Luna75

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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I was a skinny, athletic kid born to two obese parents. A doctor once told them that if I stayed skinny until I was a teenager I would be skinny all my life. Ha![/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I gobbled up fast food but balanced it out with basketball and sports. I prided myself on eating as much as an oversized grown man. I did not realize that my metabolism was ticking down like a time bomb, just waiting to go off. I consumed sugars and candies with child-like embrace. I drank soda for breakfast without gaining any noticeable weight or inches. Processed foods were a staple in my household. High fructose corn syrup? Well then, get in my belly![/font][/size][/background][/size][/font][font=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(244, 249, 236)]
[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I saw my parents struggle with their weight all my life. I saw the stigma society thrust upon them and how it affected their psyche. I watched them as they tried diet after diet, stuck on that yo-yo ride, only to berated themselves and lose self-esteem when those diets failed. [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]When I was 15, my mom's dad died of a heart attack at the age of 65, most likely due to complications from Type II diabetes. My mom also has Type II diabetes. It developed over time and was one of the myriad of reasons she decided to have gastric bypass in 2010. Her diabetes did not go away but she is now skinnier than she has ever been in her life and has more energy and bounce. She even went on a [url="http://www.vegas.com/attractions/off_the_strip/bootlegfse.html"]zip line[/url]! She's been a positive influence behind my decision to have the surgery. [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]Then, Tragedy struck again. In 1999, at the age of 45, my father died of a heart attack very unexpectedly. He weighed over 300 lbs by this time. He had no other co-morbidities. [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I guess you could say I have heart disease AND diabetes in the family? [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]When I graduated high school, I continued to eat with the same vigor and eating habits one "expects" from the obese (at one point I was eating McDonald's twice a day,) and stopped exercising. It was then I gradually started to pack it on. Then, suddenly, I was puffy. I had grown into the "boyfriend" jeans! Oh, Noes! [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font][font=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif][size=3][background=rgb(244, 249, 236)]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]And so it began. The beginning of the constant struggle of my "Unbearable Lightness of Being." [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I lost "friends", privileges and respect with the more weight I gained. I found myself with a growing disdain for the stereotyping that accompanied the largeness of women. I lost my joy de vivre and could no longer have a spring in my step. It was just not physically possible. [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]My clinical depression/Bipolar II really reared it's ugly head when I was in my early 20's. A combination between not being able to get out of bed, the medications causing weight gain itself and insatiable appetite, I was well on the path that led me here today, a top weight of 277 and almost wearing a size 30. Putting that on a 5'2", small boned frame is nicht gut (not good)! [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]I need to remind myself that this is not an elective surgery. This is something I am doing to prevent serious medical problems from happening in the future. This is to decrease my risk for heart attacks, diabetes and various other health factors that can kill or maim me. [/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]
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[size=4][font=verdana, geneva, sans-serif]So many loved ones tell me they are worried about me. I do this for them as much as for my health.[/font][/size][/background][/size][/font]