The Beginning

I have been fat for pretty much all of my adult life. I've had some weight loss successes along the way but they have been pretty small, far and few apart, and never long-lasting. I have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, all of which I take medications for. I also recently discovered I have signs of osteoarthritis. I had a grandmother lose her leg to diabetes, a grandfather die of a stroke in his 50's (probably) due to diabetes, and my mother died after diabetes related complications. My father died of a heart attack and had been undergoing dialysis. I also have early signs of kidney disease. Lovely. I have considered weight loss surgery for years but always decided against it. Surgery was once again recommended to me, this time by my orthopedic surgeon. He said I could have a good 40-45 years if I lost weight. It it finally sunk in. I did some more research and decided I wanted to do it. Next entry will be about the week between speaking with the ortho and attending the required seminar with the bariatric surgeon. :)