Born and raised in Massachusetts, I spent my early years always on the "chubby" side of life.  As the years progressed, the chubby became obese and was no longer "cute".  Always full of fun and vitality, the weight never seemed to be a problem until I hit my late 30's.  I had reached an all-time high of 292 pounds (and at 5'2" tall, that's definitely round), was rapidly approaching 40, had 3 children at home under the age of 8, had high blood pressure that required medication to control and was borderline diabetic.  With a family tree chock-full of heart disease and diabetes, I knew that if I didn't do something soon, I would not live to see my children grow up!  I had tried probably every diet over the previous 30+ years with no long term success!  So, for me, I saw the decision to have gastric bypass surgery as my only hope for a future!

As the weight dropped off, I enjoyed the anticipated physical changes - like normal blood pressure without medication, pain-free legs and feet and even not needing a seatbelt extender on an airplane.  What I didn't realize was the affect the weight loss would have on my self-esteem and general outlook on life!  Fitting into smaller, prettier clothes became secondary to the unexpected joy of finding such a strong, powerful person buried under all that weight!  Who knew?!  

After Surgery - Summer 2008