I struggled with weight gain for most of my life. The only time I was ever really thin was when I smoked. I quit smoking in 1991 and within two years gained a hundred pounds. I was never able to really lose that weight. I tried every type of diet out there and always gained it back. Diabetes and high blood pressure, thyroid problems and cholesterol problems all gained acceptance because I could not lose the weight and my body was not handling things. The straw was when the doctors had problems finding a pulse in my legs due to circulatory problems with my weight. As a child, I had polio, mostly in my left leg; and I was told back in 2000 that due to the blood flow problems with my left leg that if they ever reached a point of not being able to find pulse, I would probably lose my leg. Last November, they had problems with a normal feeling with your hands. Doctor had to use a stethoscope to hear it and ordered a special test to see what was really happening in my legs. The tests came out basically normal, with a slight decrease in blood flow. So I was safe for the present...but..something had to be done or leg would be gone within five years. I contacted Overlake and went through the candidate phase to become a patient. I had the surgery three months later. I currently am off all diabetic meds and insulin. No blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills, and neuropathy pills cut from 10 a day to 4 a day. I still have thyroid issues and now take more vitamins than other pills.