jensantosleon
Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a 30 yr old mother of 8. I have 6 children of my own and 2 step children (that live in Honduras - they will be with us full time hopefully by next year).
I have been overweight almost my whole life. When I was little and my parents divorced, I would spend 2 weeks with my mom, and 2 weeks with my dad. And that is where my education of food and eating (or lack of education is a better term) began. My earliest memories of spending time with my father is attached to food. He would make me huge plates of food, and I would have to eat it all. I remember for breakfast him making fried pork chops, fried eggs, hashbrowns and rolls, and I would have to clean my plate. On Saturdays we would go to the laundry mat, and he would by me a box of 50 munchkin holes from dunking donuts, and I would have to finish them before the clothes were done. Everything he did or said was connected to food.
As I grew up, and I stayed with my mom full time, she tried to help me with my weight, and we went to weight watchers, physicians weight loss and so many other diets too. Both of us. I would do well, then it would all come back on and then some.
In 2000 my youngest, older brother got married, and I went to the wedding, and it wasn't until later that I saw the picture of myself, and I was so upset. I never left the house, and I never knew that I had let myself get as big as I was. In my mind, I knew I was overweight, but not by so much. I didn't realize how horrible I looked. And something clicked, and I did weight watchers on my own at home and between September 2000 and September 2001 I went from 360+ to 289. Once I got to 289, I sort of hovered around there, making it to 285 once. In April of 02 I got pregnant with my 3rd child Micaella. With that pregnancy I went up to 341 the day she was born, (February 5th) but at my 6 week check up I was back down to 310 - but I was pregnant again. On December 19th, the day I gave birth to Isa, I weighed 326. At my 6 week check up with her I was back down to 305. Throughout 2004 I lost weeight slowly and managed to get to 295 when I got pregnant with Johan. He was born in March 05, and I weighed 335 or so. After I had him, at my 6 week check up I was back to 310, and pregnant again. I had a miscarriage and went up to 320 due to depression eating. I then got my act back together AGAIN and got back down to 295 and that is when I got pregnant with Jolani. In July 06 when I had Jolani, I weighed in at 343. I had problems breathing when I laid down on my back because my boobs would ride up high and I would feel like I was suffocating. After I had her, I got down to 318, and it we nt back up to 330. From then on it has been a back and forth deal between 322 and 327. Having 4 kids in 3 years killed my body, my hormones, my metabolism and everything else.
I made the decision to have the lap band surgery done because as I said in a different blog, I am tired. I am tired of being fat, tired of being the butt of everyones jokes, I am tired of busting my a$$ to lose the weight and it not coming off. I am physically and mentally tired of everything that comes along with being overweight. I want to be a good mother to all of my children. I want to have the energy and the want to go outside and play with them. To take them to the beach, and the park and everyplace else. I want to go out with my husband and feel like I make him proud to be with me (he loves me the way that I am and has never said anything to me about my weight - this is all me and how I view things). I want to be able to buy nice clothes, and look nice in them.
