Barbara W.
Well, where do I begin?
I was born June 7, 1978...weighing a modest 7 lbs, 7 oz. The weight gain started almost immediately. I was a very plump baby and it resulted in a lot of childhood obesity problems. I was always crying about something, so my mother assumed I was hungry. Big mistake on her part. I think I just wanted to be held and loved, but she never seemed to get it. As a result, I just never really cared about how much people made fun of me, thinking I was just chubby and I'd grow out of it, but every year, I'd gain 20 pounds or so depending on how much I ate. I didn't count calories or watch my portions.
There weren't many people who wanted to be my friend because I wasn't thin enough or cool enough for them. I was the only one without a boyfriend in my school, but I wasn't that interested in someone who only found what was on the outside attractive. Shallow people are among the world's worst snobs.
By the time I entered middle school, I weighed about 100 lbs, but I was just five feet tall...maybe a bit under. I became inactive and lazy because I'd usually have two or three helpings of dinner and I couldn't move. There were times where I would have constant belly aches and heartburn, waking up to extreme esophagus pain, but it would subside after digestion took place. My parents constantly made fun of me, and never encouraged me to play with any of my friends, and they never let me socialize with others...and not having a licence to drive until I was 22 didn't help much either.
I had to rely on other people to drive, and every time we went to the mall or out for the day, we'd stop to get food. Fast food was a must, and large-sizing ten years ago wasn't as large as today's portions are. However, that didn't help my weight. I was always slow, always lethargic, possibly from lack of sleep, or too much sleep. Eating and not exercising contributed to nearly 100 lbs of added weight over 16...possibly even all 29 years of my life. I let food run my life, and in May, my friend and I decided that if we wanted to marry and have children we'd have to get boyfriends first. And we couldn't do that with how we looked.
We started walking and using the Weight Watchers points...as she had joined, succeeded and failed because she stopped counting calories. We came to an agreement that we'd walk three to four times a week and start off with 26 points a day, 35 on the weekends. At first, I was so scared to eat that I dropped 15 pounds in two weeks. After that initial water-weight loss, I began biking 30 minutes per day, sometimes twice a day, as I didn't feel like eating in the summer...too much heat...and body fat at the time.
My 29th birthday was spent at East Side Mario's where I tried to eat the healthiest thing on the menu, and I felt so sick afterwards, but I did not get sick.
As the months wore on, I must admit I have exercised a lot less, stopped biking every day, but I reduced my calorie intake and am now at 22 points per day, 35 on weekends. I make it a point to exercise every night now, and I have met an amazing man, who has had Lap-Band surgery. He has been an amazing rock, telling me how well I've been doing and me, in turn, letting him know how much he's already lost, and how much has yet to be lost in his case. Both of us tend to make a few bad food choices, every now and again, but I have been motivated enough to lose the remaining 35 pounds.
Losing 65lbs can be a real shock to the system...I've been getting chills and I have been cold most of the time...now that winter's here. Winters in Canada can be nippy. 
Losing 35 more will be amazing, and if I can find some more support and encouragement from not just my boyfriend, but others on this site, I will be happy to share what has worked for me.
Knowing I can't eat as much as I used to because my stomach has shrunk...yes, without surgery...is just amazing. It's the constant fear of ballooning back up to above 200lbs that reminds me to exercise and not eat as much as I would have nearly seven months ago.
I encourage all of you who are seeking Weight-Loss surgery to consider trying Weight Watchers first, and exercising 30-40 minutes a day, up to maybe an hour depending on the activity...and you'll be simply amazed at the results.
I still have a long way to go, and if I don't reach my goal by June 7, 2008...I want to reach it by September. 
