Jerry-D

[color=#333333][font='lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]My whole life I have been fat. I was never proud of this fact, and I've never been proud to say I was fat. I always found excuses to justify why I was this way. But they[/size][/font][/color][color=#333333][font='lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]
were just that. Excuses.

I was afraid to weigh myself. I told myself ( and others) there's no way I am more than 300 lbs. I lived in a constant state of denial about my actual weight. I'd end up having to get 4xl shirts then it was 5xl shirts. So while my body was growing my mind told me I was not obese.

(ok time for real honesty, the part I'm afraid to tell but it has to be told)

In mid 2011 I reached a point where I was broke, depressed, loveless, morbidly obese and suicidal. I had given up on God, because I thought he had given up on me.

He had of course not given up on me, but I just felt lost. And food was my comfort as it has always been in my life.

In July of 2011 my parents blessed me with a gift. They saw how overweight and unhappy I was, and were concerned.

At this point I weighed 520 pounds (my heaviest in my life)
My shirt size - 5xl
My pants size - 56

They suggested I look into weight loss surgery. They would pay for it all I would just need to commit to the procedure. I was committed the second they asked me if I wanted it.
Two weeks after that on August 1st 2011 I was laying on an operating table getting the procedure done.

I was now the proud owner of a lapband. A liquid filled band around the top of my stomach now limited the amount of food I could eat in one sitting.

Dealing with this band took time and I'm still learning what I can and can't eat and when I can eat it.

I will profess to you all right now. God, my parents and this lap band saved my life.
I had sleep apnea, I snored, I had high blood pressure, I could not run, could barely walk without breaking a sweat. I was dying from my weight, and from my depression caused by it.

It gave me new confidence. One week after the procedure I met a girl. Her name was Kathy and she was the most beautiful and kindest person I had ever met. She was from the first hello the perfect woman for me.

She is now my wife. And I am madly in love with her.

And without this life changing event I would have probably never met her or had the confidence to talk to her.

I found an awesome job that I never could have gotten my foot into the door for without my health being good. And I'm grateful for all the people who saw something in me to let me even work. I don't know how many times I was turned away solely for my weight but I will bet it was more than a few.

On August 1st 2012 I celebrated 1 year of being a new man. I'm working a job I love, I'm married, I'm in love, and I am happy.

My current weight is 310 pounds
I wear a 2xl shirt
I wear a size 42 pants

I am proud of all these things
And I know they will continue to get lower.

So even after losing 210 pounds I am still not the man I claimed to be. ( I found that funny) but I am me and I am proud of that now.[/size][/font][/color]