At what point did you finally get fed up enough to make a change in your life and do WLS? My breaking point was when I had an opportunity to go rappelling down a tower used to train the Army how to fast rope out of helicopters. I am scared to death of heights. But with the encouragement of some great instructors at the Air Assault school I rappelled down the rope that was several stories off the ground. Talk about having a 'I feel like a bad ass' moment. I didn't realize that anyone was taking pictures of this event. So months later I showed up to a work function that I was being recognized at. My parents even came for the luncheon. When I walked in there were a bunch of pictures blown up, poster size, of different individuals who were being recognized doing various activities at work. Well one of them was a picture of my fat ass coming down the rope at the rappelling tower. Talk about embarrassed. Th lady who put the event together came running up to me excited about the picture because she 'wanted to capture the moment that I was really empowered.' (She doesn't have a mean bone in her body so I know her intentions were good). I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I couldn't even keep my parents away from the picture cause you had to walk by it to get to the event. It was in the moment that I decided I never wanted to have my moments of success overshadowed by my weight.

So what was your moment?

What was my moment? Life... Everyday life....

I can't say that I had a single 'moment'. My wife and I made the decision to do it together. I did it so that I would be around for my kids. I know I was headed for a heart attack or stroke. Heart disease does run in my family, so I still run the risk, but I was definitely headed that way, no doubt in my mind. High blood pressure, sleep apnea. All gone now. So it wasn't a single moment, but I did have my motivation.

7 years ago I had lost 150 pounds with diet and exercise. It was not the first time I had lost and regained 100 pounds. This time, over the course of 7 years, and for many reasons I gained back 75 pounds. When I saw the scale quickly approaching the 200 pound mark, I knew it was time to do something drastic. That's when I decided to have the surgery. When I scheduled my surgery, I was 198 pounds. I then binged my way up to 204.8. I started the pre-op liquid diet a week early, just to stop the bingeing. The day of surgery I weighed 195. I was able to lose weight.... I'd done it all my life, only to regain some or all. I didn't want to do it again. I needed a new tool In my toolbox to lose the weight for the LAST time.

Not one single moment. I just got tired of being tired. Tired of not having the energy to play with my neices and nephews. Tired of being in pain at the end of the day and when I woke the next morning. Tired of making excuses why I didn't join in some activities. Tired of always thinking ahead, concerned how my size was going to effect what I was doing. Would i fit comfortably in the seat, would the seatbelt fit... just everything.

Single best decision I have ever made. Yes, it was scary, but no scarier than wondering what phyical weight-related ailment was waiting for me around the corner.

Deleted..........

oops, sorry, didn't realize this was powder room.

I have been overweight my whole life but at 250lbs it really started to sink in. There is constant pain in my body whether im standing or sitting. I can only go up about 5 steps before im winded. I can only tolerate 30mins at the park with my children (5 and 2). I want to be able to run around with them. Every 2 hours like clockwork i have to go to the bathroom... as an above poster said, i am tired of being tired!

I have been dieting since I was in high school -- which means I have been dieting for more than 40 years. I have been in every program, bought HUNDREDS of diet books, taken every dangerous diet drug. And after all that time, programs, drugs, books, and therapy, I weighed 80 lbs more than when I started.

I calculated recently that conservatively I've lost and regained about 50 lbs per year. That means in 40 years I lost and regained 2,000 lbs! Oh yeah, and gave myself a nasty case of out of control diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. I was facing the very real probability of diabetic neuropathy, and a future of amputations and misery.

That's all changed now. I have my life back! Down 52 lbs so far, co morbidities resolved, and I feel fabulous! Best thing I ever did for myself!

My moment was when I had my son 11 months ago..the doctor told me if I had an emergency csection my baby wouldn't have lived...I finally said enough is enough..now if I can just shake off the haters that are trying to discourage my decision. Ive been overweight since 7 years old..have done everything to be thin ..never worked! Never happened! My highest weight was 305 I'm down to 239..and that's just preop!!!! This tool will help our lives as long as we change our lifestyles and habits. Cheers to a better life!

When my doctor told me I had diabetes.

I am like others in the regards of every day life should have been enough for me to decide. And I was even starting the process when I had a DVT(blood clot)/ PE. This was my second go 'round with it. First time was after knee surgery, but this time was "unprovoked". When I was released from the hospital ( 5 day stay) I saw my paperwork said "morbid obesity" as a factor of hospitalization. No, I had a clot. But my weight is a factor. Well this time I suffered a lot of vascular damage in my right leg. Living went from uncomfortable to down right unbearable. I looked into disability. But I thought about it long and hard. I could be "disabled". Stay home, sit on my rear and let my weight go up and up. Or I could finally do something to get the weight off for good. Fight back the only way I could. So I chose to do what I truly believed was the best thing. I am doing this for me, but also so I can be the best mommy to my daughter I can be.

For me, it was a culmination of many things.

I was easily out of breath doing the smallest activities with my young children ...

Used a CPAP for 10 years ...

Hated walking past mirrors or reflective windows where I could see my profile ...

Knew I was crushing my wife during ...

Borderline diabetic ...

Knew my morbid obesity was killing me ...

My doctor was going to put me on all kinds of meds ...

I convinced my Dr to give me 6 months to try to straighten things out on my own. 6 months later, after my labs came back with no difference in my labs, I knew I had to take a drastic measure if I was going to have any quality of life. You don't see too many morbidly obese older people and I planned on living for awhile, so ...

VSG it was. When you add it all up, for me, it became an easy decision, and one I don't regret at all at over 2 years post.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

** EDIT **

Sorry, ladies ... I try to check the forum before posting, but missed it. I'll remove if you like ...

I got "real" with myself after trying very hard in 2012 to lose weight and failing in both attempts. My first attempt was on a low carb diet that ended up with having my gall bladder removed due to a stone wedged into the neck. My second weight loss attempt in 2012 was Medifast - 3 weeks in I had a major reaction to the soy in the food. At the same time an acquantance was losing weight quickly after WLS, and I started thinking "if she can do it, I can too!"

That led me to researching my options and at the beginning of 2013 starting the insurance approval process and the steps w/ my surgeon. I had surgery on 5/23/13 and have lost 53 pounds so far. It hasn't been an easy road, but I'm headed in the right direction.

I have been interested in wls for awhile, but I just didn't like the idea of gastric bypass (messing up my insides permanently) or the lapband (having a foreign body inside me that stays). The sleeve intrigued me, but it was still a relatively "new" surgery. I've always been overweight to various degrees. I don't have medical insurance, so wls was always in the back of my mind as "I'll do it someday when I have the money". Well, finally, I've gotten to the point where I have just now been diagnosis with type 2 diabetes, I'm the biggest I've ever been (300lbs), and I no longer care what I look like. All my clothing is huge and I feel so big and awkward when I go out. My mom said she'd pay for my surgery, so here I am. I am excited about the journey. I guess it wasn't just one specific thing that did it for me. I also want to be healthy for my husband and kids of course, and my teen wants me to go running with her. I'm looking forward to being able to run, among other things!

I didn't have a breaking point. For me it was when my husband found out our health insurance covered the surgery. He said something like "Would you like to consider weight loss surgery?" and I replied with "Let's do it." without any reservations. I actually surprised myself with this response, but the more I thought about it, the more feelings that I had been holding back all these years poured out. Feelings like, "I'm the nicest person in the freakin' world, I DESERVE to be cute and little!" It's silly, I know, but yeah...

I was tired of being unhealthy. I never wanted to diet again. I wanted to

lose weight by eating correctly and no other way. It's been a slow process, but I've never been happier with myself/health as I am right now.