What was your "light bulb moment"?

So sorry that you went thru that & hope that you get what you want most out of life., love & family. 

It was, in retrospect, one of the best turning points in my life. I never would have met my loving husband or had my beautiful daughter otherwise. And it probably wouldn't have worked out for us anyway...he voted for Trump, lol.

Mine was no where near as deep. It was a picture of me on the beach in a sundress. A candid shot from the side in all its glory. I was pretty appalled with myself and I realized that telling myself "you're really not that big" wasn't possible anymore. That was in 2011. I lost 90lbs on my own and then yo-yo'd up and down 30-40lbs twice and finally in mid-2016 decided enough was enough and I needed to do something about it forever. 

I actually think that's very deep.

 I think so many of us can relate to the fact that we convince ourselves that "we aren't that big" -- and that our weight isn't really affecting us.  In fact, I think that's why so many of us avoided photos.  We may have insisted that we "aren't photogenic" or that we "take bad pictures" -- but the truth is that most of the photos taken looked exactly how I looked at the time.  Photographs are the kryptonite of lying to ourselves.  They unemotionally tell the truth.

One of the most sardonic aspects of losing 200+ lbs has been that while I used to see myself as "not so big" -- I now fight with seeing myself as "huge" -- it's almost as if there is a complete disconnect with reality an body size.  

I'm early in the process, but I'm finding that photos are required for me to see the loss now. I don't see it (though I have to acknowledge I feel it in my clothes). Then I look at a picture and it all becomes clear. Mirrors are big old liars! 

The behaviourist at my clinic said to take a lot of photos for this reason. Our brains need all the help we can give it to adjust. She suggested taking them against the same backdrop as a frame of reference. Grim also added that blocking your face also helps. And I agree, it let's you see your body a little more objectively.

Not a light bulb moment, but more that it became increasingly harder to ignore the handwriting on the wall. At 38, I had high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and I am certain diabetes would have been next. I also had a hiatal hernia, and herd. While I was waiting for my surgery date, I had an esophageal spasm so intense I thought I was having a heart attack.

My maternal grandmother was a terrific person. She died from obesity-related diseases, and her quality of life was poor the last several years she lived. I saw myself going down that same path.

I would never wish the misery of dying with obesity related disease on anyone -- and it's particularly horrible to watch someone we love die that way.  

Kat, I'm sorry for your loss. 

I didn't have a light bulb moment for wls but I did for weight loss in general. After my favorite aunt died who was more like a grandma and we all lived together growing up, I was at my heaviest 326 pounds. She had always wanted me to loose the weight and I decided the best way to honor her and her memory was do do just that. I lost 180 pounds then and managed to keep most of it off for 8 years but over the past 8 years I had struggled with regain. First it was 20lbs, then 50lbs, Then 75lbs and each time I was able to get most of it back off again but each time I ended up 10lbs heavier. 2015 was a big year for me. I had a big vacation planned and two weddings to go to and I thought I'll drop that last regain before these events but these events came and went and by 2016 I was up almost 100lbs. I barely let my sis take pics of me on our vacation and the wedding pics were horrifying to see. That's when I decided to pursue wls.  I had been researching the vsg for the previous year but when I realized I was having such a hard time motivating to loose the weight I knew it was time to really consider this.  I went to see a surgeon here in Boston (during a visit to my mom) in May of 2016 while I was still living out of state. I decided then this is what I was going to do. I started loosing weight the minute I got home from that trip and managed to loose a lot before going into surgery and my goal is to get to a normal BMI,  something I never achieved on my own.  And as part of my preop blood work I discovered I was hypothyroid so this tool is going to be essential in helping me maintain my weight loss. 

I have no doubt that you will reach your personal goal!!