I am 41 years old and weigh 198lbs. I am 5ft5inches tall. That puts my BMI at 33.1. I have tried several diets - WW, Atkins, diet pills and diet shakes. A few pounds will come off but I gain it back and then some. Its crazy because I graduated high school at 118lbs...then when I married at the age of 25 I was 150 lbs. Then I had my first child and then the second...now I'm 14 lbs. heavier than when I was 9 months pregnant with my son. I am sick of looking at myself in the mirror, in pictures and I absolutely hate running into people that I haven't seen in awhile. I had blood work done a few months ago and cholesterol is 204 and have sleep apnea. Last year I looked into having the sleeve in Tijuana and then put that on the back burner. Well, this has to be the year I do something. My insurance will only cover bmi of 35 and above with 2 issues or 40 and above. Well, I'm not gaining any more weight and then waiting 6 months to see if I get approved. I have been approved by A Lighter Me for the VSG and have applied for my pass card. My husband and family are actually supportive which I was ecstatic about and now I am doubting my intent. I had lunch today with my boss and I was trying to imagine only ordering soup or taking 2 bites of something. But then I thought I'd rather eat soup than tugging to make sure my sweater is covering my stomach fat rolls. I also think am I going to be able to enjoy a beer in the summer with our friends (not a heavy drinker but like a few Michelob Ultra once in awhile). Reading everyone's posts on here has been totally inspirational. So, if you were me what would you do?

Ht3013, ultimately only you can make the decision to change your lifestyle and your body in such a way. For 99% of us here, if we could do it on diet alone we would not be here. Whilst we all have similar issues, we are all different. I to worried about how I would ever enjoy myself with friends if I am only going to eat 2 mouthfuls of food etc. Christmas Eve was 8 weeks for me and on Christmas Day I had a 1/2 protein shake for breaky, we drove to the coast to have the day with friends I drank 600 mls of water on the way 1 1/2 hr drive. We played board games and there was fruit and nibbles I had a cherry and a biscuit with dip. We went for a walk on the beach and played frisbee came back to the house and I had a slice of Ham some tomato, potato salad, cheese and cucumber (small amounts). Now it took me as long to eat as everyone else took to eat mountains of food, we did secret Santa and then went for a swim and I had a celebratory drink with water in between. No one noticed or said anything about the amount of food I ate, I was satisfied and had a ball and the best part was I went for a swim, on the beach, in front of people and ran around playing frisbee. Last Christmas I ate too much, skipped the swim (I made the excuse of cleaning up, cause I did not have bathers that fit me, nor would I have felt comfortable). I did not play beach games, again too uncomfortable not to mention with back issues I could barely walk let alone run around). That night I skipped dinner not because I was ill or feeling yuck, I was actually exhausted from having such a great time. Before I started this awesome journey I was 121 kgs (266 pounds). Christmas Eve I was 100kgs (220 pounds). What a difference it has made and to boot I have lost another kilo (2 pounds) since. I am not going to say the last 8-9 weeks has been easy and I still have a long way to go, but I can say it has been worth every struggle along the way and I wish I had done it sooner. I can only suggest that you research well, the opp and your chosen doctor. Be aware and prepared of all the issues and stages, it is major surgery and not to be taken lightly, ensure you have support and your own determination. Good luck with your decision and your future, happy to answer any questions I can and many others here will do the same.

Thank you so much for your reply! It sounds like you are doing great! I want so badly to lose weight and keep it off. I am still researching my options and because of bmi would have to go to Mexico as self pay. All I have been doing is reading everyone's journey on this site and and the info is so helpful.