RichGirl

[color=#222222][size=2][color=#222222][size=2]My name is Melissa and I’m 43 and a mother of 3. I've always struggled with my weight. I've lost lots of weight but have always gained it back. I've always gotten down to a size 12 but could never get down further. When I was 22 I weighted a 135 pounds but immediately after being married for 9 months, I was pregnant with my first child. I gained 70 pounds with her and carried it around for 2 years, and then I got pregnant with my son. I only gained 30 pounds with him but I was still heavy. On and off I struggled with my weight; I was a gymnast in my younger days and I was a power eater because I could. As soon as I stopped being athletic, the weight crept up. After my Son was born in 1995, I had a few years where I was a size 20 but I was 218 pounds. In 2006 I lost 30 pounds because my dad was dying of Cancer. I kept it off and then in 2009, my mom died of cancer and I ended my 25 year marriage and I lost another 30 pounds. The smallest size I could reach was a 12. In September of 2010 after only being divorced for 11 months, I met my soul mate. We started dating which meant that we went out to eat almost every night. We ate and drank all the time. After 4 months, Neil proposed. We got married 9-10-11 and had a blast. However, I had gained a lot of weight. I wasn't concerned being a large bride, because my husband loves me the way I am even though he met me a lot thinner. I started feeling not so great. Ended up with high blood pressure and I was always exhausted.

I took myself to the Doctor and she had mentioned the lapband. I was not sure about it at first, but then started doing my research. My husband does not like this idea of surgery to be thin but as I had explained, I'm tired of feeling this way and I’m tired of the constant struggle over this lifetime of gaining and losing. I don't eat junk food; I just eat a lot of good food. I should have been a chef because I love to cook and entertain. I make everything from scratch and no canned anything. I grow my own garden, make my own tomato sauce, and make my own pasta -- I make everything. Well, it's all caught up to me. Oddly enough, my grandmother always told me, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! She never said it would affect me too! LOL.. I'm getting banded tomorrow, 11/28/2012 and I sure hope I’m successful. This is the only thing in my life that is a concern. I have my soul mate and I want to live a good healthy life and just feel great :rolleyes: [/size][/color][/size][/color]