Curious what the final straw was for you all? What finally pushed you over the edge and got you looking at bariatric surgery as an option? For me, it was chest pain. I was 36 years old, a single mom of a 5 year old, with a deceased ex-husband. I started having chest pain and had the frantic realization that if something happened to me, my son would be parentless (my parents would take him in a heartbeat...but still...). Soon after that I started my journey to a lap-band and eventually RNY. So, I'd love to hear your stories, how did you get here? (PS, my heart was fine, I think it was just God slapping my upside the head trying to get my attention)

Edited November 30, 201312 yr by SoccerMomma73

Oh where to start. After many issues, having my son upset cause kids at school teased him about having a fat mum, you know the jokes "your mum is so fat..." Having trouble on plane flights "I fly with my job". Being out of breath.... The list goes on and on. I did a lot of research and deliberated cost as my insurance would not pay for it and then my brother said one night in all honesty that I could hold onto the money and just leave it to my son as I would not be around to spend it or see him grow up. That was the final straw, like you I am on my own with my son and I have a lot to see and do.

For me it was 2 things....I was a huge (pun intended) John Candy fan. He died at 43.... I was 43 and 30 pounds heavier than him. Also, my grandfather died of heart failure at 44. The thought that I might be in my last year of life scared me into action. Now I feel like I have many more years to go. When I die, it won't be from being out of shape to too fat to live.

For me it was 2 things....I was a huge (pun intended) John Candy fan. He died at 43.... I was 43 and 30 pounds heavier than him. Also, my grandfather died of heart failure at 44. The thought that I might be in my last year of life scared me into action. Now I feel like I have many more years to go. When I die, it won't be from being out of shape to too fat to live.

I miss John and Chris Farley...amazing talents, sad waste. But yay for us all for being proactive!

when i began to have trouble wiping my as*s

For me at first, I always wanted to be thinner. then, I wanted to be healthier and rid myself of diabetes, High blood pressure, high cholesterol and to not die like my parents. What really kicked in for me was, One day I was dancing around and jiggling in front of my grand daughter just to get a laugh out of her. I did get a laugh out of her and she also said out loudly as she laughed " YOU LOOK LIKE FAT ALBERT". I immediately stopped acting like a fool and had lap band done. I made the wrong choice b/c I was so afraid of RNY. I am now in the process of band removal to RNY. I am still afraid b/c I now weigh 214 and still have all the same morbidity. Even having diabetes didn't get my attention. To this day, she still don't remember saying it.

For me at first, I always wanted to be thinner. then, I wanted to be healthier and rid myself of diabetes, High blood pressure, high cholesterol and to not die like my parents. What really kicked in for me was, One day I was dancing around and jiggling in front of my grand daughter just to get a laugh out of her. I did get a laugh out of her and she also said out loudly as she laughed " YOU LOOK LIKE FAT ALBERT". I immediately stopped acting like a fool and had lap band done. I made the wrong choice b/c I was so afraid of RNY. I am now in the process of band removal to RNY. I am still afraid b/c I now weigh 214 and still have all the same morbidity. Even having diabetes didn't get my attention. To this day, she still don't remember saying it.

oh, ouch, I can see how that would get your attention:(

My "oh crap" moment was at christmas 2007 when I eighed myself for the first time in a couple of years... the scale said 267 and I literally started to cry. At 5'2" and small boned I was pure fat. I got a consult for lapband on january 3rd 2008 and was banded june of that same year. The first two years of my band life were wonderful but be late 2010 I started vomiting regularly and had terrible reflux. I lived in denial that there was a problem until December 2012. I had gained 40 of my 60 lbs back and was miserable, afraid of food and in constant pain from the band.

In january 2013 I had my consult to get revised to rny and had my revision surgery on 6/12/13. It was the best decision for me. I now have a healthy relationship with food, I dont pkay games with myself anymore and am losing weight. I am surely a very slow loser but it is going. I am 169 as of this morning and hope to be celebrating 100 lbs lost from the oh crap moment over 5 years ago.

My "oh crap" moment was at christmas 2007 when I eighed myself for the first time in a couple of years... the scale said 267 and I literally started to cry. At 5'2" and small boned I was pure fat. I got a consult for lapband on january 3rd 2008 and was banded june of that same year. The first two years of my band life were wonderful but be late 2010 I started vomiting regularly and had terrible reflux. I lived in denial that there was a problem until December 2012. I had gained 40 of my 60 lbs back and was miserable, afraid of food and in constant pain from the band.<br><br> In january 2013 I had my consult to get revised to rny and had my revision surgery on 6/12/13. It was the best decision for me. I now have a healthy relationship with food, I dont pkay games with myself anymore and am losing weight. I am surely a very slow loser but it is going. I am 169 as of this morning and hope to be celebrating 100 lbs lost from the oh crap moment over 5 years ago.

. Isn't it awesome to be able to A-eat real food (the band and I had issues with this....) and B-not be consumed by food? I no longer (usually) wake up plotting breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'm not constantly looking for my next snack. I feel like food no longer controls me for the first time ever in my life....it's liberating (okay so there was an incident with a few rolos last week...but the rest of the time food no longer controls me.). Congratulations on your success

In February of 2011 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and that did it. First meeting with my surgeon on May 10th, gastric bypass on October 20, 2011. Type 2 diabetes gone, high cholesterol gone, sleep apnea gone, hypertension gone. Loving the new me!

My husband and I were having a conversation in early 2012. At one point he turned to me and said, "I don't want to lose you because of your weight". That was my breaking point. The next day I called the surgeon that did my mom's lap-band. Before I knew it I was scheduled for the sleeve. One of the best decisions I have ever made.

. Isn't it awesome to be able to A-eat real food (the band and I had issues with this....) and B-not be consumed by food? I no longer (usually) wake up plotting breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'm not constantly looking for my next snack. I feel like food no longer controls me for the first time ever in my life....it's liberating (okay so there was an incident with a few rolos last week...but the rest of the time food no longer controls me.). Congratulations on your success

I love the new me and the fact that I don't push food around on my plate or have the look of pure agony on my face because I'm starving but unable to swallow due to being stuck... I used to get stuck so easily and toward the end of my band wouldn't have anything to eat or drink until 2 in the afternoon be cause I had to 'warm up' my band. Let me remind you I live in florida it is always hot here. It was pure nuttiness and I told myself for over a year everything was ok because I refused to admit I had a problem. I am so thankful I woke up and realized I didn't fail; rather the band failed me. It just wasnt the right answer for me. I think it is a great tool and clearly is great for some but the last year and half prior to rny was pure agony. So glad I changed.

I love the new me and the fact that I don't push food around on my plate or have the look of pure agony on my face because I'm starving but unable to swallow due to being stuck... I used to get stuck so easily and toward the end of my band wouldn't have anything to eat or drink until 2 in the afternoon be cause I had to 'warm up' my band. Let me remind you I live in florida it is always hot here. It was pure nuttiness and I told myself for over a year everything was ok because I refused to admit I had a problem. I am so thankful I woke up and realized I didn't fail; rather the band failed me. It just wasnt the right answer for me. I think it is a great tool and clearly is great for some but the last year and half prior to rny was pure agony. So glad I changed.

. I knew there was an issue when my 6 year old son knew 'the look' and could predict when I was gonna get sick....so don't miss those days

Falling through the deck at my daughter's pre-k graduation.

I broke a chair at someone's house about two years ago. I didn't weigh too much more than some of the men there, but still...

I think it's a combination of things.

I refused to be in pictures. When I saw myself in pictures I couldn't believe it was me. It must have been the lens, or the angle, or something. Or I was standing next to that skinny person! That said, even employing all of the "tricks" like putting your weight on one leg, being photographed from above, turning my head…it didn't disguise that I was big, and getting bigger. Especially when I knew the person next to me in a photo did in fact look just like that...

Two years ago I participated in one of those "have a month free" things at a local (very nice) health club. I loved it, really wanted to do it. But (TMI warning) I had female issues…I peed when jumping rope. Then I investigated that with a local urogynocologist, and had the surgery to correct that about 6 months later.

I put off going to the doctor to avoid stepping on the scale. Sometimes refused to weigh if I had to go.

This year I realized that the last two surgeries I have had (gallbladder and uro-gyn)--if they were not caused by my being overweight, they were exacerbated by it. And I spent a lot of the last year getting sick in small ways and not just bouncing back. And my weight kept creeping up. I realized that it was really a matter of time before I was staring at a diabetes or heart disease diagnosis. Maybe 10 years, maybe less. And did I want to live my life that way, or take the bull by the horns now?

Anyway, here I am. Happy about the choice. Working on myself and my progress.

All the dieting to look better had failed.... then the health started going down... and the weight going up above my "NEVER will get over this" mark.... I started seeing WLS as a health measure, not a beauty measure... this got me going in the right direction.