Ennyl
I was in my mid-twenties before I started gaining weight. I am 5'7" and have one of those body builds that allow me to carry weight well, so even though I went thru several wardrobe changes because my clothes were getting tight, I still didn't see a major problem for over a decade. I always vowed I would never let myself get over 200 pounds, but then I got pregnant, so I had an excuse. After delivering and still being over 200 pounds, I reasoned that it was baby weight and I would eventually lose it. Once I reached 250 pounds, my mind knew that I had a problem with my weight. But, the image I saw in the mirror still was closer to what I remembered from 10 years before. Deep down, I just didn't consider myself that heavy.
Health issues and pictures began to convince me that maybe I did have a problem with weight. Arthritis in my hips really made me think about how much weight (up to 280 pounds) I was carrying around. Looking at pictures of this strange obese woman sitting with my husband really woke me up. That woman was me!! The last straw was a new hobby my husband and I picked up last summer. We live in an area that once was a gold rush spot and we learned how to pan for gold. It is great fun and it is wonderful getting out in the fresh air and nature. But hauling my 280 pounds over rocks and creeks was exhausting! Twice while walking over moss-covered rocks, I fell hard. The type of spills that if you saw someone with their feet flying higher than their head you would roll over laughing, but all I could do was take inventory of bones and then count the bruises for weeks. I decided that if I was going to keep panning, I would definitely have to be in better shape.
I made the decision to have RNY in October 2007 but since I wanted to have one last holiday season, I didn't make the call to the Bariatric Center until after Thanksgiving. I was seen in the center the first week of December and was approved for surgery and insurance by the middle of the month. I actually asked to postpone my surgery until the end of January because of my youngest daughter's 17th birthday. I started my pre-op diet the day after and lost 17 pounds before surgery. I had my RNY on 31 Jan 2008.
My recovery was so much better than I ever thought it would be. I had very little pain and have been just about textbook from the first. I lost an additional 20 pounds within 10 - 12 days following surgery and then hit a stall. My goal is to lose 140 pounds altogether and keep it off!!
