Melissa1965
I have been overweight my whole life. I can remember back in junior high buying size 16 jeans at the local grocery store. Yes, safeway sold jeans back then. I was always the chubby girl.
In my early 20's when I was dating my husband I lost 70lbs while doing Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. I got down to 165 and kept the weight off for 3 1/2 years...until I got pregnant. It was easy then. It's always easy to lose weight and not eat when your dating.
After my daughter was born I weighed 215 and instead of trying to get back to pre-baby weight...I just ate. I would balloon up to 235lbs and I would stay there for the next 15 years. Sure, I tried all the diets, Weight Watchers, jenny Craig, Atkins, Phen-fen (which I had the bestluck with)you name it, I did it. I lost and regained the same 10 lbs over and over again. So now here I sit...254 lbs, the most I ever weighed and I FEEL it. My back feels it, my hips feel it, my knees feel it. I have degenerative Disc disease and arthritis in my back as well as GERD.
Almost 5 years ago we moved to the country to live out my dream. Horses. Little did I know that my weight would wreck havoc on my ability to ride and be confident. So not only was my body crying out against my weight but mentally and emotionally I felt beaten up. I tried hard to live my horsey dream but soon realized without feeling good physically, I would not feel good mentally and emotionally.
I looked into WLS in 2007 but I chickened out and told myself I could do this myself. Finally tipping the scales at nearly 260lbs I looked into WLS in early January 2009. I did a lot of research and made an appointment with my PCP. I printed up info, took my books and was prepared to do battle. But I was pleasantly surprised when I told her about my decision and she got a huge smile on her face. She was happy that I had chose to go this route. She went on to tell me she never offers WLS to her patients because it's such a personal choice and she wants them to come to her about it. So she enrolled me in the 6 month Bariatric Program that Health Net/Facey require. Unfortuneatly, the classes are full and may not have an opening until May/June. That kind of bummed me out but I was also told the next class starts in March and if someone drops I may be called. So surgery may not happen until late this year or early next. I figure I been heavy this long.
So that is my story. It is just beginning.
