DSimm730

My journey began on my 34th Birthday. I decided it needed to be done. I spent my 20's being overweight and obese and endlessly dieting and joining Weight Watchers more times than I care to count. I had success, but was never able to maintain it.
Before my wedding (2003) I lost 60 lbs (not really reaching my goal) by exercising, WW and some good old Orlistat (today called ALLI). I again, was not able to maintain my weight loss. Old habits came back, and hitting the gym was no longer a priority. Fast forward to my 1 year anniversary (2004) I put on 40 lbs of the 80 I lost..then I got pregnant. My pregnancy was not easy, I put on another 40 lbs, ballooning to my all time high 262. During my pregnancy I had gestational diabetes (insulin dependent), my OB told me that if I didn't lose weight after I delivered my chances were pretty good of getting Type II diabetes and I had family history to back up that very scary fact. I delivered my baby prematurely, but all in all the baby was fine and my diabetes went away. I lost next to none of the weight I gained from my pregnancy for the next 2 years. I avoided mostly all of the pictures with my new baby and stayed within my comfort zone of family and friends. I decided to give it one last try after I went to a friend's house and her little girl asked, "why are you so fat?" I was heartbroken, but really kids only speak the truth, and I knew what had to be done. I joined WW once again, only to stop going after they changed the program soon after I joined and I just couldn't keep up...My 2 year old was very active and I could not keep up. I made sure she was eating healthy meals with fresh fruits and vegetables, yet I was reaching for the doritos and the soda the minute she went to bed. The final straw was when I went to my best friend's daughters birthday party and I sat down on one of those resin chairs and broke it. Mortified! Days later I looked into weight loss surgery and decided to call around and see when the next informational seminar would be. Within a month, I researched the doctor I wanted to see, and was at his informational seminar. I gathered all my information on Lap Band surgery and came home and had a discussion with my husband. He was behind me 100%, and was ready for the next step.