GeekyChicLa

I just did my last weigh in on July 1st, 2016 . 203 lbs.  Wow.  Unlike most of what I read on here, I wasn't overweight most of my life.  In fact, three months after my third child I was down to a trim 108. Most of my adult life I was between a size 0 and a size 3.  
 
The weight didn't start becoming an issue until my late 30's.  I was diagnosed pre-menopausal at 37 and postmenopausal at 42.
 
At 38 years old and 147 pounds, I began working with a personal trainer. We trained together for 3 months and I wasn't really seeing any results.  So he decided to "get serious" with the routine and he had a special meal plan created for me to follow.  We trained 6 days a week and I measured and documented every thing I put in my mouth. I ate 5 small meals a day; totaling about 800-900 calories a day.  High protein. No breads or carbs.  Lean meats and lots of fresh vegetables.  We measured my progress and weighed in every week.  After 7 weeks of intensive training and watching carefully what I had eaten, I had only lost 3 pounds and no inches. Unbelievable.
 
After sacrificing so much and seeing so little results for my hard work I got discouraged for a while and stopped with the intensive training.   My trainer and I tried every possible means of helping me drop the excess pounds.  I only needed to drop 25 pounds.  He was flabbergasted.  All the techniques he had used on others had them stripped down in a matter of a couple of months. We went to experts both in the weight training field and doctors.  I had every blood test run that I could. The doctors simply thought I was lying about the amount of exercise I was putting in to the calories I was taking in. It was frustrating, disheartening and painful.
 
While waiting in the doctor office for a follow up on my blood tests, I noticed a poster with a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism. I had 17 of the 20 symptoms.  Even though all the blood tests did not show signs of hypothyroidism,  I convinced a doctor to put me on thyroid medicine and it was like awakening from a depressed fog.  My energy levels increased and I found joy in all the activities I had lost interest in.
 
My trainer and I continued working out but on a less intense level.  We mostly met for racquetball a few times a week.
 
Even though I stayed active, the weight still increased.  At 48 and 170 pounds, I decided to take up martial arts.  Stepping outside of my comfort zone was becoming my new hobby.  I went to 1 hr classes 3 days a week. I did that for 6 months,  But I wanted more.  I needed something to push myself more.  So my Sifu (martial arts instructor) worked out a noon work out class.  I worked mostly from home and was able to set my own schedule, so it worked it great for me.  I attended the noon classes 4-5 days a week.  It was like going through boot camp.  We did everything from burpees, to jogging in the noon day sun.  Living in south Louisiana in the summer it was like running in 110 degrees weather.  We did sledgehammers on rubber tires, we did Muay Thai, boxing, kickboxing, obstacle courses - you name it, we did it. It was an intense physical workout and I got really strong and it helped me succeed in my regular martial arts class.  Two years in and I was taking 2 hours of martial arts 3 days a week and noon day training 4-5 days a week.  I was spending an average of 10 hours a week in training.  At the end of year two, I weighed 159.  Unbelievable.  But I HAD toned and my body was finally beginning to show a little bit of my efforts.
 
A month before my 50th birthday, my boss resigned and my position was resolved.  This forced an unexpected turn in events; from moving out of a family home that I had lived in for 21 years, leaving a job I had worked at for 10 years, and moving to another city after 25 years.  I went from living in a 3 bedroom house on an acre of land with a yard to keep up and working from home and being physically active, to moving into a small one bedroom apartment and being chained to a desk for 5 days a week.  My dog experienced separation anxiety, so I had to stop all of my extracurricular activities - everything was put on hold now.  Martial arts, theater set design, performing on stage, choir, tap dancing, belly dancing - everything.  All came to a screeching halt.
 
Eight months into my new "career" - I was over 180 lbs.  Each month, the scale was going up anywhere from 6-12 pounds a month.  I went from being physically active and socially outgoing to coming home every evening and shying away from most social invites.  I was embarrassed to by seen by anyone who knew me previously.  The social butterfly had reverted into a fearful cocoon.
 
After struggling over the past 12 years to simply drop 15-20 pounds, I knew that it was going to take much more than just exercise and proper diet to get off the 80 lbs I needed to lose.  
 
I began looking at weigh-loss sites and came across the bariatric surgery site for a local hospital.  I attended the seminar and met with Dr. Eschete. I saw immediately that he truly cares for his patients.
 
It's been 6 months of weigh ins and watching the scale rise and not evening recognizing the person I see in the mirror anymore.  Just tying my shoes is becoming a major feat these days.  
 
While the idea of weight loss surgery may seem extreme to some, it seems like a lifesaver for me. It's become apparent to me that my body simply cannot metabolize more than 300 calories a day.  Now, when I was in my 20's, that's probably all I actually ate in a 24 hr period.  In my 50's, the hunger pangs tend to win over my desire to fit into a size 10 again. 
 
Is it scary to me.  You bet.  But just to have my self confidence back again will be worth it.  Just to be able to cross my legs again will be a sweet victory; to be able to paint my own toenails again, will be a glorious accomplishment.  
 
I am so ready for the weight to be over.