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What is your why?



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When my doctor mentioned it as an option I was open to it and was planning to get around to it...eventually. Then one of my friends got type 2 diabetes. He's like 34 or 35 and I'm 32. He's much bigger than me but it still spooked the hell out of me. I know me and I know that type 2 diabetes would be a death sentence for me; There's no way I'd be able to manage it, it's too micromanage-y and I've got ADHD real bad. So I had to do something.

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2 hours ago, Kris77 said:

Was the heaviest I had ever been. Got to the point when I’d bend over to tie laces felt like I couldn’t breathe. Plus outweighed my husband by a lot. He is a normal weight. So I could have squished him lol. My heaviest was 238. I’m only 5’4 3/4. Now I’m 138. Best decision I ever made. Only regret was that I should have done this sooner!!

Same here. I needed help with socks and shoes and even needed some help with bathroom issues and showering. I got to be 420 pounds and I'm 5 foot tall so my weight definatly affected my ability to do everyday tasks

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56 minutes ago, Jnfinney said:

My why is pretty complex. I’ve been overweight since I was about 9. At 11 years old I was diagnosed with hashimotos disease and hypothyroidism. I was bullied physically, verbally, and emotionally for years in school due to my weight. As I entered my 20s my cholesterol and blood pressure were creeping up to borderline needing medication. I suffer from horrible depression and anxiety and my poor self image doesn’t help with that at all. Last summer, I reached my highest weight ever of 235 despite regular exercise and attempts to eat healthier. I have just had it with my weight and decided I needed surgical intervention.

Kids can be so cruel. I was always heavy as well and was bullied from elementary school on.

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On 3/11/2021 at 11:21 AM, David_L said:

To give my boys the gift of being a potential "Grandpa" to their future children, should they decide to have them. It's something they didn't have much have in their lives. I also want to enjoy "golden" years in a healthy way with the wife.

I also want to break free from the prison cell of nearly 350lbs. We're flying to Savannah in a couple months and for the first time in a long time, I am not too concerned about fitting in the airplane seat.

This is a good one!

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5 hours ago, angeleyesdalton said:

I have high blood pressure and I’m tired of taking meds also I’m going to be a empty nester in a few months I know it’s time to get healthy and travel and do more things with my hubby

Congrats! All good reasons!!

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1 hour ago, victoriaciminelli111 said:

I went on my first diet when I was 8 years old

I have been dieting for 35 years. I needed something else and now I have it.

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Hope this helps some folks. One thing I read not too long ago (and I can't recall where exactly) are the reasons why we do the things we do. This is why I love this topic and thread. Intrinsic vs extrinsic. Saying things like "I want to drop 50lbs so I can get into my old jeans" would be extrinsic whereas "I just want to be at a healthy weight and avoid the long term complications due to excessive weight" would be more intrinsic. These are the things we really have to ponder.

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To get rid of my diabetes. Be able to move around without the use of a cane, or wheelchair. Those are the main things. There are so many others. Too many to list.

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On 3/11/2021 at 11:15 AM, victoriaciminelli111 said:

Thank you he actually passed away four months after his gastric sleeve from complications of the surgery. But he was in rough shape pre op.

so sorry. I think this is pretty unusual.

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1 hour ago, HealthyLifeStyle said:

To get rid of my diabetes. Be able to move around without the use of a cane, or wheelchair. Those are the main things. There are so many others. Too many to list.

To not get Diabetes!

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23 hours ago, chiquitatummy said:

To prevent future disease and illness. I was obese and generally healthy but knew I was on the path (like many of my family members) to diabetes and high blood pressure. Watching my mom suffer with her health now is a big motivator for me to do something to prevent being in the place she is in another 15-20 years. Realizing that my weight put me at high risk for Covid was another wake-up call for me.

I was also tired of feeling physically uncomfortable in my body (achy back, feet, hips, etc) and having no energy. I missed doing the things I used to do like hiking, rollerblading, and bike riding. I'd stopped doing them when I got heavy enough that it was painful and physically uncomfortable to be active. I'm only two weeks and a couple days out from surgery and already I can walk without discomfort around my neighborhood. My energy may still be low, but my back and feet don't hurt! It feels amazing!!! I'm remembering how much I used to enjoy being physically active.

Hey we had surgery the same day! How are you doing?

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I wanted to stop having daily concerns about things like how I would fit into a chair at work, not being able to play with my kids, feeling exhausted and like every move was like running a marathon. I didn’t feel like how I looked matched how I felt- I didn’t even feel like myself anymore.

I wanted to be able to exercise again. To have some control over my endless cravings. To fit into clothes that I actually liked. To not feel like I never wanted anyone to see me because the first thing they would think is about how fat I was. To know that I can’t fit on an airline seat, when traveling was one of my greatest passions in life.

Four months in and I have no regrets. I’m 110 down, and getting closer to just being “overweight”. To go from a 48 BMI to 33 feels amazing in every way.

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For me there was a million things about my life I wanted to change that are affected by my weight, but somehow that all became background noise in my life.

What made me finally decide to sign up for surgery was the sudden clarity that if I could have done it in my own, I already would have. My being overweight has virtually been my reality my whole life and being morbidly obese has been my life for at least a decade. This “issue” is not a passing thing.

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My wife developed an autoimmune disease that reared it's head last year. One way to help reduce her symptoms was to lose weight. One month after being diagnosed we met with the surgeon and 2 months after that we both had surgery. She has lost 80 lbs since preop and I have lost 85 since preop and 105 overall since last year. Luckily her symptoms are greatly reduced and we are both doing amazing now.

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    • Doughgurl

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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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