About me: I was the chubby girl for all long as I can remember. Always the biggest kid in the class. I was an overweight teen and gained even more through my college years. There were lots of reasons. I'm still working through all those. For many years whenever I would go into the Dr's office (even for a sore throat) at some point in the visit I'd hear: "Well you know you really need to lose some weight." There was never any direction or support given, just a disapproving look and that "you know..." So I'd head home and I'd try the latest and greatest diet that was being talked about, the bestselling book on the shelf at the bookstore or I'd drop another $100 on a box of DVDs off a late-night infomercial. Sometimes I would lose a few pounds. Sometimes despite following everything to a tee, the scale wouldn't budge. Sometimes I'd even gain weight. It was confusing. I wanted to do something about my health and weight but there were so many mixed messages out there... high protein, low protein, don't eat carbs, eat carbs, don't eat fats, smear that butter and the world was saying losing weight is easy "all you need to do is push away from the table and move more" But really if it was THAT EASY 93 million people wouldn't be affected by excess weight and obesity, now would they?
I had two big "straw that broke the camels back" wake-up call moments. The first was my Dad dying at 67 years old. His official cause of death was congestive heart failure and sleep apnea. He was a big guy. I knew I needed to make some changes or I was more than likely doomed to the same fate and maybe even earlier. The second "straw" happened while watching the news coverage during 9/11. I remember listening to Charles Gibson on Good Morning America reporting that people who worked in the towers were having to evacuate the building, that some had to walk down 86+ flights of stairs, trudging down floor after floor, in single file, having to squeeze past firefighters in full uniform carrying hoses and emergency equipment on their way up to help those on upper floors. He said with no cabs, subways, or buses running to the area the workers were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. I remember thinking... I can't walk the length of the mall without needing several breaks, there is NO WAY I could do that at this weight. It took 5 more years till I had weight loss surgery but the horrific events of that day and that news report was definitely was a major factor in my decision to change my life.
At 35, I had a BMI of 54 with several health issues - severe GERD, severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, High Blood Pressure, all the aches & pains of carrying around the weight of an extra person on a daily basis and a host of other issues related to obesity, all of which were being treated by my doctors and costing my insurance company and myself thousands and thousands of dollars. I was repeatedly denied any weight loss related treatments: no weight loss or fitness programs, nutrition classes, pharmaceuticals, therapy, nothing related to the treatment of weight loss was covered and I was denied weight loss surgery even though I was told by my doctors that many of the painful, debilitating, and life-threatening conditions impacting my health would be potentially relieved and that having weight loss surgery was the best option. I ultimately decided to self-pay in Mexico for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. The 158-pound weight loss I achieved resolved all my health issues, I am off all 8 medications I was on prior to surgery, I have not been to the doctor for anything more than routine check-ups in the 8 years since having surgery (a considerable savings to my insurance company) I hope to continue to live a healthy life and am happy with my decision to self-pay thankfully I was financially able at the time (though my vehicle needs to run forever) and thorough research led me to a great facility and surgeon but I should never have had to go out of my country or decimate my savings in order to get treatment. It seems like a no-brainer for insurance to treat obesity versus the expensive chronic diseases obesity places you at risk for. It was this struggle to get treatment for my obesity that led me to become active in the Obesity Action Coalition and where I currently serve on the National Board of Directors.
Having weight loss surgery was the best decision of my life. *it's not a solution for everyone* but it was the right one for me. It was the head start I needed to change my life. I want to stress it goes hand in hand with healthy eating, daily exercise and most importantly (and the hardest part in my opinion) working on the head stuff... the why's of why I gained weight. So what you will find here on The World According to Eggface are recipes and menus, tips, product reviews, and ramblings about my life post weight loss surgery. I love to cook. I have always loved to cook. It's my creative outlet. I was scared that having weight loss surgery would put an end to my days in the kitchen but happily, it did not. I actually get to be even more creative by analyzing a favorite recipe and seeing where I can make changes to make a healthier version of a pre-op favorite. In fact, I enjoy food even more instead of the carby fillers that I used to eat to fill the void (P.S. that void that was both physical & emotional) I enjoy putting foods in my body that are delicious, nutritious and above all yummy.
Thank you for sharing the blog with others and I hope it gives you or someone you love a few new ideas or inspiration.
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Me, post weight loss surgery walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Because I can!
Was I afraid? Sure, but I chose a Surgeon I had faith in and I let the expert do his thing. I also made peace with the fact that I could die I just figured I was a ticking time bomb that was eventually going to die from one of the many co-morbidities I had and frankly, I was "dead" because I wasn't making the most of my time on earth. So I made peace with the fact that if God wanted to take me he would and that was that. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
P.S. Mortality rates for bariatric surgery are super low and in-line with common surgeries like gallbladder removal and appendectomies. See my Links & Resources page above for more info.
Why Eggface? When I was researching my weight loss surgery options I went on a few message boards and I didn't feel comfortable posting my before picture so I used a bacon and egg smile avatar. From time to time, I would share a recipe online and people started to say "Oh it was that Eggface girl's recipe." Eggface was born. It stuck.
You can also find me every day on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
For Advertising, Recipe Development, Sponsorship, Giveaway or Brand Ambassador Opportunities see my Sponsor page.
Was I afraid? Sure, but I chose a Surgeon I had faith in and I let the expert do his thing. I also made peace with the fact that I could die I just figured I was a ticking time bomb that was eventually going to die from one of the many co-morbidities I had and frankly, I was "dead" because I wasn't making the most of my time on earth. So I made peace with the fact that if God wanted to take me he would and that was that. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
P.S. Mortality rates for bariatric surgery are super low and in-line with common surgeries like gallbladder removal and appendectomies. See my Links & Resources page above for more info.
Why Eggface? When I was researching my weight loss surgery options I went on a few message boards and I didn't feel comfortable posting my before picture so I used a bacon and egg smile avatar. From time to time, I would share a recipe online and people started to say "Oh it was that Eggface girl's recipe." Eggface was born. It stuck.