I didn't want my children to grow up as "the kids with the fat mom..." "the one who couldn't keep up."

"One day my father called to tell me that my sister, who is severely overweight, had a heart attack. He told me he loved me, and he saw that I was headed in the same direction. He pleaded, 'I'm begging you to do something or you'll be next.'

"I knew he was right. I was 23 and weighed 268 pounds. I was determined I would not let it happen to me. I had two small children, and I didn't want them to have a sick mother or copy my lifestyle and eating habits. I was already too tired to play with them. When I heard about the surgical procedure offered at Barix Clinics, I said to myself, 'This is my chance.' "

Susan had proven to herself that dieting was not the solution. "For years, each and every night I promised myself that the next day I would eat less, cut calories and fat, exercise more. And each day I failed. I became lazier, watched a lot of TV and lost all my self-esteem. I stopped fixing my hair and putting on makeup. I didn't care about what I wore. It got to the point that my husband didn't want to go anywhere with me. I didn't blame him."

Eight months after her surgery, Susan had lost over 100 pounds. "My family is happier because I am happier." Filled with energy and self-confidence, she's working on completing her college degree, and has a new job. "I feel like I can do anything."