What made you do it?

[A New Day 5]

I'm so sorry for your loss Brian.

[kellyw74 258]

Sorry for your loss Brian. I am so happy that you have new found health!

Kelly

[ILKrista 36]

I had been wishing myself invisible for years. I was so big & I just wished no one would notice me. I hadn't been on a date in 7 years & only had a few trusted girlfriends. I was miserable. The tipping point for me was when I started working as a children's librarian & I would get asked at least once a month by a 3-5 year old "Why are you so fat?" "Why is your belly so big?" They didn't mean it in a mean way, but it was HUMILIATING for me, especially since they would ask in front of my coworkers or while I was in front of their entire class to doing a storytime for a school visit. I didn't want to be the person who was so huge the kids felt they had to ask about it.

Krista

[Shea 13]

For me it was a couple of things. One being that I love to travel with my kids being a single parent and I just couldnt enjoy our vacations at a heavy weight. It was hard to walk long distances, drive long distances, and ride rides with my children now ages 12 and 5. <BR><BR>My ultimate breaking point was earlier this year when I went for a job interview, a job I really wanted and was well qualified for. I was top two of over a hundred candidates. I thought I could do this, I got this. I was dressed sharp, had all of my answers together and went into the interview with confidence. Well I remember one of the ladies I had a private interview with looked me up and down literally from head to toe the whole interview, even stared at my hands. She had a small office so I'm sure my size was even more magnified. I knew she was saying I dont think this woman can handle the job, she's too big to handle the demands. I'm 30 years old. Well of course I didnt ge the job, but the way this lady treated me in the interview bothered me and made me have an ahha moment with myself. I stopped job hunting for the moment as I finish my masters degree. Once I'm finished with my degree I want to go back out in the job market confident in my abilities and my apperance. I havent had the surgery yet, this month is my last doctor visit for my supervised diet so hopefully I will have my surgery in November. I'm ready, I'm ready for me, my children, and my career!

[SittingPretty 16]

As many of you, I too have yo-yo dieted and failed. BUT, what really made me decide was a series of "aha" moments. My kids are teenagers now and I have made them miss out on sooo many things because I was too fat/embarrassed to take them when they were younger. The beach...only if it's private. Skiing....avalanche anyone?? Vacations....always planned around MY limitations. It is VERY embarrassing to start to breath heavy when going up a slight incline!! My kids deserve better. My husband deserves better. I deserve better. I want to play with my future grandkids, not be dead or in a jazzy scooter.

@Shea- I can relate to the interview. As I got fatter, I noticed my job recognition/opportunities faded. People seem to think fat equals incompetent and lazy.

Oh, one last one...I am in NO pictures. It's like I don't exist. Holidays, birthdays etc. I took all the pictures so I couldn't be photographed.

[kellyw74 258]

So many times I felt the same way!! Almost like I wasn't given an opportunity because of my size. It is so disturbing. Now that I have lost 100lbs, it is amazing how differently I am treated and it almost makes me mad. I mean it is nice to finally be treated right, but at the same time I think, if I were 100lbs heavier, you wouldn't treat me that way. HOW SAD!!!

I am proud of you for making your health and career a priority. When you do have your surgery, go get em' and never settle for less than you deserve!

Hugs,

Kelly

For me it was a couple of things. One being that I love to travel with my kids being a single parent and I just couldnt enjoy our vacations at a heavy weight. It was hard to walk long distances, drive long distances, and ride rides with my children now ages 12 and 5. <BR><BR>My ultimate breaking point was earlier this year when I went for a job interview, a job I really wanted and was well qualified for. I was top two of over a hundred candidates. I thought I could do this, I got this. I was dressed sharp, had all of my answers together and went into the interview with confidence. Well I remember one of the ladies I had a private interview with looked me up and down literally from head to toe the whole interview, even stared at my hands. She had a small office so I'm sure my size was even more magnified. I knew she was saying I dont think this woman can handle the job, she's too big to handle the demands. I'm 30 years old. Well of course I didnt ge the job, but the way this lady treated me in the interview bothered me and made me have an ahha moment with myself. I stopped job hunting for the moment as I finish my masters degree. Once I'm finished with my degree I want to go back out in the job market confident in my abilities and my apperance. I havent had the surgery yet, this month is my last doctor visit for my supervised diet so hopefully I will have my surgery in November. I'm ready, I'm ready for me, my children, and my career!

[To Be Thin 2011 80]

My driving force was my kids... My desire to be active and participate in my kids lives.

I did not want my kids to have to take care of me, like I have to my mom.

My mom is in a wheelchair due to her wieght., she has had both knees and hips replaced, would not stay with the therapy because "it was hard", so it was much easier to live her life in a wheel chair rather than try to get up and walk.

I realize how many things my mom miss' out on because of her wheelchair, we cant get it into most houses because of steps, she wieghs over 300 pounds, so to lift her up steps it takes 3 men lifting the wheel chair, it is just a pain... I saw my mom as an active, social woman, let her life go and eat, eat, eat until she litterally could not hold up her wieght anymore and is now handicap.

I swore I would not let that happen to me, and with my weight over 300 I was already heading the same route as my mom. I would not do that to my kids..

My only regret was waiting so long to have this surgery...

[LindaS 316]

This summer, there were several moments where I couldn't do something because of my weight. I didn't fit, or I was winded doing mild things. I couldn't even do things I had done a year before. I had managed to maintain my weight for a while, but this summer it seemed to spiral out of control again. I'd done diet pills, and they didn't work anymore. I was feeling ugly, and it was impacting my moods. For a long time, my husband has teased me about my "granny shirts" that I wear to work. This summer I finally explained to him about the limited options in my size. I started talking to him more about my weight and my worries. I thought of all the painful things in the last couple of years and realized, I needed a more permanent change. I am thrilled with the results, and it has been a month since my surgery.

[DrMommy 4]

I went to the doctor for a physical and was told I was morbidly obese". It scared me. I have two kids....5 and 7. I think it is horrible selfish to bring children into this world and not do everything you can to live for them. I don't give a crap about vanity. I want health.

[Sassygirl06 962]

the last pair of jeans i had bought were a size 26....i used to fit into a size 6. i swore that i would never end up looking like i do. when i bought those jeans i realized i was already bigger then where i swore i would never get. even though i am still recovering i dont regret it a bit. thank god for making the doctor who came up with this surgery!

[CT Fats 82]

Some great answers! It seems we all have similar reasons for our decision. And I commend all of you for your courage and fortitude.

[favoredone 590]

For me, it was the day I started "feeling my weight"... I fell down my basement stairs and injured my back... I was working out 3-4 times a week before my accident.. After I couldn't work out anymore and then 3 months later I broke my foot.. I started gaining all the weight I'd lost back..

That wasn't the main problem.. I started having trouble getting in and out of my truck and climbing the stairs to my 2nd floor. I was doing both of those things w/ ease and 35 -50 lbs more weight. I think the injuries to my back and foot could not heal properly because of my size and the fact that I wasn't moving like I normally did...

This summer reinforced my decision to get sleeved... as I was treated like a "customer of size" by a SWA airline agent... LOL.. I'd flown to DC two weeks prior w/ no problem.. but this guy wants to make a huge deal out of me being on a HUGE plane w/ 40 passengers!!! This nut actually wanted me to purchase a 2nd seat.. and the plane was almost empty!! Of course I asked for a supervisor who immediately told him he was out of line... but I realized then, I couldn't back out of the 6 month MSWL and neither could I be afraid to have surgery in 4 months... I was so hurt and disgusted... I can't imagine being 40 and morbidly obese..

My friends and family don't think I need WLS, only because they don't know how it feels to be in my body.. They see the big personality, the talent and intelligence... but I feel my back hurting and foot aching from walking and standing for so long...

At my appt w/ a pulmonary specialist yesterday he told me that he was proud of me and glad that I made a decision to have surgery.. He said that I am very healthy, but also very morbidly obese and one of those things was going to change very soon!!..

I know which one!!!

[minniekitty 44]

I love this topic

I had it done because my weight got out of control. Without a serious intervention, I'd continue gaining 10 lbs a year (and likely more over time) indefinitely. I of course tried to monitor and control my food intake, but my stomach was an insatiable beast. I'd eat an entire (huge portion) entree at a restaurant, and STILL be hungry for more. I was a hardcore grazer, but still could fit in huge "meals" with 2nds or 3rds.

I outgrew my 16's (that I hated), and went to the 18's. That was hard for me, moving up a size. I gained 40 lbs in the past 4 years. I thought I was ridiculously fat at 185 lbs, and I looked back at 225 and wished I was that size again.

I used date a guy who was with me while I gained my weight and ballooned from my original 185lbs. He would tell me how I looked disgusting and made him want to vomit. How it was embarrassing to be in public with me, how I looked like a fat loser. I had a prominent 2nd chin and a pendulous belly, he'd say. Granted, he was an a**hole and I am so much better off after I stopped talking to him, but those kinds of comments are hard to let go. The irony is that he had the RNY about 5 years ago, so you'd think he'd have more compassion for my weight problem. I have heard that people who used to be fat can be harder on other fat people, though (probably as a defense mechanism because they don't want to get fat again)...

My weight was an easy "go-to" when someone wanted to hurt me. I was afraid to confront others, because they'd target me for my weight.

I have dieted in the past, but I'd gain the weight back. I admit I probably could have tried "harder" on my diets, but after awhile I'd feel so hungry and deprived that I'd quit after a few months. I still wish that I could have been able to lose weight the "hard" or "real way", but I know that I'd fail. With diet and exercise alone, I'd have a 95-98% chance of gaining the weight back. I wanted a permanent solution. I look to my mom and aunt- both lifetime yo-yo dieters. I didn't want that for myself. My aunt had the sleeve 2 years ago, and for the first time in decades, she's thin and staying thin (although she has gained 15 lbs). I can't give up on this diet, because my new stomach won't let me. My sleeve will carry me on this weight loss journey, even if I kick and scream all the way there.

I let my weight stop me. I didn't want to go out, because I was afraid of being the "fat girl". I didn't have my picture taken, because I hated looking at them. I had people get mad at me for avoiding getting my picture taken. I wish there were more pictures of me now, but there aren't. I want to change that. I know at 23 it may sound odd to say, but I do wish I had the surgery sooner (when I turned 18). Sooner so I could be thin now. Sooner so I could make up for my early young adulthood that I wasted being fat.

Half of my family is obese, and they suffer from hypertension, diabetes, and joint problems. That is not a future I want for myself. I know that reaching my goal weight of 145 won't be a magical cure-all and solve all my problems, but at least I'll not have 80 lbs of extra weight to carry. At least I'll look good and not be fat. At least I'll have my health. At least I won't lose my breath from climbing up 2 flights of stairs. At least I won't sweat at the drop of a hat.

I do worry about regaining the weight if I have kids, though. Oh well, I'll deal with that problem if it happens!

[Shea 13]

Thank you Girly. It hurts but I know after surgery I will be ready to get back into the game. I can't wait to post the success and how I landed my dream job while working my dream body.

Shea

So many times I felt the same way!! Almost like I wasn't given an opportunity because of my size. It is so disturbing. Now that I have lost 100lbs, it is amazing how differently I am treated and it almost makes me mad. I mean it is nice to finally be treated right, but at the same time I think, if I were 100lbs heavier, you wouldn't treat me that way. HOW SAD!!!

I am proud of you for making your health and career a priority. When you do have your surgery, go get em' and never settle for less than you deserve!

Hugs,

Kelly

[YOLANDA240 13]

Great question: I was tired of being sick and having doctors tell me due to your weight this problem is more serious and I wanted to give my daughter a life with activity, good eating habits so she would not have weight issues. This is what started me on the path of researching WLS, when I made the decision to have surgery was when I received my CPAP machine this was the last straw I refused to go the rest of my life hooked up to a machine before going to bed.

Just Curious, if anybody had a defininig moment when they made up their mind that the weight had to come off. I will start it off. I was at the playground with my son and there weren't many kids around so I decided to play with him. After chasing him around for fifteen minutes I couldn't go on. I was hot, sweaty and felt like I would pass out. I took him away from his fun in the sun so I could get back to my easy chair and the air conditioner. I wasn't gonna let my fatness ruin his childhood.