quiltz
I bought into the idea I was overweight when I was 8 and put myself on a diet. In truth, I was normal sized and stayed so until after my first child was born. In my mind's eye, however, I thought I was very overweight. I'm not sure who gave me this impression or why. After my first pregnancy I didn't lose about 10 pounds. The real problem started after my second pregnancy when I didn't lose anything after the birth. That started a steady stream on diets....you name it, I did it. I think the more I sought help, the worse the problem became. One doctor in particular told me he had a fool proof guaranteed way to lose weight. It was based on one exercise which he demonstrated. He placed his hands on his desk and pushed his chair back. He further said if I would do this every time I ate, I would be thin. I felt something in my soul crack with such a demeaning attitude about something I was so concerned about. In 1997 I decided to have gastric by-pass. Almost the day I made the decision, we were transferred to England for 2 years! No surgery for me. Upon returning home, my husband was caught in a huge cutback at his work and we were without insurance for 5 years. Talk about scary. Anyway, we moved to another state and my husband's new job had insurance. I immediately called to inquire about WLS only to find out it was not available under the insurance plan. Thankfully, the company changed insurers last October and the day it went into effect, I made my first appointment for a seminar. I had a high enough BMI I was approved easily. I also had several health problems...high blood pressure, knee damage, back pain, elevated cholesterol. I was scheduled for surgery April 5, 2007. Talk about happy! In January, my doctor's office called to say she was having to cut back on her surgery schedule and I was moved to July 16, 2007!!!! I was shocked beyond belief at how many months it would be before the surgery, but because of the surgeon's reputation, I decided to stay the course. I cannot wait until the big day comes. I am having a very hard time not gaining more weight while I wait, but I am trying to practice all the behaviors I will use after surgery. I am fully committed to seeing this through and being a success. I am 60 years old as far as my body goes, but fell more like 40 in my mind. Now, just matching my body to my mind and the sky is the limit. I am currently spending a lot of time lurking on the OH sight and gain so much reassurance from the many people that post. At first I was worried about what appeared to be so many people with complications. The longer I lurked, the more, I became aware of how many of those with problems had not been able to conform to the new lifestyle. I also realized, many of those with super success stories only posted "once in a while".
We are being transferred again! This time to the United Arab Emirates. My husband and I have agreed the best thing for me would be to remain home for a year to insure follow-ups with my surgeon and to have ready access to the support group provided. After that, I will join him....hopefully a much thinner person! I'm actually hoping I'm one of those that will experience the feeling of being cold since we will be going to such a hot, humid place. I love the experience of living in other countries and learning on a first person basis about different cultures.
