A New Woman!!!!

[ahanford 0]

I was very unhappy in my body. I was always active in sports and I even ran a 26.2 mile marathon, but could not shed any weight. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. This disease among other things does not allow a woman to lose weight very easily especially around their mid section. I packed on the pounds even though I was active and tried to watch what I ate. Finally at 231 pounds I said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and I decided to visit the Barix Clinics of Ohio. They helped me see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that I could achieve my dreams. Along with PCOS comes infertility and it has always been a dream of mine and my husband's to have a child of our own. This was impossible without losing weight. I had the lap band surgery on March 17th 2008 and today on September 9th I am 40 pounds lighter and much much happier!!! There have been some rough spots with some vomiting and mucus, but I have learned what I can eat and what I can't and I have re-taught myself how to eat. I wish anyone who is considering this surgery the best of luck!!!!

[Vickie 0]

Sounds like you have had a very interesting life thus far and you want to do whatever it takes to live life to the fullest. I'm proud of you and I don't even know you.

When will it be safe for you to try to become pregnant? I haven't had my lap band yet but I'm scheduled for Oct. 21, 2008 Kids are wonderful and I wish I could be with my grandchildren as well. Good Luck it sounds like you have it all together.

[Cynthia5 0]

I am sooo glad to read that I am not the only one that was diagnosed with PCOS and came to understand that it effects our ability to lose weight. I actually journaled online for almost 4 yrs before I realized that it was really what I was eating but the things going on in my body...pre-diabetic, insulin resistant, underactive thyroid and PCOS that actually hinder us from losing no matter how hard we try. I was eating 1300 - 1800 calories a day, exercising 20 min/day and could lose 4 lbs/wk but then the next wk gain back 3lbs, it was maddening and was so discouraging I wanted to quit! I knew the math...I knew that if you eat 500 calories less than what it takes to maintain whatever your current weight is you should lose 1lb a week 500x7=3500 caories which =1lb and my body wasnt doing the math or it would but it would do everything the following week to undo what I had done! I found after time and journaling that those things were demanding that I eat way less than I could, after all I didnt think you had to be perfect to lose weight but man was my body demanding it!:biggrin: The other real important thing I learned was the whole starvation mode thing, I didnt know that our body will take whatever you eat and hold onto it, if you arent feeding the metabolism fire, I had a hard time grasping that concept, but I understand it know. It is one of the biggest changes I made in my 8 yrs journey. So when all was said and done and journaled and learned (I have so much more to learn still) that is when I decided to go the lapband course and I am so glad I did! I cant wait til my 2 mth anniversary, cuz at last weigh in which was on Aug 18th I had lost 38pds already! I wish more doctors would realize that there are OTHER reasons that make the body hold onto weight and that many of us aint sittin around eatin bon bons!

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

Congratulations on your success - so many people would have given up. It makes me realize that no matter how hard I think I've got it, there is someone out there working with a challenge more difficult than mine.

Awesome pic on the mountain!:thumbup: