jasong
I've decided to write my first blog and share my thoughts and experiences for my own record, for family members, friends and anyone else that may come along and find their situation similar to my own.
All credit for my decision to start this blog goes to Scott aka Beam me up Scotty whose blog, IMO, should be absolute required reading for anyone considering weight loss surgery. It absolutely hit me and made me realize alot of things about myself.
My name is Jason and ever since I can remember I've heard the words, big, husky, chunky and thick to describe me and my body. I work in the IT department (systems and network infrastructure) for a high end mailorder/online retail catalog company whose primary customer are baby boomers. Yes, an IT guy and technology lover who is posting his first blog---never had a reason to before but this seems like the perfect place to start.
Back to my story--I've always been big for my size. In spite of being very active while growing up I was always a little on the heavy size. I was heavily involved in sports and played everything: basketball, football, baseball, tennis etc. Basketball was my primary love and there was hardly a day that went by growing up where I couldn't be found out in the backyard on our sportcourt playing a one on one game with my younger brother or with neighborhood friends.
I always seemed to be 20-30 pounds overweight or so and can remember my mother having to take me to the mens department to buy clothes and I wasn't even close to being a teenager yet. I also painfully remember being ridiculed and teased because I wore dockers and a nice button down shirt to 7th grade when everyone else was wearing jeans and t-shirts.
I should make it clear that I had a happy youth. I don't want to make it sound like my weight completely destroyed my youth because it didn't but it was the source of several extremely painful memories.
I have the most incredible, loving, supporting parents that anyone could have ever asked or hoped for. I thank the Lord daily for being sent to them and for the role they have played in my life.
Fast forwarding from my youth to about 13 years ago (I'm 33 currently) shows when morbid obesity became a severe issue in my life. I had recently returned home after living in Brazil for a year with some medical problems that could never be completely diagnosed and with mono. I had stomach problems where I would wake up in the morning and have mild to moderate stomach pain that would disappear after an hour or so. I found that certain foods such as sugars and dense foods (beef) would set my stomach off again.
So I learned to cope with the problems and adjusted my life accordingly. I decided to start exercising (I was only 30-40 pounds overweight or so at this time) to help with the lack of energy from the mono. I met with a trainer at my parents gym and I started out by doing 20 minutes on the stairmaster or treadmill (rotated daily) and then would do either an upper or lower body weight training on weight lifting machines.
It made a huge impact on my energy levels. I finally got to where I daily I was doing 45 minutes on the treadmill and 45 minutes on the stairmaster and either upper or lower body lifting. But I was still 25 pounds over what the charts said I should be for me height.
A year later I wasn't religiously following my workout schedule but I was only 15 pounds heavier than my lowest weight. I fell in love and got married to the most incredible and wonderful woman (besides my mother of course!). It was shortly thereafter where my weight ballooned out of control. Within the first year of marriage I had put on 60-75 pounds. My eating habits hadn't drastically changed or been any different than before. My wife wasn't cooking any differently than my mother did. I was exercising a little bit less than before but was still walking on the treadmill. It didn't help that I found myself in a career where I sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours a day. :D
I started seeing a PCP regularly to deal with my weight issue and started trying all kinds of program and spending thousands of dollars to do so (hello LA Weight Loss and Jenny Craig!). Each time I would lose 20-30 pounds then fall off the wagon and have to start all over again.
That essentially sums up the last 10 years of my life. Trying new diets after new diet and failing each time inspite of the pleadings and tears of my wife and family.
Sometime in late 2005 or early 2006 my father approached me to tell me about a couple of patients of his who had weight loss surgery and had remarkable results. He asked me if I wanted more info or would consider it and my response was always "no I can do it myself" or "I'll consider it after X (insert month here)".
Finally in February of this year I agreed to research and seriously consider having WLS (weight loss surgery for the newbs!). I know that I can't do it anymore by myself and my life has got to change and that I need help changing it. (Side note---it's interesting to me that the only time I've ever felt in control of my health and weight was when I had external medical factors influencing my diet).
My research led me to several websites and with the help of some people that my father put me in touch with I started learning about the various options out there. When I read numerous success stories and saw pictures of DS patients I was completely and totally shocked! Everywhere I read there was success story after success story. I remember doing almost nothing for an entire day at work but reading individuals stories and testimonials. That night I went home so excited and ready to get on a plane and have the surgery! I remember telling my wife and father that night that I wish I could hop up on the operating table right now and begin my new life right then! I'e since tried to temper this enthusiasm but it's difficult after seeing the tremendous success stories and seeing the power of the DS.
I need this drastic change for my two beautiful daughters (Alyson-3 and Ashley-10 months). I want to live long enough to see them marry. I want to be able to play with them without tiring or worrying about my back pain. I want to be active again and set an example for my children. I want to be able to volunteer with the youth in my church and go on campouts and hikes etc. I want my wife to be attracted to me again. We have an incredible relationship and are best of friends but it's hard to nearly impossible to be physically attracted to someone that is 175 pounds overweight, especially when that's not how you remember them. I can't wait to start this journey!
