You betcha! although you might want to make sure and wait for someone else here to confirm this as I am not sure. Better yet, why don't you call the Medifast guys because they can answer you better...

For me personally, my ankle was giving me a ton of problems. The doc thought my ligament was tearing due to my weight and I pronate. I had to go to a fancy store to get real.

Running.

Shoes. I could not put my shoes on. I had to put my leg up behind me to get them on and I could not tie them They young lady had too. I was mortified. That day I started to rethink weight loss.

Surgery.

...

I had been on.

Weight Watchers.

For YEARS! I swore I would never "cut myself into pieces" to.

Lose weight.

That was how I saw it anyway. I had lost most of my weight with WW, but over the years, it came back on when I wasn't looking! lol I have always been athletic and otherwise "healthy". As I have gotten older, I noticed my knees hurting a little more at the gym and it wasn't quite as easy to lose the weight as it was when I was younger. There wasn't any particular instance that caused me to change my view about having the.

Surgery.

It has been my whole life of experience as an overweight/obese person. I woke up one day and said to myself, let's see what this GBS is all about. I made an appt for March 25, 2010 with my surgeon and I had my.

Surgery.

On June 22, 2010. I haven't ever looked back. It has been the best decision I have made...

My turning point came when I hurt just trying to tie my shoes and realizing I didn't want to do any of the things I have enjoyed doing because I didn't want to put clothes on. I just want to stay in stretchy pj's. I don't want to see any friends because I don't want them to see how big I have gotten. If I am out shopping and see someone I know I will go down another isle to keep from.

Running.

Into them. I realize now how much my weight is limiting me. I can't wait for my.

Surgery.

Even though I am terrified of being put to.

Sleep.

.Wish me luck..

Kathi..

Hey.

Ginger.

....

It's Elizabeth....

The moment finally set in last October when I got in my van to go to Achwha's..(Aqua) my best friend..and the entire way my belly rubbed the sterring wheel...the seat was all the way back..my poor little feet were barely touchig the gas and brake, and the wheel was all the way up. I knew then that that was it, I had to make a change somewhere somehow something had to give. It was truely my AH HA moment, as they say. now, there is a 4 inch gap be tween me and the wheel, I have ulled the seat back up, and the wheel back down. Once again, I cried. every little victory, makes me cry like a baby, and I just don't care.



People just don't know. they just don't know unless they have walked in our shoes. Be proud of every single accomplishment you make...that's why I commented early this morning, in some else's post about counting every single pound you lose. If you carried it, then lost it, you count it.... what do they think you did with it? holding it in storage for later? thats crazy...you count every single victory, and you flaunt it.....

I'm sorry, but your hubby is just gonna have to start lovin smaller women now, isn't he....].

He will...when he sees how much better you are......

Hello and first let me say how touched I am while.

Reading.

These posts! Being obese is such a sad way of life when I think about it!.

For me personally I decided last Oct that if I did not do something about my weight I would not be around for my one and only daughter! She is now almost 20 and her dad passed away when she just turned 5. Although I am remarried now my daughter is everything to me! I need to be here for her!!.

I had my.

Surgery.

5 days ago and I just keep.

Reading.

And you people are amazing!.

Thank you so much and I wish you all many years of happiness!.

Mary J..

Kathi52 I am with you. that is a lingering fear I have...

Great question!! I had a "gotcha moment" followed by a second. My physician has been.

Talking.

To me about wls for some time now. I felt that it wasn't for me, I also didn't want to be cut up. But... at all of 5'0", I almost lost it when I weighed in that day at 303 pounds!!! I had no idea I had gained that much and the 300 just about did me in. I swore that day that I would never see that number again. The next day I was at work (I work in health care) and was in a meeting discussing our.

Dialysis.

Center. The fact that my diabetes is getting more difficult to control,, and the sudden realization that I was heading down the road to.

Dialysis.

Was enough to push me over the edge... That was the middle of June,, and my.

Surgery.

Is now scheduled for August 30th...

For me it is my daughter. I waited so long for her to come into our lives, after a miscarriage I was able to finally have a successful pregnancy at the age of 40. My daughter just turned three, she is so active and I want to be able to do all the things she wants to do and I want to be around for her for a long long time...

Ginger.

,.

Girl, I would have to say it was my grandmother. As a teenager she was always telling me to watch my weight and the only thing I did as an adult was watch it grow. SMH. She recently passed away at age 99. Man, that was an awesome woman.. Then I had to stop and think..

Then I looked in the mirror and said. How in the hell can I possibly live to be 99 and I can hardly walk at 46.???? No way I would make it to 99 being 400 pounds. Not to mention, I didnt want to have both knees replaced.. *they said they couldnt replace them anyway until I lost weight becuz the weight I was at at that time would cause the.

Prosthesis.

To fail* SMH. and I didnt want the.

Sleep.

Apnea, diabetes, or anything else I had...

Now I am FREE.. YES LORD.. I am FREE.... NO more medical probs at all!..

I was.

Reading.

Elizabeths post for Newbies (that woman inspires me EVERY DAY) and I got to wondering. What was your turning point? Was there one particular incident that let you know it was finally time to get in control of your weight, or was it gradual?.

For me it was a little of both. I had been kind of thinking about.

Surgery.

For at least 2 years. My rock bottom was this past January. My Great Aunt was turning 80 and the family was having a birthday party for her in Houston. She is one of my favorite Aunts (everyone should be as young hearted as she is) and I knew I wanted to go. No big deal right? Jump on a plane and go. Well, that was the most mortifying plane ride I have ever experienced and I will be damned if it ever happens again.

Both men had the same look as they came down the isle and realized they were sitting next to me. Oh crap the fat lady. You could almost read that thought like a banner across their foreheads! I cried for about half the trip. Those silent, roll down your cheek kind of tears, without the hysterics. In addition to my horrible plane ride, while Houston, my mom sister and I went to the Galleria for a few hours and went shopping.

Of course there were health issues that played into all of this as well, but that trip made me truly realize how negative this weight is for me. I have always been big, and my husband likes big women, so I guess I was just comfortable with it...

I could not stop bleeding for 2 months. Then I found out I have PCOS and it was caused by my weight. My Dr. looked me in the face and said lose the weight or your uterus!!! That was a slap in the face for me. That's when I told him I was ready for GBS. I have thought about it on and off for like 2 years but my health at 32 is awful.

I'm not looking back just forward to my future without my 150 pound twin attached to me...

As a retired Army Sergeant, I was at the VA, and ran into an ex Army buddy who lost both feet to diabetes. His love handles sagged over the sides of the wheel chair. When we were young we were flat bellied hard core paratroopers. We are only 56 now. I don't want my wife, who retires in three years to have a papaplegic for a husband, I know you pain when flying, and you have to use a belly band extension. I now plan on being 60 years old, and entering in a bodybuilding contest!..

My daughter was in nursing.

School.

And working as a CNA and she would tell me stories of people having their feet/legs being removed because of diabetes. I don't want to go blind. Everytime I went to the doctor, my diabetes meds were increased. I was on 5 diabetes meds, high blood pressure and cholesterol meds. I am off all meds now - only take my vitamins and thyroid medication. My daughter would tell me about how the 'fatties' were so hard to take care of, to try to move around, her back was always sore.

I was sick of not being able to walk with people, fit in booths at restaurants, sick of wearing homely clothes etc. I can't say it was any one thing. Of course I had the humiliation of plane rides, but never went alone and had either my husband, my daughters or my brothers sitting beside me. But I still got the "looks" believe me. I've worked for the same boss for 41 years and I weighed 125 when I started working for him.

Clients who I hadn't seen in 20-30 years would come in and he would say "You remember Dotti?" and they looked at me like they had never seen me before in their lives! I always wanted to hide from clients when they came into the office. I am 80 pounds down since April and I am just starting to feel as though I am "normal" again and don't have to hide..

Yesterday I took a boat ride with two friends out of Boston and it was so nice to feel as if I fit in with everyone else in the world. Before I could just feel people staring at me if I walked down a gang plank (is that what they are called?) getting off a boat..

I'm so happy I had the.

Surgery.

- at first I wasn't so sure - but it is a new way of LIVING and that is the bottom line. We all want to live so that is why we did this...

Like sbmegan, I had done.

Weight Watchers.

For years. I had lost and maintained 60+ lbs. I even worked with them as a leader in the classes and in the main office in Michigan, where I lived at the time. Over the years it did creep back on, plus more..

I certainly had the tools, and never thought I'd have the.

Surgery.

Either. But about 10 years ago I had my thyroid removed, a couple years after that I became diabetic. I had NO energy, my knees hurt if I walked any distance, and my quality of life was getting worse, not better..

I'm a positive person, by nature, but found myself changing in recent years and thought I either needed to look into this, or accept my life as a FAT person. I topped the scales at 304 and couldn't believe it myself. Decided I had to take "drastic" measures. It's been great for me. No regrets...just that I waited so long, worked so hard, with little results prior..

Cindy.

16 months post op.

-135..

I like.

Reading.

Everyone's stories! Thanks for the question. I was one of those who swore I would never have.

Surgery.

To loose weight!.

4 years ago I was at the beach with my OLDER sisters and their families. My sisters got up every morning to go.

Walking.

On the beach. They rode their bikes from the ferry into Ockracoke. I made a joke about not getting up early and being the one to ride in in the Explorer and pick up all the kids who couldn't make the ride along the way. But the truth was I was sick of not being able to do the things I wanted to do..

I bought a bike. I couldn't ride 2 miles let alone 40 (which I do now routinely) I wanted to take that bike back but the bike shop wouldn't take it back! I tried.

Weight Watchers.

One more time and lost 50 lbs only to gain back 20 and then decided I was sick of the up and downs I wanted the weight to be gone. I asked my doctor for a referral to my surgeon and had GBS on Feb 26, 2009. I was 287 the week I came home from that beach trip. (when I started WW for the gazillionth time). I was 264 before my preop fast and 247 the morning of.

Surgery.

I now weigh 135-140. I was a size 24-26 and now I am a size 6!.

Laura..

Hi Gingbelle - I had been considering WLS 7 years ago when after 18 years of raising my children as a single mom, I wanted a different life. Well, one thing after another, including the doctor.

Talking.

Me out of it, I put it on the back burner until the day I was scheduled for shoulder.

Surgery.

I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2005. I still thought about it but this year, while getting ready for work and having to stick my finger to check my blood sugar I decided that was that. I wasn't going through life dealing with all the problems with diabetes, blood pressure and body pain. I am ready for a new life that includes my first grand child Too much left to live for. Now I have finished my pre-op preparation and am scheduled for.

Surgery.

On 10/18/10. Thank you for asking this question. I hadn't thought about it that way before...

I have four young grandchildren. I decided that I needed to do something to get my body back to a normal weight or I wouldn't live to see them grow up. I was unhappy with the quality of my life. I had tried various diets and TOPS with only temporary weight losses. GBS has helped me to attain and maintain a normal weight..

Bonnie..

I have wanted this for years. At first I didn't have insurance to pay for it, then the first doctor I went to wouldn't do my.

Surgery.

Because of my weight. He said I had to lose at least 120 lbs before he would do the.

Surgery.

Four years later, I finally have found a surgeon to perform my.

Surgery.

And have insurance to pay for it. Twelve years from the time my primary care physician first told me about it, I am finally in the process of having WLS. I have lost 82 lbs over 18 months to get back down to the weight the doctor denied my.

Surgery.

At 4 years ago...

There were lots of moments for me:.

- the day the scale tipped over three hundred and I remembered that years ago I jokingly told myself that if I ever weighed 300 lbs, I would kill myself..

- when I realized that people on the bus.

Going to work.

Would rather stand than sit next to me.

- when I was looking for a new house and realized that I was looking at bungalows, just so I wouldn't have to walk up and down stairs.

- when I started worrying about what chairs I would sit in at friends' houses because I didn't want to break them.

- when I started trying on shoes by picking them off the rack, dropping them on the floor and trying to shove my foot in. Ones that dod not fit were left in a trail behind me on the floor..

- when Irealized that in the mornings when I was getting dressed, the question of where I would be when I put on my socks was a real question I was asking myself.

And finally, my favourite....

- when I realized that I was like a Tyrannosaurus Rex when I tried to wipe my butt...my arms just weren't long enough anymore. Nobody ever told me that was possible..

I guess when I ended up 42, single and with no kids and I realized that I would be alone all the rest of my short life because people might STAY with someone who has become morbidly obese over the course of the years they have been together, but no one gets INTO a relationship with someone with a BMI of 50+ unless they have their own huge issues. Besides, if I can't even find my fun parts anymore, how will anyone else?.

I am ready. I am waiting. Next year will be my turn...

Wow...your story is a lot like mine. I'm glad you were brave and honest to tell us it..

I think what finally tipped the scales for me was that my brother-in-law had it done, and I saw what it could do for someone...the wonderful transformation...a much more positive outlook...and not hurting to do everyday tasks. That did it for me...

Thank you to everyone who has shared your story. I have been flirting with diabetes for a few years. My blood sugar tests are always borderline. I had PCOS also, and that is just a step down from type 2 diabetes. I can identify with most of you!..

And yes Elizabeth, he will have to get used to a skinny chick! LMAO!! My hubby is 100% behind me on this. More that anything he wants me to be healthy! He laughed and told me he is excited, he has never been with a skinny chick before..He can't wait to finally carry me over the threshold....I had better not find that he is going to fatty girl porn sites though.....................

My story is like many others. Poor quality of life, never wanting to go anywhere or do anything, not fitting in airplane seats. But my major Ah Ha moment was when the lady I worked with, who was what I called 5x5 (5' tall by 5' wide) walked around all day with her shoe untied. I kept telling her, "You are going to trip and hurt yourself", but never realized that she couldn't tie it herself. I later saw her asking one of the guys, who bent down and put her foot on his thigh and tied it for her. I had always envisioned paramedics having to cut the door off or having to call in extra help if I fell and broke something.

It happened in a flash after I made the first call and I went from 275 at first Dr. visit to 145 exactly one year later. I've never looked back, but I still have to be careful about what I eat and make sure I work out 4-5 times a week. WLS is only a tool, so prepare yourself for a change in lifestyle. It's so worth it...

What a great topic and wonderful stories. Every one of them make me laugh, cry and remember the pain of being so fat. Bravo to all you ladies for choosing life over thar miserable existence of obesity..

Love you all.

Lucifer..