DawnPoss

I can't figure out how to reply to each message individually, so I wanted to send a big thank you to all of you that have welcomed me with "open arms" It is really nice to be able to talk to other people that are going through very similar things as myself! Looking forward to getting to know everyone!!

Hello everyone,

I am in the pre-op stage right now. I have went to my initial consultation and am going for my second visit with the surgeon on July 11. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. When I was around 14 years old I hit my highest weight of about 320lbs. I managed to get myself down to 132lbs by the time I was 16 years old. I felt wonderful and have to say that one of the few times that I have truly felt like "myself". I had my first child when I was 19 years old. I had gotten up to 210lbs with her but managed to get back down to 162 lbs and maintained that until I got pregnant with my second child only a year later. I gained 90 lbs with him. So, I hit the 250 lb mark and managed to lose 20 or 30 lbs here and there but always gained it back. I had my third child in 2009, and went up to about 300 lbs with him. Last year I managed to get back down to 249 lbs. But sadly, gained it all back. Right now I am at 306 lbs, and honestly I am miserable. I am trying to get back into using the eliptical but I feel like my body is fighting me every step of the way.

I am having a really hard time finding time for myself, which I am sure is a very common issue for everyone. I am in college full time, I have three children, and work a full time job. My husband is very supportive, but, unfortunately he can't exercise for me .

I was told that the surgeon would like me to lose about 20 lbs before surgery, I am trying to keep the mind set that I can do it, and I would really like to lose more than that. I am only 5 foot tall so all this weight on this little frame makes me achy and tired everyday. I am determined to have the "real me" back! I am looking forward to talking to everyone. It is hard to talk to very many people in my daily life because a lot of people have the idea that having surgery is cheating. I don't think people truly understand what a life changing commitment this is.