What was your ahh-ha moment that made you decide to lose weight?
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bm1409
Posts: 1,715 Member
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.
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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!0
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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.0
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Arthur that is great news. Losing weight will & does improve our overall health. U r a great example.
Thanks for sharing0 -
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!0
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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...
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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.0
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That must be wonderful being surrounded by inspiring people...
Inspire u in what way?
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Lot's of ways, but mostly taking care of one's self.0
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I can see why they inspire u.. U must tell us about them one day.. I look forward to hearing more about your life...0
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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?0 -
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.0
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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.
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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!0 -
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.
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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, @italy105480 -
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.0 -
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!
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NikonPal, that is a truly inspiring story, where can I find the rest of it?0
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Mike --
Here you go...story/photos
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10080664/lost-191-lbs-photos-success-after-999-failures/p1
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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). Lol0
