Over the next few months, I will be undergoing a lifestyle change that I didn’t think would be possible. I’m overweight and have been for a number of years. It’s really starting to affect my everyday life. My body is feeling the strain of carrying around all the excess weight. Lucky for me, I haven’t been diagnosed with anything serious like diabetes or high blood pressure, but I don’t want to give it the opportunity to happen.

I have been asked by several of friends if the procedure is safe and am I doing it for myself or to make others happy with my appearance.

The procedure is called a Gastric Sleeve. Basically, the surgery will be taking away part of the stomach, shirking it to the size of a small banana. Recovery time is about a week and you get sent home the same day after the surgery. My eating habits will change A LOT! Which will be a lot healthier than they are at the moment.

Most people don’t consider obesity to be a real disease, but it most definitely is. There is a hormone called Ghrelin that increases a person’s appetite, people who are overweight tend to have a higher amount of this hormone in their system. Once the surgery is complete doctors find that this hormone is very low, thus reducing the desire to eat more than needed to become full.

The main reason that I’m taking this step regarding my health is because of my son. He’s three and I can barely keep up with him. He doesn’t get to run and play because my body can’t handle the physical challenge with this much weight. I know if it’s left untreated then it’s just going to get worse. I want to be around for his future and him explore it. I can’t do that at my current weight.

Second to my son being the main reason, it’s for myself. I have a few health issues and the weight is just making them worse. Migraines, carpal tunnel, back pain, joint problems; all these issues can be linked to being overweight. I’m too young to have that many issues. My health is the next biggest concern on my list of reasons to make this lifestyle change.

Not only will I feel better health wise, but I’ll have more confidence to do things that I don’t do now. I want to feel free to wear a two piece to the beach and wear clothes that make me feel good and look good.

I know it will be a long hard road but I’m willing to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed. It’s for my son and for me. I’ve tried the fad diets and other programs and nothing else seems to work so this is the next step for me. I know doing this will also give me the confidence to try things that I haven’t before.

I want more than anything in the world to be around for my son and watch him grow up with children of his own.