What was your Last straw. I said that i would never get WLS said it for years... but there there was a straw the fell on my camel and broke its back. SO do you have a straw?

Hey there...

There was a thread under General Discussion but it must have gotten bumped down a page or so that people were posting similar to "last straws" called "A Ha Moments"... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/your-ah-ha-moment-56388/

Those are great but not necessarily what I was talking about. From the reading I did a Ah ha moment is when you come to the inevitable conclusion that your fat. My body and I had that conversation long ago, and addressed it. (Sort of)

A last straw is a defining embarrassing moment I will use myself for example. My last straw was a late summer day in 06 A group of friends and I went to Great America and I had not noticed how much bigger I had gotten. So I went to my safe rides (rides that I know I could fit in) and much to my chagrin I could no longer fit in any ride in the park minus a few that I wasn’t going on in my new K Swiss. That for me wasn’t enough to make my ego dip, but when combined with the chair collapsed under my weight at the after party that seemed to stop the world from spinning. That was the last straw and something had to be done about my weight.

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That’s what I mean when I say your last straw.

Ahh okay gotcha. I think some of the "A ha's" are just that "A ha's" but some were "last straws". It makes sense that they are actually two different things. I didn't really have an "a ha" or a "last straw" I don't think. Hopefully some others can pipe in with some of their last straws

Best of luck in your journey!

I wanted lapband surgery for a long time but hesitated. Then my aunt had a heart attack, my sister had a baby, and my best friend died. It was enough to covnince me!

I've been fat all my life. Not pleasingly plump mind you, but FAT. I occasionally thought about bi-pass but just didn't want my insides to be rearranged.

I've been reading about the band since it was first approved and thought it was exactly what I had been looking for but I just couldn't make the first step. I kept listening to people saying "You can do it yourself. Just don't eat so much"

In April of last year, one of my knees was hurting so badly there were days I couldn't even walk. I suffered with this for months before I went to the doctor and found out I have osteoarthritis in my knees and one of my knee caps was inflamed.

That was it. To have my mobility taken away from me because I am fat scared me enough that I had to do what I had to do.

I first had to realize that I CAN'T do it myself and keep the weight off. I needed help. I also had to realize that that does not make me a failure.

Once I got past that I started pursuing getting banded with a vengeance! I set my date today, May 8, and I couldn't be happier!

to try to hide my, well not hide it, but draw attention away from the ugly fat thighs and stomach, i wore/wear cleavage revealing tops. this past november went to the Marine Corps Ball w/ hubby and we had pix taken. when we got those back, it didnt matter that the girls were spilling out of the dress, all i saw were the "thighs" hanging from my shoulders and the huge double chin and instead of cheeks, they looked like jowls. i tried to photo shop it before sending it to the family, but it just made me realize how huge i was. i was so humiliated i dont want anyone to see that pic. everyday i look in the mirror and pretty much am disgusted by what i see, but to see that even "cleaned up" i look huge, just too much for me.

I never wanted to go the route of WLS. I always thought it was for the weak. I felt that I knew everything I needed to know about weight loss, and that if I was tough enough, I'd do it. (Ironic isn't it?) I finally realized that my body didn't want to release fat as well as most and I admitted I need help. Now I think the strong people are those who have faced this and get the help they need. WLS is not for the weak, it's tough and I hope I can call myself one of the triumphant who have worked their way back to health with a little help.

I went to Disney World this summer with my daughter and it was not easy. (fitting on rides, walking around). When I got home, I got serious about having the surgery.

I want to go back again in 3 years, but I want it to be so much better!

Those amusement parks really make you look at yourself don't they???

I am also becoming more and more embarassed about my weight, I don't seem to fit anywhere!

I will be banded in 29 days:smile2:April 30!!

I too said I would never have WLS but I know it's the only option for me to be healthy. In the past couple of years I've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholestoral, hypothyrodism, sleep apnea, and I have heal spurs in both feet. I can't walk for long periods of time without my feet, knees, hips and back hurting. My dad died at 39 years of age and I want to be around for quite a bit longer than that.

Last November I was admitted to hospital with pulmonary embolism. My case was so bad the DVT specialist, Cardiac Specialist and Vascular Specialist all said there is no way I should be alive. I should have died instantly when a 2cm blood clot passed through my heart.

If that's not a big enough wake up call to change your life or next time I probably won't be so lucky. Now I've had DVT the chance of it happening again is higher and obesity is a big factor.

Over Christmas I decided to finally go for it.

Had band placed 25 March.

My sister had hers 4 years ago and back then tried to get me to do it. Should have listened to her back then. :thumbup:

Great thread, thanks for posting it Watcher.

Cakegal, I like what you said about strong people facing this and getting the help they need!

Just like many of the folks on this site, I have had many a-ha moments. I get that I'm fat. It's hard not to notice when kids come up on the street and say it to you. (Welcome to Los Angeles in the 90's!!) The many moments were very embarrassing and until reading them on this site, it felt like I was the only one that experienced them. Being the only one that didn't fit in the booth at a restaurant, or struggle to make the seat belt fit, or find clothes that fit, or get turned away from a ride at Camp Snoopy at Mall of America. The rejection at that ride was probably the most embarrassing, as I had convinced my cousin -- begged her -- to ride the swings and then they come up and tell me that I can't ride, it was such a shock! and she ended up riding it by all by herself! All of those were painful but not the last straw.

My mom and many other family members have diabetes. I know that it's coming after me .... I can tell after doing the South Beach diet that my blood sugar is all messed up. I have sleep apnea and wear a CPAP at night. I feel very unsexy with it. And it's really hard to go camping! But I need my rest, so I always use it. And my back hurts and it's a struggle to move. But all of these weren't the last straw either, I had kinda learned to live with all of those, even though I was scared about the diabetes.

The last straw was kind of low key, but important. A person I occasionally work with had a heart attack around January of this year. One day she was there and then the next she was gone... out on medial leave indefinitely. She is about my age and size and seemed very similar to me in a lot of ways. I couldn't believe that she almost died because of her weight. I had been looking into the lapband before then, but that was it. I made my decision. A small laproscopic surgery and a huge lifestyle change is what I'm doing about that last straw. Since then, I have already lost 30 pounds "through diet and exercise" .... for about the 5 or 6th time in the past 15 years. I know the weight will come back if I don't do something differently. (I'm glad I've been able to shed those 30 pounds but I know that for me diet and exercise alone haven't done it in the past.) My surgery is tentatively scheduled for May 8, 2008. I am ready!:huh2:

My last straw was after my baby was born I just felt like a big fat slob. I could no longer fit in anything that looked "nice" on me. I was looking for some clothes to fit in a Woman within catalog and looked at the mu mu's. I didn't want to be wearing mumu's just to be comfortable. Plus, I didn't even feel like doing my hair or makeup because it just had no impact except to highlight the fact that I was fat and unhappy.

Mine was getting kicked off a ride at Knott's berry Farms. The seat belt wouldn't fit, and after standing in line for an hour, had to stand up from the seat (in that awkward, fat way) and leave. I heard people whispering, and my friend stayed and rode the ride.

That was when I wanted surgery, but the bf at the time talked me out of it. Ugg, what a waste that was!

But, then I moved away, started a new job that had good insurance and started looking into it again.

Mine was getting kicked off a ride at Knott's Berry Farms. The seat belt wouldn't fit, and after standing in line for an hour, had to stand up from the seat (in that awkward, fat way) and leave. I heard people whispering, and my friend stayed and rode the ride.

That was when I wanted surgery, but the bf at the time talked me out of it. Ugg, what a waste that was!

But, then I moved away, started a new job that had good insurance and started looking into it again.

getting out of line at a amusement park thats a big one, i mean most of the country is overweight and i still can fit in those rides .. that when i broke and wanted the band too...

Yeah, sometimes I think places don't want fat people...Like when the tables are too close to the booths, or have the turn-style to get in.

I think sporting events just want as many seats as possible so their seats are always sooo little! WTH? Most sports fans are fat! :Dancing_wub:

So, yeah, there are tons of reasons, but that was my last straw.

I haven't been to an amusement park since then, either.