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

All of my life fat except durning military service 19-23 years old and out until after second child at 27, then third at thirty and up from there until GBS May 4, 2009. Now postoperative plastic surgery 2-11-13; flatest tummy ever. Finally feeling success at my 4th year GBS anniversary.

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

Not being able to face fun with the grand kids, no activities without becoming breathless . Having everyone judging me by my size. Or being labeled by other based on appearance and the doctor attributing any conditions to being fat. And all the self hate that kept me from living my life. The isolation emotionally and physically was killing me with a slow and painful death.

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

Going anywhere I want and do just about any activity without becoming breathless. I did go down a cavern of greater than 250 stairs each way and I did it but had to rest after. Not having to take as much insulin and having normal blood sugar reading easily even with an occasional treat without guilt or shame-and no one saying with their body language, "no wonder she's so fat"... Feeling successful and worthy of, just wanting to wake up and live each day. No fear of relationships or intimacy with my husband. There's no drawbacks in being healthy.