Hi there...

HumbleMom here.

1. Am Pre-Op RNY - waiting for insurance approval. Most likely will have surgery next month (2/2014.)
   
2. Was born and raised in Memphis, TN and am still here.
   
3. Have been a wife for almost 21 years ~ looking forward the next 21+.
   
4. Mother to 3 children, one of whom passed away at 8yrs ~ more about this in future blogs.
   
5. Am happy in general ~ my life is full of love and laughter, family and friends and all those little positive intangibles we tend to take for granted.
   
6. My faith is intact, meaning my relationship with God has weathered the death of my son. God and I are good ~ I have MANY questions for Him, but I also have to thank Him for all He's done for me and for all He continues to do for me.
   
7. For financial reasons, I dabble in cybersecurity. For fun, I read, cook (sometimes healthy, sometimes not), needlepoint and am learning to play Bridge.
   
8. We have three dogs, all different sizes, all rescues, all quirky and all amazingly lovable.
   

You can see from my profile that I'm a big girl. Like just about everyone else here, I didn't get this way overnight.My weight crept up on me over time, over pregnancies, over typical stress, over unbelievable stress and over many a wonderful meal shared with good friends.

Also like just about everyone else, I'm a very well educated obese person.

• I KNOW Weight Watchers inside and out and have been very successful with it over the years, having lost (and regained) myself several times over.
  
• Jenny Craig and I have been good friends, albeit never for long.
  
• I've tried Nutrisystem and Medifast ~ ordered the products, received them, organized the cupboards to house them, tried them for a few days and then promptly sold the remaining items on eBay.
  
• I've walked, done couch-to-5k, done pilates, attended exactly ONE Bikram yoga class (WHAT was I thinking??? If you are a Bikram fan, my hat's off to you!), used a personal trainer, worked out in a members only gym, worked out at my office gym, walked some more and then walked even more.
  

And like just about everyone else, each new this-will-change-my-life endeavor has proven successful (except the Bikram yoga!). I've lost weight, I've toned muscles I never knew I had and I've increased my endurance more than I ever thought possible. UNTIL… I wasn't losing or toning anymore because I'd stopped. I'd stopped because I ~ well, that's part of this puzzle. Why DID I stop? I don't know. I seriously need to find a counselor who can help me with this strange dance of mine with food, exercise and health. Know of anyone in the Memphis area? Please share!

So, long story short, I'm hoping this surgery will be the missing tool from my arsenal of knowledge needed to become a healthier me. While it will be nice to look more attractive, I'm here for other reasons.

1. I want to be able to hike and climb volcanoes with my sons. (True story ~ more later!)
   
2. I want to quit the daily meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, GERD and depression. Or maybe I should say I want to trade those meds for vitamins, calcium and b12 supplements!
   
3. I don't want my family to bury me because I literally ate myself to death. Much better to perish on the side of a volcano, right?
   
4. I'm tired of walking into a large department store filled with beautiful clothes and being relegated to shop from the Women's sizes hidden away in the tiny corner of the basement. I mean, come on. NOTHING tastes that good! I have 'eaten' my way into that corner and I'm tired of it. Those clothes in the other 90% of the store are much, much cuter! I want to shop from THOSE racks. Actually, just knowing I have the choice to shop from those racks is enough for me. I'll probably end up at the consignment store anyway.
    
   

Well, that's me in a nutshell. Obviously a fan of lists! I need to get to know others here. I need support and I want to support you! I need to know I'm not the only one who can't stand a certain type of chewable bariatric vitamin!

Won't you please be my neighbor?