I have struggled with my weight since I was about 12 or 13 years of age, when puberty hit me like a steamroller. I began to gain and my mom put me on a diet, and I spent many years watching everyone else eat normally while I had my can of tuna with lemon juice, or whatever it was at the time that I was only allowed to have. This was back in the 70's when there were no diets other than Weight Watchers. I did WW, but I gained instead of lost on it, and not for the lack of trying.
I just remember that my hunger was ravenous. I wanted to eat all the time. I found that if I wasn't allowed to eat, I'd go in and steal it and sneak it, didn't matter what it was, into my room. One time, I even ate toothpaste because I was either very hungry or just needed something when I wasn't allowed to have anything. I called this my starvation dieting routine.
Mom tried everything she could to help me, but it ended up with her being frustrated at me for failing, and me being frustrated at her for trying to embarrass me in public, or getting on me for the slightest thing I put in my mouth.
At 18 years of age, I had surgery for removal of an 8 lb cyst on my right ovary. I lost 3/4 of that ovary. This is when my weight really began to get worse. Looking back at pictures, I was able to pinpoint when the weight really started to climb. I have since found out that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. My ovaries are very lumpy from many years of cysts. And this problem causes weight issues.
After I left home, I stopped worrying about my weight, and ate whatever I wanted. During these years, from about the age of 14 to 26, I also began to purge. Yes, I had bulimia. I never gorged, but I did nit pick in the fridge so no one would know anything was missing. A little of this, a little of that, and then I'd feel guilty and go take care of the matter.
Finally, after the birth of my second son (I weighed 473 at the time of his birth), I could not take it any longer, and I began to really think about having Bariatric Surgery. When My son was 3, that is when I made the choice to have the surgery. I was very sick, with many co-morbidities.
I began to look at different options and decided upon a surgery called Duodenal Switch (the link is below).
It has been the best decision I have ever made. Do not ever let anyone tell you that Weight Loss Surgery is taking the easy way out. There is NOTHING easy about this. Our bodies are changed forever, the way we eat, the way we use the restroom, the way we see ourselves, the way we interact with family and friends, and the way they interact with us. It is a new way of life, but well worth the results. No more failing at dieting. Now when I cut carbs out, weight drops off like crazy.
If you are thinking about having WLS, please feel free to leave me a message and I will be glad to talk to you more about this procedure. You will NOT be sorry in the long run.
My stats are below and are current. The hearts bar with the little scale on it, shows where I am at with my weight, and how much more I have to go. The chart also shows the steady decrease over the past year.
I had the Duodenal Switch surgery. If you don't know what Duodenal Switch is, here is the website: Click Here for the Duodenal Switch Site
My Surgeon's name is Dr. John Rabkin. His website is Pacific Laparocopy in San Francisco, CA.
Check the blog regularly to keep up with my thoughts and such as I go along.
My Weight Chart:
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