Just starting off.....

Wow, my first blog! Who knew? I guess a lot of things are changing in my life right now. Hopefully all for the better!

So let me introduce myself. I am a 38 year old, IT Project Manager; mother of one son, and girlfriend to the most amazing man in the world. I have always been overweight and can vividly remember shopping for HUSKY pants while I was in elementary school. Throughout my life I have been ridiculed, humiliated, and outcast because of how I look on the outside. Those that really and truly know me have always said how beautiful I am on the inside. Too bad the general public doesn't care too much for what you look like on the inside!

It wasn't until January of this year that I hit my all time low mentally regarding my weight. My boyfriend and I went on a cabin getaway and took a lot of pictures of our trip. The scenary was amazing and we had such a good time. When we got back from our trip, I was so excited to download the pictures and get them posted for all to see. While I was downloading the pictures, I came across a picture that my boyfriend had taken of me and for some reason, I finally SAW what everyone else was seeing. While I have looked at myself in the mirror every day all of my life, I had never truly seen the way people look at me -- until that very moment when I saw that horrible picture. Despite how despicable I felt like I looked in that picture, the nail that drove it all home for me was seeing the despair that was self evident on my face. Even though I have the man of my dreams with me and my heart is truly full, my face told another story. I needed to be able to have ME be happy with ME....

That's when I decided to make the change. It took 7 months to get the ball rolling; but I finally was able to get an appointment with a bariatric surgeon and start my new journey to a happier and healthier me!

I was banded on 09/11/09. My starting weight was 318. I am currently at 277. Not where I wanted to be by Christmas of this year, but much better than where I started!!

I definitely have more energy than I did before the surgery. I am able to do more and be more active than I was 41 pounds ago. I'm a LONG way from where I want to be but I can for once in my life actually SEE what I want and know that it is obtainable.

The purpose of this blogging site is to hopefully share my triumphs and challenges with others that I know either have or will have similar experiences.

Enjoy!