| I am completely
out of success stories. Please send in yours along with before
and after pictures. It is your way of giving back for this free
newsletter. Thank you so much! |
I want to offer Jamie Volner a special
thanks. Her success story originally appeared in the Feb. 1st,
2007 issue of the newsletter. Because I am out of success stories, I
am re-running her inspiring story:
Well, like most of us
that suffer or suffered from obesity my story is not much different
than most. However, I wanted to share with others just like myself.
I was not an
overweight child but did struggle with an emotional eating
disorder. I was an abused child, therefore I learned to comfort
myself with food. I was able to keep the weight at bay with sports
and activities for the time being.
When one talks about
eating disorders the first thing that comes to mind is Anorexia or
Bulimia and as I grew older I found out that over-eating for
emotional issues was not one that was addressed or really known how
to address. Basically I was told to “deal” with it.
At the age of 19
after the birth of my first child my weight really started to
increase. I had several miscarriages before my second child was
born which added to the “emotional issues” and well, you get it,
food was my source for coping.
By the age of 32 I
had a stroke and my health issues were just out of control. I had
tried every diet known and just about every pill there was. Someone
had mentioned having weight loss surgery and I was
adamant that I was not going to go that route. I was definitely not
taking the easy way out. Little did I know!
Several more years
went by and I was now 37 years old and couldn’t keep up with my
youngest child. I was depressed, my eating was out of control and
my health was failing. I was up to 285 pounds and I am only 5’5’.
I started reconsidering weight loss surgery in a serious way. I
knew I was going to die if I kept this up.
I researched for a
year and did my homework. My insurance covered the procedure fully
and my PCP was behind me 100%. There were no surgeons in my area
that were certified through the American Society of Bariatric
Surgery so I opted to go out-of-network. It was a fight to get
approved out-of-network, but once I stated my case with facts it was
finally approved.
I went to The Wish
Center in Tempe, Arizona, which is a 2-hour drive from where I
live. I went through education classes, psychological counseling
and medical testing and on November 12th, 2003 I had open
gastric bypass surgery.
I was at my goal weight
of 145 pounds within my first year and I am now almost 3 years out
and my weight is stabilized between 141 to 145 pounds. I was a size
26/28 and now I am a size 6! Who would have thought?
I am happy and
healthy. I have had a few glitches along the way but nothing that
could not or has not been remedied and I have no regrets. Was this
the easy way out? I laugh out loud now when I hear that. This has
been a tough road to travel and no, it doesn’t “fix” the emotional
issues. It is a “tool” and one has to work at it every single day.
The surgery may not
be for everyone but it was right for me. It saved my life and gave
me a life that I didn’t even imagine I could have. I may be at goal
but I never forget where I came from and always jump at the chance
to help other's considering this procedure and helping to educate
them as best as I can.
Thank you for
allowing me to share my success story. Barbara, thank you for all
your hard work in educating people and giving them the encouragement
they need to succeed and stay on track to a healthier and happier
life.
Jamie Volner
Tucson, Arizona
LadieGreyWolf@aol.com
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Congratulations Jamie |
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