hrshygrl
Please allow me to give you a little background about myself...
I am 33yrs old and I've been married for 5yrs (in July 2003) to my high-school sweetheart, who also happens to be my best friend of 17yrs. We have two beautiful, intelligent, young boys (ages 8 and 6). I have high blood pressure, papilloedema, pseudotumor cerebri, and high cholesterol just to name a few ailments. I have a bad knee, non-healing spraigned ankle, tendonitis/carpal tunnel symptoms in my right elbow, and a nagging back injury that is working together with the excessive weight in keeping my activities to a minimum. Each day I take 7-8 pills to try to control these conditions. Did I forget to say that I'm only 5'3" and I weigh approximately 285lbs??? That is the real reason we're all here isn't it? My weight is mainly centered right around my abdomen--so much so that I couldn't begin to tell you the number of times someone has asked me if I'm expecting. I started out as a small baby, then a skinny child into a slim teenager. Through no help of my own, I remained at a relatively good size until my mid 20s. As I began to pick up weight I managed to convince myself that I "still looked good", or I now had "girlier curves" (and in all the right places at the beginning too!), or the all-time kicker "I'm still one of the smallest women in my family". That was fine until I got pregnant. Then within a year of my first delivery, I got pregnant again. During my pregnancies I didn't gain that much weight, but both times I managed to end up weighing more than when I delivered. Needless to say, since 1995 I have tried several different diet programs, with the normal results of up/down/up. At my present size, I couldn't possibly do enough activity to decrease my weight just by working out, (contrary to popular belief that all obese people are just lazy and could magically burn the fat away) and my back, knees and ankles are starting to ache all the time just from too much standing or walking. I happen to have pretty normal eating habits. I'll admit sometimes I overeat, but it's really not much more than the average person could do. I couldn't possibly eat a whole half-gallon of ice cream or an entire cake, but I have been know to eat a whole 12" cheesesteak from time to time. I am not an avid snacker, however, I do make bad choices in the foods I eat sometimes. My husband does most of the cooking and we eat very well-rounded meals each day, I just have not mastered the ability to control my portions and then walk away. This hasn't helped me one bit. I have been around the same weight now for almost 7 years (fluctuating the same 10-15lbs back and forth) and all of my major health problems have also been acquired within that timeframe. I have a strong family history of obesity with some of the same health issues as well as a few others added to their lists(heart disease, diabetes, asthma, etc).
Right now, I just want to have a chance to live a healthier, more active lifestyle and to see my children grow up. After years of research and careful consideration, I, as well as my PCP, feel that WLS is a good choice and a step in the right direction to a better life. My husband didn't agree at first. He said that I'd feel a much greater satisfaction if I did things "the natural way". Now I must tell you, the only reason he could get away with saying that is because he's my best friend and he knew what tone to use--that doesn't mean I wasn't offended though. I told him (in so many words!), that's pretty big talk coming from someone who looks just as pregnant as I do! (even though his health is much better) What's wrong with him that he can't work out? He just doesn't ever feel like it! I guess I don't have to tell you he saw my point. You know, if it's difficult for people who aren't considered morbidly obese to formulate and stick to a work out routine, what makes them think that a heavy person can do it any better when we can barely walk and breathe normally at the same time?
About Me
Before & After
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