Just Gearing Up for This....self-pay in Mexico (GULP!)

Hi there, I'm 54 and just starting on this journey, wondering if it's "too late" to start. I'm single, no children. Been overweight (and identified myself like that, personality-wise, too). I can't imagine what it's like to not be overweight. I'm tall, 5'9", and I look younger (often mistaken for 40). I want to stop THINKING about how FAT I am all the time. It's something I think about hourly, really! I'd like to say I'm a yo-yo dieter, but I'm not really. I try to diet, and fail within days. I first joined Weight Watchers in 1973, and have been joining every 2-3 years since. I've spent thousands of dollars on gym memberships, personal trainers, diet books, diet programs (Weight Watchers, Jenny, NutriSystem) and have managed to diet my way up to just about 280 lbs. I'm in pretty good health, relatively speaking, but everything hurts, knees, feet. And while my health is pretty good, I'm getting more and more sedentary, and of course there is diabetes and heart disease in my family. I just want to have some kind of physical life and I really want to get a hold of my over-eating tendencies.

I'm getting my courage up to schedule with Dr. Ariel Ortiz at Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico. Cost is about $6500 plus airfare and prescriptions. I'm going to take a leap and use some of my retirement savings for it, as I don't have the cash on hand. My stupid health plan (Aetna) won't pay for anything to do with it - not even psych counseling for eating disorders! And because no obesity-related treatments are covered the $6500 won't even be credited to my deductible. I tell you.... sheesh!

I would appreciate hearing from women/men my age who have gone through this, especially in Mexico, and what they did for follow-up once they came back to the States. I live in NYC.

Will try to post some photos of me now ("before").

Thanks everyone....