The last straw...

Hey guys.. new to the board!!
I've loved reading all of your posts and seeing all of the amazing transformations!!

I just wanted to know what was the defining moment in your life that made you say "I must get this surgery....!!"

Mine:
I had my cholesterol checked 2 weeks ago... by an extremely attractive intern at the hospital... :/
I never realized how unhealthy I was...
I was devistated... I know I'm fat.. but I never felt fat... I can walk 6 miles without stopping.. I run stairs 2 days a week.... It was horrible!!

I then had to get over my embarrasment and my fear. I've finally made an appt. with a Physician's Assitant in town who is ALL about his patient's best interest and opinions..

I can't be like this anymore... I have WAY too much in my life.
I'm proud of myself!

Welcome to the board.

    My defining moment was when I stepped on the scale one day and it read 298lbs...... I about cried and couldn't believe that I was just 2lbs shy of weighting 300lbs! I refused to let myself weight that much and decided that I needed to do something and since I had researched wls back when I was 16 I decided to reconsider looking into it and decided I was ready for that change. I have never looked back once I decided this was what I was doing, no one could change my mind against getting the surgery since I knew I needed to do it for me. So far I have lost 105lbs and have 30-50lbs left to lose and I will be extremely happy. This has honestly been the best thing I have ever done for myself and do not regret it at all. Good luck with your appointment and keep us posted on your progress.

welcome lacey! im proud of you too!! good luck!

well for years i was comfortable and confident in my old skin. i laughed off the dr or when anybody said i should do anything about my weight. like you i could walk for miles and miles, i really didnt have any issues until i hit 300 to 350 pounds. when i started to swell up and get high blood pressure.. ick..

lets see my defining moment....
1.hitting 350 pounds. i was upset. i was in denial. i wanted to have babies and knew how unhealthy it was. i felt embarassed for my boyfriend to be seen with me. i just wanted to lock myself inside all the time mi wasnt working. i decided it was my time to LIVE and not hide anymore because i felt so ugly.
2. i fell in the shower. i slipped and fell. hitting my face into our toilet getting 28 stiches in my lip and losing 2 teeth. to this day i blame my weight at the time even though everybody says it wasnt my fault. i swear if i was smaller i wouldnt of had as many injuries as i did that day. :(

now almost 150 pounds lighter i am back to my old self plus some. its the best thing i could have done for myself.
~ann marie :) 

wellcome to the board!!!!!!!!!!!

For me it was diferent my dad wanted me to have surgery cuz couple of his friend had it. and he was worried for me.... n i wasnt to sure about that he ofered when i was 18 n i said no cuz i thought i was 2 young, then he offer a couple of years later n i said no again. N the 3th time i said YES!!!. what made me change my mind was that i was soo ******g tired of living on a diet n not losing  any weight so i went for it.!!! n my dreams came true. you know hen somebody ask u what would u wish if a genie make one of ur wishes cometrue. i always said that i wanted to lose all my excess weight but in a year  (u know cuz if i lose it in 1 day people would wonder lol)..
yup and my mom told me that in life u have to take chances u can`t play safe. n that s what i did this was a chance that i had to take!!!!! it it worth it .... its lot of hard work and sacrifices but i would do it over and over again in a heart bit!

good luck!
hugs.

Early this year, I had bought a scale because I decided I was going to lose weight and eat better. I stepped on the scale and it read over 400 lbs. That was devastating. I knew I was big, but I had never realized just how big. I think that was one of the turning points. Otherwise it was just a bunch of smaller things leading up to this. Everyday life told me that I needed to change. But I knew that I had wanted and tried to lose the weight for years without success, which is where I started more seriously looking into surgical options to help.

I was only 24 and I was sitting at work. I thought I was having a stroke or heart attack or something. I begain thinking I was way too young to be dying like that. Turned out that it was a migrane with nuerological symptoms. (Basically the constricted blood vessels but pressure on my nerves to make me feel my left side going numb) When I got to the hospital, I went straight back due to my symptoms. As if the whole situation wasn't bad enough to scare me into surgery... the humiliation of the doctor and nurse discussing the weight limit on the CAT scan machine and whether or not I would fit in it (I didn't)... that was the cherry on top.

There were several "little moments" over the last couple of years that kind-of led up to my decision. I remember one time when my friend and I went to Kennywood and we wanted to go on the ride with the swings (most places call it the "yo-yo"). The ride was getting ready to go and they let us in real quick. So with everyone watching... I tried to get on the swing and realized I was too big to get the little bar down and clip it. When I went to get off, my hair got stuck in the chains and the swing was stuck on my butt. I was humuliated. I waited for my friend to get off (she's only a little smaller than me and she barely fit). We went to another ride and I didn't fit on that one either! We had been riding roller coasters most of the day and I didn't have any problems... but then those 2 rides in a row! That was awful.

But I think THE defining moment was when the scale finally got to 300lbs. I stepped on it one morning and I re-weighed myself 5 more times to make sure it was correct. I had quit weighing myself a long time ago because it always made me sick to my stomach to see how much I really weighed... 

And then there's dating. God how it sucks trying to date and being this big. I was getting really depressed seeing all my friends so happy and married and having children... and I'm stuck. Single and fat. 

But my surgery is tomorrow so hopefully that's all going to change!

I am beyond stoked for you!!

I remember being in Las Vegas, at the top of the Stratosphere, getting ready to ride one of the 3 rides up there. There was a woman who had to be kicked off of the ride, in front of a huge group, because she was too large. I always told myself, I'd never be like that.... I am now that lady...

I can't wait to be on the "loser's bench."

The most latest defining moment for me was yesterday...
We were getting weights at work for our residents...
I have a lady that wears 5 XL pants & 6 XL shirts...
I wear XL pants and shirts...
She weighs 60 lbs less than I do..
I cried.

I know everyone's bodies are different.. it just REALLY sucked.