Every good story starts like this "Well, you see, what had happened was... If only weight loss and gain,and loss and gain, and ..well you get it, was such an easy story to tell! So for me what happened was life. You see, I'm a southern girl. To say that food is a big part of my life is an understatement. I consider myself an eastern North Carolina BBQ expert! I have driven across the state of North Carolina charting my course around the best BBQ restaurants in the state more than once! My mother could out-cook Paula Deen any day (now that's the truth!) My grandmothers probably created every recipe in the Southern Living cookbook collection! Genetically, I am pre-programed to cook (and eat) all that is delicious!!! When we have a pot luck at work everyone wants to know what I made- It's guaranteed to be good. Did I mention I make custom cakes "on the side"? People love my cooking! It's been a blessing and a curse all my life.

I wasn't overweight in high school,but the potential was there! Like most women my weight gain began after having kids. I gained 75 pounds with baby #1, lost most of it fairly easily (I was only 20). Baby #2, I was more careful with that pregnancy, I exercised regularly and only gained 18 lbs! Lost my best friend to breast cancer a year later and ate my weight in "friendship bread" (a delicious cake for those who aren't familiar with friendship bread, make sure you NEVER eat it!!) over the next few months - From September to January I had gained 60 pounds!!! I woke up one morning (literally) and looked at myself in the mirror and didn't know it was me. I was actually startled when I saw myself that day. I decided I had to do something, so I just started walking. Everyday I walked at least a mile or two, slowly I began to jog and then run. I lost 65 pounds over the next year. I ate nothing white- no sugar, no white flour, white pasta, white rice, white bread. If it was white or prepackaged I didn't touch it. I lived like this for about 4 years. If I would slip off my program, I would quickly catch myself and get back on track. I exercised daily , sometimes twice a day. No cake at birthday parties, no splurging during the holiday's, I stayed on a tight leash. At my smallest I was still overweight by 15-20 pounds. I was happy enough with my fitness level, my size and weight but I had to follow my program to a "T". If I slipped I could gain 5 pounds overnight.

I got pregnant with baby #3 at 29 years old. I gained too much weight (60 lbs), and it was so much harder to lose than it was when I had my first two babies. I had so much pain in my feet I could hardly walk some days. Found out I had plantar fasciitis in both feet- OUCH! I needed to exercise, but my feet hurt so bad I couldn't, so I didn't. I slowly began slipping back into bad eating habits. For me sugar is the devil, so are carbs- love that white stuff!! Once I start I can't quit, it's like crack! lol!! I didn't want to go back "there" again so I once again tried to get back on track.I took almost a year. I went back to my program, started exercising again. I was feeling great again. I went through a few changes in my career over the next few years, finally going to work for the government in 2008. I was excited about the new job, but had no idea how much different sitting a desk would be. I had never worked a desk job before.

Over the last three years my weight has steadily increased. I have gained over 50 lbs. in the last 3 years. I was already overweight when I started there, I've tried to control it but it has gotten so far out of control it's not even funny. In the last three years I have: begun taking two blood pressure pills daily, sleeping pills for my insomnia, prilosec for my reflux, naproxen for my other aches and pains and I can't tie my shoes with out cutting of my oxygen supply! I have to stop in between flights of stairs, I am chapped and chaffed in places I shouldn't be, even my rolls now have rolls. I've taken diet pills, every fad diet there is, spent hundreds (maybe thousands) on pills, supplements, exercise equipment and DVD workouts.

Well, I just can't do it anymore. I can't wake up at 4 am, dirve the van for the van pool, work all day for some arrogant SOB, make dinner for my family when I get home at 5pm. Clean up ,check homework, take care of a house and give my husband and my kids the attention they deserve. Food has become my comfort,even though it is the cause of my misery. I'm sick of having no energy, no drive and no interest. I am tired of being tired and I want to be myself again. I have set a terrible example for my sons and I've finally decided that enough is enough!

So.....on July 29th (just 12 days from today!) I am having VSG! I know it will be hard , but it will be worth it to have my life back. Some people won't understand, some will think I took the easy way out, some may even be jealous. i just don't have time to care about what anyone may think about my decision. Either they will support me or they wont.

Please, wish me luck as I do the rest of you. I need all the support I can get, especially at those family gatherings with my own "Paula" and her fabulous meals! I think her feelings are gonna' be hurt when I can't eat her cookin' any more! She'll just have to get over it now won't she?

Congratulations on taking that first step. I was sleeved on June 27th. I had a textbook recovery and am doing GREAT. Last week I had a problem with retaining fluid, but it is coming off now. I am down 30 pounds since surgery. I have had amazing support group from my family and even my doctors (And I went to Mexico). The hardest part for me post surgery is knowing how much my stomach can hold and not listening to my brain when it tries to tell me to eat more. It is a very miserable feeling when you eat just one bite too many.

Hey, Carolina. Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of wonderful people here and some of us with very similar stories. The roller coaster ride of the weight challenged. You have made a great decision for yourself that will be life changing and rewarding. I was sleeved 4-14-11 and had a smooth-as-glass recovery. I wish the same for you. Keep coming back here for support and any questions. Kathe

Welcome and Good Luck! We all know where you've been and how you feel! Our lives are about to change forever for the better!

My surgery date is also July 29th so special good thoughts will be sent your way on our day!

Welcome sweetie I could swear I was reading my story, but it was yours. Most of my family comes from Kentucky and everything has to be deepfried and covered in butter! I know live in Colorado, but we still live this way. I too gained weight during each pregnancy. I have four boys of my own and three step children. I too also run a cake business on the side. I am having surgery on the 26th and I am so glad to meet you and I welcome you to the fourum and wish you good luck on your journey

Welcome aboard. You will do great...clearly you have worked some plans before and this is the one that you can't go back on! That's just what some of us need. I do wish you the best!!

Susan

Thanks for sharing your story. I was reading along going "yes,,yes, did that too!" Welcome aboard the VSG train! You will find the best group of people ever!

Hey Carolina ......Paul Deen mothers are the best. I have one and I am one. I am a caterer, so food is our life. I can relate to your whole story. I wish you well on the next leg of your life journey.

Dear SC;

Ah - besides having a Paula mother - I could be your sister. Congrats on making a step toward a new you. The sleeve works!

Thanks ya'll for the warm welcome. I'm so glad to know you are all out there and will be a great wealth of knowledge and an understanding ear for me to go to. I don't think you can truly appreciate how hard it is to be over weight unless you've been there. Likewise, no one understands WLS like someone who has been through it, I'm sure I will need lots of advise very soon from ya'll. I can't wait until I'm not the "big" girl anymore!

OH.EM.GEE!!! You have that Paula gene too!!! I swear good old fashioned Southern cooking, and it's recent rise in popularity, is the reason so many of us are obese. I'm a Navy brat, so not a Southerner by birth, but I was raised by Texans, so my entire life has been all about BBQ beef, steaks, fried anything that grows, and homemade ice cream. We also all managed to find our way into baking cakes for EVERY occasion. (And FRIENDSHIP BREAD!!! YES!!! Along with those luscious coconut layer cakes! lol)

I do not envy the first few times I head to my daddy's house after he throws some baby back ribs on the smoker for the day. I'm really hoping that my sense of smell and taste will change like my sister's did. Maybe I won't want them then! lol.

Good luck, I am sure you will do FABULOUS!!!

Hi Carolina,

My family is from the south too (southeastern Oklahoma in the Ouachita mountains). I feel your pain! I am so glad you are going to take charge of your health and make the changes you need to ensure a long, healthy, and happy life. With the Vertical Sleeve you will be able to eat special family dishes at events and gatherings. It's one of the reasons I preferred the sleeve over the bypass. It would be a shame to never have biscuits and gravy, fried catfish, cornbread, or banana pudding with vanilla wafers again!

Welcome to the forum! I look forward to hearing about your journey!

Lynda

Every good story starts like this "Well, you see, what had happened was... If only weight loss and gain,and loss and gain, and ..well you get it, was such an easy story to tell! So for me what happened was life. You see, I'm a southern girl. To say that food is a big part of my life is an understatement. I consider myself an eastern North Carolina BBQ expert! I have driven across the state of North Carolina charting my course around the best BBQ restaurants in the state more than once! My mother could out-cook Paula Deen any day (now that's the truth!) My grandmothers probably created every recipe in the Southern Living cookbook collection! Genetically, I am pre-programed to cook (and eat) all that is delicious!!! When we have a pot luck at work everyone wants to know what I made- It's guaranteed to be good. Did I mention I make custom cakes "on the side"? People love my cooking! It's been a blessing and a curse all my life.

I wasn't overweight in high school,but the potential was there! Like most women my weight gain began after having kids. I gained 75 pounds with baby #1, lost most of it fairly easily (I was only 20). Baby #2, I was more careful with that pregnancy, I exercised regularly and only gained 18 lbs! Lost my best friend to breast cancer a year later and ate my weight in "friendship bread" (a delicious cake for those who aren't familiar with friendship bread, make sure you NEVER eat it!!) over the next few months - From September to January I had gained 60 pounds!!! I woke up one morning (literally) and looked at myself in the mirror and didn't know it was me. I was actually startled when I saw myself that day. I decided I had to do something, so I just started walking. Everyday I walked at least a mile or two, slowly I began to jog and then run. I lost 65 pounds over the next year. I ate nothing white- no sugar, no white flour, white Pasta, white rice, white bread. If it was white or prepackaged I didn't touch it. I lived like this for about 4 years. If I would slip off my program, I would quickly catch myself and get back on track. I exercised daily , sometimes twice a day. No cake at birthday parties, no splurging during the holiday's, I stayed on a tight leash. At my smallest I was still overweight by 15-20 pounds. I was happy enough with my fitness level, my size and weight but I had to follow my program to a "T". If I slipped I could gain 5 pounds overnight.

I got pregnant with baby #3 at 29 years old. I gained too much weight (60 lbs), and it was so much harder to lose than it was when I had my first two babies. I had so much pain in my feet I could hardly walk some days. Found out I had plantar fasciitis in both feet- OUCH! I needed to exercise, but my feet hurt so bad I couldn't, so I didn't. I slowly began slipping back into bad eating habits. For me sugar is the devil, so are carbs- love that white stuff!! Once I start I can't quit, it's like crack! lol!! I didn't want to go back "there" again so I once again tried to get back on track.I took almost a year. I went back to my program, started exercising again. I was feeling great again. I went through a few changes in my career over the next few years, finally going to work for the government in 2008. I was excited about the new job, but had no idea how much different sitting a desk would be. I had never worked a desk job before.

Over the last three years my weight has steadily increased. I have gained over 50 lbs. in the last 3 years. I was already overweight when I started there, I've tried to control it but it has gotten so far out of control it's not even funny. In the last three years I have: begun taking two blood pressure pills daily, sleeping pills for my insomnia, prilosec for my reflux, naproxen for my other aches and pains and I can't tie my shoes with out cutting of my oxygen supply! I have to stop in between flights of stairs, I am chapped and chaffed in places I shouldn't be, even my rolls now have rolls. I've taken diet pills, every fad diet there is, spent hundreds (maybe thousands) on pills, supplements, exercise equipment and DVD workouts.

Well, I just can't do it anymore. I can't wake up at 4 am, dirve the van for the van pool, work all day for some arrogant SOB, make dinner for my family when I get home at 5pm. Clean up ,check homework, take care of a house and give my husband and my kids the attention they deserve. Food has become my comfort,even though it is the cause of my misery. I'm sick of having no energy, no drive and no interest. I am tired of being tired and I want to be myself again. I have set a terrible example for my sons and I've finally decided that enough is enough!

So.....on July 29th (just 12 days from today!) I am having VSG! I know it will be hard , but it will be worth it to have my life back. Some people won't understand, some will think I took the easy way out, some may even be jealous. i just don't have time to care about what anyone may think about my decision. Either they will support me or they wont.

Please, wish me luck as I do the rest of you. I need all the support I can get, especially at those family gatherings with my own "Paula" and her fabulous meals! I think her feelings are gonna' be hurt when I can't eat her cookin' any more! She'll just have to get over it now won't she?

To whomever judges you by saying you took the easy way out: they have never been fat and they never lived your story. Those individuals that criticize do not understand that we don't come to the conclusion of surgery without exhausting other methods. We come to that conclusion after trying every diet, after failing so many times and health (and the time that has gone by) makes the situation worse. I wish you all the luck in the world. You have made an excellent decision for yourself....

Keep me posted on your progress!

Take care,

Eileen

:welcome: Welcome Carolina :cheer2: Good for you taking back your life. Please keep us posted on all your journey phase going forward. Most of us have been there, done that and didn't get the tee shirt. Best wishes and good luck going forward. You will be fine - you've got the drive to be victorious. This forum is a great source of information and knowledge which gives you the power to do anything.

Thanks everybody for all your support! As the days grow closer, so does my excitement... and anxiety! You are all so right, this bulletin board is a great source of reassurance, information, and knowledge. And... ya'll are the best cheerleaders anywhere! I even added my first friend today... Thanks SmokyMtnGal2011!