My future success story...

[Daydra 345]

At some future date this will be my success story:

Until age 36, I lived my entire life overweight and my entire adult life morbidly obese. I was literally either the fattest kid or nearly the fattest kid in class every year from kindergarten. I had been in and out of weight loss programs from age 11, all with some success in losing weight, all eventually failing when the minor successes or benefits no longer outweighed the level of obsession required to stay on the diet. There were a few times in my life that I managed to reduce my weight so that I was only obese, instead of morbidly obese. I seriously considered gastric bypass in my mid-twenties, but was ultimately scared out of the procedure. At the time, that was the right decision. I most definitely was not ready.

As I got into my 30's, my life started to change. I increased my education. I became a professional in Public Health instead of working jobs that required little education. I began to realize who I really was. In 2008, my husband and I decided to have our pictures taken as Christmas presents for our family because we had not had our pictures taken since our wedding in 1999. I remember standing at the counter in front of the monitor, trying to select "acceptable" pictures, and just being in tears over how I felt about how I looked in the photos. I decided at that time to go back to Weight Watchers. Giving up and accepting my weight was simply no longer an option if I wanted to maintain my sanity. I cried at the counter while I signed up, again, for the program. I weighed in at 344.2.

I was far more successful this time than I had ever been in previous attempts at weight loss. I began to realize how much easier it was to be successful when I no longer was willing to eat processed food. I learned about Clean Eating and began to structure my diet following those principles. I connected with a group of women at my weekly meeting that were a part of a group of women that trained together to "comPLETE" triathlons. They convinced me that women of all ages and weights participated and that I didn't need to lose the weight before I began to participate. I remember crying on and off during my first "meet and greet". I signed up and compLETED my first triathlon at a weight of 315. Over the next 2 years, I managed to lose 115 pounds.

I continued with triathlon, finding that there really is an athlete inside me, that it wasn't just something I used to do in high school. I even managed not to be last at my first Olympic distance event (.9mi swim, 24mi bike, 10k run) and finished in under 4 hours, still well into the "obese" weight category. My dedication began to wane, some family stressors began to take their toll, and I began to gain weight again. Over the next two years, I gained back about 1/2 the weight that I had lost, and was thankful that at least I hadn't gained it all back.

In the spring of 2013, I started looking into weight loss surgery again. This time, the gastric sleeve was an available option. I did a ton of reading, went to a seminar, and decided I really liked what I was hearing. This time I was ready. From the time I made my first call for a consult with my surgeon, to the time I had all of my requirements met to schedule my endoscopy and surgery, only spanned less than 14 days and I was excited to get the show on the road. I was scheduled for July, 2013, and have lost 105 pounds. I had a belt lipectomy and breast lift, and finally feel like I look like the person I feel I am.

I returned to training for triathlon as soon as I was able after healing from my surgeries and gradually increased my endurance. I found that I had no idea how badly my endurance and capabilities had been hindered by my weight. It turned out that I wasn't lazy, I wasn't weak, and I wasn't really out of shape. I was physically miserable only because I was carrying someone piggyback for every bike ride and every run I had to perform to train. I increased my race lengths until I competed in an IRONMAN.

And now, at long last, I can say "I am an IRONMAN"

What's your success story?

[Rox 200]

I love your story - inspirational!

[Daydra 345]

Thanks! That was the thought that hit me as I drove home from my first consult with my surgeon. The thought hit me and I just started to cry on the freeway. I figured sharing it would help remind me of one of the reasons I'm doing this when I struggle along the way.