Stubborn - You've already started in the right direction by realizing you might need help losing weight, and that you need to lose weight! LauraBeth was point on with what she told you, but it all does depend on your insurance.
I think the first thing you need to do though is to call your insurance provider and find out what surgeries (if any) are covered, and if you have to go to a doctor that is in network. Also ask what, if any, are the requirements. Some insurance companies require a six month doctor supervised diet, others require a certain amount of time that you have been overweight, things like that. The reason I say do this first is that if you are required to do the six month supervised diet, you can start that before you even do anything else - rather than spend a month or two looking at surgeons and surgeries then finding out you need to do the diet.
Once you find out what's covered that will point you where to go - if you only have two surgeons to pick from you know to hit their seminars, if you can pick anyone, you have a lot of seminars to hit to find the surgeon that is a right fit for you. Also, some surgeons only do certain surgeries . . .
Make sure to do your research on each surgery you are allowed, of all of them if you can pick from them all or are paying out of pocket. The surgery that was right for me may not be the right surgery for you, and they all are great in different ways.
www.obesityhelp.com is a VERY helpful website. You can look up forums by your state, also talk to people who have had all the surgeries, and they even have areas where you can look up people comments on individual doctors.
I think you have enough posts to hit up the diet/exercise buddies forum - if you want post in the WLS Diva's thread - all the girls there are very helpful!
What else - if you are dead set on taking this path, there are things you can start doing now that will help you post-op. For example if you drink a lot of soda that's a no-no post-op, so cut that out when you can. For me I was really bad with biting my nails as a stress thing, BUT biting my nails into a swollen just cut up tummy could have been very dangerous - that was the hardest thing for me to stop doing. Start walking, or exercising regularly, start chewing your food really well, and slowly, and start working on making protein the most important part of your meal. It all helps post op.
A quick synopsis of the things I did in order is:
Attend a few seminars
Call my insurance - found out there was no supervised diet required
Attend a few more seminars
I picked my surgeon - then asked for a referral from my primary doctor to him
Set up my appointment with the surgeon
I had my appointment where the surgeon made sure I met his requirements and he gave me a list of things to do.
Had psych-evaluation done (I think it's required for everyone)
Met with a nutrionist
Attended a classes on the surgery as required by my surgeon
Test where they put the tube down your throat to your tummy (required I think)
Colonoscophy (I had to have done because of my colitis and IBS)
WLS support group meeting - required by my surgeon
Other things that you might be required are: Sleep study, heart testing, lung testing, and other tests based on you.
I went back to see my surgeon after everything was done, he looked it over said I was cleared by him. Then it was up to the insurance paperwork.
The surgeons office had someone who only did the insurance claims, she got my stuff together in a few days, faxed it in and I was approved in minutes.
I was given a date two weeks later - on Dec 6, 2007.
At this point I am at 141 pounds down from 297 day of surgery, and would do it again in a heart beat.
I also hate to be the one to say this - but I feel it needs to be said - make sure you pay attention to the con's of weight loss surgery. It is so easy when you hear that only one in 100 people have such and such happen to believe it cant be you, but that 1 in 100 could be you. You have to make sure that you are prepared to deal with the "what if's". WLS is a very serious surgery, and it can be dangerous. It's not a surgery that you have on Monday and are back to 100% on tuesday - it's requires a lifetime of hard work and learning to eat and live in a new way. I'm not saying this to deter you from the surgery, but to make sure that you realize how serious it is. Not that I don't think you realize it, but there are people out there that think it's a walk in the park, and that just the surgery makes the weight disappear.
Let me know if I can offer any other information let me know, you can PM me if you want, or say hi on the divas thread! Good luck!
Where to start? 
