Background

I was a healthy child.  I might even go so far as to say a SKINNY child (gasp!)  So, how in the hell did I get to be this 315 pound morbidly obese person?

It all started to change when I hit puberty.  The skinny child became the chubby teen.  The chubby teen became an obese young adult.  And the obese young adult became a morbidly obese middle age adult. 

How?  Why?  Well, I could write a novel.  But I believe it comes down to a couple things.  First, a physical predisposition to obesity due to a disease called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  I was diagnosed with this when I was 27 years old.   Secondly, a childhood where sweets were not allowed at all by my Dad.  But when Dad would go out of town my Mom would take me to the store and we'd treat ourselves (her to beer she wasn't allowed to have and me to candy).  I think this set me up for a lifetime of using sweets to heal my emotional hurts.  And my emotional hurts have been many.  Infertility, miscarriage, multiple pregnancy, premature birth, deaths of two babies, caring for premature survivor, death of mother, death of father, alcoholic spouse, and divorce. 

I have tried many, MANY diets over the years.  I've even been pretty successful a couple times.  But ultimately I gain it back and each pound lost brings a couple of their friends when they come back.  The yoyo diets have killed what is left of my metabolism.  My body refuses to let go of any significant weight.  And emotionally I feel like a failure because this thing that seems SO simple to others evades me repeatedly.   So this has brought me to gastric bypass surgery.

I am scheduled for surgery July 16th.  Over the next six weeks I will be sharing my goals/fears/hopes/dreams and also some of the prep work I am doing to get ready.  After surgery I will share updates on my journey.   So, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"   :)