Once Upon a Time...

How Sarah (& So Forth) Got Here

So, if you've known me longer than, say, 20 minutes, you know that I like to write, I'm really wordy, and this is absolutely not my first rodeo as far as blogs are concerned. I'm pretty sure this isn't even the first blog I've written about my adventures in weight loss. This one will be different, though. Why, you ask? Because shit got real and finally made my move. Come sit a spell with me and I'll tell you a little more...

​

I have been fat, like, forever. I think I first became the chunky kid in class around 2nd grade. It was cute in a Cabbage Patch-kid kind of way until about 5th grade, and that's when the teasing began. And it never really stopped, if we're being honest. I was put on my first "diet" around 3rd grade, actually, when my babysitter took it upon herself to weigh me (77 pounds, and yes I remember) and "help" me lose weight. I have distinct memories of eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while everyone else had Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch. I also very clearly remember feeling ashamed of myself. And this how a lifetime of self-loathing began. 

​

I'm sure the details in between will come in bits and pieces in the posts that follow here, but for now, let's fast forward 30 years, to, well, now. I've tried it all. Every (safe) diet. Medication. Therapy. You name it, I've tried it. Eventually, my last resort became my last chance, and here we are. 

​

In August of 2021 I started what I hope will be the last journey I will start towards losing weight and getting healthy. I had a consultation with VCU Health's Bariatric Surgery Program and decided, finally, to commit to drastic measure that could promise to be my best chance at success. After nine long months of dietary coaching, medical tests, blood work, psych evaluations, and plain ordinary waiting, I will undergo gastric sleeve surgery on April 28, 2022. 

​

If you're here, you probably knew that part. What's to come is the inside scoop on how the two weeks leading up to surgery and the lifetime that follows will shake out, and you'll have a front row seat to watch me conquer my fat once and for all. It'll be like the world's longest, slowest episode of The Biggest Loser. Only with far less yelling by ultra-toned trainers and probably far more foul language. Hop on board, friends, this will be quite a ride!