jules_
Hi friends! 
After 3 years of contemplating WLS I have returned to this site for support, education, and encouragement. I am excited to see the resources available here and the community of people who are more than willing to honestly share their stories of success.
Here's my story... I felt like a fat child, but looking at pictures now I realize I was anything but FAT. I was fit, 'normal', and looked healthy like the rest of my friends. To this day I can still remember feeling bigger than my peers throughout my school career. This feeling continued into adulthood and by age 19 I was mildly overweight & constantly struggling to get the weight off. I am now 34, married for 15 yrs, and the mother of 2 girls. I weigh 253... I gained the most with each pregnancy and was unable to keep off any weight loss over the years. Instead, I continue to gain.
I am book smart about weight loss & health - come on... I watch Oprah! I have tons of books & DVD's about weight loss and fitness. Dr Phil, Bob Green, Joyce Meyers, and more fill my bookshelves. I have looked to God to help me as well. I carry a lot of guilt over that - Am I letting God down by choosing WLS? Anyway, here I am feeling as if I wasted the first 15 years of my adult life ashamed, embarrassed and setting myself up for waaaaay too many health issues. I already have several conditions that will cause me to live on medications as I continue to age.
Finally, I am feeling hopeful about my future. I am an example to my young daughters and I think I'm headed in the right direction - HEALTH & WELLNESS!
