Question:
At what point did your weight gain take control of your life?

I have always been fairly active and not worried about being heavy. It seems that one day I reached a weight that took over my life. Suddenly my knees hurt to climb steps, my lungs felt compressed when I sat up in a chair so that I couldn't breathe freely. I could no longer do normal daily activities with my kids. I became a prisoner of obesity overnight. Did any of you have this happen like this? And at what point did you realize your life was taken away by obesity? My life ended at 285 pounds, but will handed back to me on February 11, 2002, my WLS date!    — elifritz (posted on December 20, 2001)

December 19, 2001
well for me it was when i woke up one day and weighed 337 pds ...BOY WAS I SHOCKED.....well i'd always been a yo yo dieter and always had the mindset that as long as i didn't look like "those" people,300 pds and over folks i could deal with my obesity...but then back in 1999 i was out of work and depressed and ate everything in site ...my weight reached its heightest this year ...337 and the biggest clothes i had no longer fit,my knees hurt all the time,i had severe sleep apena slept with a machine,and i was generally a unhappy person...i knew then i had to do something to take back control of my life...and im sooo glad i did.....had surgery this past summer so far 60 pds lost and im starting to get my life back....good luck to u
   — [Anonymous]

December 19, 2001
With me I really tried to never let my weight keep me from doing things.......to a point anyhow.....but the aching in my knees and reoccuring back problems started to limit what I could do or felt like doing. I starting dreading the social situations. And we live in florida so I started skipping the rides at the attractions cause the bars would squeeze my stomach. I would be so embarrassed. I always knew I was "fat", "heavy", whatever you want to call it. BUT, what finally made me see what was going on was when I did my BMI and it said I was "Morbidily Obese". WOW! Now that was a slap in the face. A real wake up call! And then to see my medical records.......where the doctor has me written down as a "morbidily obese female". That really opened my eyes. I didn't know "I" was OBESE! That is when I started researching WLS. I had been on so many diets, to lose and then regain, (plus some) that I got to the point that I was afraid to go on another diet. I knew I couldn't afford to fail and gain even more weight back. I told my husband that I just couldn't face another diet. I was scared to death to fail again. SO, I have my surgery date scheduled for January 9th and I am SO looking forward to a happier, healthier, slimmer life.
   — Kim B.

December 19, 2001
It does seem like it happens quickly doesn't ? Last year, I was 27 yrs old and at around 297lbs I felt that I was "fat but healthy" and still able to be pretty active. This year, my ankles got so swollen it hurt to get up to goto the bathroom, I was out of breath just getting my mail or getting into my car. If I tried to run and play with my dogs, I would be so out of breath it felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I had DS surgery on 11/08/01 and I'm down approximately 33lbs now. Last week I was actually *running* and playing with my dogs for almost 15 minutes and I was slightly out of breath, but that's it! I can't wait for my weight loss to continue and my quality of life to improve! Congratulations..after Feb 11 you'll soon be able to run and play with your children!
   — Anita N.

December 19, 2001
Interesting question! My life ended when I reached to 325 mark. I'd been fat since childhood and since that was "normal" for me and because I came from a family that included my healthy, happy, successful fat peoole, being fat was only a minor inconvenience in my life. Sure, I wanted to be slim so that I could wear nicer clothes and I dieted (unsuccessfully) all the time. But, I liked myself and I had no self esteem problems. When I moved into the mid 300's , my body just gave out...overnight... as you put it. I went from being a totally healthy fat woman who could do everything to being a sick "old" woman with sleep problems. degenerative joint disease in my knees and feet, hypertension and an irregular heartbeat. My knees hurt constantly and I got little or no sleep due to the constant pain and due to night time breathing difficulties. Add clinical depression to the mix. I was a total mess and my weight going up...and up...and up. Wls was the only solution for me.
   — [Anonymous]

December 20, 2001
When I hit 300 @ 5'2" and it was painful to wear high heels. When I couldn't find anything decent to wear and was getting too big for a 26/28. When I yo-yo 'd the same 8 lbs for almost a year. When I felt like hiding from people I hadn't seen in a while. When my blood pressure got uncontrollable and I was borderline diabetic. When I couldn't fit in a seatbelt on a plane or in my new Jeep without an extender.
   — [Anonymous]

December 20, 2001
My breaking point has been in the last year since I started dating again after my divorce. I've done some cyber-dating and, even though I am very honest about my size, it's still very disturbing to see some of the responses when I meet a new guy. I had one guy tell me, via email, that I didn't meet his requirements. It's really rotten to have a guy who's overweight not call you again after the first date. That hurts. So much so, that I've just given up dating all together. Decided I didn't need the added stress. Maybe once I'm thinner I'll reconsider - but that's the last of my "thin" priorities.
   — Katy B.

October 12, 2006
For me it was when I hit about 500 lbs.I had no control over what i did.My highest weight was 598 lbs.Today i weigh about 230 lbs and having troulbe with the last 40 lbs.I have been upp and down for months now.
   — SteveApril45