Beauty+5

I have been overweight my entire life. I used to joke that I was pre-destined to be big, considering I was a born a month early and I weighed 9 lbs 3 oz. I had an awkward childhood. I was generally taller then everyone else and a little more on the plus size (if you will). So naturally kids poked fun at me, causing me to become very defensive about everything. By the time I was in junior high I was in the mid-hundreds. Even though I was a beautiful girl I wasn't asked out as much as the "skinny girls" would be. Someone ways always telling me how beautiful I was, and how I could be a model if only I'd lose a little weight. What a blow to the good old confidence? I mean geez.... The weight started to slowly creep on over the next few years. By the time I made it to high school I was in the late hundreds. At 18 and the time I gave birth to my first child I had reached 220 lbs. I stayed in the 200's for a few years and by the time I had reached my mid-twenties I was in the early 300's. By the time I reached my later 30's I had gotten up to 435 lbs, and this has been my highest weight. I have tried every diet you can possible think of only to fail and gain that much more weight. I finally realize morbid obesity is a disease, and I need help to lose the excess weight. I want to live! I haven't been able to enjoy my life really, because my weight has been a burden for me. I allowed my weight to hinder me from doing the things I wanted to do most in life. Weightloss surgery is the extra help I need to get my life back, without it I fear I will die in a few years. The pre-op diet has been a REAL struggle for me, but I think I may have finally figured out something that is working and that I'm able to tolerate. I got on Bariatric Pals for support from others whom have been  or are going through a similar situation as me. I definitely feel I can learn a lot from others that have already gone through the procedure.