My name is Lynne and I am 32 years old. I have been a "big girl" all of my life and thought for the longest time it was just how I was going to stay. Everyone in my immediate family is overweight, so I kept telling myself, "There's nothing you can do about it. You're just big boned. Get used to it." I got stuck in that vicious cycle of diet to lose 10 pounds, gain 5, get depressed, gain another 15, diet again...

I had given bariatric surgery some thought for several years. Since both my parents had stomach stapling, it was not new to me and I got to see both ends of the spectrum. It worked very well for my mother. She went from a size 26 to size 12, losing about 90 pounds. My father, on the other hand, only lost about 50 pounds and quickly gained most of it back. I struggled with trying to figure out whether this would be another lost cause for me - another diet I would fail at. That is, until I topped out at 275 pounds and a size 24. It is difficult to enjoy anything in life when all you do is find every reason imaginable to not leave your house. I had nothing professional to wear to work, I struggled with even those completely mundane tasks like grocery shopping or filling the car with gas. That's when I decided to research the LAP-BAND.

So, with an extremely supportive family, I started the process. My mom and I went to Dr. Collier's seminar in December 2008. My surgery was scheduled for February 5, 2009. I lost 15 pounds before surgery and have continued to lose since. I went from size 24 to 14, losing nearly 100 pounds at my first year anniversary. It is not the easiest thing I have ever done, but the rewards far outweigh the difficulties.

The hardest part of my journey so far is to make a meal an event, rather than something I do on the go. In such a fast paced world, I have had to learn to slow down. But I have never been happier, and for the first time in my life, I actually enjoy leaving the house AND shopping for clothes! Dr. Collier and the crew at JourneyLite have made this experience a wonderful one. I would not recommend going anywhere else. I have truly been blessed with this opportunity to change my life.