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My Life Before Bariatric Surgery
I had been large my entire life. I remember
vividly getting weighed in the second grade and when I told the coach I was 90 lbs, she looked at me in disbelief. Then came
middle school: I remember running the mile and always being the last person to finish. I didn't realize just how large
I really was until the end of middle school. I
realized that few people liked me because I was big. That's when the yo-yo dieting began.
I tried almost every diet out there for about six years.
It's sad, but people really do judge you on the way you look. It all felt hopeless.
Making the Decision
Once I started college,
I knew I had to find a permanent solution. I was determined to start a new
life for myself. All I needed was self-confidence, and a guarantee
that my weight issues weren't going to affect my health down the road. I had met so many people, and established so many relationships,
and I wanted to know that I had a long healthy life ahead of me.
Being relatively young for a surgery like gastric bypass, I asked my mother about having
it done. And at first she said absolutely not. Then I did the research and called her a few months later, more prepared.
She changed her mind, and went with me to meet Dr. Hall at Barix Clinics. That was it. We both knew this was the decision
for me. I had found a way to be there for
my friends and family, with a long healthy life. The surgery
would also give me the confidence and self-esteem to push myself to my fullest potential.
My
Barix Experience
Working with Barix
was amazing.
Makeing Success Happen
The first couple of weeks were a little difficult for me. After I was able to start on solid food again things
got easier. My body had been cleansed of everything bad after the surgery, so starting fresh was relatively easy.
The first few months went by quickly and the weight just fell off. By August when I went back to school, people didn't recognize me. They would walk
right by me. It felt amazing! I was able to maintain the diet easily. There are times that I miss those
old foods, but I wouldn't trade anything I used to eat for the weight loss results
I have experienced… ever!
How is
your life after surgery?
Life now
is amazing. I am living my dream.
I work with animals at an aquarium, which requires a lot of physical activity. I would not have been able to keep up
if I hadn't had the surgery. I also recently got married to the man of my dreams. I would never have met him without
the surgery either. My confidence has soared and I know that my health is much better. I took a gym class in college after the surgery and walked the mile in less then eight
minutes. That felt so good knowing that I had made so much progress. I’ve taken up activities such as yoga
and step aerobics because I know that I can do them now.
I try
to live life to the fullest. I don't believe I would
be in the place that I am without the confidence and self-esteem I developed after my Barix experience.
What would you tell someone
considering Barix?
You have to be ready for the lifestyle changes that come with the surgery.
They are permanent if you want to keep the weight off. I
have absolutely no regrets about my surgery, and if you're prepared for it, go for it. It is worth it in
every way.
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