This is me – as I am now. In fact this picture was taken 2 days following my gastric band surgery, which took place May 26, 2009. I’ve been thinking about chronicling my journey of weight loss and the paths I have taken and why, so the information may help someone else who is facing the same decisions that I have faced. Since my weight loss journey began in 2005, I will be posting several items reflecting about the distance I have covered as well as posts which tell about how I am doing now. What works and what doesn’t. These entries are not in any way intended to take the place of professional advice, but are simply my journey as explained by me.
The Journey’s Start – In 2005, I was faced with all sorts of aches and pains, and medical issues associated with weight were making their presence known. My back and knees ached, and walking was becoming increasingly difficult, my skin color was getting muddy, and overall I just didn’t feel well. Lethargic to the point where I felt like a different person, trouble sleeping, and problems with hypertension made me focus on trying to find an answer. I had been trying various methods to lose weight, none of which were successful, and I knew that something had to change. To the right is a picture of me at my top weight of approximately 305 lbs. The reason I say approximate was that there was really not a reason to get on the scale for an exact weight. I weighed too much, there was no question as to whether or not I needed to lose weight. It was affecting my health. It was time to make a difference.
Having exhausted the traditional weight loss methods, as well as some of the more bizarre methods, all of them ending in failure, I was desperate to try something, anything, that would help reduce the weight. So, I started looking into weight loss surgery. The picture by the way is from the Racing Adventures school my husband gave me as a gift for my birthday. I had a marvelous day in October 2005 running my brand new 2005 Ford Mustang Convertible on the course at Willow Springs. It also serves as the marker in time to when I started to make a difference with my weight, so is the best before picture I have.
After researching several of the different weight loss surgeries, my doctor asked me to try one more method before going to the lengths of surgery to assist with weight control. I did have success with the method we tried and I was able to lose 75 lbs., which is tremendous. I was feeling better, could walk easier, the pain in my knees went away, and my skin tone returned. I was able to maintain the weight loss for a year or so, and then, as it always seems to do, the weight started creeping back. By December of 2008, I had gained back 40 of the pounds I had previously lost, and the momentum was definitely on the side of gaining more and not losing. So, I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to specifically discuss surgical weight loss and whether it made sense for me.
The picture to the left was taken at the same time as the picture at the top of the page, on May 28, 2009, two days after surgery. The reason for both the front and side pictures is that it helps to provide a better visual assessment of progress to see yourself from both angles. The reason for taking the picture in front of the steps is to give a picture with boundaries, so you can see your size in relation to surroundings. I tried to have the picture taken in front of the door frame, but we had to take the picture at too severe of an angle and Denny cut the top of my head off. 
Door frames are very good to give your the visual boundaries so that you can watch yourself shrink. One additional comment to make about the now pictures is that being taken right after surgery, I am still bloated from the surgery and wearing a binder underneath the clothing to help keep things from being jiggled around too much.
This was simply an overview to provide an understanding of what I will be sharing. I will be looking back, and looking ahead, as well as sharing where I am right now. Hope you enjoy the journey.
____________________________________________________________________________
LK Gardner-Griffie
To buy Misfit McCabe, visit my store at Lulu.com or purchase at Amazon.com
To track Misfit McCabe across the country, visit: Where in the World is Misfit McCabe?
Own a Kindle? Download Misfit McCabe
For other e-book formats, visit Smashwords.com
To read book reviews by LK Gardner-Griffie, visit: The LL Book Review
