"I really didn't start gaining weight until my sophmore year in high school,
but with each year more weight came on. It wasn't until my 2nd year of
college that I tried something drastic - Optifast. I went from 230 pounds
to 175 in 3 months. That year is also the the year that I met my husband who
has loved me for me no matter what size I was or am.
Blissfully in love... The pounds began to come back on slowly. By the time I
graduated I was back up to 215. This time I tried Jenny Craig. I lost about
15 pounds for maybe 6 months. Another failure.
That next year my husband proposed and I moved to Chicago. Now I had real
pressure - A Wedding. So what does a panicked overweight bride do -
Phen-Phen. This is before they realized how bad it was for you. I was on it
for 1 year and was walking 5 miles a day. It worked. I got down from 250 to
175 again.
After the wedding, hello old friend, the pounds came back on. Over the next
13 years and two kids later I ended up at 333 pounds. Now I had a whole new
set of life issue I was dealing with juggling motherhood, work, marriage and
the chronic pain of my severely arthritic knees. Until now, I hadn't had all
of the other comorbidities that come with being overweight, such as
hypertension and diabetes. Not to be fooled, I knew they were in my near
future.
I had to make drastic life change, but I was caught in a catch-22. In order
to lose weight, I need to workout but with my knees I couldn't. I had
thought about gastric bypass in the past but was always fearful. It is a
major surgery. After some quick soul searching I had made up my mind to do
it. This was the time! I asked my father-in-law, who is a physician, who I should go speak to
about the procedure. He recommended Dr. Frantizides. I liked him
immediately, he was one of the 1st physicians that I have seen in over 15
years that didn't make me feel less of a person because of my current size.
In fact, he actually made me feel thin and worthy of such a gift. The gift
of a new life, a healthier life, an active life, a longer life.
After the 1st meeting, I committed myself completely to the process. I stuck
to the instructions I was given. It was not easy at first, but each day gets
better and better.
The surgery recovery was tough and very painful and by the 3rd day I had
started to question my decision. Then day 4 came and I got it. The pain
started to lessen, I started to get my diet into a manageable rhythm and the
weight started to come off.
I am now 1 month post-op and down 32 pounds. My adventure is still at the
beginning but this is going to be a wild ride.
10/28/10 Update... Currently 4 month out and down 80 pounds. I am more active ( working out at least 2 hours a day), watching what I eat, and living life now. I've donates over 30 bags of clothes and am now searching for cheap interim clothes to wear. My only issue has been trying to find descent sources of extra protein. Ick! Good luck to all of you and stay tuned for my next update.
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