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

[BariatricBarb 84]

I have a few things that led me towards thinking about the surgery...

1)I want to be a professional photographer (portraits, weddings etc), and feel like showing up fat, hiking up and down to photo sites, carrying all my camera gear, being out of breath, would be unprofessional.

2)Also, I still enjoy non-profit forms of photography, including macro (close up of small items), which has me getting up and down from the ground a lot, which is tougher to do at 285lbs.

3)I am tired of the lose/gain/lose/gain game

4)Mentally I feel so much younger and more energetic than my fat body lets me be (I am 40, but feel 10+ years younger, mentally). I would like my inner self and my outter self to match.

But the BIG one...the FINAL straw was a good friend who had VGS.....she posted a picture of herself on Facebook, and at first I honestly didn't recognize her (to be fair, she had also coloured her hair). She lives far away, and I hadn't seen her in 2 years or so, but knew she had the surgery about 1 year previous. So I went back through her pictures. I found one taken right after she got home from surgery (she had hers done in Mexico). It turns out the new picture and the old picture I remembered were taken 1 year apart....to the day. It was UNREAL what 130lbs gone looked like on her. I started asking her questions about her surgery, her recovery, etc. She told me she literally has 3x the energy she had before surgery, and that she would ABSOLUTELY do it again....in a heartbeat. She is the only person I have told that I am planning to do this, except my husband. I am self pay, and I want everything lined up, and a date booked before I make it common knowledge.

I did it for the exact same reason! After a serious neck injury and surgery, I was forced to rethink my life. I'm in my late 40s. I decided to turn my love of photography into something I could really use. I went back to college to earn a degree in Professional Photography. Just earning a degree at my age is pretty cool. But I want to take my photography further. I had my first gallery opening as was horrified about meeting new people and having photos done of me! I really like nature photography and couldn't see myself on long hikes to desolate places at 254 pounds. I'm 22 days out from surgery and total loss since the beginning of this journey in April is 45.8 pounds. I can't wait to see what the next few months hold...Good luck with your journey, and your photography!

Edited July 2, 2015 by BariatricBarb

[Sam46 9]

Wanting to play with my son without having to sit down and rest constantly. .

Not being able to fit on rides with my son...and just plain tired of being in pain

[joannct1t 31]

Mine qas chronic pain having to use a walker. Or a cane. Now I can walk with out them with 58 pounds me.

[joannct1t 31]

My sleeve surgery was may 21,15... i am now 6 weeks post op. Best thing i ever done for myself.i am all the way off insulin,

[jallen1231 59]

Not wanting to leave my house for anything! Scared to even see people. Embarrassed by the way I looked.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

@@jallen1231

sadly, your reason was one of many for me too

i also didn't want to be outside in the real world

thats all changed

3.5 years PO - 2.5 GOAL

you can't keep me in the house anymore

good luck

kathy

[Ashley1213 40]

Having a physical earlier this year and having my HgA1C come back at the upper limit of normal and borderline high cholesterol...all at the ripe old age of 32.

Loving to travel and not being comfortable in an airplane seat not being able to latch the seatbelt.

Tired of being tired and hurting just to walk.

I've become a hermit and have systematically avoided everyone who knew me before I gained all the weight.

[tubabuddha 7]

Dad died of a major heart attack.

I couldn't get on roller coasters at my favorite amusement park.

Feet and ankles always hurting.

Being embarrassed to have my picture taken with my daughter in her first semi formal.

[JennD 7]

My straw came after visiting my grandmother whom I had not seen for a year. She says to me "You sure got fat. I thought you being a nurse and running around all day would have you skinny by now!".

Before that incident was just the constant struggle with body image, not being able to be active with my children and my inability to go out in public without being embarrassed.

[AreLin 16]

Having a physical earlier this year and having my HgA1C come back at the upper limit of normal and borderline high cholesterol...all at the ripe old age of 32.

Loving to travel and not being comfortable in an airplane seat not being able to latch the seatbelt.

Tired of being tired and hurting just to walk.

I've become a hermit and have systematically avoided everyone who knew me before I gained all the weight.

ashley I feel you. I'm 35. I was tired of being tired, achy from walking a block, asking for seat belt extenders on air planes, I became a hermit too. I live in NYC and it felt great to be able to walk around as new buildingsa are always going up and the city is constantly changing. I'm only 3.5 weeks post op and am amazed at how much better I feel.

[Ashley1213 40]

Having a physical earlier this year and having my HgA1C come back at the upper limit of normal and borderline high cholesterol...all at the ripe old age of 32.

Loving to travel and not being comfortable in an airplane seat not being able to latch the seatbelt.

Tired of being tired and hurting just to walk.

I've become a hermit and have systematically avoided everyone who knew me before I gained all the weight.

ashley I feel you. I'm 35. I was tired of being tired, achy from walking a block, asking for seat belt extenders on air planes, I became a hermit too. I live in NYC and it felt great to be able to walk around as new buildingsa are always going up and the city is constantly changing. I'm only 3.5 weeks post op and am amazed at how much better I feel.

AreLin,

I was in NYC on a girls trip in December...we walked a minimum of 5 miles everyday (bc we couldn't figure the subway) and I downed about 5 Advil everyday.

I can't wait to go back when I have more energy and am not turned off of going somewhere simply bc I have to walk a little further!!

So glad to hear you are feeling better!! This time next week, I'll be on the other side, as well!!

Edited July 11, 2015 by Ashley1213

[angela80463 3]

My last straw was when I tried every diet and every pill paid money I don't have just to lose this weight .last year I was approved but I have to lose a certain amount of weight to have his surgery I keep going up and down with this sweet I'm trying hard to lose this weight and to have the surgery done so that was my last straw and I'm still trying to lose this weight we went to see the psych gave me a red light,I didn't get the green light to go have the surgery she wants me to lose some more weight and keep it off i'm just so frustrated about this I want to lose this is my stress level is so high I'm trying so hard. I'm saying to myself if they just give me the surgery I could do it with the surgery because I know I'm not supposed to eat certain foods so why can't they just give it to me.

[AreLin 16]

My last straw was when I tried every diet and every pill paid money I don't have just to lose this weight .last year I was approved but I have to lose a certain amount of weight to have his surgery I keep going up and down with this sweet I'm trying hard to lose this weight and to have the surgery done so that was my last straw and I'm still trying to lose this weight we went to see the psych gave me a red light,I didn't get the green light to go have the surgery she wants me to lose some more weight and keep it off i'm just so frustrated about this I want to lose this is my stress level is so high I'm trying so hard. I'm saying to myself if they just give me the surgery I could do it with the surgery because I know I'm not supposed to eat certain foods so why can't they just give it to me.

I know it is hard when they put you on hold for the surgery. Best advice I can give is try and eat like you had the surgery. Meaning use a smaller spoon, take smaller bites and chew your food like 25 times before swallowing. I don't want to say diet because when I think of diet I would end up eating more and more junk food. Try it for about a month and see how it goes..... even it's without changing what you eat too much. I did this before my surgery to kind of get myself used to post op eating and lost about 10 pounds. I was eating the same foods I always ate, I just chewed slower and made sure NOT to eat all the food on my plate. Oh and I had cut back on soda, but I didn't eliminate it completely. I found the more i said no to something, the more i wanted it so everything in moderation.Hope this helps

[tjstark 74]

For me, this has been the toughest year of my life! Since January, on my birthday no less, things have been on a downward spiral after a difficult work situation where I was bullied by a manager. I have been suffering from depression/anxiety ever since. Trying to get through that, I began to feel more selfish and took real stock of my life -- I've spent so long pleasing others and being passive -- now I feel like I need to put myself first, my needs first and do what I want to do! It started with a lovely holiday by myself, relaxing in the sun for a week, and now finally -- after years of contemplation -- having this surgery and becoming a healthy, happy person!

[scstxrn 213]

1. Trouble wiping - must loose weight!

2. Coworker had sleeve - very successful.

3. Research, research, research on physiological and psychological effect of sleeve on my children vs. overweight mom.

4. My body hurt.

5. I had lost over 200 pounds, total, and gained 250, total... I wanted a more permanent solution, and the research indicated the sleeve was it.