What was the final thing that you encountered that made you say this is enough? I have had numerous.

1. Leaving a wife and 2 sons, Husbandless and fatherless.

2. Not being able to get on amusement park rides with my sons.

3. Not being able to take my wife to a concert, because i could not fit in a seat.

4. Avoiding restuarant,movie theaters and sports complexes with tiny seats.

For me, walking through a a department store and some little child looking at me like im a alien had to be one the hardest things.

Respectfully,

Joe

A student of mine had a mother pass away who was probably very close to my weight give or take a bit and only about 5-10 years older than me. Although I don't know her specific ailments, being at that funeral really opened my eyes. Particularly watching as the woman's parents and siblings said goodbye was very tough. I was in the surgeon's office before the end of the week.

Wow, this is a heavy question, makes you look back and face the reasons we're here. My story goes back over 40 years, I'm coming on this journey in the later years of my life. Early years were focused on building a career, then raising a family, facing all of lifes trials and tribulations, with occasional excursions into health and self improvement. I think some people are just basically narcisistic, some know the priority of taking care of their own health to be there for their families. But some of us who are obese are much less about self indulgence and more about self sacrifice. We don't spend a lot of time thinking of ourselves, it would be too selfish to focus on our eating and taking time from our families to exercise, their needs always came first.

Now I'm approaching retirement, my lean friends have retired and lead active lives into their seventies and a few beyond. Over the past few years I been diagnosed with OSA, and metabolic syndrome requiring meds for BP, cholesterol, pre diabetes. This past year I've had back issues, pain in my knees, and most recently osteo arthritus in my hip. The orthopedic doctor said, the hip joint damage is permanent, either get some weight off it to buy more time, or replace it now. That's when I realized I've done permanent damage to my body, if my joints are the first to fail, can my heart and other organs be far behind?

It hit me that after a lifetime of hard work between my wife and I, I could be jeopardizing our dream of an active retirement, and new adventures and experiences. I could become more and more invalid and my wife would be strapped with my healthcare just to see to my needs. Worst case, I don't make it and she's left late in her life, as a widow. My GP has said for the past few years that my symptoms are managable, but the clock is ticking. So, it's now or never. For the next couple of years it's going to be all about me, so that I'll have the quality and quantity of life to enjoy my family and be here for their support as they face their challenges. It's a powerful motivator.

Final straws:

Trouble breathing.

Trouble climbing into bed.

Tired of having to buy bigger clothes.

Painful joints.

Enough was finally enough.

Marcia

This one really made me think...only because after being heavy my entire life and having yo-yo weight loss....For me, it was the moment that I had to go and buy more appropriate clothes for work due to a promotion. I was in the fitting room, trying on clothes that, in my mind, I knew I could fit in...only to discover that I had gained an excessive amount of weight that was causing me to purchase clothes that were 3 sizes bigger than what I expected. The thing of it was, about 10 years ago, I was wearing that size clothing and when I lost weight back then, I threw those clothes away and vowed to never return to the larger sizes and there I was, back in it again. I cried, I literally broke down in tears and cried in the fitting room. The next day I found the nearest orientation for WLS and started the journey this time last year!

I want to adopt a child and no one will choose me. I know they see the large single woman and think, "she wont be able to handle a child on her own". My secondary conditions (HBP and type 2 Diabetes) are not helping either.

I started gaining weight 20 years ago when my mother died after a short battle with cancer. 100 pounds later, and going up weekly, I said enough is enough. I had tried everything over the years, spending thousands of dollars in the process, to no avail. I wasn't ever successful. A friend of mine had the gastric sleeve over a year ago and was very happy with the surgery and its results. So, in January, I started the process. Now, I'm Day 7 post op and looking forward to my new life.

I started gaining weight 20 years ago when my mother died after a short battle with cancer. 100 pounds later, and going up weekly, I said enough is enough. I had tried everything over the years, spending thousands of dollars in the process, to no avail. I wasn't ever successful. A friend of mine had the gastric sleeve over a year ago and was very happy with the surgery and its results. So, in January, I started the process. Now, I'm Day 7 post op and looking forward to my new life.

How do you feel one week out now? Are you sore or feeling kind of normal?

I had been in the "researching" phase for quite a long time, then a month ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes. Literally, scared me out of my self-induced coma. I realized then that if I didn't do something "drastic" I was going to die.

I, like many, can check off a list of things that led me here...

1-husband left-cheated on me

2-was molested as a teen

3-depression issues that were undiagnosed for years

4-type 2 diabetes

5-high blood pressure

6-sleep apnea

7-arthritis

8-chronic pain

9-kidney disease

10-???

I don't want to let this list get any longer. I'm taking control, starting NOW!

Thanks for listening, rant over...

AudraN

What finally made me commit to the surgery was a bit different than most peoples I think. I was playing tennis with Ivan Lendl (former #1 tennis player in the world... google him) in an exibition match in Nashville, TN. After we hit for a while, we were getting a drink of Water and he simply said, "You are a good player, you could be a great player if you werent fat." He wasn't trying to hurt my feelings or be a jerk. In his own way he was complimenting me, however, I don't know why that statment from him pushed me over the edge - I had type 2 diabetes, high BP, high colesterol, etc.- but those didn't measure up to the pissed off motivation Lendl gave me in his frank, honest statment.

Edited July 11, 201412 yr by matt1912

I was looking at buying a new pair of pants (on my way up again after a 50 pound loss that I held steady for 5 years) in a larger size because my old ones were intolerably tight. I looked at myself and thought, "well, maybe 240 is normal for me."

I guess something in me snapped at that moment. 240 was good enough for who I used to be, but not me now. I want a new normal.

It isn't even so much about a number, really; I don't care what my final weight will be as I have always been heavy and never had "thin" years. I just want to have a chance at transformation. I want to eat healthy and I want to exercise without hurting. I want to run.

Most importantly -- why *shouldn't* I do this? Fear? That is a dumb reason not to do anything for you. There are risks, of course, but life is a fatal condition and I am going to do my best to enjoy it rather than wonder what could have been.

I was diagnosed with the beginnings of fatty liver, ovarian cysts, thickened uterus wall and arthritis in my spine...all having something to do with my weight! Plus I couldn't take my ever increasing size. Best decision I ever decided to pursue

Hi everyone! This is my first post! My surgery is scheduled for Aug. 18th.

I finally decided to get the surgery when a study came out a few weeks ago stating that men with specific types of fertility problems had double the chance of death of their peers. I fit that category, so it was time to do something drastic. I started research almost immediately.

Couldn't fit any clothes one morning for work.

Being ashamed to go anywhere not wanting to see how big I got.

Getting weighed and realizing my bmi was well over 40

Back hurts walking for longer than short distances and I'm still young. I'm aging really fast

*Knees and ankles and back in constant pain when I try to walk

*High blood pressure and taking the awful meds for it

*Feeling like the bones in my feet are going to break when I first step on them in the morning

*Trying to squeeze past people and either my belly or butt rubs on them

* Asking for a seat belt extender on the plane

*Not being able to sit in a restaurant booth.

*Having sleep apnea and wearing a cpap

* HATEING to go shopping for clothing.

*Not going to an amusement park because I know I cannot fit on the rides.

* Not allowing myself to be photographed

the list goes on and on.. but the worst thing was when we went camping last Memorial day weekend. We went with friends who brought horses, it was a horse camp. They talked me into going for a ride, I rode all the time as a teen, but hadn't ridden for years. It literally took 3 people to get me up on that poor horse. I was so embarrassed, I felt like a big bowling ball balanced up there. Then someone took my picture. The whole scenerio of people who love me making a special effort to allow me to participate was more that I could bear. Why couldn't I be healthy enough to get on a horse by myself? Why do my loved ones have to make a special effort for me, just because I am FAT. Now I know this doesn't sound as emotional or as traumatic as some other stories, but this type of thing has been going on for years.. It was the last straw, I am going to be 60 next month and I don't plan on spending the rest of my life as a cripple.

• Seeing my 75 year old dad struggling with food obsession that has gotten worse over years. That's all he can think about all the time. He is just like any other drug addict. Doesn't care about anyone or anything as long as his addiction is taken care of. I could see myself in him a few years from now.

Taking a 15 hour international flight on a window seat, I was spilling over into the next seat. The co-passenger gave me dirty looks the entire time. I did not even go to the bathroom for 15 hours because getting out and back in was very hard and would have been very embarrassing. I was scared of getting a blood clot. My legs went numb and were hurting. When she went to the bathroom a couple of times, I quickly got up to relieve my achy & numb legs. And I cried silently the entire way. Was hovering on the fence before this experience but by the time that plane landed, I was determined to change my life!