Girl she took the easy route she got that Weight Loss Surgery!!!!

Backstory:

Growing up in Providence Rhode Island I never really felt comfortable in my own skin. And I believe because of this it caused me to make some not so good decisions that caused my life, and my weight to spiral out of control most times.  Becoming a mother at the age of 15 I never was able to really enjoy that young woman body for very long.  Over time the pounds kept coming and after my third child I never really saw my weight go down under 180. Over the next 10-15 years my weight would continue to rise and at times I would lose 30lbs but gain 50lbs back.  By 2014 my highest weight I had ever been was 270lbs. I still thought I was cute because my husband always made me feel beautiful.  I could always dress my body no matter what size I was but, I knew inside I needed to make a change.  In the past I had been to seminars, talked to my husband to get him to agree, and just continued to eat myself into an unhealthy reality.  The time came when I had my final talk with my husband and since he watched me struggle to lose weight.  He then could see the pain in my eyes and at that time he gave me his blessings.  Now some may say they would have done it anyway but, the truth is I needed his support as I felt I could do anything with him behind me.  Surgery finally happened in January 2015 and my mind was already set that I was going to kick this weight issue in the ass.  So for the next 10 months I changed my life.  I followed the doctors’ orders exactly as he prescribed them to me.  I ate exactly what I was allowed to eat (even when I wasn’t hungry), drank as much water as I could take in, and exercised 3, 4, and sometimes 5 days a week.  My exercise consisted of Zumba, kickboxing, and weight lifting.  After about 10 months I reached my goal weight and lost a total of about 105 lbs.  I was so proud of myself and my family was so supportive and proud of me as well.

My observation during the process

While putting in all of the hard work there was times that I heard people say jokingly “oh you got that surgery so it was easy for you”. Automatically I was like hmmm excuse me getting the surgery is a “tool” it doesn’t do all the work for you.  If you do not use your “tool” the end result will not be as successful as you would like for it to be.  I earned every pound I lost as it was NOT the easiest thing in the world to do.  Many people pay for many things to help them lose weight why was this any different. Why do people look down at people that opt for the weight loss surgery? I think it’s because they just don’t understand because they have the understanding of just eat better and exercise and lose weight.  And if you are a person that can do just that then praises to you for your determination but Excuse me!!!!! Ya’ll its more to it than just that.  If it was that easy there wouldn’t be any overweight people!!!!  Food addiction is just as real as you being an alcoholic, drug addict, sex addict, or addicted to shopping.  Those addictions have programs that people reach out to for help, and sometimes receive alternative methods to help ween them off the drugs.

Finding Strength in Transparency

When I first got the surgery I was very hesitant in sharing the information. However I quickly got over that because this was my life and there was no reason to hide from anyone perception of my decision.  I found that through owning my decision I found strength and it helped build up my confidence and learning to love me from the inside out. So I just want others to know that before you start pointing your finger and giving people your two cents just don’t.  Everybody has their own reasons for making a big choice like weight loss surgery.  This surgery is not easy and the pounds are earned not just given!!!!!

Much Love

Nelly