A Family Affair

     It is unfortunate that obesity runs rampant in my family. On one side it is deeply ingrained in genetics. My great grandmother was obese and was immobile the last 20 years of her life. Her son (my great uncle) had gastric bypass surgery at age 70, following his son's (my second cousin) success in losing over 100 pounds with the surgery, only to lose his life due to complications of the surgery. My aunt was one of the first 100 to have gastric bypass surgery by the surgeon who invented it over 25 years ago. She was able to maintain a healthy weight but she has complications with iron consumption and such and has to be extremely careful in what she eats.
     The other side of my family is made up of poor eating habits and a lack of movement. My grandmother, who I love dearly, thought the way to fix any problem was with two cookies (one for each hand). I can remember she and my mother getting into huge arguments about how it was unhealthy, how I didn't need it, and how one cookie wasn't going to hurt anybody. Her mission in life is to feed people. She is convinced that my daughter is constantly starving and that I am depriving her of food.
      This toxic combination of genetics and poor habits has sent my brother and I into a downward spiral of gross obesity at a young age. I started having trouble after the birth of my first child. I gained 96 pounds during my pregnancy and let the pounds creep on over the past decade plus reaching my high of 398 pounds 5 years ago. My brother, Bryan, had his first back surgery when he was still in high school. Health complications and depression combined with our family history led him to his high of 419 pounds. Bryan joined Weight Watchers 4 weeks ago and has already lost 21 pounds! I am so proud of him! I started at the end of January and have lost 25 pounds. I am certain that we are on the path to good health and longevity. I have joined Weight Watchers 3 times previously, but without giving it much of a chance, quitting and keeping my bad habits. This time is different. It is really sticking with me. I contribute this in large part to the extensive digital tools Weight Watchers has integrated into their program. I have an extreme love of technology and look forward to tracking my points throughout the day. I also find it intoxicating to reach my daily activity goal using my active link to track my progress. It finally feels as though I have all of the pieces to put this puzzle together and create the girl I've always longed to be.