In Our Own Words

B
Posted March /07

B 42, West Vancouver

Here is my WHY story

I have tried all kinds of weight loss programs. When I was a teen I was Teen Queen at Calorie Counters for losing the most weight in my age group (it was the only one not hard to win).  I have been successful in a couple of places losing 60-50-30 - lots of 20lbs here and there but all to gain it back.  Some of the places I have been are LA Weight Loss Centre, Weight Watchers, fat loss clinic (personal trainer 3x week in a gym), California Diet Centre and the Shake Diet Centre.  I have even tried seeing a therapist, nutritionist and naturopath.  I also went through a stage of throwing up after I ate.  I have been a member of Curves and the local Rec Centre. 

I feel that my weight saved my life when I was a teen and a young adult because I had a wild rebellious side to me.  I would hold back from doing things because of my size.  I am a Mom now, slowing down faster than I should.  I have sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, IBS, diverticulitus, food allergies, back and knee pain.  I do feel like a failure but I don't want to fail anymore.  I believe surgery is my last hope to shed this fat suit so I can live with my active, loving husband and help keep my children active and live a long healthy life.

A bit about my history:  I was always a large child as far back as I can remember.  My parents divorced when I was in Kindergarten. My mother moved my brother and I back to Canada from the US.  We went back to our family home.  My mom re-married and we moved to a new town. Kids started to call me names.  I was now known as Cow or Bertha.  I was teased every day.  I did get bullied when I was young, then a switch turned on and I was not bullied anymore.  I guess I realized I was bigger than those kids and I became a child with an attitude problem.  I had some anger issues from being bullied and wanting my parents to get back together.  I started getting more friends but they still nicknamed me COW.  I was always the biggest in my group of friends.  I went through puberty early at 10 and thinned out a bit, looking 4 years older than I was.  I became sexually active and started partying at an early age.  I was never abused but I was very boy crazy (as my mom would call it).  I might have been boy crazy because I always put my dad on a pedestal and desperately wanted his attention.  I always wanted to be his little girl.  My Dad always helped others.  He would take in kids or adults and help them out.  My Dad did not send us very many, if any, presents for our birthdays or Christmas.  We never had much alone time with my dad, there was always his friends around.  In Grade 13 I gained over 50lbs during the school year.  No one said anything to me about how I was gaining.  I spent that year waking up, going to school, meeting friends and skipping out of classes.  After school I would go to work then hit the bar.  I would then go home and cook up leftovers, eat and go to sleep with a full stomach. 

I was getting a lot of negative feed back from some people in a co-op work term (school credit course).  I can remember the empty feelings from feeling stupid.  The adults that I was trying to learn from treated me like a worthless child.  I did fail my co-op work term as I could not handle how cruel these people where to me.  I did everything in my power to NOT succeed even though I had good marks in school.

I never grew up with dreams and goals for myself.  I always was just living.  I have dreams now of shedding this fat suit and let the healthy active woman out. She has been trapped for a very long time.

I was 230lbs when I met my husband who loves me just the way I am (but would like me to be healthier but never puts me down about my weight).  I gained 20lbs of love weight.  I gained only 15lbs with my first child.  I kept 5lbs on after his birth.  Nine months later I was pregnant again.  I had more cravings and feelings of hunger this time around.  I call her my blizzard child.  I would have at least 4 blizzards from Dairy Queen a week.  I put on 40lbs with her.  When she was born I kept on the weight.  I moved across Canada to get married and have children.  I had no family support to help me with my children; therefore I made no time for myself for exercise or anything.  I guess I was overwhelmed and very tired those days.  I still am overwhelmed and tired and over the years have gained weight to a point to where I must have this surgery to reclaim my life.

That is my Why! Why! Why! story.

B