The Beginning

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am wrinting this blog first for me, to document my journey through the Lap Band process. My hope is someone else my find some help and inspiration by reading it too.

I thought the best way to start was to paste the letter I needed to write for the insurance company outlining why I need this surgery. So here it is:

January 30, 2008



To Whom It May Concern:


My name is *** and I am a 38 year old mother of three. I have been overweight my entire life.

While growing up I was always the chubby child. I was active, I loved to jump rope but was still heavier than my friends. When I was around 10 years old, my mother and I went to Weight Watchers. I don’t remember how much, if any, I lost I just remember us going to meetings.

While a teenager in high school I weighed 190 lbs. I tried many fad diets over these awkward years, never losing more than 10 to 15 pounds. Off to college I tried the Diet Workshop and then a year later I tried Nurti Systems. Again I did not lose more than 15 pounds and the weight came back very soon after. I always hovered around 190 lbs.

At the age of 22 I became pregnant with my first daughter. I gained 18 pounds during my pregnancy. The year following her birth I exercised and followed Suzanne Sommers crab free diet. I was able to lose 35 pounds. After that I quickly gained the weight back plus some. Then once again, I tried a low calorie Weight Watchers diet. Once again, only losing a few pounds.

In 1997 I followed a carb free Akins diet. I lost 35 pounds, getting down to 155 lbs. I exercised 4 times a week and I could not get my weight past 155. In 1998 I began to gain my weight back. In the next year I ballooned up to 226 lbs.

I became pregnant with my second daughter in 2000 and gained 14 during this pregnancy. I had her in May 2001 and was able to get down to 210 after her birth. I became pregnant again in early 2002 with my third daughter. I gained only 5 pounds with her. During this time I was on the borderline of gestational diabetes. I saw a nutritionist during this time to help develop good eating habits and to control the diabetes.

After having my third child I ballooned up to my highest weight of 260. That is when I went back to Weight Watchers and used their points system. I was able to get down to 238 however this did not last long and again I regained the weight. My doctor had me try Phentermine and I was able to lose 25 lbs again. I was on this for about 4 months when it didn’t seem to work anymore. I also tried Mardiea a few months later. This made my heart race and my doctor and I decided that I should not take that anymore.

In June 2007 I went to an instructional meeting on weight lose surgery. I was told all the risks about the surgeries. I felt that it was in my best interest to try to lose the weight one more time before I tried a drastic procedure. I went on the 6 week body makeover diet. I also tried to limit my carbs. I tried to exercise by walking. But now that I am in my late thirties the weight is so much harder to come off. My feet and knees hurt so much when I exercise. I bought very expensive walking shoes hoping that that would help but it did not. I have been to my primary doctor with heart palpitations which I believe come because I am so obese. I have always had low blood pressure and now it is elevated every time I have it checked. My cholesterol is high. I do not sleep at night. I awaken several times a night and I am always tired during the day. I was even going to counseling hoping that would help getting to the root of my weight problem. I am so afraid that I am slowing killing myself by being overweight. I do not want to leave my kids without a mother.

So after my first initial meeting in June and my last effort to control this myself, I have decided that my only option was to pursue weight lose surgery. If I don’t I will die and my kids will be without a mother.

Please approve my lap band surgery so I can live a long, happy life with my husband and children.


Thank you,