I feel like my weight issues began even before I was born. My parents met in Overeaters Anonymous. I inherited their poor eating habits including skipping meals, binge eating, yo-yo dieting, and weight loss pills. In their defense, they showed me how to love fresh fruit and vegetables.

I struggled my entire childhood and teenage years to stay within an acceptable weight. I was overweight some, but not obese. I was on swim team in high school, which was a blessing, despite having to wear a bathing suit.

Fast forward to age 20 where I met my soulmate and now husband. The weight came on and it came on fast. Restaurants and fast food and lots of date nights. I worked full time and went to college at night. I didn’t cook or meal plan. We got married and right before walking down the aisle my dress busted a loop in the corset back. It was mortifying.

From the time I met my husband to my heaviest weight, I had gained 80 pounds. It didn’t matter what he told me. I felt disgusting. I didn’t even shop with clothes that had actual numeric sizes. I just went to the plus size section and found something loose with a lot of spandex. Something had to change. This was not the life I wanted. The cherry on top was finding out I have PCOS, an endocrine disorder, which would make it very difficult to get pregnant, especially with the extra weight.

Meeting Dr. Misra was scary for the first 30 seconds. She was petite and beautiful. How could she not think I was disgusting? I couldn’t have been more wrong. Dr. Misra is one of the kindest and most intelligent people I have ever met. She is warm and informative. My questions and options were thoroughly discussed. The entire staff was amazing through the entire process. I decided on the gastric sleeve. Having Dr. Misra as my surgeon gave me such peace of mind. The surgery and recovery was the easy part. The commitment comes when you use your surgery as a tool toward a healthy lifestyle. But what a wonderful tool it has been!

I’ve lost 60 pounds and counting and my life is forever changed. I used to take the tram up the hill at the LA Zoo. Now I happily walk up that hill pushing a stroller with my foster son in it. I pack a healthy lunch and snack. I do not feel restricted by my new way of eating. I feel empowered! Life is beautiful and I look forward to each day.