bernadette
Just like many others who have WLS, I have struggled with my weight all of my life. I first became aware I didn't look like other, slimmer, kids my first day of kindergarten at the ripe old age of six. Our class was lined up against a wall and when I saw our shadows, I noticed my butt stuck out farther than the others. I went home crying to my parents that I had a "duck" butt. Looking back, that memory seems pretty funny. But, at the time, I was really upset. However, although I was an overweight child, I played outside a lot, so I was never obese. I was simply a little chubbier than others. But I loved food! My parents had a freezer in the garage and they would stock up on Little Debbie dessert cakes and snacks. They had four kids, so this was for our lunches and my father's work lunches. Some of my best memories were when I used to wait for my dad to get home at midnight from the swing shift so that he and I could sit in front of the TV and eat snacks together with big glasses of milk.
My weight climbed as I got older, and by the time I was in 8th grade, I was 5'2" and weighed 160 lbs. I stayed at that weight through high school. When I was 17, I had a friend who introduced me to the Atkin's Diet. Now this was his first book he wrote, years before it became a fad. I lost 35 lbs - it was fabulous. It was also the very first time I had dieted in my life, and the very first time I realized I could control my weight. This started a very dangerous path for me of yo-yo dieting to control my weight. By the time I was 19, I was 200 lbs.
However, by the time I was 20, I went on a low-fat diet and got down to 132 lbs. I was actually able to maintain that weight loss for 4 years. At 25, I started putting on weight again and in a couple of years, I was almost 180 lbs. About that time, I divorced, lost a little bit of weight again, met my (now) husband, and was back up to 185 lbs before I knew it. I became so disgusted and depressed with myself. My husband loved me and married me heavy, but I hated myself. I had no discipline with food, although I was constantly at the gym. My body type is just that type that needs to diet and exercise constantly in tandem just to maintain overweight.
When I hit 215 lbs (see before picture), I had had it! I was tired of yo-yo dieting, I was tired of working out without results, I was tired of being depressed and well, tired, all the time. I attended Dr. Thoman's seminar in April of 2006. I just KNEW this was the answer for me. It took six months to do all the testing, research, and jumping through hoops for insurance before I got my surgery date. But, I FINALLY got a date - Oct. 19, 2006 - the day my whole life changed.
A year later, I have lost 87 lbs, I work out regularly, and I eat well. Food is no longer the center of my life. It wasn't easy, but it was easier than I thought it would be. I had heard before surgery that my taste buds may change - and I was lucky enough that it happened for me. I used to eat a ton of fast food. Now, I just don't have the craving for it. A few pcs of candy will satisfy my sweet tooth. I enjoy freshly made food. I listen to my body; if I have a craving for vegetables (and strangely, I do sometimes!), I know it's probably because I haven't been getting enough of that nutrient. I do have "snacky" moments, and I will snack. Because I know that tomorrow I will be running (yes, running!) on that treadmill and eating chicken salad for lunch. Not because I HAVE to, but because I WANT to. I don't feel guilty about eating, I don't yo-yo diet, and I am no longer depressed. I am confident and healthy, and very, very thankful to Dr. Thoman and his team. What they have done for me has changed my life in every positive way. I finally feel like a normal person.
