My 6 Year Journey

Hello! My name is Sara, and I'm turning 21 in around a month. I've been overweight and painfully aware of it since I can remember.



I was over 200 pounds at 11 years old, and continued to steadily gain weight throughout the years. This was a combination of a lack of healthy cooking in my house, and a very sedentary lifestyle. I participated in Weight Watcher's with my dad when I was 12, and continued doing it until I was 14, and reached 300 pounds.



It was at this point that my parents and I first discussed weight loss surgery. They had both had the surgery- my mother was very successful keeping the weight off, my father slightly less so.

We met with Cincinnati Children's Hospital in later 2007, when I was 14, and 12/28/2008, at 326.9 pounds, I had a lapriscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which is different from traditional bariatric surgery in ways that don't interest anybody but me.

In May of 2010, I got down to 215- this was around the time of my junior prom.



But after that, because I hadn't made a serious lifestyle change, I gained a significant amount of it back. I started college in September of 2011, and was back up to 256 pounds.





I was still proud of my progress, but I wanted to commit to changing my life in some sort of concrete, maintainable way. I started going to the gym 3-5 days a week, and eating healthy (or as healthy as was possible in a college dormroom). The pounds started dropping off fairly immediately, and continued slowly dropping off - at the end of 2012, I was down to 202, at the end of 2013 I was 192 and, having started up on MyFitnessPal about a month ago, I'm now down to 180.5.



This is a panel of the last 40 or 50 pounds - I wish I had one from the beginning, but alas!





The weight loss surgery changed my life, and made me thin enough that I could take control of my diet and exercise without any physical limitations, and for that I am eternally grateful. It gave me a more normal high school experience, pretty much eliminated the horrific teasing I constantly experience, and gave me the confidence to make friends and pursue romantic relationships.

However, the weight loss change I am most proud of is the last 84.5 pounds- what I have done independently of the surgery. While I agree I did not have to put forth much effort to lose the weight directly post-surgery, I feel entirely responsible for the weight loss after college.

I am down 145.5 pounds as of today, and I have 20 pounds to go until I reach my goal weight!

Also, I would like to mention my older sister Lisa, (SubjectTwo on here) whose healthy and fast weight loss got me to join MFP and become more conscious of what I'm eating, and whose lifestyle changes have been an inspiration to me. She's my best friend and a great person.