| I
had my weight loss surgery on December 18, 2000. At the time I
weighed 410 pounds, and I was 1 month away from being 52 years old.
Obesity was in my life since I was about 14 or 15 years old.
After many years of destroying my body by being obese, I finally
made the decision to give something to me. My Life. My
family and friends all supported me. Although no one said so,
I think they were all afraid for me. This was after all, a big
surgery. And at 410 pounds, I could have died on the surgery
table, but I was willing to take that risk. It has now
been 11 months and I now weigh 268 pounds. Although my weight
loss has slowed, I am still losing inches and about 4 to 5 pounds a
month. That's OK with me, because before I wasn't losing any.
My
energy is back that I lost so long ago. I am off of many
medications that I took for a very long time. I can walk, tie
my own shoes, play with my grandchildren, etc. I am not afraid
to sit in a chair any more for fear of breaking it. I get lots
of encouragement from many people and that's what keeps me going.
My “can't do” list is surely going down and my “can do” list
is being added to daily.
I
still have to watch what I eat, because I still have a food
addiction. This surgery is a good tool but not a cure. But it
does give you that good jump-start to get your life back and eat the
right things. I also drink a lot of water and try my best (if
I don't get lazy) to walk several times a week. I can now go
to the gym and use more than the pool for water exercises.
Every
day is a challenge but now I look forward to those challenges.
Thanks
Carol Rodrigue - from Gretna, LA |