Lyn Ohlensehlen: Weight loss was her birthday present

“I weighed 271 pounds when I decided I couldn’t live like that anymore,” remembers Lyn Ohlensehlen, 51, of Davenport. “I hadn’t been heavy as a child but I gained steadily as an adult. I didn’t eat that much, but what I did eat put on the pounds.

“I began to worry that I wouldn’t be around for the love of my life, my grandson, Alec. My knees hurt and my blood pressure was starting to climb. Heart problems ran in my family, so I knew what I was in for.

“The last straw was on a trip to Dallas. First, I had to get a seat belt extender on the plane. Then, I had to share the backseat of a car with two other people. I was mortified. But one of the passengers told me later about her own gastric bypass surgery and that got me thinking about it.

“I came home and talked to my husband about it. I was tired of always being the heaviest person in the room. I was tired of worrying. So, I gave myself the surgery for my 50th birthday.

“I weigh 140 pounds now, and am so happy. I can mow my grass and lug my laundry. I can clean my house and garden. I even enjoy shopping for clothes for the first time in years.

“When Alec was here this summer, he said, ‘Grandma, you look like Jamie Lee Curtis now!’ What a compliment! I love being thin, and I love the energy and well-being I have. But most of all, I love knowing that I’ll be around for Alec. He deserves that.”