My Story......where do I start?  My weight is not the most important part of me, so I will not start there.  I think my heart   is the most important part, so that's where we will begin.

Basically, I am a happy person,   ready to open up to people, so glad that I have a loving, peaceful family.  My husband and I have been happily married for 31 years.    That is a true blessing from God.  I know how infrequently that happens in our society today (getting a good marriage on the first try) and I do not take it lightly that we have the love   we do for each other.

  He& I have raised two daughters, A & MC,    who are blessings to my soul.  MC, married since 2002, has presented us with our first grandchild, a boy, who is now 1 year old.  He started walking yesterday!  He lives 450 miles from us, and I struggle with that.    I would love to be closer to him to let him get to know me more.  As it is, we see each other about every couple of months.  Hard for a toddler to bond like that.  But.......being in closer proximity to him at this time would not mean much........because of my weight and health at this time.

So........you see that the weight, although not the most important part of me, is infringing on the "matters of my ."  I am not able to do more than sit in the middle of the floor as he plays around me.  If he throws a ball out of our immediate reach, I cannot quickly get up to get it to continue the game.  I cannot get up from the floor easily without assistance.

Holding my grandson is a problem because of the low back pain that I struggle with.  I hate to complain, so I usually do not say much about the pain.  But it is there almost constantly.

Needless to say, I have no lap left!  Only a large round stomach that rests upon large, rounded thighs which tend to act sort of like a beach ball   for small fry who attempt to sit on it -- my grandson or my small dog,   Max.

So what kind of a grandmother (Grammy) are my grandchildren (hoping for more) going to have?  Someone who cannot play, cannot run, cannot easily bend over and pick them up?  Someone who cannot even read to them comfortably on her lap because they will fall off of the stomach-thigh   beach ball?

These questions are among the many issues which have brought me to this point in my life:  needing to obtain a permanent answer to the issue of weight control -- something I have grappled with   for decades......

I heard my Mom say one time that my weight gain began when I was about 6 years old.  Could be.  I never remember not being overweight. 

When I grew up,  age-appropriate clothing was not made for young fat people.  Hence, I was always dressed like a large full-grown woman  , even as a child, since the only clothing to fit an 8th grader was found at the end of the racks (size 18) in the Misses' department.  That is the one of the first "issues" that my weight brought to me.

Of course, there was the usual teasing   in school, such as classmates calling me "Peter-potamus" -- don't know where the "Peter" came in, but the "potamus" was definitely a reference to one of the largest zoo animals around, the hippo! 

Dating was never part of my life...........a couple of one-time blind dates, etc, until I met my future husband .  He never seemed to see me as "fat."  He was accepting of me from the first time we saw each other.  He still is, 31+ years later.  I am truly blessed.  He is a wonderful man  .

Seems like since my husband and I have been talking about WLS, I see more "pep in his step" and more excitement   on his face...... all the time... not just when WLS is the subject of our frequent long talks. 

Anyway, that is basically why I am here.. I need to do something lasting about my weight.  I have had 3 periods of time in my adulthood where I have lost around 50 pounds.  Each time, I have regained the 50 + 10 to 20 more!!  This cannot go on.  I now weigh 58 pounds more than my heaviest pregnant weight. 

Now age 56, I feel the drag of the excess poundage!  My energy level is quite low.......  I never attempt stairs, even though I work on second floor of a 9-story building... I get very winded when I do.  When we go to a theater with stadium seating, I have to catch my breath when I reach my seat.  I am definitely out of shape!!

Low back pain keeps me from physical exercise.  Laziness and excuses <>keep me from water aerobics -- the only activity I can tolerate.

I am praying that I can have some good years ahead of me......  free from all these heavy issues.  Years that I can actively share with my grandchildren, daughters, husband and others.  I now allow myself to actively imagine what it would be like to be a normal weight, much in part because of the information I have found on this OH site.

The testimonials here are so inspiring.  I know that with the Lord's help, a strong support system (husband, family, friends, and OH members) I will be able to conquer this life-long battle! 

Here we go..............   together!!!!   YAY!!!!!!!!

About Me
LA
Location
28.3
BMI
VSG
Surgery
12/18/2007
Surgery Date
Nov 07, 2007
Member Since

Friends 9

Latest Blog 9
October 25, 2008
April 25, 2008
March 17, 2008
Feedback from Coworkers
Started back to work....
Stubborn 25th pound!!
Blog Entries for November 2007
My Blog Entries beginning December 2007
Long Term Effects of WLS

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