I've seen topics like this in the past and it's always interesting to read the responses. I want to know, what was the last straw for you? What made you decide that enough was enough and it was time to look into surgery?

For me it was two things

1. Realizing that I'd gained so much weight my watch didn't fit anymore. I've worn a watch every day of my life since I was 8 years old.

2. Endlessly circling the parking lot, looking for a space close to the door because I knew that I'd never make it inside if I parked farther away.

Mine was pictures of my family reunion.

I had this tank dress that I thought I looked great in. And it looked fine in the mirror to ME. It was hot outside. I would normally where a shirt over the tank dress but because of the heat I elected to go to the photograph session in just the tank dress.

When I saw the picture of myself, the first thing I thought to myself was.... OMG you should have worn a shirt!!! I was completely embarrassed and hadn't realized the dress didn't look as good on me as I thought it did.

Honestly, If I had worn a shirt over the tank dress, I don't think I would have even gotten to the point I am at right now. I have seen myself many times at this weight fully dressed in pictures.

Not only did it not look good, it looked inappropriate. Kind of in the way if, I wondered onto the beach in a bikini bathing suit. That was my last straw and I made the appointment for the seminar the day I received a copy of the picture.

Mine is the fact that I can't see my family until I lose weight. My dad's side of the family is very superficial. Every time I talk to my grandmother, it's "How's WW going," or "Have you been using that treadmill?" My dad's current wife is very thin, probably 5'2, 115 lbs, if that. Even before my real fatness days, I saw her watching everything I would eat. Some people don't know how to have conversations about anything other than food/exercising, and that's my family.

I asked my dad one time to write me a prescription for something to help with the breaking out on my face, and he told me, "You know, when I was your age and was breaking out, I just hopped on the treadmill, does a lot of good."

Love the family, loves them.

My daughter turned 21, and started making noises about moving out, and my son started high school. As I contemplated what to do with the extra "me" time, I eventually came to the realization that I have been delaying getting a life outside of raising them since my husband died 13 years ago, and using my excess weight to do it. And I turned 50, and started thinking about whether I wanted to have more healthy years or risk getting diabetes, heart problems, etc. and dying earlier. That's when I finally made an appointment with the surgeon and started the process.

My final straw was the decline in my health. I have end-stage arthritis in my knee and need a total knee replacement. The orthopedic surgeon told me I would face a 6 month recovery at my pre-band weight versus a 6 week recovery at a weight less than 200 pounds. Also, the life of the joint replacement is lessened the more weight you carry.

My "reward" when I lose the weight is not a day at the spa or some fancy trip... it's an end to the daily pain I have once I can get that new knee. LOL.

Mine was two fold, 1: that I was taking five shots a day for my diabetes(living in the 250 to 350 blood sugar range) and was still gaining weight, 2: at work I was on an elevator and one of my fellow employees asked when I was going to have my baby, I am a male by the way, when I told her that wasn't very nice she just laughed. That had happened many times before and that time just put me over the edge, dieting had never really worked long term so Lap Band was the way to go and I am glad I did it.

Mine was when I was standing by a smorhasbord at a wedding stuffing my face with Pasta and meat so that I can quckly finish whats on my plate and refill it with spare ribs that were just brought out. As I was chewing, my dads life long friend came over to me and said, "Saul I was exactly like you at your age, I ate everything as fast as I could so that I could eat some more, I was heavy my whole life and thought it was all a joke, well let me show you something". He then took off his tie and opened up the buttons of his shirt, right there in the middle of someones wedding, he showed me a scar from his neck down to his crotch and told me, "See this scar, because of my weight I underwent a quadruple emergency bypas, the only reason for me coming close to death was that I was carrying around all that belly fat, just like you, if you like these scars keep doing what your doing and hopefully you wont die from a heart attack, if you want smaller scars and a lifetime of being thin then check out lap band surgery".

Boy am I glad he did that. I will never forget that image. Thanks Irwin.

When 4x t-shirts was my size. I knew then I have to do something.

I am so glad banding information came into my life.

edie 7-7--6 247 8-28-06 224lbs

My last straws were when I stopped fitting into chairs with arms, booths at restaurants, and movie theater seats comfortably, coupled with the inability to walk a block without being winded. Currently I'm a little over six months out and have lost 45 pounds. I'm cautiously optomistic...

I was not expecting "my last straw." I thought I was going to an orthopedic surgeon to get some relief from chronic ankle pain. He is the one who was brave enough to tell me that if I was going to weigh 290 or so, there wasn't anything he could possibly do that would actually help. As I sat there stunned, he referred me to a lap-band surgeon. Something in his straight-forward approach finally opened my eyes. At that time, my mom was in the hospital, still in the hospital after 5 months...and though I didn't know it then, was in the last week of her life. They say God works in mysterious ways...it all came together for me. I knew I had to do something to improve my health, that I was not doing it "on my own." I had my family's full support, and even though my mom passed away, I went ahead with the surgery two weeks later.

Sometimes, the last straw is a true blessing.

Omg..Everyone's stories are making me weepy, because I can so relate but more because everyone did something about it. My last straw was on vacation at Lake Chelan this year, we rented a ski boat and I was inner tubing when I fell off the tube and realized I couldn't pull myself back up on the boat, using the ladder. My surgery is on Thursday..Praise GOD!

Mine was in Hawaii in May. Two things really. One, we were on the third floor of the condo place, and climbing those 2 flights of stairs were so hard for me.

The second was trying to climb up a washed-up hill from a beach. It took DH and an uncle to literaly push and pull me up. I was mortified.

for me it was 2 years from turning 40 yrs old. I gave myself 2 years to lose this weight. I succedded I turned 40 this past April

I just wanted to get my life back.

I was at my in-laws house chasing around after one of the little kids and realized that A. I couldn't catch this kid inside the house and B. I was so out of breath I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

I sat there at my house that night thinking if I can't catch this one kid inside a house, how will I ever keep up with my own kids when I have them. I determined that night that I wasn't going to miss out on having kids and playing and being alive anymore.

A bad GP who kept telling me I won't lose enough weight with the Lapband convinced me to stop listening to others and determine what I needed to do myself.

Thank god for Dr Geiss, his staff and the support of the dietician, therapist and all the normal people who show up for the third tuesday meeting every month.

Even though I have not had the surgery yet , I had been looking into it for over a year off and on . Well of course I was tired of not breathing well and my back, hips and knee's hurting . But MY LAST STRAW was a few months ago I saw an old friend that I had no seen in about 8 yrs ( when i was Skinny) He patted my stomach and said " when are you due " I wanted to crawl in a hole and die . I just said " Im not pregnant im just Fat " and walked off. I went home and cried the rest of the night. I realized then that the only time he had seen me overweight was when I was pregnant with my son , so he just assumed. That was when i decided I had enough and wanted the surgery .

I'll be 31 on the 6th and use to say that im glad i had my kids young so I could enjoy them and be the " cool " mom that played with them and took them cool places. I cant do that now . what's the use of being a cool mom if you dont want to or cant go anywhere due to your wait. I HATE Living where i live now , its the same area i went to high school , I am modified if i run into someone from high school . I know they think " God what happened to her " . SO im READY , just need the $$ . Sorry that felt good to say .

Thanks

Mindy

PS 48 hours with out a cigarette lol :angry