Hi. My name is Gloria. As a successful lap band patient and mentor, I am passionate about giving back and helping others conquer obesity. My goal here is to pay it forward. The more I give, the more I seem to get - helping others seems to keep me on track. I am blogging my banded living journey at: www.gloriasbandedliving.com

I have battled obesity as long as I can remember. I vividly recall the pain and embarrassment of being weighed in my elementary ...

Hi. My name is Gloria. As a successful lap band patient and mentor, I am passionate about giving back and helping others conquer obesity. My goal here is to pay it forward. The more I give, the more I seem to get - helping others seems to keep me on track. I am blogging my banded living journey at: www.gloriasbandedliving.com

I have battled obesity as long as I can remember. I vividly recall the pain and embarrassment of being weighed in my elementary school gym, praying that the school aide would not announce my weight for everyone to hear. I started dieting at the age of 10. My days were defined as good or bad by what I ate and how my clothes fit. I have been on every diet you can think of; I took diet pills for years; I cannot remember a year when I didn’t gain or lose at least 40 or 50 pounds. My hunger never went away.

For me, dieting was like holding my breath; eventually I had to come up for air. The irony is that except for my battle with weight, I’ve been successful at everything I’ve ever attempted. I’m very fortunate. I have a great marriage, two wonderful children, and true friends, and I’ve enjoyed a successful career as an executive in Fortune 100 companies. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never take off the weight and keep it off. I wasn’t stupid and I wasn’t lazy. I was tired of doctors telling me that I need to eat less and exercise more …

Finally, I’m in control and winning the battle with my weight. I am in great shape and great health because on August 16, 2006, I got a lap band. With the help and support of a great team I learned how to use this amazing tool. It’s been hard work; I’ve had my ups and downs, and it certainly wasn’t the “easy way out.”
I have been maintaining a healthy, normal weight over two years now. I am now the fit girl at the gym. I am the active mom at school, I am the confident presenter in business, and I am a more loving wife, because I no longer carry the burden of my weight on my body and in my heart. I am a different person today, and I love banded living. I feel confident that I will be able to maintain a normal weight for the rest of my life.

If you are exploring lap band surgery or you already have a band and want to learn more you can check out www.bandedliving.com or reach out. I’m here to help and learn.

UPDATE - I'm now an author. Check out "Is Lap Band Surgery For Me?", our book available on amazon.com.

Read More About ATGOALGAL (Updated December 13)

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