Food was an addiction for me. I would compare myself to an Alcoholic. Food was my drug of choice. Every time something would happen, positive or negative, I would reward myself with food. I was able to keep my weight down in my teenage years, but as my age climbed, so did my weight. I became depressed and reclusive, only leaving home when necessary. For the most part I spent my 20s lying on the couch. I was in a transparent cocoon. I could see life passing me by, but could not seem to free myself. My kids were missing out on so much because their mother was too large. There was no going to the movies, because I did not fit in the seat, and no amusement parks, because the turnstiles were an embarrassing nightmare.

At 29 years old I weighed 302 pounds, and I knew I had to get the situation under control. Conventional dieting did not work for me. I would lose 20 or 30 pounds, but would gain 50 or 60 pounds. I knew it was going to take something aggressive in order to lose the amount of weight I needed to.

My mother-in-law (and guardian angel) went to work for a doctor in Houston, TX in late 1999. I made an appointment with him as soon as I could, and he spoke to me about several procedures available. I chose the Gastric Band1, went into the trial study, and had to wait for the go-ahead from the FDA. I finally got a surgery date scheduled for November 2, 2000.

Having the surgery was a breeze. I went home the next day with very little discomfort and went back to work the next week. The physical recovery was rather easy; however, the emotional recovery took a while. It only took me a couple of days to realize how addicted I was to food and how I used it for comfort. It took about three months for me to get used to my new lifestyle, but boy was it worth it.

I lost 130 pounds in one and a half years. I went from a size 26 to a size 13. It has changed my life in so many ways. I am able to do something now I was not able to do four years ago: ENJOY LIFE!!!!