Just advice I guess....

Well Ok here's my problem. I am 26 year old mother of two. My husband is in the army and recently I have been thinking that if I were to join the military also it would help me and my family out alot. So I called and asked the recruiters if I were to have WLS would I still be able to join. The recruiters not too politely said that I would be automatically disqualified if I were to have that kind of surgery or anything similar to it. If I lost the weight on my own I may be able to join and get in but obviously its not easy to lose 130 by yourself without some sort of help, or I probably would have already done that. I guess I am just bummed because I had these big ideas about getting in and having college paid for and have some of the other good things about the military (there arent many). Ultimately I know its my decision but I really dont think I can lose the weight without a miracle or WLS. I dont really know what to do now. Maybe if I hired a full time personal trainer I would be able to do it, but yet again if I could afford that I probably would have already done it. Just venting I guess.... Good luck to all and congratulations to all also..... Melanie

WLS would exclude you from the military. They just won't tell you that! But it would(may)make your life happier. I hope you don't think this is shallow but my life is better for losing almost 100lbs. My husband is 20+ years retired Marine Corp and he could never understand why I couldn't just smoke a Marlboro and eat a grapefruit and lose weight. He was never overly supportive of my surgery but after my complete breakdown in the shower he knew his best course was to shut up and help out! Today I am down 90lbs and my life is great. I never realized quite how depressed and negative I was. At a healthy weight I can contribute so much more to everything! Jen 243/152/143 5'4"

There are other ways to get college paid for besides the military.. there are many many grants and scholarships available. The military shouldnt be the reason for you deciding to have WLS or not. You should be deciding to have WLS because you really have tried everything and it is your last option. If you feel that getting a personal training and giving a go at it alone is something you could do then maybe you should try. Good luck with your decision!