Hello! I just joined and am so happy to find this group! I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life and, at the tender age of 52, had almost resigned myself to the unhealthy up-and-down cycle. My tipping point was reading the new Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines that came out in Sept 2020. There it was, in official black and white: Obesity is a disease, NOT a choice/lack of willpower/laziness. It was an eye-opening moment for me, and the more I read, the more empowered I felt. I've since joined several WL organizations and forums, and the shared support has been both heartbreaking and invigorating. I've found my people!!

I'm interested to know what made you decide on WLS? What was your tipping point?

Honestly my tipping point was wanting to get some kind of enjoyment out of my 20s and also finally having a full time job with health insurance that covered it. I was getting into my late 20s and just didn't want my life to keep going by with me doing nothing with my life but coming home from work, watching tv, and eating. I wanted to live a more active life and I wanted to experience (just once) what it was like to feel young and hot! I know that's kind of vain, but it's the truth. I also have always dreamed of running a marathon or half marathon.

On 5/17/2021 at 9:52 AM, 3tallwomen said:

Congratulations! I'm so looking forward to surgery! Can I ask you how your eating patterns have changed? I still want to enjoy eating out and don't know how that looks with a 1 oz stomach...

Just plan on bringing home a lot of leftovers. once you reach the regular food stage. If you explain to the servers you had WLS they will let you order from the children's menu.

One of my tipping points was seeing on my medical charts. Morbid Obesity, what a horrible diagnosis to see. The second was finding out I was going to be a grandma for the first time that we thought would never happen. So happy. Post op 9 weeks now and doing great. So grateful

I'm not sure I had a tipping point. I think it was cumulative. But I sort of put it out of my mind for a while, because my old insurance didn't pay for it. My husband's insurance through work does, so I switched from my work's insurance to his, when he got his new job. I gave up after my last diet. I just threw my hands in the air and said "well, this is me, I guess." Even though the insurance is more expensive through his work (it's $660 a month for our share, versus the $100 I was paying at my job), I'm still grateful for the opportunity. (I'm pre-op)

On 5/17/2021 at 11:39 AM, 3tallwomen said:

Hello! I just joined and am so happy to find this group! I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life and, at the tender age of 52, had almost resigned myself to the unhealthy up-and-down cycle. My tipping point was reading the new Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines that came out in Sept 2020. There it was, in official black and white: Obesity is a disease, NOT a choice/lack of willpower/laziness. It was an eye-opening moment for me, and the more I read, the more empowered I felt. I've since joined several WL organizations and forums, and the shared support has been both heartbreaking and invigorating. I've found my people!!

I'm interested to know what made you decide on WLS? What was your tipping point?

Hi! Your post caught my eye because I am also 52, and tall at 5'10. Over the last few years of turning 50, I have been adding 10 pounds a year without changing anything. I realized that if I don't do something, I will just continue to get bigger. My breaking point was seeing a photo of myself that slapped me in the face with reality. I have managed to fool my mind by only looking in the mirror (once a day if that) and only at certain angles -doing my make up in a magnifying mirror that I only actually see the top 3/4 of my face.

I am very anxious to start fresh with a great tool that will be the boundary I have been unable to set for myself consistently. I am having the gastric sleeve done in Mexico on July 27th.

In the last 5 years I gained around 50lbs - my tipping point was joint & mobility issues. I have been overweight my entire life. High of 270, low of 170. I was 241 when I contacted the surgeon. 245 the day I started the pre-op diet. I have my 50th looming in 2 years. I love to travel, so the last thing I wanted was to not be able to enjoy that. I was having nightmares about getting stuck or not fitting in things. The call had to be made.

My tipping point was when my weight reached 100 lbs more than when I was 18, and a BMI of 40. Years of constant dieting only caused me to continually gain weight. I was ready to give up and try to be happy with the way I was, it didn’t work, and when I had trouble bending over and getting out of breath going upstairs I knew I needed to do something that was permanent. I had my surgery on 6/28 and am doing great. I wish I hadn’t waited so long.

On 5/17/2021 at 9:47 AM, kellym1220 said:

I'm tall, like you. For me, it was that each year (or so) I would gain 20 pounds, and I would say/think, "Well if I could just lose 20 pounds, I would be back where I was last year, and that wasn't so bad." Then I realized that if I said/thought that next year, I would be over 300 pounds. Real eye opener...so I decided to do it, even though it was not covered by my insurance. Best decision of my life!

same here I would gain 20 every year! and i was also 300 when I decided that was the tipping point. like wow whats next 320 and I was 317 when I was put on my pre weight loss surgery. I got to 303. april 1st 2021 surgery now 245.

On 5/17/2021 at 9:39 AM, 3tallwomen said:

Hello! I just joined and am so happy to find this group! I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life and, at the tender age of 52, had almost resigned myself to the unhealthy up-and-down cycle. My tipping point was reading the new Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines that came out in Sept 2020. There it was, in official black and white: Obesity is a disease, NOT a choice/lack of willpower/laziness. It was an eye-opening moment for me, and the more I read, the more empowered I felt. I've since joined several WL organizations and forums, and the shared support has been both heartbreaking and invigorating. I've found my people!!

I'm interested to know what made you decide on WLS? What was your tipping point?

I have so many tipping points! as I know many of us probably have, its hard to chose like one particular thing bc just being obese is a reason bc it is linked to so many issues, not just physically but mentally. being obese messes with your state of mind, I think just being obese stops you from being who you trully are meant to be. its stops you from many things that an otherwise healthy or not obese person would do, bc they would not have the same issues that me with my experience with being obese does. I dont like to make obesity into a negative thing, bc there are plenty of obese people that are comfortable in their bodies, but I was not one of them. it really did hinder me from enjoying or doing things and I knew it was only a matter of time that I got a more serious condition that would only further my inability to enjoy life. I wanted a more healthier quality of living. so atleast I can live and be more normal and be a part of society and be comfortable in my own body.

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

Mostly my age. I'm almost 40 and weight loss doesn't get any easier the older you get. After 20 years of yo-yo dieting and doing literally every single diet, workout, fad, supplement under the sun, my metabolism is completely shot. I've lost and regained the same 10-20 pounds for over a decade now. It's time to make a serious change. All my older family members are overweight/obese and sickly, and if I don't get it together now, I will be in the same boat 10-20 years from now (if I live that long).