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

@@Califlower83 Have you started the process yet? I hope so. If only I had done this years ago when I was your age. They didn't have the sleeve then, but they did have bypass I think. I can't get the years back, but I am determined to enjoy the second half of my life as a thin person! This isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, but so worth it. Good luck on your journey!

Ellen

@@MeAndTinyTina

I guess I have started the process, but I'm not 100% on how it goes, I know my insurance covers WLS and I saw a primary care physician who said I would qualify because my bmi is 48, but she thinks I should wait a year! However she said she couldn't tell me what to do and scheduled me for the orientation which is next month. I have already done my lab work so I'm hoping after the orientation I get a referral and then move along the process. I am hoping to be sleeved by June/July I've been researching a lot and it seems like Kaiser in Northern Ca moves pretty quickly so hopefully that's the case with me!

BTW your progress is inspiring! Way to go!! An just like you I can't wait to make up for lost time!!

Califlower83:

There is nothing like having the proper motivation, and you have it. Many of us have been in your position, but many of us had to wait many years to rectify it. The sleeve was not available until recently. You are going to be fine. Your whole life is before you. You are young enough to reach your goal and enjoy it. You will become a princess. After the weight loss, there is no need to be too merciful on the male gender!

@@Califlower83

I can relate to so many things you said & I respect you for having the courage to say them! I think a lot of us hold ourselves back from living the life we want to live for one reason or another. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, or fear of being noticed even. It sounds like you are on your way and until you talk to a surgeon I wouldn't worry about what your PCP says. You can't go back so don't beat yourself up for what you wish you had done sooner, just keep looking forward! I think you are going to have a lot of fun & excitement after you have your surgery and start a new life in your healthy and more confident body!

@@Califlower83,

I was sleeved by Kaiser in Northern California last month. I had my original "options" class in early December, and my doctor referred me to bariatric surgery after that. I had my orientation in January, and they gave me the pre-op diet which I started that day. Lost the weight that they wanted me to lose within a month, surgery was scheduled, and 6 weeks from my orientation I had the surgery. Go for it! Funny, my PCP was completely supportive of my desire to have the surgery. He has been with me the whole way.

@@LisaPunkinHead Thank you for the response, I was actually just about to post a question about what I should do in the meantime since my orientation to surgery class is not until next month. I'm amazed by how fast the process was for you, hopefully mine can be similar and I can be sleeved by summer like I was hoping!! I have been feeling anxious since I haven't been able to get much information from Kaiser in regards to the steps in the process, everyone(at Kaiser) keeps telling me to wait for the orientation but I feel like I should be doing something to speed up the process right now!

And I am ignoring my PCP, she was trying to talk me out of it saying I should try the weight management classes for a year! I am moving forward anyway because I have tried so many programs over the past 10 years, and in 1 year I could be close to my goal weight and not worrying about my current pre-diabetic status or high cholesterol!

@@Califlower83 I do agree, wait until orientation. They will tell you everything you need to know!!! It will be here before you know it. One piece of advice -- be available to take the first appointment offered to you for follow up classes (I went to South San Francisco, so I don't know how the other Kaiser locations do this). Then my psych appointment was a long way out. When I hit the weight loss requested by my surgeon, I called to see if the psychologist had any cancellations -- I got in the next day!! So my surgery was actually the day before my original psych appointment (had I not changed it).

I looked into the weight management program, but also felt that I would fail at it.

Good luck!!! I'd love to hear about your progress!

When we couldnt sit on a bus while traveling with a group on a outing. We had to go to the back where the long sit and heat was in mid summer.

My final straw is embarrassing as this is was unable to fit comfortably in a bathroom stall at work... I tear up thinking about it now. But also getting winded walking up one flight of stairs and pretend like I have a bad case of allergies when I breath..... also, I want to have kids... teach them good eating habits and how to excersize...

My husband and I bought tickets to go on a 2 seater zip line ride. When it got to our turn walked up the stairs and the operator asked us to get on the scale first... In front of everyone. He proceeded to tell us that we were over the weight limit and we would have to ride one at a time. We were absolutely humiliated and ended up leaving. So anyway, surgery is 9 days away. Time to get my life back on track.

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.

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).

Final straw for me was my mother's words from childhood becoming reality. She repeatedly would lecture me about my wt and say "You will weigh 500lb before it's over with...and it turns out after I got brave enough to get back on the scales after a 6 month hiatus she was right. I topped out at 502 and said FINALLY enough is enough.

Mine was when I has a stroke (mini or not) in 2012, further health risks, and limits I have because of my weight

My final straw- I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I can't stand the CPAP. I had been thinking about gastric sleeve surgery for over a year. I started my 6 month pre op diet/ exercise program that is required by my insurance in March. I should be able to have my surgery in September. I'm 54 and ready to be healthy and active. My surgeon believes my sleep apnea will resolve once I get to a normal BMI. I am at 42 right now. I am so excited and look forward to sharing my journey!