What was your ahh-ha moment that made you decide to lose weight?

bm1409

I have a couple of heavy family members. A few years ago at a family gathering we took a family photo. My brother decided to make a calendar and made the picture to be the cover and gave it to everyone. As I looked at the picture, I suddenly realized that I am one of the heavy family members. That evening I held up a pair of jeans that I had just worn and was shocked how big the butt looked. That was when my reality hit.

CatonGirl

I hurt my back and have so far had 3 cortisone shots in my back. The reality that a year working with a dietician was going nowhere, along with the deteriorating overall health, convinced me I needed to do something else. I also now have grandchildren and want to be able to do things with them!! I had an Atkins book my mom had gotten at a yard sale. I started reading that and realized that there may be more to the low carb thing than I ever imagined. And it was healthier than I realized! I'm "stuck" right now but have lost just over 20 lbs since the end of October and its the best diet ever! I started MFP after losing about 10 lbs. but this is a great help!

arthur5153

Found out I have too much fat in my liver after a biopsy. After being down 20+ pounds I feel much better. Blood pressure is down. I had back surgery in 2010 and have flare ups of pain. After the weight loss flare ups are much less and not as painful.

BBee5064

Arthur that is great news. Losing weight will & does improve our overall health. U r a great example.
Thanks for sharing

BRaye325

Mine was also a medical issue. I was obese - class 3. I went to the Dr. because I was losing the feeling in my feet and my legs were swelling badly. I was put on 2 additional prescriptions, had already been taking meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and a diuretic. I was going through an extremely stressful time in my life and felt I was losing control. I needed to fight back, others needed me to be strong. I'm not there yet (still obese - class 1), but I've lost two-thirds of my goal weight and I know I'm making a comeback!

BBee5064

I'm known among my family & friends as the jolly chubby one... I was horrified when I found that out. A good friend told me that's what they All call me... I felt ashamed... And embarrassed.
I took a long hard look at myself & joined mfp.. Best thing I've done..
I'm still obese but I'm definitely on the right track...

clensor1955

I am not sure I had an ahh-ha moment per say. I just knew it was time to make changes in my life. Also I was surrounded by people who were inspiring me.

BBee5064

That must be wonderful being surrounded by inspiring people...
Inspire u in what way?

clensor1955

Lot's of ways, but mostly taking care of one's self.

BBee5064

I can see why they inspire u.. U must tell us about them one day.. I look forward to hearing more about your life...

dv7834

I was always in shape until the last 15 yrs. But then I started packing on the pounds, bit by bit. Soon I was about 45 lbs over my ideal weight.

My moment of clarity happened about 3 yrs ago during golf (I always walk, even before my 'enlightenment'). Anyway, a friend and I went out to play 18 and he asked if I wanted to get high before we went out for our round. I hadn't done anything like that in years, but that day I said, "Sure." Please note: I'm not advocating drug use; my circumstances just worked out like this.

In any case, I entered a highly analytical state of mind. As we walked pulling our carts, I could plainly see that I was struggling to keep up to my friend. Furthermore, I saw, quite clearly, that I had become a fat middle-aged man. I also saw that I had no one to blame for my overweight state other than myself.

But I also saw--and this was key--that it was imperative that I do something about my weight. I saw as well that it wasn't out of my hands and that it wasn't too late.

After looking at various options, I went to the local gym and hired a personal trainer for 10 sessions. She got me going to the gym, familiarizing me with equipment, and gave me routines, both cardio and weights. Most importantly, she brought this website to my attention. I lost 30 lbs in about half a year.

So if you're here, you know it's a tough slog. Yeah, I know, maybe we might gain some back, but that's ok. We will keep at it because it just feels so god damn good to take control of our bodies again.

Am I right?

nikkib0103

I just got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I have made a million attempts before and always figured I would do it one of these days for real, but that day wasn't coming. Then I said 'enough' and got started. I have a wedding to go to in August and I do better at most things with a hard deadline. So between being tired of being fat, conscious of menopause looming up ahead, a wedding coming up, it all converged to get me going.

alphabetsoup2013

I remember a couple of things that finally clinched things for me (after being over 100 lbs. overweight for at least the previous 15 years -- and as someone who has always struggled with my weight).

• I had to ask for the seatbelt extender on an airplane. That is such a humiliating experience.
• A cousin of mine who had always been heavier than me started losing weight. That would have left me in the awkward position of being the heaviest member of the family.
• One of my kids lost 50 lbs. Another one of my kids quit smoking. I figured that if they were tackling these major health challenges, I should do my part, too.

italy10548

My moment begain at my annual Doctors appointment in December of 2013, my weight was up to 196.8 and I still smoke. My Dr was yelling after me as I headed down the hall towards the exit, lose weight and stop smoking. I was so embarrassed and ashamed b/c I had gained 6 lbs since my visit last year.

Later, When the Dr called with my blood test results he wanted to put me on chlorestoral meds. And told me my sugar was borderline.

I decided right in this moment to take action!

HappyTrails7

italy10548 wrote: »

My moment begain at my annual Doctors appointment in December of 2013, my weight was up to 196.8 and I still smoke. My Dr was yelling after me as I headed down the hall towards the exit, lose weight and stop smoking. I was so embarrassed and ashamed b/c I had gained 6 lbs since my visit last year.

Later, When the Dr called with my blood test results he wanted to put me on chlorestoral meds. And told me my sugar was borderline.

I decided right in this moment to take action!

No matter how good the advise, it was inappropriate and unprofessional for the doctor to do so in the manner you described, I am sorry you had to experience this type of treatment.

On a positive note, it's great to hear that you decided to take action towards leading a healthier lifestyle.

alphabetsoup2013

HappyTrails7 wrote: »

italy10548 wrote: »

No matter how good the advise, it was inappropriate and unprofessional for the doctor to do so in the manner you described, I am sorry you had to experience this type of treatment. On a positive note, it's great to hear that you decided to take action towards leading a healthier lifestyle.

I totally agree with what @HappyTrails7 said: Shaming people about their weight is ineffective. It tends to cause people to gain -- not lose -- weight: Fat-Shaming Doesn't Cause Obese People to Lose Weight: Study I am sorry you experienced that -- but happy you were able to respond to that negative experience by making healthy choices for yourself, @italy10548

HappyTrails7

My ahh-ha moment? I've had a few...
Recently, the motivation that got me off the couch, up from the desk and away from the refrigerator has been realizing what obesity is doing to my health. It was easy to compare myself to others and foolishly believe I wasn't in that bad of shape, funny how that works isn't it.

A number of people close to me have recently had *heart attacks, bypass heart surgery, heart stints, been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. I felt bad for my friends and all they had to endure, but I still had not connected all the dots. I still thought I was in decent physical shape and that all these maladies were years away from catching up to me, maybe they never will. I thought I had all the time in the world to regain my health, but I was deceiving myself.

Then just recently, another friend, experienced severe health problems due most likely to obesity, and narrowly escaped death's grip. This one jolted me awake. What the heck was going on? My circle of friends were too young to be experiencing all these health problems. I finally realized that I was going to be in the same boat and soon, if I didn't make some changes.

I took a slow hard look at myself, no longer comparing myself to others, and what I saw frightened me. I am obese, and might just be the next one in line for an emergency room visit. So that is where this journey starts, I just hope it is not too little, too late.

*Many of these health related issues affect those that are the proper weight as well, but I believe obesity has a direct correlation of these diseases in otherwise healthy individuals.

NikonPal

EXCERPT from my success story pretty much outlines my ahh-ha moment.

“Like many people…in addition to morbid obesity….heart issues, apnea, arthritis and more. I take or have taken dozens of medications like amiodarone, methotrexate, beta-blockers etc. Blah Blah Blah. Everyone has problems and I only list this as a tiny glimpse of my overall status.

…in 2013, I felt beaten. I had been on every diet imaginable and was just plain sick and tired of “doing battle.” In the past, I had managed to lose “some weight” for a short period of time, but failed in the end. I had two different cardiologists and other medical professionals recommend diet plans, bariatric surgery etc.

…summer of 2013, a friend mentioned a couple calorie-counting apps, including MFP. I made a mental note, but did nothing. In November of 2013, I was back trying to lose a few pounds. I lost 7 pounds quickly. It was at that time, I took a peek at the apps. I do best when I set a “start date” for any task / challenge. I decided 12/1/13 would be Day #1 of my calorie-counting journey.”

I had essentially thrown in the towel until MFP…finally success!

From 405 to 208 pounds!

HappyTrails7

NikonPal, that is a truly inspiring story, where can I find the rest of it?

NikonPal

Mike --

Here you go...story/photos

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10080664/lost-191-lbs-photos-success-after-999-failures/p1

darylchilds59

I've just been told by my doctor that there is no medical reason for my weight gain so I've got to sort it out myself if I want to be a size 12 again (14 will do). Lol

HappyTrails7

NikonPal wrote: »

Mike --

Here you go...story/photos

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10080664/lost-191-lbs-photos-success-after-999-failures/p1

Thank you sir, astounding story!

alphabetsoup2013

I remember being totally inspired by your story when I read it on the message boards a few weeks ago, @NikonPal Well done, my friend!

PaytraB

I don't own a scale and although I knew that the pounds were slowly packing on, I had blinders on and thought I just needed to loose about 10-15 lbs. One day, I stepped on the scales at a friends and saw that I was 182 lbs.....that 10-15 lbs was more like 20-25 lbs. That was a shocker for me that my perceived need was about half of my actual need. I decided I'd better get started right away before the amount to lose became overwhelming. It was already pretty daunting.
I then started watching what I ate and realized that, although I could cut back on junk food (can't we all?), my overall diet was healthy. It was portions that I had no idea about. When I found MFP and learned about weighing food to learn about portions, I started right away. I learned a lot about controlling food to fit into my day. An eye opening experience and one that has made me reach my goal and generally feel better & more energetic all around.

NikonPal

Thank you - alphabetsoup2013

PaytraB – It is amazing how MFP can open eyes about portions. I don’t eat anything without considering portion size now.

lynnstacey2

LOL! Oh I've owned a scale for years, I just kept "forgetting" to get on it! I wish I knew what the spark was that inspired me to lose so much weight this time! I tried off and on, mostly off in the last few years to get rid of the weight but would never stick with it long enough to make a major dent in what I really had to lose. I've gotten to goal weights before and always started blowing off the good eating habits and went right back up again. I'm determined NOT to do that this time! I think one of the best things about MFP is that there really isn't any excuse not to track your food. Most of us always have our phone somewhere within easy reach so no I forgot to write it down or I don't have my forms with me etc etc.

sijomial

Background - always had to watch my weight as I gain very easily but was reasonably good at keeping it under control it until I gained 30lbs very rapidly when I was 31. A car driver used my knee to remove his front bumper (US=fender). Three months on crutches, depressed at having some permanent disability, bored and fairly inactive was a good recipe for weight gain.

Turning 50 started the process - very much the thought was if I don't lose this blubber now, when will I?

But the ahh-ha moment was having a nasty case of quinsy, it's like tonsillitis with a turbocharger! My throat was so swollen I simply couldn't eat and not surprisingly lost a lot of weight quickly.

And that made me finally admit it may have been the idiot car driver that led to me getting fat but it was me, and only me, that simply ate too much and kept myself fat for 20 years.

thinmog

Health issues - I hope I can make a lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise. I have always known what to do but couldn't follow through.

BBee5064

sijomial wrote: »

Background - always had to watch my weight as I gain very easily but was reasonably good at keeping it under control it until I gained 30lbs very rapidly when I was 31. A car driver used my knee to remove his front bumper (US=fender). Three months on crutches, depressed at having some permanent disability, bored and fairly inactive was a good recipe for weight gain.

Turning 50 started the process - very much the thought was if I don't lose this blubber now, when will I?

But the ahh-ha moment was having a nasty case of quinsy, it's like tonsillitis with a turbocharger! My throat was so swollen I simply couldn't eat and not surprisingly lost a lot of weight quickly.

And that made me finally admit it may have been the idiot car driver that led to me getting fat but it was me, and only me, that simply ate too much and kept myself fat for 20 years.

Thanks for sharing. like you I ate too much & kept myself fat.. Great sentence. Sums it all up

Abm4n

For me it was talking to a tennis buddy who said that he had lost 20 kg over 2 years on a LCHF diet. He was and still is one of the best players in the club, also one of the friendliest too. He just said "Google it" - not too much info. So he was the person who made me realise that I did have options and didn't just have to accept the "inevitability" of getting middle age spread and feeling aches and pains all over as I got older.

Now this way of eating has healed a lot of ongoing aches and pains (sore wrist, elbow, feet, knees etc) and I was able to give that same friend some advice last night about overcoming tennis elbow. This WOE has cured me of so many ailments that the associated weight loss is only one of the benefits.

UncleMac

I didn't have a single a-ha moment for myself. I knew I was overweight but the freaky part is folks around me kept saying I shouldn't worry about it because I "carry my weight well" and I don't look fat etc. Sorry, folks... I'm muscular but 283 lbs on a 5'11" frame is still obese.

What got me going in the right direction were two friends who tackled weight loss from different perspectives. One had bariatric surgery plus diet & exercise. The other joined a weight loss clinic which specializes in a holistic approach to weight loss through diet & exercise plus teaching people to approach eating differently through meal planning and keeping a food diary. I decided to join the weight loss clinic. I was successful in losing +30 lbs.

Around the same time as I started losing weight, my marriage derailed. As a result of all of the disruption, I stepped back from the clinic for a couple of years and dedicated my time to healing my soul and caring for my children. Now that divorce is finalized, I'm back in the gym. Current focus is less on losing weight and more on rebuilding muscle.