Hi,

Im Krystal, Im 22 yr old female from saint Louis, Missouri. I am 380 lbs and 5'4. Seems like on everyones before surgery weight i am still the biggest one here. I do not have the lap-band yet, but soon, i am waiting on the surgery center to call me to schedule the appointment so it shall be soon!

My story: Ive always been heavy throughout my entire life but it was never really serious until i was about 18 yrs old. My mother left me when i was 2yrs old and i know of her and have seen her but dont KNOW her, if you know what i mean. So i was raised by my father who was an on the go dad who did a lot of fast food and eating at classy restaurants. I was never tought to make good food descisions. Good food to me was food that tastes good. The damage was done. I remember eating twinkies as a little girl for Breakfast. One morning when i was like 5 i noticed that St Nick had never come and my shoe at the door was empty(if you dont know what im talkin about u can email me) so anyway i ran and told my dad that St. Nick never came and he told me to go to my room because he heard him comming....when i came out of my room there was a twinkie in my shoe. Go figure right! So ever since i was 16 or so i have not touched a twinkie because ive had my fill.

I was about a 16-18 up until Junior year of High School. Then i got with an abusive boyfriend and resorted to food. I gained almost 100 lbs in less than 1 1/2 years. By the time i got rid of the boyfriend i was almost a sz 22. I stayed that way until 2 years later when the stress of starting, stopping, and not finishing colllege started playing on my nerves and i went to a size 24. I met a guy name Kyle who is now my Fiance on Feb 14th 2003. We became pregnant Oct 2003 and i had a little girl named Chloe Nichole June 30, 2004. My delivering weight was 350+ i cant tell you what it was because the Dr's scale only went to 350.

So its been 11 months since the baby and im at my all time high of 380 lbs and a size 30-32. Im miserable. I dont feel up to doing much with my daughter. Thank god shes not walkin yet, i dont know if id have the energy to chase her. I work part time on weekends as a newspaper RE-delivery carrier, and im a Stay and home mom during the week. I would work and do something productive IF I COULD.

We went to Grants Farm(for those of u that dont know, its like a mini zoo) the other day and i could hardly get through it without feeling miserable and having knee pain. I used to drive a 2001 Yellow Mustang that was completely done up with stripes and yellow interior, i won awards with it....well i had to give that up when i got pregnant because i was getting too big to fit in the Mustang....my excuse to everyone else was that it was unsafe for the baby to be in.

IM NOT LOOKING FOR A PITTY PARTY...im simply telling my story and how i got to be where i am. Excercise is near impossible for me right now because im so big. Simple things like going to the bathroom is becomming a task all in its self. I NEED this surgery if im to survive to see my daughter grow up.

I have great support from my Fiance and we are getting married September 17th of this year! So maybe i can sport a 360 pound body instead of 380 for the wedding...who knows.....

I want to thank all of you that read this....this was one of my own personal journeys to take the steps and backtrack where all this began. Im ready for change...and im proud of all of you that have already gone through this and succeeded.

Thank you for reading and listening to my story!

Well I got you beat by a long shot-- I was 441 presurgery. There are also others that weight more than you --so sorry to burst your bubble but you will have to gain a bunch of weight to try to claim the "I am biggest title"....lol. Not that you really want that title.

Congrats!

T

Good luck!

jayme

Krystal, Welcome to a new world. I would never change my choice on getting the band. I love it and how much it helps control the portion. Good Luck-you CAN do this!

Krystal,

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

It sounds like you have the right attitude to prepare for this journey.

And do it now before you spend your later years regretting what you didn't or couldn't do because of your weight.

I'll be banded a week ahead of you so read all of our posts so you are mentally prepared. As I walk through this journey, reading through the posts of those before me is making this so much easier.

Good luck. Celeste

Welcome to LBT Krystal. (heh, that just doesn't type right... ) You might also be interested in the Yahhoo group called Extraordinary Bandsters. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/extraordinarybandsters/

My DH got his band at 600 pounds, and he belongs to that group.

Congratulations, I wish you the best.

Krystal, I'm a lot older than you and wish that I could have gotten my band a long time ago. But maybe you and I weren't ready for our bands any earlier. You have a beautiful daughter that will help you get the exercise that you need. Have you ever tried a recumbent exercise bike? That might be a good place to start...takes the stress off of your joints. Best of luck to you!

Hi Krystal,

I was 362 lbs when I started my band journey and the 300's just whipped right past in a matter of a few months. It has slowed down a bit now but I was thrilled to have lost 95 lbs after just one year. I thought I was the biggest for a long time too (and probably was at points) but like everyone else, I strived to just be smaller. I'm thrilled with my progress. Best of luck thru your surgery and keep us posted, Teresa

Welcome Krystal!!! and good luck with yoru surgery June 2nd!!!

It doesn't matter HOW you got here....just that you ARE here and taking control of your life!!! You're only 22 and have the rest of your life to live!! You have to be happy, healthy, and strong and able to keep up with your daughter!

We'ra all here for the same reason and we're all hear for each other.....you are NEVER alone in this journey.....

Good luck on the 2nd...it's the BEST thing I ever did for myself....and it's the BEST thing you can do for yourself too!!! ...... I wish they had this surgery when I was your age.....it would have saved me lots of health problems and social issues.....but they didn't and they do now...so on to a healthier life!!!

Take care

Nancy*

Sounds Like You Have Already Made Great Progress In Such A Short Time Congrats........keep Up The Good Work!!! Jamie