I'm Russ and I'm from Michigan. My story is probably similar to many here, but it's mine.

I have struggled with obesity for 30ish years. I've done Body for Life (40# lost), Weight Watchers (50# lost), Atkins (40# lost), Weight Watchers again (55# lost). I commonly joke that I'm really good at losing weight and that I've probably lost 1000# in my life. The problem is that I have gained 1370...

In May of 2014, I was working as a manager in a retail shop. Working in retail requires movement. I wasn't doing any intentional exercise, but I was active. I had gone out to dinner with my kids, and when I got home, I was experiencing chest pain. Long story short, a week later I came home from the hospital with a brand new shiny quad coronary bypass surgery.

My employer was great. He was very patient, and when I returned to work, he had created a new position for me, Social Media Coordinator. It was great work and I'm still doing it and loving it. It's a desk job. I went from fairly active to pretty much sedentary.

I promptly added about 40#.

That's what had me sitting in my PCP's office during my annual physical exam asking about bariatric surgery. I've already had an initial appointment with my surgeon. My insurance company was fine with it, given the BMI of 51 with sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, and high cholesterol as co-morbidities. I have appointments with dietician and psychologist tomorrow.

My surgery isn't scheduled yet, but I'm looking forward to my VSG and getting on with the rest of my life!

Welcome and congrats on a great decision! Becoming healthy is a great reason to do this. Keep posting to let us know how you are doing!!