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The AOA has received many stories for this webpage. We thank those of you who share your stories and invite all to experience the impact of obesity and diversity of its effects.
Submitted Stories
Story #1
I am 35 years old. I have been married for 12 years and have beautiful daughters. In November of 2001, I injured my back and have not been able to go back to work. All I can do is sit and get bigger. Now when it seems that surgery on my back is near, the doctor tells me that I am too heavy for the surgical table and that he will have to check around to find one that can handle me.
Story #2
I was busy looking up some information for a paper that I am doing for a college class when I came across this site. I come from a family of obese people. Most of them are around 300 pounds or more.
About a year ago I decided that I was sick of being obese myself. I could not stand the pain shooting up the heel of my foot, or the fact that I kept having pain in my chest. I felt doomed to die of a heart attack.
Story #3
I am 25 years old and I have lived with obesity my whole life. My mom is morbidly obese and always has been. I have never known her thin.
Story #4
My dad was obese and it cost him his life. He went into the hospital very sick and it took 2 months to be diagnosed with cancer. Why did it take two months to find this out? Well to be blunt about it, there were soooo many tests that they couldn't do on him because he was OBESE!
Story #5
Hello. My heart goes out to each and every one of you who are suffering from this chronic disease. Here is my story: According to the BMI I am obese. My BMI is 35. I weigh close to 160 pounds and I am 60 inches in height. This is obese to me!
I've been through every diet imaginable. But, when you inherit genetic infirmities look out!
Story #6
Hello. I live in Rochester, NY. I'm 17 years old and I weigh 440 pounds. I've been overweight since I was 12 years old. I used to go to school, but I had to drop out because people continued to make fun of me.
Story #7
I come from a small community East of San Francisco called San Leandro, California. My weight problems began when I was about 27 years old. I worked for a startup computer firm in the famous Silicon Valley. I worked on the phones and was sedentary 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That's when a boyfriend suggested I lose a few pounds.
Story #8
Hi, I currently live in the Houston area. My story begins at the age of five when my parents divorced. I have been overweight for the past 30 years.
I'm a single parent of 5. The oldest is 18 and the youngest is 6. I have tried everything man has made -- pills, liquid diets, cabbage diets, meat diets, counting calories -- everything!!!!
Story #9
Hello, I'm living currently in Mesa Arizona, although I did not grow up here. I'm 5' 3" and weigh 235 lbs. As bad as that sounds, it's not my heaviest. A few years ago I weighed 256. My health is suffering because of the weight. I'm diabetic, have high blood pressure and starting to have joint problems, all due to the excess weight.
My story might be a little different than some. I didn't start out life heavy. I was a skinny, sickly child. Average sized until somewhere between 35 and 40. I am 54 now.
Story #10
Hello, I am 31 years old, 5'10' and weigh close to 400 pounds, and have struggled with obesity since I started school. I am from Calvert City, KY. I am currently fighting my insurance company for a referral to a bariatric surgeon. I have already been turned down once but I will not stop.
Story #11
I am currently 29 years old. I have been overweight my entire life. I think I was six when the doctors first wanted to put me on a diet.
Story #12
Compared to the guy who can't get his insurance company to pay for heart surgery, I realize I don't have much to complain about. But today something happened that surprised me.
Story #13
Hello. I'm a 50 year old mother, grandmother and wife. All of my life I have been overweight. Of course this is usually the same in all obesity people.
Story #14
Two weeks ago on April 15, 2002 I weighed in at 222 pounds. This is the most I have ever weighed in my life. I have been fighting my weight since I was 15 years old. I weighed 180 pounds then.
Story #15
Non-compliant. That is the new word I find applied in my direction lately. Before fat, lazy, undisciplined were more the words I was used to, this new one has given me some new thoughts on being morbidly obese.
Story #16
I am always trying to diet. Lose and gain, lose and gain. It may be genetic because everyone in my family is very heavy. I know people stare and some people pass comments. The biggest discrimination was when I had emergency surgery.
Story #17
Hi there. I am a 30 year-old woman with 2 beautiful, pretty healthy children and I should be the happiest woman in the world. I am not. I have a problem. I am morbidly obese. Geez, I hate that word. It just makes my skin crawl.
Story #18
My son is 43 he has suffered most of his life with obesity. At the age of 6 he had polio which paralyzed his right leg.
Story #19
Hello. I want to tell you a little about myself. I am now 25 and severely obese. I have been overweight since childhood. I have battled with my weight, gone on every diet known to man, and bought every exercise tape on the market. But to no avail, I am still obese.
Story #20
I am a 29 year-old, married, mother of 2, graduate student and I am 5'1, 216 lbs. I have recently shed 14 pounds. I have struggled my whole life with being "chubby", but it was not until my first pregnancy, 9 years ago, that I became obese.
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