmond and doing the surgeries. Nobody else was going to touch me once I found out he was here. His wife was on my son's Make-A-Wish team in Enid, and they are good people.
I went in with the idea of having the lapband surgery. However, after talking with Dr. Walton about my lifestyle and eating habits, the RNY came out on top as the best choice. I began the 30 day pre-op diet in June with my eye on an October surgery date (Fall Break). Meanwhile, my mother passed away while I was on the diet..she never knew that I was going to have surgery because she wasn't coherent the last 6 months of her life. I lost that weight with the products at Weight Wise and the help of my nutritionist, Jessica. Thanks, Jess. You're amazing.
Surgery day was October 18, 2007. God gave me 1 birthday and Dr. Walton gave me my new one as well as my life back. So far i have lost a total of 116 pounds, 81 of which has been since October. I feel great. I think I look pretty great too. I have energy. I don't use a C-Pap machine anymore. I fit into restaurant seats now. I can even sit in a booth without parts of my anatomy lying on the table! My chest no longer flutters, and I can climb stairs and keep up with my husband without being winded in 5 minutes. This was the best thing that I have ever done for myself and would do it all over again.
