Califlower83

I am two years and one month out. I drink a few beers a week, I just look a hell of a lot hotter doing it now than when I was 112 pounds fatter.

@@The Candidate omg I laughed so much reading your pranks! You're like a real Jim Halpert (the office) but sadly I don't work in an office so I'd have to think of some other way of revenge lol

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

I would add, in the TMI category, I would like to be able to look down and see my private parts without a belly in the way!!!
I also would like to sit on a wooden or metal folding chair without breaking it.
After 70# down and almost 3 months, the victories keep coming. I can bend over and weed my garden without getting down on the ground, and when I do get on the ground, I can get up without using something to rise. I actually bought a T-shirt, extra large tall, at JC Penny yesterday, I honestly cannot remember buying a garment in a regular store.
Good thread, thanks!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

@@The Candidate omg I laughed so much reading your pranks! You're like a real Jim Halpert (the office) but sadly I don't work in an office so I'd have to think of some other way of revenge lol

Sweating to death while I dry/straighten my hair.
Having to stuff my body into Shapewear and then have said shapewear clipped to my bra to stop it from rolling.
Needing help with buckling my shoes because they're too tight.
Bra extender.
Needing to basically marinate my body in Icy/Hot or Tiger Balm after a workout because my joints hurt so bad.
Untagging myself in unflattering photos after an event LOL
Dont miss these things.

I just decided two weeks ago to research wls. I've been fighting this for 25 years and I can't do it anymore. It is my plan to do the surgery at the end of November or early December. This post came to me at the perfect time!
Top 10 Things I won't miss:
10. Having to shop in the basement of department stores. It's like Macy's is ashamed of me! Let's put the fatties down there.
9. Lord, the sweating! Especially after I shower because what is the point?
8. Showing up to social events with my make-up sliding off my face from sweating and/or social anxiety. I look cute when I leave the house, but look like a sloppy hot mess when I arrive somewhere.
7. Sweat dripping off me after I vacuum my studio apartment.
6. Dating without explaining my weight!
5. Another sweating one...going for a long walk in the winter and sweating because my jacket is too warm. I live in Minnesota.
4. Weighing more than my male friends, some twice as much.
3. Being the only overweight person in my family.
2. Not blowing out the crotch in my favorite pair of pants. Seriously not cool to have this happen at work!
1. My cats will hopefully stop kneeding my front butt, aka my gut!
Thank you all for making me laugh and for the amazing encouragement!

@@The Candidate omg I laughed so much reading your pranks! You're like a real Jim Halpert (the office) but sadly I don't work in an office so I'd have to think of some other way of revenge lol

@@The Candidate omg I laughed so much reading your pranks! You're like a real Jim Halpert (the office) but sadly I don't work in an office so I'd have to think of some other way of revenge lol

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

As a child myself and my 2 siblings were adopted by my aunt who was in her 20's and had 2 kids of her own. She worked hard to take care of us and was not always around because of that, growing up there were a lot of quick foods around to tide us over until she came home to cook. We would eat cup of noodles, TV dinners, microwave burritos, chips, soda, and Cookies. Because there was not a lot of supervision we ate as much as we wanted. Later when I should have been outside playing and being active I was inside cooking up horribly fattening concoctions like fried burritos, fresh french fries covered in a whole can of chili, home made doughnuts, chocolate sandwiches, or Breakfast ice cream ( ice cream with Cereal on top).
I think my aunt wanted to prove that she was able to provide for us so there was a lot of overdoing it. On field trips we would have the biggest lunches, I would actually be embarrassed! 2 can sodas, chips, candy bars, hostess cakes, and a 6 inch sandwich from subway! My whole family would eat like this but I know now I ate my feelings from my mother leaving and abandonment.
By the time I realized what eating like this was doing to me I was 250 in high school and from there tried just about everything to try getting the weight off. I don't really blame anyone though, nutrition wasn't something that was taught so nobody thought about it until much later down the road.
Looking back it's no surprise I was overweight my whole life, I'm actually surprised I didn't gain more than I did!

As a child myself and my 2 siblings were adopted by my aunt who was in her 20's and had 2 kids of her own. She worked hard to take care of us and was not always around because of that, growing up there were a lot of quick foods around to tide us over until she came home to cook. We would eat cup of noodles, TV dinners, microwave burritos, chips, soda, and Cookies. Because there was not a lot of supervision we ate as much as we wanted. Later when I should have been outside playing and being active I was inside cooking up horribly fattening concoctions like fried burritos, fresh french fries covered in a whole can of chili, home made doughnuts, chocolate sandwiches, or Breakfast ice cream ( ice cream with Cereal on top).
I think my aunt wanted to prove that she was able to provide for us so there was a lot of overdoing it. On field trips we would have the biggest lunches, I would actually be embarrassed! 2 can sodas, chips, candy bars, hostess cakes, and a 6 inch sandwich from subway! My whole family would eat like this but I know now I ate my feelings from my mother leaving and abandonment.
By the time I realized what eating like this was doing to me I was 250 in high school and from there tried just about everything to try getting the weight off. I don't really blame anyone though, nutrition wasn't something that was taught so nobody thought about it until much later down the road.
Looking back it's no surprise I was overweight my whole life, I'm actually surprised I didn't gain more than I did!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

Wow there are so many things I can't wait to stop doing once I lose the weight.
Sweating- I currently sweat profusely like all the time! A co worker of mine thinks it's cute to come over and wipe my sweaty face all the time, I feel so embarrassed every time!
Being able to bend- I have to either open my legs wide or put my leg out to ben over and get something because my belly is in the way.
Chair scoping- When I go anywhere I have to scan the room and decide which chair I think will hold me, be comfortable, and I'll be able to get out of with ease.
Shopping at a store- I pretty much do all my shopping online because going to the store is a hassle. Not only because it's hard to feel good in clothes when you don't like your body, but also the sweating when trying on clothes.
sleeping anywhere- I snore like a wild animal and I hate falling asleep in front of people because they always need to mention it as if I don't know I snore!! I'm always trying to stay awake on planes and car rides to avoid the embarrassment!
Handicap bathrooms- This one makes me feel like an a**hole! I always go to the big stall so I can have enough room to maneuver for cleaning (tmi but true)
I'm glad to see so many people saying the sweating problem stopped!! There is hope!!

As a child myself and my 2 siblings were adopted by my aunt who was in her 20's and had 2 kids of her own. She worked hard to take care of us and was not always around because of that, growing up there were a lot of quick foods around to tide us over until she came home to cook. We would eat cup of noodles, TV dinners, microwave burritos, chips, soda, and Cookies. Because there was not a lot of supervision we ate as much as we wanted. Later when I should have been outside playing and being active I was inside cooking up horribly fattening concoctions like fried burritos, fresh french fries covered in a whole can of chili, home made doughnuts, chocolate sandwiches, or Breakfast ice cream ( ice cream with Cereal on top).
I think my aunt wanted to prove that she was able to provide for us so there was a lot of overdoing it. On field trips we would have the biggest lunches, I would actually be embarrassed! 2 can sodas, chips, candy bars, hostess cakes, and a 6 inch sandwich from subway! My whole family would eat like this but I know now I ate my feelings from my mother leaving and abandonment.
By the time I realized what eating like this was doing to me I was 250 in high school and from there tried just about everything to try getting the weight off. I don't really blame anyone though, nutrition wasn't something that was taught so nobody thought about it until much later down the road.
Looking back it's no surprise I was overweight my whole life, I'm actually surprised I didn't gain more than I did!

The sweating thing is the biggest thing for me. I used to sweat heavily to the point all my baseball caps would have huge salt and sweat marks after 2 or 3 days of wear. Even at like 75 degree temps. Now i dont sweat at all. all the body sprays and powders i no longer have to use are a testament to this. lol But the tables in a restaurant, etc are all so true. My other one is in my small bathroom shower, i used to always complain about the shower curtain basically being on top of me, now i have all this room to spare, its quite amazing. I used to have this "big persons" special office chair that was extra wide and had a weight limit of 800 pounds, for my home use, but i gave it away and now i sit in a regular office chair with room to spare. being able to drive my wifes car without having tp push the seat all the way back. Or sit in the back seat of a two door car. I actually test drove a mini cooper, a MINI! i mean seriously , had i even tried that before it wouldve been laughable. Also the towel thing is oh so true. I havent been able to wrap a normal towel around my waist without having to walk with one hand holding the ends together. But i did it the other day for the first time it kind of made me tear up a little.
The biggest thing i will miss , is all the health issues. My legs now have normal circulation and as a result the hair grew back on them.
Sigh, why didnt i do this a long time ago. lol

For me I feel like my whole life has been straws breaking the camels back and me ignoring it or looking the other way.
Well the first is being overweight my whole life! Having a kid point out that I had stretch marks in the 5th or 6th grade, being called the "fat April" in 8th grade when another girl named April started at the same school, getting my first drivers license and lying about being 190lbs (which to this I've never weighed, or changed), to having to describe myself as a BBW/"more to love" on dating sites almost as more of a disclaimer than a description of who I am.
Next feeling like I have tried EVERY diet just to loose a little and gain a lot more, and I am now heavier than I have ever been! I've been on Weight watchers (3 times), slim-fast, xenedrine, phentermine, south beach, Atkins, the lemonade diet, bee pollen pills, juicing, HCG (both 800 and 500 calorie versions), and straight up starvation! I got down to 210 on HCG but it was so hard to maintain on my own that since I've crept up to the doorstep of 300lbs!
After that, watching my mother and sister go through weight related complications from diabetes and high blood pressure. My sister is only 40 and she is facing knee surgery and can no longer work! My mother is not yet 60 and is experiencing everything from glaucoma to episodes of diabetic shock and kidney problems, which is beyond scary knowing my grandmother died from complications at around 58.
In addition to all that, gaining more than 60 pounds in the last few years has forced me to notice how much my life has changed for the worst, I can barely lift my leg up to tie my shoe, I've had to have my work uniform repaired so many times I've been wearing pants with broken clasps the last few months because I'm too embarrassed to get them fixed again, having swollen feet and ankles in the mornings, sweating like a pig from a brisk walk, being short of breath when I have a lot to say (that's right talking leaves me gasping for air!), making excuses and straight up lying about why I'm sweating or short of breath ("I ran here from my car cause I didn't want to be late!"), having thousands of dollars worth of brand new clothes with tags on because every "motivation dress" I buy gets replaced by 2 pairs of fat jeans!!
Lastly wanting to live! I'm in my early 30's and about 8 years ago one of my best friends had gastric bypass and I told myself I was going to do it on my own and I would never have to do something so drastic! Now I'm wishing I would have done it then, here I am almost 32, single with zero prospects while everyone I know is getting married or on their second baby (even girls I used to babysit are getting engaged!), not having the confidence to go for the things I want in life ( finding out I got passed over for a promotion because I was too scared to apply), and I am finding myself pulling away from friends and family, I lie about having to work because I don't want to go out and be the fat friend, I avoid pictures at family functions, I'll designate my self to stay in and babysit so I don't have to go out, I spent the last 2 trips to Vegas mostly in the hotel room, I have never been on a roller coaster because I have always been afraid of being too fat ( but I lie and say I'm scared of them), I haven't flown in a while but I have anxiety every time I think about the seat belts or spilling over into the next persons seat.
I am still in the very early stages of the process, I have my orientation next month, but my doctor told me I was a candidate for the sleeve and I have had a physical and lab work done. I am hoping things go smoothly with the insurance, but I'm totally willing to go to Mexico and pay out of pocket because I really feel like I need this surgery to avoid a life for being a sick, sad, shut in!
Sorry for the super long post but not only did I want to share my reasons for considering the surgery, but also needing to vent to people that understand what I'm going through!

whoops meant to post this in post-op, but might be encouraging for pre-ops!

My breaking point was Diabetes.
Up to that point, I was quite happy being the kind of person who could eat anything I wanted to. I certainly was never going to join a gym or eat salads every day. I went many years without even trying a single diet plan. The trade offs of not being able to go on roller coasters or sit at a booth at a restaurant didn't have that much of an impact. My knee started to deteriorate, but even that didn't bother me until an accident damaged the only good knee I had left. When I couldn't climb stairs or pick something up off the floor AT ALL, that should have bothered me, but it didn't.
Diabetes did the trick, though. I started eating a low carb diet and exercising to maintain my blood sugar. I ended up joining a gym and eventually adopted the daily salad habit. I hit the grieving process pretty hard when I stopped eating my favorite foods. Through that diagnosis, I was pushed to become a healthier person and had to fight the battle between the behaviors I should be adopting (the healthy ones) with the habits I really missed (the unhealthy ones).

Honestly, it was a breaking point. At 314 lbs I had zero energy, was depressed and food was a sort of comforting friend. My boyfriend and I were building all leisure activities around eating out, having 1-2 cocktails every night, cooking big meals and being inactive.
At work I was miserable, low self-esteem and just didn't want to be there.
So, I did a 3 week IOP on mindfulness and meditation, starting to make small changes like eliminating Desserts and caloric liquids, implemented more activity into my schedule and just having more compassion and acceptance for myself.
Now I'm just starting this thing, had surgery a week ago and already down 30 lbs from my top weight.
It's a time to dream big and reach for the stars. I'm at the highest level in my life but I know it's gonna be hard work. I still love food, to cook and to entertain and I just know that having a smaller tummy will mean I can still do these things and love them, but in a more moderate and healthful way.
It's going to be an interesting ride and I'm open for all possibilities.