On February 24th, 2016, I did something that would have an impact my life forever. I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, or VSG for short. VSG is a type of weight loss surgery in which the surgeon removes 70% of your stomach, reducing the size of it. Therefore, as you eat you will become fuller faster and not eat as much. Once I learned more about VSG and that I was qualified to have it, I knew it was the right decision for me.

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All my life, I have never been lean, slim, or thin. Being naturally built bigger, I knew I would never be a skinny, petite girl. I've never had a flat stomach, never have been able to walk in shorts in the summer without getting "chub rub," or confidently wear a bikini. Since I was around five years old, I always had a belly and chunky arms. "Oh, it's just baby weight, it'll go away," relatives and family friends would constantly say to me with a smile. Only, it didn't go away but just became worse every year as I grew older.

I knew I had an addiction to food, but I didn't do anything to stop it. Food was always there for me. It was comforting and there was no better feeling than indulging in a huge piece of cake and ice cream. When I was sad, stressed, angry, happy, or excited, I simply ate. Eating helped me cope with any emotion that came my way, and nothing else satisfied me like food did. Eventually, when I started high school, I joined the gym. I lost some weight, but I gained it back, and it went up and down.

During my junior year of high school, I tipped the scale at 315 pounds (my highest weight). To put it bluntly, that scared the shit out of me. My primary physician brought up the idea of a weight loss surgery. My mom and I did research and made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon. Being 17 at the time, many hospitals would not perform bariatric surgery on a minor, and I had to trek all the way out to Port Jefferson on Long Island, over an hour away from my home.

When I met the surgeon, he was super kind and made me aware of all the options that were available to me. Different surgeries include lap band and gastric bypass, but with the help of my surgeon, we decided that VSG would be the perfect fit for me. With a VSG surgery, your stomach's size is significantly reduced and can hold at most six ounces of food (my stomach went from the size of a football to the size of a banana!) Prior to my surgery, I had to come to the hospital once a month for six months to get weighed in, in order for my insurance to cover the entire cost of my surgery. In addition, I saw multiple types of doctors, such as a psychologist, nutritionist, cardiologist, etc. This was done in order to clear me for surgery.

Throughout these six months, I learned so many new things and prepared to adjust to my new life after surgery. This wasn't going to be a temporary ordeal, but something permanent that I'd live with forever. My stomach will never go back to the size it was, and I'll always get full quickly. I can never drink anything carbonated, or else my stomach can stretch out and become bloated. I wouldn't be allowed to take certain medicines anymore. Most importantly, my life was about to change for the better.

Two weeks prior to surgery, I had to be on an all liquid diet. I lived on protein shakes, chicken broth, and sugar-free popsicles. Honestly, that had to be one of the toughest parts of the entire process of my surgery. The day finally approached, and I went in to have my surgery. Putting on the hospital gown and having the IV attached to me felt so surreal. As they rolled me into the operating room, that's when it truly hit me. Once I wake up, I'll be a changed person. This is the beginning of my new life, the new Samantha. The anesthesia began clouding up my vision, and I was knocked out.

I woke up with excruciating pain to my abdomen. The surgeon had made six small incisions in that area and it was very painful. I stayed in the hospital overnight and went home the next day. For a month, I ate eggs, cheese, and meat that were finely chopped and mushy. Since my stomach was essentially brand new, I couldn't eat heavy foods (you wouldn't feed an infant steak, right?) As the months went on, I adjusted to normal foods again and saw myself slimming down significantly in certain parts of my body. My arms have always been my biggest insecurity, and I saw them becoming smaller, as well as my chest and thighs.

~progress pics~

I have lost approximately 60 pounds since my surgery. I'm so proud of myself for getting this far. Since moving to college, my weight loss has been slowing down (thanks to the unlimited access to the dining hall and ordering out), but I'm determined to work harder this year to get to my goal weight.

Some people think having bariatric surgery is the easy way out of losing weight. I'm here to let you know that certainly is not the case. I've made many sacrifices in order to have this surgery and be where I am today.

You don't just have the surgery and magically lose all of your excess weight. It requires discipline, determination, and hard work. Many people around me felt I was too young to have this surgery and wasn't ready for it. In my opinion, having weight loss surgery was the best decision I've ever made in my life and I'm so happy I did it. I'm glad to be able to share my story on this platform in order to inspire others and supply information to individuals who may be thinking of having bariatric surgery themselves.

For those who have been pondering on the idea of weight loss surgery, I have one piece of advice: make sure this is something you truly want to do for yourself! Make the decision to have surgery on your own and be sure you are ready. Once it's done, you can never go back.

Overall, you want to feel healthy and confident, and having VSG surgery has helped me feel both.