Pros

So I realize my last post was kind of cut and dry. Lacking in personality. I didn't want the posts to be too, long so I kept that one just about the numbers. I wanted to stress, for all those people out there who may read these who do not personally know me, that I am not having this surgery because I feel badly about myself. I know there are some not so nice people out there who may stumble across this blog, and say unkind things. It is very important to me that it be known that I do not feel badly about my weight. I never have. I also wanted it to be known in case the first post was not read that I have used diet and exercise programs. I did not make this decision lightly. I exhausted all available options, and tried my hardest to lose this weight with out resorting to surgery. For some people diet and exercise do not work as well as for others. Genetics, metabolism, thyroid issues,  medications, any number of things can dictate how successful a weight loss program will be. I have worked with nutritionalist, doctors, and personal trainers. Followed advice, fad diets, shrunk my stomach, and gone to the gym sometimes 4 days a week. Still I have not managed to lose more then 30 pounds a year. It has been very frustrating for me. Those of you who personally know me can attest to the fact that I am not an extreme over eater. The frustration lies in all the time and effort I have put into losing weight, for very little result. I mean really after 2 years of Weight Watchers, weighing, tracking, measuring my food, keeping a food diary I don't even drop a jeans size!!! REALLY???!!!! I was so dedicated when I first moved to Florida and I didn't have my vehicle registered, I would take the bus that would get me the closest and then I would walk the remaining mile to get to meetings. Please believe me when I say Weight Watchers is a wonderful program I am not bad mouthing it or discrediting it. I have seen people lose over 100 pounds their first year. It just didn't work for me. Okay, this is running horribly long, I am not having this surgery because I am lazy and don't want to try to lose weight. I am having this surgery because I feel I have exhausted all available options and feel it is not healthy for anyone to be this weight. I have 2 beautiful children, and a wonderful husband to be healthy for.

The name of this post is pros. I supposed I should get to them. I do have some worries and fears I will discuss these next few post. These are things I am excited about!
I am excited to go to the mall and buy clothes in any store. Any of them. Right now I wear a size 26 and I have to chose the mall I go to based on if they have a store there that I can shop at. Usually the mall will only have 1 store that sales my size clothing. It's usually very expensive. I love to shop and I'm tired of being told that I can only buy my size online. I mean really why don't they sell more plus sizes in stores? Who would you rather see naked a skinny person or a really fat person? I have honestly felt like doing a naked protest before because I couldn't find cloths in my size, It's mildly ridiculous!!
Flying. When my brother was expecting his first son he had expressed the idea that maybe we could go half on a ticket and I could fly out to be the first in my family to meet my nephew. All I could think is even though I mostly fit in the seat and the seat belt still fits me without an extender I would be made to buy an extra ticket because I am of weight. This kept me from even wanting to try because of the embarrassment. My nephew is nearly a year old I still haven't met him.
Amusement parks this past summer we went to Universal Studios. While I enjoyed walking around the park (because yes I can do that I do not need a motorized cart) I did not ride any rides. The reason being is because last time I had tried to ride one the locking bar and it would not lock over my thighs. I had to get off the ride with everyone staring at me wondering what the hold up was.
Running, walking being more active in general. After I had my daughter I literally could not walk around the grocery store without pushing the cart. I did not have the energy. I had to use the cart, her stroller, pretty much anything as a walker, because I could not hold myself up. I have lost weight since then and find it much easier to get around, but I can only imagine how much better it will be when I lose more!

An Announcement!

After a lot of research and semi failed diet attempts, I have decided to have gastric bypass. I am writing this blog for two reasons. One to explain to all my friends and family en mass and two so that maybe it can serve as a resource for people contemplating bariatric surgery for themselves. I know I was unable to find any real persons point of view info out there. So maybe this will help someone in the future. First a little back story and stats. I am currently 31 years old and weigh 325 lbs. I have been obese since high school weighing in at over 220 lbs my freshman year. My weight continued to increase after as I grew older, and when I had my first child I weighed 306 lbs. I managed to lose most of that weight with a combination of Weight Watchers and when I could no longer afford that, malnutrition. Years went by and I never managed to get below 220 lbs despite my best efforts. With my second child I ballooned up to 360 lbs. Shortly after she was born I considered Lap Band surgery. I quickly changed my mind when at the consultation the surgeon bluntly stated that bariatric surgery had the highest death rate among elective surgery.  I decided to do Weight Watchers, which is an excellent program and one I had done before. I did lose weight however it was extremely slow and was not cheap. I lost 60 lbs. over 2 years paying program fees of $959.76. That breaks done to 2.5 lbs and 39.99 a month. With the amount of weight I need to lose, if I continued on this program, it would take over 3 years and be very expensive!! That is not even including plateaus or food costs. I also started exercising more when time permitted. However due to the fact that my husband and I both work, time doesn't always permit. So my working out is sporadic  but I do go at least twice a week. Due to these factors  I returned to the idea of the Lap Band and asked my doctor for a referral to a bariatric  surgeon.

The surgeon that I was referred to required attendance at a seminar out lining all bariatric surgeries  My husband and I attended the seminar and found it very informative. The information we received made me realize that gastric bypass was a better fit for me. We learned that the Lap Band only has a 50% success rate and can have complications. Gastric bypass has a 95% success rate and very few complications. We also learned about the gastric sleeve which I was interested in, but my insurance will not pay for it. So we decided  gastric bypass was the best option all things considered.

So that is the direction I am going in. In a couple of days I will post some of the pros and cons I have been thinking about. Thanks for reading!

Measurements:
Arms 15'
Waist 43'

Hips 60'
Thighs 33'
Current Weight 325 lbs