To Infinity and BEYOND...(the back story)

Where do I start? I have been overweight most of my adult life. I am a member of the "Clean Plate Club" and have been since my early years. Fortunately for me when I was younger I had knobby knees, a slim figure and ran the streets of my South Dallas neighborhood...out all day and only returning home for dinner. Boy, those were the days! Well, what I didn't realize when I was younger was that the more I became a "Clean Plate Commando," the more I would struggle with food later on.
Now, let's fast-forward several years to the pre-teen era. I was always a large-boned child. My dad was 6 feet and 4 inches and I inherited my height from his side of the family. Most of the time I was the tallest person in my class. I wouldn't say I am taller than others now, but at the time my height bothered me. At a mere 5 feet and 7 inches I never really equated my weight with my height. I can remember one day when I was in the 5th grade of being weighed and finding out that I was 105 lbs. This was very shocking to me! My friends were always 75-85 pounds and considerable shorter than I.

As I entered junior high and gained the curves that go with the maturation process I still managed to hold my own but never felt fully comfortable in my skin. I wasn't the athlete that other girls were. I didn't really care for PE...much less about running around a track! My talents were in my musical ability. I played the Clarinet (not very well, but I played it). I was and still do have a good musical ear and can pick up a musical tune and then play it on the piano. Nevertheless, as I neared 8th grade I put on a few pounds.

As high school started I joined the marching band. If you know anything about Dallas and marching bands, you'll know where I went to school. We had/have one of the most decorated marching bands in the State. Our marching practice began on the first day of August. We marched every weekday for 4 hours in the hot Texas heat to retain and earn more titles. That was the summer that I was the slimmest I would ever be. Not only did I march for 20 hrs a week, but I would then meet up with some friends on my bike and we'd ride all over town, once again, not returning until daybreak.

After high school I entered college and gained the "Freshman 15" and then some! It was at this time I discovered I had an eating problem. I worked hard in school and graduated in 3 1/2 yrs. During my 2nd year in college I began my first true diet (not including diet pills/herbal supplements I had previously taken). I began drinking Medifast. I started the diet right before Thanksgiving. That was a very hard time to start but I was committed! By March I was down over 60 pounds to what will probably be my doctor's goal weight of 150 pounds. As I cut back on taking Medifast the weight came back. I had treated the symptoms, not the problems.

I fell in love while on that diet. After a little more than a year I graduated and married the man I loved, my college sweetheart. We struggled, as many do, during those first few years of marriage. We were very young and ignorant of everything around us. At least we had our love!
We soon decided that it was time to start a family. Because I was heavier than I had been in my life, due to what I now recognize as stress and boredom eating, we had a hard time getting pregnant. I tried for more than a year to have a baby, with no luck. Finally, I decided I needed to visit my ObGyn and ask for medicines to help kick start my fruit basket. I was devastated when he told me "No!" He told me I needed to get up off the couch and exercise. He talked to me about riding a bike and how that was the way he relieved stress. He told me if I would exercise for a few months and lose some weight, he'd give me Clomid to help things out. I got a bike right after that appointment and began to ride my bike. I started riding around the block one time, adding a block everyday until I was up to about 7-10 miles a day. About a month or two later I found I was having a difficult time making it around the block. I soon found out why!

Our first child was born later that year. She was premature and had some difficulty eating and gaining weight. However, I had no trouble with that. I was gaining weight with her. Around her one year birthday I went back in to talk to the one doctor who had always been honest with me. I asked for help with weight loss. He talked to me about Fen-Fen and how it was doing wonders helping his patients lose weight. He was right, it was great! I began exercising again. I joined the Y and did water aerobics everyday. I joined a class of senior women who were in better shape than I was! They challenged me and were the greatest bunch of women! We always had a good time.

Days passed and routines and job responsibilities changed. My dad died right before our daughter turned 2 after battling lung cancer for the past 12 months. My husband was working more hours trying to make it in to management in the store where he worked, therefore, home life was more stressful. We bought a house and I was promoted at my job and took on the extra stress that went with it. Before I knew it I was eating and gaining again. Also, Fen-Fen had been banned because of adverse health effects and I was sad. It had helped me tremendously!

More years passed and my weight continued to rise. Once again I decided I needed to lose weight and decided to do it on my own. Sure enough, I was doing well. I was exercising and eating smaller portions. I was attending a weight loss program called the Weigh Down Workshop. It was great to have all of the support during that time.
Soon we were surprised to learn that we were going to have another child. He was a complete surprise (and continues to be to this day)! Because our first child was premature I was placed on bedrest at 30 weeks and stayed there until he was born...on his due date.

Near the end of my pregnancy we found out that we were probably going to be transferred to San Antonio for my husband's job. This would mean a promotion for him and an opportunity for him to eventually manage his own store. We had to take this job. He gave them the ok for the move the day after our son was born. We moved to San Antonio less than two months later.

This has been a move we have never regretted. Don't get me wrong, it has been tough, especially at first. However, we love it here and have made many friends here. We are truly blessed!

Sure enough, I was out of the loop and had stopped exercising again and all of the weight came back. I just didn't seem to have the willpower and determination I used to have. I was in a new place with a new baby and a new job and enrolling my older child in a new school while my husband started his new job.

Now let's fast forward to this past summer and get down to the nitty gritty on why I decided to have WLS. Before our most recent trip to Mexico I sprained my ankle. I received physical therapy and was recuperating nicely. At the urging of my PT, I wore my brace on the airplane. As I stepped from the Jetway to the plane (it was uneven), I jarred my hip while trying to protect my ankle. I didn't realize at the time how seriously I was injured. However, by the end of the week long vacation I was making a doctor appointment. I was concerned that I had possibly dislocated my hip.

Upon our return I saw our doctor, He explained that I could have arthritis in my hip and that my weight wasn't helping (really?). After a series of tests, it was determined that I had injured my hip flexor. Guess what that meant, more PT! It's a good thing that I liked them!
After a few weeks of PT a I had a follow up visit with the doctor who once again mentioned my weight as a contributing issue. In all my frustration I asked, "Just what does it take to get a referral for the gastric bypass or lap band around here?" He laughed and said, "All you have to do is ask." He gave me a referral for New Dimensions/WeightWise that day. It took me a week or two to get up the nerve to make that first phone call. I have never looked back. In the wise words of Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity and BEYOND!!!!"