Surely you are someone outside of your surgery and struggles with our weight. You have interests and dislikes and families- jobs and hobbies. And honestly- yes it is exciting to have this stool and to be on the journey- but hasn't there been enough focus all our lives on just our weight?

I know VST is dedicated to our VSG stories, but I sort of think that who we are makes our VSG surgeries that much more meaningful.

So I'll go first...

I'm Danielle. I'm 27 and I have three sisters and one nephew. I am unmarried and have no children. I work full time running the office for a respiratory company. This semester I am also attending college full time via online classes. I'm now also trying to squeeze in going to the gym three times a week.

I suffer from PCOS and had this surgery to help increase my chances of having a family of my own one day.

I am a TOTAL girly girl! I love the color pink, I like Hello Kitty the way others like Betty Boop or Tinkerbell, and I HATE HATE HATE spiders! I'm not much of an outdoorsie person- my idea of roughing it is five girls and one bathroom. That being said I do love to garden and can't wait for spring.

I love anything to do with 16th century european history and am a total fanatical nut when it comes to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. My favorite movie and book of allllllllll time is Gone With the Wind. I love watching old movies with my mom- our favorites are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anything with Doris Day and the Tammy movies. We also make a point of watching A League of Their Own together whenever it is on tv. I'm close with my Dad but sometimes I feel like we don't have anything in common.

Prior to surgery I loved home cooked food! (Along with chinese and pizza hut haha) I still enjoy cooking for my family (One sister, my parents and I all live together for economic reasons) and resumed cooking them meals within a few days of coming home from the hospital. I have a dog, she is a chihuahua/yorkie mix. Her name is Gypsy and well... she is sort of a monster!! I <3 her tho!

Now it's your turn!! Tell us who you are!

Help I don't know how to ask question and post thank you.

You posted just not in a place anyone is at right now. Look at the other forums

Help I don't know how to ask question and post thank you.

You posted just not in a place anyone is at right now. Look at the other forums

Help I don't know how to ask question and post thank you.

You posted just not in a place anyone is at right now. Look at the other forums

Help I don't know how to ask question and post thank you.

You posted just not in a place anyone is at right now. Look at the other forums

Hi folks! My name is Maxine, and I am a single mom with a 24 year-old son that I'm pretty proud of. I'm currently not working but do take care of my elderly parents, with whom I live. I have a huge family, with five brothers and sisters and tons of nieces and nephews who I adore. I've been overweight pretty much my entire life and am both excited and terrified of the journey on which I am soon to embark.

Hi, I'm Ms. A! I am a 37 year old single parent with a wonderful seven-year-old daughter. I teach and have been teaching for quite some time. When my daughter was quite young I went back and got my Masters degree and I'm quite proud to have achieved that feat, however; The amount of work was insane! I have decided to get the gastric sleeve in order to live a more for filling life. Early on when I was younger, I loved to run. It is an absolute thrill to be out in the elements, especially early in the morning when the sun is just beginning to rise. My goal is to bequeath that same love of fitness and nature to my daughter. I look forward to learning from all of you :-)

Edited February 20, 201511 yr by MsAlaineus

Well hello everyone my name is Lesley from PA. I just turned 34 years old and I am a mother of a 4 yr old little boy. I was with my husband for 9 years and very happily married until I found out he was cheating on me when my son was only 8 months old.

I come from an Italian family that loves to eat and enjoys food. My weight was up and down my whole life.. I started the program in November and is struggling to loose the weight I have to for surgery. I want to be able to play with my son and not get out of breath in 5 mins. I started at 289 lbs and I am at 278lbs now. Trying to get to my goal weight of 260. I am looking at surgery in or around June and can't wait.

Edited February 21, 201511 yr by Lesley81

Well hello everyone my name is Lesley from PA. I just turned 34 years old and I am a mother of a 4 yr old little boy. I was with my husband for 9 years and very happily married until I found out he was cheating on me when my son was only 8 months old.

I come from an Italian family that loves to eat and enjoys food. My weight was up and down my whole life.. I started the program in November and is struggling to loose the weight I have to for surgery. I want to be able to play with my son and not get out of breath in 5 mins. I started at 289 lbs and I am at 278lbs now. Trying to get to my goal weight of 260. I am looking at surgery in or around June and can't wait.

Well hello everyone my name is Lesley from PA. I just turned 34 years old and I am a mother of a 4 yr old little boy. I was with my husband for 9 years and very happily married until I found out he was cheating on me when my son was only 8 months old.

I come from an Italian family that loves to eat and enjoys food. My weight was up and down my whole life.. I started the program in November and is struggling to loose the weight I have to for surgery. I want to be able to play with my son and not get out of breath in 5 mins. I started at 289 lbs and I am at 278lbs now. Trying to get to my goal weight of 260. I am looking at surgery in or around June and can't wait.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

I am a 51 year old mother, grandmother, have been married for nearly 31 years to a wonderful man. I grew up skinny, skinny skinny! When I met my soon to be husband at 16 I was so skinny he said he felt sorry for me! I stayed skinny for many years. Even after my first child was born I got down to 135 pounds, (with Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member) and at 5'7 inches that is small. It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second child in 1990 that I began to gain weight. We found out at 4 months that our baby had a genetic disorder and may or may not make it to full term. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 months I gained 60 lbs! I was so depressed and all I did was eat! I ate to dull the pain. This is when I became addicted to food. Literally! I did make it to 6 1/2 months until our precious Angel that we named "Hope" went to heaven. I went through a deep depression. Gained more weight on top of the weight that I gained during pregnancy. From that point I tried every diet but my food addiction continued to overtake me. I failed at every attempt. I joined Weight watchers approximately 20 times over the next few years. In 2005 I decided to try to get approved for the gastric bypass. I was approved and 1 week before my surgery I backed out! I was too scared and anyway my regular doctor was not wanting me to have it. I decided to work hard at weight watchers and lost about 50 pounds. I started feeling pretty good. The weight creeps back up on me plus some, because I quit attending the meetings. So in 2010 I tried to be approved for the lap band. I went through all the dr visits. I did everything that was required but after the 7 months, I was denied. Once again I went back to weight watchers. I was discouraged and I felt determined to get the weight off. I started to lose weight and walk. I was walking 3 miles 3 times a week. I dropped 52 pounds! I was feeling very good. I was proud of my accomplishment. Then my nephew died of an accidental overdose. My whole family was devastated. I began to cope by eating. Oh I started small at first. I quit walking and slowly started getting back in to my old habits. Before I knew it, I looked in the mirror and saw this huge, fat woman looking back at me. I was up to 279 lbs! All this weight, HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN??? I tried very hard to lose weight. Joined Weight watchers again. I would lose about 20 lbs then quit. It was just out of control. In June of 2013 I became a grandmother. I was so excited. Every time I looked at my grandson I was more in love than ever. I became more aware of my health problem after he was born. My knees were hurting and I did not trust myself to hold him while trying to go up any stairs. I was on high cholesterol medicine, Mobic for joint pain, aspirin for heart blockage. So much going on! I decided to have the gastric sleeve. I knew a few people that has had it done so I started the dr visits and I go through everything I needed to do to be approved and low and behold it was approved. I am 6 weeks out now and I am down 38 pounds! At this point I am still having regrets that I did this but I know as more weight comes off I will be happy about this decision. I do feel better and I know that my life will be a better quality life for this surgery. I think that anyone that is reading this needs to know the emotional part of this surgery is the hardest.

Surely you are someone outside of your surgery and struggles with our weight. You have interests and dislikes and families- jobs and hobbies. And honestly- yes it is exciting to have this stool and to be on the journey- but hasn't there been enough focus all our lives on just our weight?

I know VST is dedicated to our VSG stories, but I sort of think that who we are makes our VSG surgeries that much more meaningful.

So I'll go first...

I'm Danielle. I'm 27 and I have three sisters and one nephew. I am unmarried and have no children. I work full time running the office for a respiratory company. This semester I am also attending college full time via online classes. I'm now also trying to squeeze in going to the gym three times a week.

I suffer from PCOS and had this surgery to help increase my chances of having a family of my own one day.

I am a TOTAL girly girl! I love the color pink, I like Hello Kitty the way others like Betty Boop or Tinkerbell, and I HATE HATE HATE spiders! I'm not much of an outdoorsie person- my idea of roughing it is five girls and one bathroom. That being said I do love to garden and can't wait for spring.

I love anything to do with 16th century european history and am a total fanatical nut when it comes to Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. My favorite movie and book of allllllllll time is Gone With the Wind. I love watching old movies with my mom- our favorites are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anything with Doris Day and the Tammy movies. We also make a point of watching A League of Their Own together whenever it is on tv. I'm close with my Dad but sometimes I feel like we don't have anything in common.

Prior to surgery I loved home cooked food! (Along with chinese and pizza hut haha) I still enjoy cooking for my family (One sister, my parents and I all live together for economic reasons) and resumed cooking them meals within a few days of coming home from the hospital. I have a dog, she is a chihuahua/yorkie mix. Her name is Gypsy and well... she is sort of a monster!! I <3 her tho!

Now it's your turn!! Tell us who you are!

My name is Bill. 42 years ago when I married my wife I weighted 195. Over the years going from working outside with my hands for 30 years and then migrating to an inside job where my daily activity level was decreased and my mental load was increased, I tended to gain additional weight.

Over the years I have tried several different diet plans but have had little to no success. 6 years ago I had looked into Gastric Sleeve surgery {relatively new at the time} as an alternative to my never ending with obesity. Being the procedure was new, the bariatric clinic I was seeing didn’t perform that surgery yet. They in turn referred me to the HMR Diet center attached to their office as an alternative to the surgery. I was at 410 lbs.

Thru HMR {doctor supervised diet utilizing Protein shakes & meals along with weekly counseling} I was able to get to 335 lbs. in 5 months but after going off the shakes, within a year I was right back where I started plus 10 more.

I have restarted this journey after visiting the local bariatric center here in Myrtle Beach, SC. Conway Metabolic & Bariatric Center has a great track record of Gastric Sleeve procedures and I am confident that this is the path to follow to achieve my goal weight of 235-245 lbs. by April 2017. In mid-January 2015, I began this new journey by setting a daily calorie intake goal of < 2000 thru the end of the month. Feb 1, I decreased this goal to <1200 cal a day {knowing that starting 2/15/15 I would be starting a bariatric diet of 800 cal a day until my surgery date in March.

As of 02-22-15.I have decreased my daily intake to less than 500 cal @ day. My bariatric diet consists of 2.5 – 17oz containers of Muscle Milk Light RTD per day giving me 490cal, 75 g protein, 5 g carbs and 0 g sugar. Thus far I have lost 27 lbs. but need to lose another 28 lbs. before surgery can be performed {per doctor}.

As of today March 2^nd I am still 20 lbs. above the required weight for surgery and have a final meeting with the doctor this Thursday at which time I will find out if he will postpone surgery or go ahead with it….I have altered my diet for the last week to 2-17oz containers of muscle milk light and 1-20oz bottle of Isopure Zero {for less carbs and the same amount of protein}

Still trying to stay true to the diet to get to my surgery date

Edited March 2, 201511 yr by Saxlyn

Still trying to stay true to the diet to get to my surgery date

Has your MD recommended such a low calorie diet? Sometimes our metabolism can slow down if we consume so little our bodies go into starvation mode and you will actually lose less. Post-op bodies are different than pre-op bodies. Wishing you the best on your journey.

I'm Jamy Duran, 36 year old civil engineer by trade, I had to quit work three years ago because I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis..

I have one daughter who is 13 and a wonderful husband who is recently Navy retired Boot Camp instructor. I like music and flowers, I love to cook and my favorite kitchen gadget is my artesian kitchenaid mixer that I got for Christmas . ????

I'm Jamy Duran, 36 year old civil engineer by trade, I had to quit work three years ago because I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis..

I have one daughter who is 13 and a wonderful husband who is recently Navy retired Boot Camp instructor. I like music and flowers, I love to cook and my favorite kitchen gadget is my artesian kitchenaid mixer that I got for Christmas . ????

I'm Jamy Duran, 36 year old civil engineer by trade, I had to quit work three years ago because I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis..

I have one daughter who is 13 and a wonderful husband who is recently Navy retired Boot Camp instructor. I like music and flowers, I love to cook and my favorite kitchen gadget is my artesian kitchenaid mixer that I got for Christmas . ????

I'm Jamy Duran, 36 year old civil engineer by trade, I had to quit work three years ago because I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis..

I have one daughter who is 13 and a wonderful husband who is recently Navy retired Boot Camp instructor. I like music and flowers, I love to cook and my favorite kitchen gadget is my artesian kitchenaid mixer that I got for Christmas . ????