Posted January 7, 2012 - 7:39 PM

As I am starting this blog, I feel like I am beginning in the middle of a long journey that it took to get here in the first place. Since Childhood, I have struggled with my weight, and rarely has a day gone by where my weight was not at the forefront of my thinking. While some may see bariatric surgery a prison where they can never eat like before, I see it as an opportunity to break free from the burden of my weight issues. I am very "HOPEFULL" as I prepare for surgery. Please excuse my ramblings below as I reflect on the early years of my journey...

I was born and reared in a remote rain forest/ jungle of South America and one of my memories is that I was the only overweight child in the jungle. My parents and paternal grandparents were also overweight which was also extremely rare. We had little access to refined sugar, sodas and candy. Moreover, my mother did not allow much junk food anyway. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother counting out her peanuts as she was attempting to lose weight (only 12 peanuts allowed). We lived most of the time beside a large tributary of the Amazon that was accessible by sea plane or a long river trip (sometimes 2 weeks on the windy dangerous river). Now, I realize how amazing it was to have that experience and I treasure the memories. I also remember that my mother put me on my first diet there by age 10. I worked hard and started jogging, and eventually lost a little weight to near normal for my age (now it would not be seen that overweight compared to so many obese children).

After almost 11 wonderful years in the jungle, I moved to the United States. For three months we visited friends and relatives in the midwest, south and eastern USA. In those three months, I was offered a lot of goodies which was impossible for me to refuse (feeling obligated, wanting to try new delicious foods, plus having a sweet tooth). By the time we settled in South Florida, I had gained nearly 30 pounds. The timing was bad as I was nearing puberty when the body normally gains 5-7 pounds. I quickly went from slightly overweight to nearly obese by age 11. It was not a happy time for me as I missed my home in the jungle, and I felt very out of place in South Florida where girls my age aspired to be tanned (I have very fair skin) and slim hips (which mine weren't)! In addition, my father was dying. He had brain cancer and needed close medical attention, but after all we did to move to the USA to get medical help, they could do nothing but watch him slowly die.

More to come!