So I've been asked several times already why I have decided to take the surgical route with my weight loss and not do it "the natural way". So, I figured I would answer that question here for all that care. If you have read some of my past entries here you know all about my mental and physical issues but I will cover them again anyway. Briefly at least.
I have struggled with my weight most of my life. I was always bigger than most people, even as a kid. There was a brief time in high school, when involved in sports and working out every single day for several hours that I was in some semblance of "shape", though at the time my body image was so skewed and negative that I didn't realize it. And then I damaged my knee in a football game. Is was pretty much a slow decline after that. I was able to keep the weight from coming on fast, but it still came.
Over the years I caused more damage to my body, causing me to move with less and less frequency. And then the depression kicked in hard. I have suffered from depression my entire life, I just wasn't aware of it until recently. I had no idea how adversely it affected my life. I do now.
To summarize a 38 year long story; I have damaged my body, my mind and my ability to function as a productive person over the years. I am blessed with a body that holds its weight quite well unless a great deal of energy is expended on my part. This has always been true for me, even when younger. Then it was possible to ride my bike 20 miles a day, push a lawnmower for 8 hours a day and ride the bike home. I didn't lose weight, but I didn't gain any either.
Now, at 38 years old I am well over 500 pounds (thought lighter than when I started this endeavor). Both my knees are shot. I have higher blood pressure. I'm at risk of heart attack because of my weight and how I carry it. I have arthritis in one knee, nerve damage in both feet, back issues and that's just the obvious things. I can't do many of the things I once did, or many of the things I would like to do.
I NEED the help that bariatric surgery provides. There is much more to it than simply making your stomach smaller. There are many things that can and do change with the surgery. One of the biggest is the change in hunger chemicals. After surgery the urge to eat is generally greatly diminished. You fill up fast on much less food. This, for me, is a good thing.
I am glad that so many people can manage to lose the weight with diet and exercise alone. I wish I was one of those people. But I am not. I never have been. Diet for me only gets me so far. I need the help to drop the rest of the weight. If there was a less permanent way of doing it, I would jump at it, but there is not. I have seen surgery work for people. I've also seen it fail for people. It's all about what you put into it and how you use the tool provided to you. I intend to use the hell out of this tool. I want my body back.
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