After a semi-successful bout on a commercial diet, I weighed 170 pounds. At 5 feet 3 ½ inches tall, I was far from slim, but considered myself acceptable. I was 47 years old. At a routine visit for my COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), my pulmonologist said, “You could do less damage to your body by gaining 100 pounds than you are doing by continuing to smoke.” I quit smoking, and with his “permission,” promptly gained 50 pounds. Then I developed breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. A few years later, I reached 236 pounds. In addition to being morbidly obese, I also developed type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, an enlarged heart from high blood pressure, and stage 1b lung cancer. I had more doctors than friends. After having a procedure for my lung cancer, the thoracic surgeon said, “You better hope this worked. I don’t feel... Continue Reading
My life used to be very empty. I was sad, disillusioned, and often morose. I wasn’t afraid I was going to die, but rather that I was going to live for another 30 years in a miserable existence. My body was deteriorating. I was pre-diabetic, morbidly obese, and had asthma, allergies, arthritis, depression, a skin condition, vein problems, sciatica, and the not-yet-diagnosed killer, food addiction. I didn’t know what food addiction was at the time. I believed everything I had been told when I was young, that weight problems ran in our family, that I was big boned, statuesque, and had child-bearing hips. I thought it was pretty much a done deal that I was going to be fat, so I figured I might as well eat. When I reached 270 pounds, I paid a significant sum of money to a surgeon to remove 80% of my stomach so I... Continue Reading
My first 90 days didn’t come right away. I have had several “day ones” in my two and a half years in FA, but in nine days, I will have nine months of abstinence, thank you God. When I came into FA I was willing to do anything. I was desperate. I had nothing left that was going to help me with my food addiction. But I left after two months, as I didn’t have the willingness to do anything that was asked of me, and the food obsession was just too overwhelming. While I was at a meeting during this time, I heard a fellow speak about having gastric bypass surgery, and my next thought was, “Oh, I haven’t tried that yet,” so off I went to what I thought would be an easier, softer way of losing weight. I had gastric bypass surgery two years later. My top... Continue Reading
I weighed 270 pounds; my weight was rising quickly. I wouldn’t have called myself depressed, but I certainly wasn’t happy. I resented my family and felt that I had given up my dreams of being a writer and an intellectual in order to support my family, financially and otherwise. At any given moment, it seemed the only things that could make my life bearable were eating, watching movies, playing games on the Internet, or reading. I hated exercise, but that was the only thing slowing my weight-gain. I knew I couldn’t keep up the daily 5 a.m. boot camp much longer and was bound to shoot past 300 pounds. I thought if I didn’t do something quick, bariatric surgery appeared to be the only option. That’s when I heard about FA. I was ready. Countless failures and disappointments around my health, career, and relationships had left me with the gift... Continue Reading
I became a member of FA right after my gastric sleeve surgery. It had finally dawned on me that if I was letting someone put a knife to my gut, that maybe I had an issue with food. By my six-month post-operative appointment, I was well beyond the goals my surgeon expected after a full year. I had reached the weight the doctor had as my long-term goal. I had healthy blood-work results and had achieved the ability, unusual for such a recent patient, to eat only three times a day in the ample amounts suggested by my FA sponsor. My surgeon was floored. “Well, we can’t have you show up to the post-op support group meetings. You’ll give my other patients unrealistic expectations!” (I passed him an FA brochure and told him about Program.) My doctor then asked if I was done losing weight. I said that even by his charts,... Continue Reading
