Vanity, Mental, Health -- Percentages Of Each Regarding My Decision

[HondaCivicDude 29]

I decided to get the sleeve for a all the reasons lets be honest and post what percentages each of these made in your decision

heres mine

20% vanity

60% mental

20% health

for me ive never been comfortable at all with my weight ..borderline social anxiety ..if im of a "normal" size im going to have so much more confidence wether its just conversing or getting a job or anything in life..vanity yea it would be nice to buy clothes that others can and just simply look better..and im sure down the road health will be a positive as well even though as of now i have no co morbidities (sp?)

[favoredone 590]

80% health (back issues)

20% emotional

[ShouldBlittler 89]

I have not had the surgery yet ( 6/20), but my percentages would be:

60% health, knees, hips, heart

30% confidence issues

10% Hopefulness

[4ALongerLife 329]

Health, 80% minimum

Emotional (i.e. vanity, hating myself for my size, confidence, etc) 20% most days

My decision was mostly health related. Mom died at 56 of a heart attack, paternal gma at 50 same thing, father had diabetes and died of cancer at 63. I'm trying to beat my genetic odds over all, a come to jesus discussion from my annual appt with my ob/gyn made the decision for me, personally.

Would be nice if I get rid of my hypothyroidism, but only time will tell on that one. (Just keep praying, so I tell myself)

[Dooter 1,457]

I'll freely admit.... it was 50% vanity and pride and 50% everything else (health, emotional well being, etc..) I was a firm, gym-going hottie in my thin days and have mourned the loss of that for so many years. My life used to be all about me, then it became all about my family, and my looks went by the wayside. Time to reclaim what's mine!!!! YEAH BABY!!! (And my family is very supportive of that;)

[clk 3,519]

Yes, part of it was health - probably a good 40% because I had type 2 diabetes and wasn't able to keep up with my kids.

But the rest was mostly vanity, with some for emotional/mental health in there. Maybe 40% vanity and 20% emotional/mental. I hated leaving the house and meeting new people prior to surgery because I hated the way I looked and assumed everyone around me did, too.

I was so SICK of hearing "You have such a pretty face..." because that's probably one of the nastiest "compliments" I received on a regular basis.

Surprisingly, now that I'm at goal I'm embarrassed by the attention and the way other people treat me. Pre-op I was sure my vain little self would preen at all the compliments but they make me incredibly uncomfortable. A lot of it is how I treat myself and how I act now, sure, but sometimes I feel like people treat me like I'm a totally different person.

Anyway, kudos to those of you that are doing it purely for health. I can't lie - I wanted to shop in regular stores and be treated like a normal person more than I wanted to avoid heart disease. Call it a personal failing or a shallow personality or whatever. Regardless, I got my wish on all counts so I can't be unhappy about choosing the sleeve!

~Cheri

[Lissa 2,631]

60% health, although this number should be higher considering I was told I only had about a year to live if I didn't lose the weight, 30% vanity and 10% emotional.

[Kiloalphatango 13]

100% Vanity - which will lead to the emotional etc

On paper im the perfect bill of health, lower then normal cholestorol, great everything else.

I did a health test at work a few weeks ago, and was rated above average for all fitness, flexibility & health related tests. I was actully really cranky about it!

I also live in Australias most active city... so go figure

I just want to look good, which will make me feel good

[JanetF 4]

This is a fascinating question and discussion. My immediate reaction was that for me it was pretty much 100% health, with 0% mental/emotional or vanity, but after reading what everyone else had to say, I wondered if that really was the case. I have given it lots of thought and honestly believe that for me it really was 100% health.

I have been big almost all my life (the year I was 11-12 was the only time I was a really normal size) but until recently it had never stopped me doing anything I wanted to do (not wanting to run a marathon or do 50 star jumps in 10 minutes ) but recently it has started restricting me more. For my 50th birthday last year, for example, I bought a round the world ticket and had a whale of a time, but there were certain things I would have liked to have done and places I would have liked to have been that I couldn't because I simply didn't have the energy. I hold down a high-level, demanding job and work very long hours, but it is completely sedentary (in fact, it's so portable that I can work pretty much anywhere, including on the sofa, on the bed, in the restaurant...) but the new post which is waiting for me in Kenya will involve lots of travel to conferences across Africa and Europe, working late into the night, and lots of standing and walking, which I know I can't cope with while I am this big. My health also restricts the choice of duty stations where I could work, as I have to consider access to decent quality medical facilities and availability of all the specialists I need to see on a regular basis.

Over the years, I have accumulated a variety of health problems, most of which are caused by, exacerbated by or simply not helped by my weight, including, but not limited to diabetes type II (with neuropathy in my lower legs and early retinopathy in my eyes), myxoedema, polycystic ovarian variant, hypertension, dislipidaemia, fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, GORD/GERD... I have finally reached the stage where, after fighting the idea of bariatric surgery for many years, it has become the best solution, if not the only answer.

Mentally/emotionally, I have never really had problems with my size, even when I was younger. I suspect that is as much the luck of the way I am by nature than anything, for which I am grateful.

Vanity-wise, I have thought about it and I really don't think that it has entered into my decision to have the surgery. I am not doing this to look good in a bikini (yikes! - the very thought of me in a bikini!!) and I shall miss lots of my nice size 28/30 (UK sizes) clothes, although of course I am looking forward to finding some nice new ones as I gradually shrink. I know I am huge, but I am also - due modesty aside - a jolly good-looking woman, and living in a culture at the moment where (to my enormous surprise on arrival here four years ago) most men seem to love large, luscious, lovely ladies (OK, perhaps not luscious, but big!), I have the unexpected pleasure of being reminded of that pretty much every day!

So overall I would stick with my initial thought of 100% health and zero or very close to zero% emotional or vanity, even if losing the weight will undoubtedly give me an emotional boost and more of an excuse for vanity!

[LDallas 108]

100% health. Arthritis in knees and back...from a lifetime of obesity. I don't want to wind up a total wreck, in a wheelchair or elec scooter to get around. I'd hoped to lose wt by now (didn't we all?!) but now 50 yrs old and my warranty has expired. Currently in the process of vsg...hope to have it in the Fall.

[LDallas 108]

100% health. Arthritis in knees and back...from a lifetime of obesity. I don't want to wind up a total wreck, in a wheelchair or elec scooter to get around. I'd hoped to lose wt by now (didn't we all?!) but now 50 yrs old and my warranty has expired. Currently in the process of vsg...hope to have it in the Fall.

[thinoneday 445]

I'm a complete sinner and will probably go to the hot house anyhow, so for me it was 90% vanity (ugh!) and 10% health.

I was always unhappy with my weight! Always being made fun of, teased, taunted, as a kid, then as an adult, the same thing, teased, taunted, made to feel all jokes had to be fat related and that i should be happy all the time. . . (shoot, I'm not freakin' santa claus) Now I can do so much more, and look so much better. . . it's so nice to actually like myself again! So for me it was vanity mostly. . .

[favoredone 590]

Let me explain the vanity thing for me... I'm vain... even when I was a larger... I'm not obnoxious.. I just know I'm the bomb... no matter what size.. I may not be a person's preference, but that doesn't diminish my "the bombness" or the love of my many fans!! LOL..

[K33 87]

My world has gotten smaller the heavier I've gotten so I stay indoors and restrict my activities. I am 61 with sleep apnea and that is the only medical illness I have related to my obesity. And I want it to stay that way. As I mentioned before on earlier boards, I want to be active in my golden years. I have been unemployed off and on for 3 years and think that my weight has something to do with that. So in summary I would say the following percentages:

Mobility, activity level: 30%

Employability: 40%

Pride/confidence: 30%.

Thank you for posing the question.

[4ALongerLife 329]

Let me explain the vanity thing for me... I'm vain... even when I was a larger... I'm not obnoxious.. I just know I'm the bomb... no matter what size.. I may not be a person's preference, but that doesn't diminish my "the bombness" or the love of my many fans!! LOL..

Favoredone, rub my elbow pls. I need some "bombness". I think I've lost my belief in mine (ok maybe just today, but maybe not).