Jodi11

My name is Jodi and I am 30 years old.  I am married to a wonderful man and have two sons, Evan (9) and Owen (1).  I have been up and down with my weight since childhood and quite simply, I am sick of the roller coaster ride. 

I remember being a young child, no older than 6, and feeling as if I was fat.  There is a picture of me on the day that I remember feeling hesitant to sit on my Grandfather's knee because I thought I was too heavy.  My cousin was on one knee and I was on the other and I remember the pain in my thighs during that picture because I tried to put all of my weight on my legs and not actually sit on his knee.  I look at that picture now and realize that I was not fat at all.  I was just a little girl with a painted face at a family reunion.  I looked so healthy.  Where did I get that mentality from?  As a pre-teen I would pray to God to wake up the next morning and be skinny like the other girls.  I just wanted ONE DAY to feel how it feels. 

My last pregnancy was a struggle.  I was so sick the entire time that I would come home from work and immediately go to bed.  My husband took care of our son and learned to cook and do laundry.  I gained 45 pounds with my pregnancy and about 50 before I got pregnant since I had quit doing Nutrisystem.  I am, right now, very concerned about my health.  I have 47 sleep interruptions per hour when I sleep.  I now sleep with a very unattractive c-pap machine every night to keep my airway open.  I also have issues with my knees and I go to physical therapy twice a week.  The issues started when I tried to lose the pregnancy weight by walking for 30 minutes each morning.  During my pregnancy, I was also diagnosed with a rare form of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondilitis.  It causes my spinal bones to gradually fuse together.  It is really scary and painful.  I will need to eventually do daily injections as a preventative measure.  Losing weight will definitely help me in the long run when it comes to my inflamatory pain. 

I am nervous about getting the band, but I am more excited than nervous.  I need to do this for my health, for my kids, and most importantly for that little girl who so very much wanted to be skinny for just one day. 
Band date:  August 10, 2009