Electrawoman

I am a Mom, proud citizen, artist (graphic, sculpt, portrait and web), techno-geek, animal lover and more.
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I was tall and lean growing up. When I turned 21, I gained nearly 100 lbs in a year. For a long time, I didn't even try to diet. I knew before I started that diets were a waste of time. But, in my 30s, I was desperate so I tried several (Slimfast, low-fat vegetarian diet and exercise, sensa, diabetic diet, lemonade fast, etc.). I was a vegetarian for 13 years. I did the healthy eating and exercise (5 times a week) for 2 years and lost a whopping 20 pounds. I was strong but still overweight and it was very discouraging.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Over the years, food became my solution to everything. Every emotion and every bit of stress had a food attached to it. I craved crunchy foods when I was angry, comfort foods when I was lonely, gooey and squishy foods when I was sad, and big southern meals when I was happy. My life has revolved around food and my weight.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;My weight had become a reason to stay home when I should go out and a motivator to stay in unhealthy relationships. It also became my all-purpose excuse for anything I was afraid to do &quot;They won't like me because I am fat&quot; or &quot;I would apply for this job but they are not going to hire me because I am fat&quot;. I preached Fat Acceptance outwardly and tried to accept and love myself the way I was but keeping up the self talk and constant reassurance in my brain became exhausting.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I gained an additional 70 pounds during a bad marriage and following a severe motor vehicle accident and knew I could not continue to go on that way. I was at my heaviest weight ever before the band and refused to go up another size. I never thought I would look at surgery as an option but I really believed I wouldn't be able to lose weight and keep it off without the help of a lap-band. My insurance (Tricare) gave a quick approval and I had my procedure on November 30, 2009. I lost about 15 lbs on the pre and post-op diets and after two years, have lost 88 pounds...I have lost a total of 116 from my highest weight. I have plateaued now so I am trying to incorporate more exercise to boost my results. My weight loss usually follows a definite pattern each month (2 lbs lost, then 4 lbs gained, then 4 lbs lost.). I have had two fills to date and will never look at food the same way again.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The band allowed me to break my addiction to food. I still enjoy food but my life does not revolve around it. I crave healthy foods now and I only eat when I am hungry. If I catch myself craving bad foods, it is a signal to check my stress levels and make mental adjustments. I said at the beginning of this journey that I would eat grass if I had to...funny because I enjoyed a wheat grass shake this morning and it felt great. &nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have made many changes since getting the band. The first thing I did was decide to participate in my life instead of watch it from the sofa. I stopped watching television. I got out of my bad marriage. I went back to work, fell in love and I learned to deal with stress in ways that don't involve food.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Currently, I struggle with finding time to exercise and finding exercises that I can do with the injuries from the MVA. My doctor says I shouldn't run, jump, walk too much or do any weight bearing exercises on my left ankle. This limits my options to swimming and maybe yoga....? I am also weighing my options for a tummy tuck because I have held on at this weight for about a year and think this may be a good time to do it. I have a lot of extra skin to deal with (pannus) so I am looking for a doctor who will bill my insurance (BCBS TX will cover surgery with certain co-dx). I pretended that my tummy skin was a muppet this morning. It was fun but its time to say goodbye to that little fella. Any input on tummy tuck/abdominoplasty with BCBS would be appreciated. </p>