Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

I have always been overweight. I can remember in the 4th grade, when we had to weigh in for report cards, I weighed 135. I was so embarrassed because we always had to weigh in front of the other kids. My parents gave me all the incentive I needed to lose weight, including diets and trips if I could lose a certain amount, but it never worked. In high school I weighed around 215, and after I got married and had a baby it has just spiraled up the scale. I have tried every diet imaginable.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

I feel like I embarrass my husband. He does not make me feel this way,or even say anything that would make me think he doesnt approve of my weight. However, I see all his work friends wives and everyone else's wives and they are smaller than their husbands. I also feel like I will embarrass my daughter once she is old enough to know better. We havent had one single family photo taken, because I am too ashamed of myself to be in the photo. I would love to be able to go into a clothes shop and shop on the "normal" side.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

I would get pictures taken! LOTS of pictures! I will go shopping and buy normal size clothes.