Hi everyone!
I'm really excited to be here. My name is Rose, and I'm a pre-op lap band patient. I'm working on losing 20 pounds before surgery, and I'm really excited about the journey that I'm undertaking. I feel like this is the perfect tool for me to finally attain the goals that I've been trying to reach for years. Currently I weigh 369 pounds, which is down from last year's high of 390. I started my pre-op diet a week ago at 374. I've struggled with weight my entire life, and I'm probably the heaviest person in my entire family. I really just want to be healthy and to do the things that I love to do like hiking and playing sports (I was actually the only girl at my high school in history to play on the football team!). I already have a pretty decent self-esteem level, but I realize that I love myself enough now to really take charge and control and responsibility for my health. It's really important to me.
I suppose I should also mention that I am 6 ft tall, so my BMI is over 50. Also, I have PCOS (diagnosed at age 17, part of why I have no children), and hypothyroidism big time. I take 300 mcg a day! I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 17, but haven't taken any meds for it in 3 years, and have been controlling with diet. My last HGa1c was 5.6, so I'm doing pretty good with that!
I'm really looking forward to getting to know the other folks on this board, and I hope to learn a lot here. I'm really grateful that a forum like this exists. I'm not new to internet forums, I'm a moderator of another forum (spiritually oriented), and a frequent flyer on a forum for my favorite hobby, Geocaching.
Who am I otherwise? I'm 29 years old. I live in Junction City, Oregon with my partner of almost 9 years, Greg. I am originally from Northern California. I'm a web developer by trade, and I work for a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) company doing front-end development, and also regular websites. I love to garden (we grow a lot of our own vegetables!), and I love basically any outdoor activity. As I mentioned, Geocaching is my favorite hobby; it's a GPS scavenger hunt. I also love movies, and to read. I adore karaoke and I love to sing.
Again, I'm looking forward to participating on this forum. I'll probably do some reading first, and then participate slowly. Thanks all!
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