BunnyFoodRocks

Great post! Thanks for sharing this!

Good for you! You deserve to be proud and that happy girl inside of you wil continue to make you shine from within!

My breaking point was 10 years ago. While I have always battled my weight...my food addiction had taken over my life...I was working 65 hour work weeks in a demanding/stressful career, flying constantly, working through jet lag and time zone issues. My work/life balance was non existent. I ate on the run or ordering room service and raiding the mini-bar for high carb, high fat, high sugar foods. My Water intake was almost non-existent, I drank diet coke and coffee all day, everyday. On the outside I was a happy, bubbly, competent, highly successful career woman, with supportive parents, a large group of friends. On the inside I was slowly killing myself, as I ate my way to over 300 pounds. I bullied myself constantly with negative self talk, that perpetuated the cycle and in turn I began to hate myself. It wasn't just the way I looked, it was the way I felt. My health issues increased, my energy level hit rock bottom and I had to admit that I needed medical help to get my life back. I had tried all of the standard weight loss medications and diet plans, which always worked short term for a period of time, until the weight crept back up. I knew that I needed to have a heart to heart talk with myself and get to a place of understanding to recognize that I am not a failure for having issues with food and being overweight. I gathered up all of the strength I could find and I got a referral to a therapist to work on the inside, so I could understand why I was self-medicating with food...as I began to work on the inside, I found someone who deserved to feel good, to live the life that I had always dreamed of. So 8 years ago, I got the Lap Band, and lost almost 140 pounds. I kept 110 pounds off since 2004. Due to complications, with severe acid reflux, ulcers, and band slippage, I just had the band removed and the revision to the VSG. I am feeling great. I am down 36 pounds and love my sleeve. What I can say is that, there is no shame in admitting that you need help to lead a healthier more fulfilling life. It takes courage to admit to ourselves that we can not do this on our own. But each of us makes choices that are right for us individually. Know that whatever's choice you make it will be the right choice for you. We all deserve to wake up each day with energy, optimism and an attitude that says, I feel good about the person I am on the inside and one day I will feel just as good about the person I am on the outside. Know that you are not alone. In your darkest moments, when you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and you feel desperate and scared, there are many of us, who feel just like you and are coming out the other side, stronger, more empowered and filled with pride at what we have accomplished so far and what we will accomplish in the future. Weight Loss Surgery may be judged by those who don't fully understand. However this forum is a safe place, a community of courageous, like minded people, who have taken a brave step forward to battle their own demons and take charge of their lives for their own health and happiness. Obesity is not a failure of mankind, it is a symptom of the world we live in and we can overcome the challenge with determination and self-forgiveness. For me, my breaking point was really my starting point, to self-discovery and understanding. I am a work in progress, but I am proud of my work and my progress :0) Please excuse the typos! I am just learning how to use my new iPad. yikes! :0)

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