Janice B.
Oh my gosh .. my story? How much time do you really have? LOL
My story is not that unique to the stories on this website. I really didn't have much of a problem with weight growing up. Sometimes, I was a little chunky, but I danced en pointe and ran cross country, so there was sufficient slimness to be able to accomplish those tasks.
When I got to be an adult (read: 18 or so), I started worrying about my weight. It was the late 1970's and I thought that at 5'1" 130 pounds was grossly obese and that a size 9 was just way too large. While I do have to admit that a size 7 would be lovely because I wouldn't have to hem anything, such thinking was disasterous. I began a cycle of dieting and gaining back and then some! Yie yie yie.
The couple of times in my adult life that I hit my goal of 115, it only stayed for a month if that. It was a combination of my body accumulating fat and my thinking. But I was always more desperate. I have tried innumerable times since 2001, when I got divorced to slim the over 250 pound me. I have not been below 200 in almost 20 years. This is ridiculous.
My concerns are several:
- family history of dying before 60, heart and vascular disease (which I do not have), diabetes (which I do not have), sleep apnea (which I do have), high blood pressure (which I do have), and arthritis in key joints (which I have - my orthopedist tells me it's only a matter of short time to start replacing knees if I don't get the weight off stat!).
- behavior modification to better my health
- after weight loss behavior (I know, that is a ways down the road, but it is something I think about)
- so, bottom line, is surgery for me?
I have been referred to the St E's Bariatric Center and Dr Woodruff. My initial appt is in Sept. It seemed wise to get started on the behavior modification now, so I started Weight Watchers three weeks ago and have lost nine pounds. The secretary at the Bariatric Center told me I need to lose about 30 pounds to be very successful with surgery. (My initial weight in contacting them was 305).
I have to admit that success with Weight Watchers has me wondering, but then I am thinking that I need to think long term and the wls is a tool to help with the long term sticking to it and success.
All that said, fat has served a purpose in my life and I need to be aware of that and to develop a plan to deal with the fallout of stuff that might happen. Attention from men is very uncomfortable for me. I've noticed that I crave ice cream when a guy makes his intentions waaaay known. I'm also known in my family as the fat, kind one so there is the adjustment they (and I!) will have to make regardless of how I get to my success.
So it will be interesting to see how this journey goes, what the doc and I decide is best, and to meet y'all and cheer each other on along the way. I'm looking forward to it!
