What Was Your Final "straw That Broke The Camels Back"

[Lesommeil 18]

I used to play the "well, I'm fat, but I'll never get so fat that I can't...." game. But then I did. I got so fat that it became hard to find pants that fit at Lane Bryant. I got so fat that sitting in stadium seats or booths at restaurants became a problem. I got so fat that going to an amusement park would have meant sitting on the sidelines while everyone else had fun. I had a friend turn against me and post all manner of mean nasty things about me regarding my weight and I couldn't defend against any of them. I realized I didn't want to be the person sitting at 50 wishing I had had the courage to have the surgery before I had all the comorbidity issues that plagued my dad before his RNY. So now I'm 4 days post op, and I hate not eating food, and I despise my Protein Shakes, and I'm depressed that my body forced me into something this major just to even the playing field, when i am surrounded by people who can eat what they please without gaining weight. BUT, I'm losing weight, and have the chance to be under 200lbs by the time I turn 30, when I haven't been under 200lbs since high school, and for me right now, that's reason enough to push through.

[Catherine Shinn Habhab 97]

I am a CT scan tech. I had a patient that could not move from the stretcher to the scan table. Six employees had to move her. They laughed and made comments. I didn't want to imagine doing this to my kids. I didn't want to be a burden to them. That was it, surgery two months later.

[pieganjane 26]

Many straws: Here are a few...

1) falling and not being able to get up off the floor

2) watching the EMT's faces when they lifted me and knowing what they would say to each other later.

3) Husband left after 38 years of marriage.

4) Not one response on Match.com

5) Being treated like a 2nd class citizen at the doctors office.

6) Looking at photos of myself

7) Wheelchair at big airports.

8) Having to stop when climbing steps.

9) Airline and theater seats.

10) Always being charming and "jolly"...that's what fat girls do.

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

1.Tired of having to come straight home after work every day and put my feet up for 6 hours just to make the swelling in my legs go down.

2. Not being able to take the Zumba class I wanted to because of 1.

3. Enduring multiple stress fractures in my feet because nobody told me that 330 pound women aren't supposed to climb mountains and hike.

4. Finally realized that just because I don't have any co-mordities like HBP, diabetes, high cholesterol, doesn't mean that I deserve to live with all this pain in my feet and legs.

[cakelover 4]

Tired of avoiding going out in public with my family.

Tired of taking BP & Cholesterol meds.

Tired of avoiding taking pictures (I literally run when a camera is aimed at me)

My daughters have never seen me healthy or at a healthy weight.

Tired of not having a waistline and tired of my jeans looking weird on me.

I could go on

[JoJo57 63]

Two of my best friends are looking at knee replacement surgeries. I'm younger, but fatter than they are.

Finding my journals from 20 years ago and reading of my weight/self esteem issues in 1992 that are still with me today - but worse.

Sent from my iPhone using VST

[johnlatte 1,232]

I have two 12 year old girls that I want to walk down the isle some day. They both run, and I want for us to run a 5k together. I used to run alot, but the weight has just gotten out of control. I'm tired of the yo yo. I bet I've lost 1,000 pounds, tried every diet, taken the shots, even did the ephedra cocktail. It really does work, lost 70lbs that way really fast. My Type II was getting out of control and probably was going to have to start the insulin shots. Like one of the other posters, I got kicked off the Harry Potter ride at Universal. Luckily enough, I had taken a single rider spot so that the family and some friends could go together. They never saw that I got kicked, but I was pretty embarrassed and pretented to have ridden it. At the end of the day, I just want to live another 30 or 40 years, see my girls grow up and be happy.

[yuliwannaslim 9]

I have several reasons ;

1. Being coorporate america limitations for the obese, if you ain cute and skinny you wont get the correct opportinities no matter if the whole office talks about how great and smart you are.

2. Being I am 29, no kids due to PCOS and married for 1 year, have always dreamed of at least being pregnant with my first at 30 yrs old!

3. Just feeling better bout what I look like, I am the youngest of 3 sisters and have always been the smallest - all of a sudden these past 4 years moving to Texas has put a toll on me - not sure if it's homesickness or what but I've gained 40lbs in the past 4 yrs, never been small but never over 200lbs... Still need to be closer to 150, i am 3rd day post opt at 239# have los 15 since preop

[Gigi66 5]

My family (brothers & sisters, wives, and husbands) went on a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina in May. When we got home, I saw the photographs of myself. I didn't even recognize me! I looked so horrible I just wanted to cry. I swear to God I never thought I looked that bad. But, having seen the evidence, it must be true! I have never felt self-conscious about my appearance. In fact, I thought I always looked like a rock star. Man, were those pictures a wake-up call!

Also, I have begun to realize that people, especially men, do not care if you are nice, intelligent, pretty, funny, happy, or are a good friend, a good sister, a good aunt, or like to read and like to cook or the fact that you are an interesting person: the only thing most people care about is if you are fat. Unfortunately, the human race has not yet evolved beyond their biology. I understand that men are hard-wired to choose women who seem more physically able to produce children and continue the man's genetic line, but I keep hoping that people will eventually start to accept people as they are. But we all live in this world, and in order to be successful, we have to conform to this world's expectations. What bothers me the most is that while this world hates fat people, we continue to produce in massive quantities that which makes us all fat.

I especially detest people who claim they "are concerned about my health." It is a ridiculous, and erroneous, assumption. I do not have high cholesterol, nor high blood pressure, nor heart disease, nor diabetes, nor mobility problems, nor pain. I am very healthy, other than a very high BMI. Not everyone who is overweight is unhealthy. People who say this to me think they are helping. Their "concern" is just thinly-veiled contempt. I think hating on fat people is the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. And society makes it acceptable because their false "concern for our health." Just admit your prejudices.

My surgery is tentatively scheduled for November 28. I am very scared, but I am committed to doing this. Although I resent the fact I have to do this surgery, I know it is necessary.

[Gigi66 5]

My family (brothers & sisters, wives, and husbands) went on a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina in May. When we got home, I saw the photographs of myself. I didn't even recognize me! I looked so horrible I just wanted to cry. I swear to God I never thought I looked that bad. But, having seen the evidence, it must be true! I have never felt self-conscious about my appearance. In fact, I thought I always looked like a rock star. Man, were those pictures a wake-up call!

Also, I have begun to realize that people, especially men, do not care if you are nice, intelligent, pretty, funny, happy, or are a good friend, a good sister, a good aunt, or like to read and like to cook or the fact that you are an interesting person: the only thing most people care about is if you are fat. Unfortunately, the human race has not yet evolved beyond their biology. I understand that men are hard-wired to choose women who seem more physically able to produce children and continue the man's genetic line, but I keep hoping that people will eventually start to accept people as they are. But we all live in this world, and in order to be successful, we have to conform to this world's expectations. What bothers me the most is that while this world hates fat people, we continue to produce in massive quantities that which makes us all fat.

I especially detest people who claim they "are concerned about my health." It is a ridiculous, and erroneous, assumption. I do not have high cholesterol, nor high blood pressure, nor heart disease, nor diabetes, nor mobility problems, nor pain. I am very healthy, other than a very high BMI. Not everyone who is overweight is unhealthy. People who say this to me think they are helping. Their "concern" is just thinly-veiled contempt. I think hating on fat people is the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. And society makes it acceptable because their false "concern for our health." Just admit your prejudices.

My surgery is tentatively scheduled for November 28. I am very scared, but I am committed to doing this. Although I resent the fact I have to do this surgery, I know it is necessary.

[Gigi66 5]

I've had my op on November 28 and so glad, haven't yet seen a massive change, even though have gone from 110kg to 98kg from pre-op diet to 5 days post op, my friends and family have been great. I was like you, no health issues, had dodged all the big ones diabetes, blood pressure, very healthy (doctors words), but my BMI was 44...... Way too high. What I loved was my friends and family loved me for who I was, but after an interfriendtion (play on words) they shared their concerns about my longevity and that they are not ready to lose me, it was confronting, but they wanted to support me with weight watchers, exercise, whatever I wanted - I asked then what they thought about surgery and they said they were in, they will go with me the whole way..... And they did..... Now post op they have visited, bought me healing gifts, told me how proud they are.....I did wonder if I was conforming to society, especially when I was in pain after the op, did I do it because I didn't want to let my friends down.... But no, I did it for me, I want to be around, stay healthy, go on holidays, one day (long time) look after my daughters children.....enjoy a wonderful retirement...... So much life to live and one chance to live it! Hope your surgery went well too, I feel good now and I know the next 6 weeks will be challenging, but exciting too.... Stay positive, this is a beginning...... A second chance...

[JustSayMoe 163]

Several Things:

1) My wife and young family (6 yo girl and 2 yo boy)

2) I need to stop the insanity. I weigh 400 lbs, have sleep apena, out of control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I'm not even 40!

3) My gut doesn't fit in a booth at a restaurant.

4) Very hard to buy clothes that fit at regular stores. I have a 50 inch waist and need 32 inseams. Almost an impossible combination.

5) I love hiking in the mountains. Extra weight and thin air make this extremely hard. I took a hike last fall and couldn't hike 15 yards up a steep trail without getting out of breath at 6000'.

6) Amusement parks/go kart rides, etc, etc

[Amanda Nicole Hosaflook 65]

I haven't had my surgery yet. However, the straw that broke the camels back for me was having a hard time fastening the seat belt in an airplane.

[Melanie Gilgan 6]

I am not 100% positive I'm going to have the surgery...but the defining moment for me just to make the first appointment was that the most important person in my life didnt want to be in my life at all...it wasnt a "normal" relationship as one may think...there wasnt even any personal contact...it was a phone only relationship...and if I can't make that work, then I have to do something!!! Something to turn my life around....something to return myself...no, turn myself into a "normal" human being!!!

[SeriouslyChange 319]

My grandmother passed away 2 days before my birthday and I realized that if I looked back on my life when I was 90, I wouldn't want to think, "if only I did something about my weight instead of letting it hold me back." I couldn't fit in movie theater seats. I am always sweating at work. I always feel like people are looking at how fat I am. Most of it is in my head and it took me a few years to work on those demons. Now I am finally ready to work on my life as a whole and improve my future physically and mentally.