I have struggled with my weight since I was 22. I had always thought I was over weight, looking back I wish I could smack my younger self... I has healthy and beautiful and had no idea. I am not a self loathing person. I do not look in the mirror and hate myself. I look in the mirror and realize I am slowly killing myself by the weight I have put on over the years. I feel tired most of the time, I have back, hip, and knee problems because of my weight. I am 5'6 and 270lbs which my body was not built for. This is the heaviest I have ever been. My weight has always fluctuated...I lose weight, keep it off for a while, then it comes right back on, usually bringing extra friend pounds with it. Anyone else who has experienced this, knows how depressing this can be. It has gotten to the point that I not longer care to work out, I don't really want to do anything, I have become lazy and sedentary. My boyfriend is an outdoor person who loves to hike and fish and move around and I want to do those things with him but I have a really hard time keeping up which makes me feel crappy.

I had looked into gastric bypass surgery a long time ago, but the side effects were not worth it to me. Then my best friend had the gastric sleeve and told me how much better it was. She had her surgery in March and I have waited to see how she reacted to the surgery, how her body handled it, what she went through, her struggles and her successes. She has lost 90lbs since March, looks amazing, is happier, healthier, and more active. So I sat down with her and talked about the process she went through and all the steps that she had to do. I contacted the same doctor and have already met with him, set up my support group meetings, set up my dietician appointment, and will be calling to schedule my psych evaluation. I am so excited and anxious to get this ball rolling.

I am ready for a new healthy life. I am ready to learn how to eat to live and not live to eat. I am excited about how this will effect my energy levels, how I can lose enough weight that I will no longer have chronic back, hips, and knee pain. I am also excited about how I will look. Anyone who says looking better is not part of why they want to do it is lying! LOL. It should never be your main reason and you should never do it for someone else. My boyfriend did not encourage or talk me out of it when I was making my decision. He told me he would support me either way but would not sway my decision. Now that I have decided to go through with the process he is with me every step of the way. He will be going to support meetings, appointments, and anything else I need.