The Beginning:

I am a 45 year old woman with a husband (Tommy) of 22 years and 2 boys ages 13 & 16. I have battled with my weight since my childhood, and as I get older I have developed several weight-related illnesses. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 6 years ago, have high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, depression and just feel like crap every day. On January 15, 2010 my father had open heart surgery. He had a valve replacement and a quadruple bypass. My dad, 76, is the picture of health. He eats right and exercises everyday. He also has type 2 diabetes, but has always controlled it through diet and exercise. When the Dr. told me that he needed this surgery, I was flabbergasted. Not my Dad...He's too healthy to be sick. Well, Dad was walking laps around the hospital 5 days after surgery, never had to take any pain medication, and did not have any rehab. The doctors all believe that his quick recovery was due to his great health prior to the surgery. I decided at that point that I needed to get healthy. I am 30 years younger than my dad, and he is in better shape. I am 100+ lbs overweight and have been on many diets throughout my life. I had always been able to lose weight, but could not keep it off. I told Tommy that I was thinking of having weight loss surgery. He just smiled at me and asked my why. I told him that I was sick of being fat and unhealthy, that it was time for me to take care of me. For those of you that don't know my husband, he is a very supportive, no pressure type of guy. We had spoken about my weight in the past, but he always believed that when I was ready to lose weight I would do it. So the following week we attended a Weight loss seminar at Florida Hospital Celebration.