lhargis

Hi, my name is Lucianna. I am a wife, student, and a mother of four beautiful, energetic, smart daughters. I love to cook and bake as well as offer my services as an shoulder to cry on or just an ear to listen. I have struggled with my weight for what seems like forever. I have always had a weight issues starting in junior high when I realized that being a size 16 wasn't a healthy size. By time I graudated high school I was a size 22/24. I started to lose weight and was fitting into a 14/16 but got pregnant and gained 100lbs. Since then it has been an uphill battle. But it really didn't get bad until April 2013 when I wad diagnosed with pre-diabetes and put on metformin. Diabetes runs in my family and being a mother of twins increases my chances of type 2 diabetes if I didn't lose the weight. In April, I weighed 448lbs. I said enough was enough.

I started slowly by researching ways to lose weight. I found out that in order to maintain my weight I'd have to consume 3500 calories a day. So I cut back my calories and lost 10 lbs in a month. The following month I added exercise, mainly Zumba on the Xbox, and lost 20 lbs that month. In June, I had my first appointment with GI Nutrition. They gave me options. Their program offered weight loss surgery or just help with diet and nutrition. I opted for weight loss surgery. In August, I had lost 50lbs (30 lbs of which I lost before joining the GI nutrition program) and I was taken off metformin because I was no longer a pre-diabetic but I didn't want to stop there.

The program was 6 months long. I had a class every month plus I had to lose 45 lbs from the time I started the program. I had to meet their goals as well as be green lighted by the dietician and a psychologist. Once I did all of that I met with the surgeon, Dr. Anthony Petrick, who explained the surgery to me and my husband and we set up sirgery for January 9th. I had tried doing a similar program in California several years before but the cost of getting to and from the classes (100 miles from where I lived) wasn't cost-effective, so I have to give up on it.

I am currently 3 weeks and 2 days post-op and feeling great. I do have some struggles with balancing my fluid intake and getting my protein but I feel like I am lightening up every day. I found BariatricPal while looking for information on support groups. I think this is the best place to be. I can chat with others who had the surgery, cheer them on, and even talk to those who have questions about surgery. I think that by being able to talk to others about my daily struggles it will help me keep on track with my weight loss and keep me focused on being healthy. My goal is to weight 180 lbs and i know I can reach it.