Are You Courageous Enough?

I was just thinking this morning of some of the moments in my life before I had before WLS that should have been the "THAT"S IT" or "IVE HAD ENOUGH" moments.
Ive heard stories from people that have lost weight without having WLS, when there light bulb came on or there humiliation and frustration was enough to turn off there food addicition or emotional dependancy from food.
I had sooo many moments that should have been my epiphany! But nothing snapped. I thank God for my WLS because It help me snap into the here and now and realize how serious my addiction is.....
So Im going to share ONE (just one) of my most humilitating stories pre weight loss...because Im finally courageous enough to know that Im not going back there, and because I want to never forget were I came from.....

My family on my mothers side is not very close, very loving people however...all derived from Costa Rica, so when I had my son I wanted him to know his heritage and I myself wanted to meet family Id never met before, so I got with an uncle of mine and started planning our very first family reunion in our homeland of Costa Rica! I was so excited, we created shirts(that's a story in itself) and a website and everthing,,..this was going to be grand.
So everything was awesome, we had family from all over the US and Switzerland and of course those who still live in Costa Rica in attendance...all together about 500 people!!!
We rented a very large hall and beach front property for our first family dinner....people were in and out and just every where....I was meeting and greeting laughing and smiling...Wow this is my family!
I came across a cousin...he asked "WHO ARE YOU, WOW YOUR HUGE"!

I thought OMG did he just say that....and infront of everyone....I just walked away, then my mother introduced me to one of her distant cousins and the lady says! Wow I cant tell who's the daughter and who's the mother you big enough to be both of our parents !!!! UGH??????????? WTH!
So at this point Im feeling self concious!! but still trying to smile, not meeting and greeting any more!
The food looked AMAZING a spread fit for 3 Kings and all authentic Costa Rican Delights!!!
I began to think about making a plate for myself , then scanning the room....I realized that I was by far the Largest person at the whole reunion!!!!

I decieded to wait on the plate for a while, and have a seat (Ill make by plate when the crowd dies down).
So I take a seat on a chair, all the chairs were plastic.....I noticed someone coming in my direction smiling at meet me with a video camera in there hand.....and all of a sudden "CRACK"!!!!!!

Family Reunion Hostess Down...my chair broke into bits and pieces I actually heard people laughing.... the cousin with the camera helped me up.......I scurried off to my room with a fake smile and an "Im ok".
I locked my room door and cried the night away!!!!!! Needless to say, no one really checked on me to see if I had killed myself or not.......I never tasted one morsal of that savory looking spread of food... and I still didnt have surgery or lose weight until now 6 years later!
Wow I never want to go back there EVER!!!

Do you have a memory that your courageous enough to share?

I have been through similar experience ,but some were way worse.  I alway played it off and told myself I am still cute until one day I realized I needed to lose weight for me and not others.  So I started working on me and I am in the battle for life.

We know it takes more than courage and will power.  If desire or humiliation were enough, there would be no alcoholics or junkies either. 

I'm so sorry you had to experience that.  Especially with your own family.  I've been lucky, no such experiences.  For me seeing someone else take action and go through with wls combined with my own rising bp were the final catalyst. 

Even so, it took me nine years from considering wls to actually having it.  I often noticed I was the largest person in the room.  Or even the only fat person in the room.  That was never a good feeling.