Hot Fat 4 Sale...CLEARANCE!

by Jen Olski
(Milwaukee, WI)

Laproscopic RNY, August 26, 2005 (2 yrs, 4 mos, 2 days)
Before: 317lbs/51 BMI After: 159lbs/26 BMI

At the age of 37, I had raging blood sugars, rising blood pressure, volatile acid reflux and nagging pains in my chest and arms. I felt like I was going to die before I turned 40.

I was always the fattest kid in the classroom, the biggest person on the job, the heaviest woman in the store. But I hadn't considered weight loss surgery until I felt I had no other options.

The process, from when I made my decision to when I had surgery, took just 5 months...although it seemed like 5 years! There were no approval complications and no surgery complications.

My first year post-op was picture perfect! I struggled more in my personal life with my long-term relationship and the changes to the relationship resulting from my surgery. While I thought I dealt with those issues, I really just stuffed them down and allowed my compulsive eating behaviors from life before the knife to morph into bulimia and alcohol abuse.

My body image is really distorted. My eating disorder is pretty intense. But my resolve to come out on the other side of both is getting stronger every day.

Would I do it all again? Yes. Without a second thought. However, knowing what I know now, I wish I would have addressed the reasons why I turned to food for comfort. Then maybe I wouldn't be hanging my head over a toilet bowl to purge my mini-meals.

I've written candidly about my journey since the very early days on my blog. I continue to write about my eating disorder and its relationship to my surgery. Check it out at www.hotfat4sale.com