I don't know if I will regret posting this in here or be flogged by the Internet as a whole, but here it goes.. As a 32 year old dude:
I'm in a similar situation that Boogie2988 was in back before he became a YouTuber as I was pretty fat all of my life. (if you want to know that, you can google how he was before YouTube) He seems to have more trouble than I do, but my weight pretty much got me fired from my job (in 2006) and no one would hire me because of it. No scale could measure me at that time and I had no health insurance.
For about 7 years, I just gave up while staying at home taking care of my elderly parents ( I was staying at home while was working from 2001-2006, waiting to hit my pay ceiling before I started to find a place of my own or with a roommate). More than ever, I used food as a comfort food while I was receiving SNAP. (because I was unemployed and I give quite a bit of the food to my parents)
In 2008, I was one of the last eligible person for a medicaid-like program in my county and began to go to a doctor on a monthly basis for the first time in my life since I was about 16. Diagnosed with high blood pressure and cholesterol, I started on a regimen to lower them. To this day, without that, I'd be worse off than I am now.
The beginning of my journey (for weight loss) really started in December of 2012.. I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic. I cut off 99(.9)% of candy and 100% of all the sugary sodas at the time. I didn't know if it was working because my doctor's office's scale could only go to the mid 300's.
Fast forward to April when the medicaid expansion came and now my insurance changed for the better(Thanks Obama): I could now theoretically get bariatric surgery to fight something I was dealing with my whole life.
After a few weeks of talking to my doctor and insurance, I started the necessary paperwork to get the surgery but there was one caveat; I had to go on Weight Watchers for six months.
I am on weight watchers for 2 - 12 week sessions (6 mos) and I have to lose %5 of my weight at the end of every session to become eligible. I get drove there every Wed evening and their scales can actually measure me (THIS IS A HUGE HELP!).
I started it about 5 weeks ago (6/24/14) and lost
24.2 pounds and my beginning weight was 458 lbs. Just the diet change alone has lost me a bit of weight.
Hopefully soon I can get some decent diabetic (I am pre-diabetic but my doctor thinks I can get two pair of diabetic shoes for free) shoes at a new foot doctor I am going to, so I can get some walking in without getting blisters. (I kinda walk on my ankles and one of the shoes have their sides blown out, plus I have wide feet lol!)
I'm not trying to make an excuse to not to walk by saying my shoes suck because they literally will hurt my feet by trying to use them. Outside of that, I'm actually doing a basic set of exercises I can do at my home without any equipment. Of course, no pushups yet but that takes time.
I'll be happy to lose enough weight to start going for mile+ long walks without the front of my legs getting numb and my feet getting eaten by my shoes (if I could afford them, I'd buy Crocs if they fit me, because fuck fashion). Even my doctor is in with me for my weight loss as she bought me some meal bars to help be begin my day! (Thank You!)
I'm currently in talks to my insurance company if they will completely cover a gym membership and so far, no dice (I'd have to find a way to get daily transportation if I can get a gym membership. No license due on how my life was in high school.)
Hopefully if I post a big update like this next time, I'll be either fully eligible for bariatric surgery or I've lose so much weight that I don't need it!