What was your 'I finally need to lose this weight' moment? (And was it as bad as mine?)

Fivefarthings

I'm 5'7 and was 12.1 stone (down three pounds so far, go me!). I'm about a stone and a half overweight and unfit and have been for the last couple years and I've promised myself time after time that this year will be the year to lose the weight, and it's never happened... Until now

This year in June my boyfriend and I were at the Le Mans, France, 24 hour race (the bf is a massive car geek). He has a nice car, convertible, and this year we took it to a car show so he could show it off. So there we were, driving slowly through the crowds, when we stopped in the traffic, and two guys came to admire the car. And as they were stood right next to me in the passenger seat (roof off) one of them said, really loudly, 'That's a really stunning car, though you definitely need a more fit bird sat in the front.' And they walked off before I could think of anything to say in reply. Needless to say I was utterly mortified.

And that my friends, right there, following a cruel remark from a total stranger, was my 'moment' when I said, no more! I am going to get fit and healthy and look and feel fabulous from now on and damn any strangers who say otherwise!

What was your moment?

nishatay

I'm in the U.S. so I have no idea what 12 stone is equal to in pounds. But in that moment I would have pissed. I don't think I would have been able to compose myself as well as you did...But my moment was when I saw myself in some really unflattering picture. That's when I said enough is enough.

Fivefarthings

nishatay wrote: »

I'm in the U.S. so I have no idea what 12 stone is equal to in pounds. But in that moment I would have pissed. I don't think I would have been able to compose myself as well as you did...But my moment was when I saw myself in some really unflattering picture. That's when I said enough is enough.

I'm at about 168 pounds at the moment. And trust me, they were lucky they walked off otherwise I probably would have jumped out of the car and punched them! Lol

Mythril

My moment was when I saw a picture of myself in an outfit that at the time I felt looked good on me. And people were complimenting me. When I saw the picture though, I have this massive stomach hanging down, and you can see that huge bulge in my pants and my shirt didn't cover it. And I just.

I actually didn't start right away. I struggled a little in life. But the first of this year I started and I'm down 40 lbs and I'm chugging along. My hanging belly has shrunk some, and can be successfully hidden under my shirt. Though I'm still 300 lbs at 5'5" so I have a long way to go.

ekvamme

Mine was getting my engagement photos back & seeing how large I looked in all of them. That combined with the upcoming wedding where all eyes would be on me did the trick. I lost 35 lbs (wedding was 2 years ago) and I've slowly been putting it back on. I've gained 20 lbs & again recently saw some pics of me and was shocked at how much I really had gained back. So here I am, again!

shakeirawhitney

My moment was at the end of January when I had just literally finished scarfing down four or five slices of pizza. I got up and my stomach was huge, bloated and awful. I could feel the pizza refusing to go down and I felt awful. Right then I knew I had to make a lifestyle change. Confirmation was the next day when I was at my cousin's house and both her and my sister asked if I was pregnant. Enough was enough. Since then I have lost 26lbs and still losing. For me this isn't a diet, it's life.

sophomorelove

Mostly pictures and health reasons. Socially I don't feel fat or out of place (most of the time) but my knees are not happy with all the extra weight. Plus shopping sucks now. I am tired of being "the fat sister" in the family.

kbwilson76

My boyfriend (who's younger shorter and skinnier than me) and I were having breakfast at our usual mom and pop diner on a normal Saturday morning. He as usual ordered an insanely huge breakfast (seriously...how???), and some guy was giggling at his order (with his own belly btw) and said to the owner (in Portuguese...not knowing the owner is a good family friend and ratted him out later):

"He needs so much food to lift his big woman."

To this day that man is on my s"?t list.

I wasn't that big to begin with, husky yes, but big woman??? It's nice when we go in for breakfast on Saturday mornings, my @ss is getting tighter and his belly stays the same.

47Jacqueline

So, at 168 and 5'7", you've got about 25 or so pounds to lose, which, first of all shouldn't have sparked that comment (so those guys are jerks) and second is about where I started.

My aha moment was realizing I had been yo yo-ing those 25 lb my whole life and suddenly feeling "fed" up. I was stirred by noticing I was about to go up one more size in clothing. All three of those aspects lead me to look for and find a real solution to my food issue, rather than putting another bandaid on it.

MarziPanda95

My moment was less of a 'need to' lose this weight moment, and more of an 'I can lose' this weight moment - because I've never really had many mean comments or had any weight related illnesses. This time last year, when I started on MFP, I was 211lbs/15st 1lb. 5'7, 18 years old.

My 'moment' was two months prior to that, when I was hospitalised for a rare bleeding disorder. Whilst I was in hospital (and therefore didn't have access to food 24/7) I realised that I wasn't hungry even though I'd not eaten much, and I realised I could lose the weight, and that it was me alone who had control over my food intake. I didn't start until two months later though because I was still making excuses. My bleeding disorder (ITP) is an immune disorder so I had to be put on high doses of steroids. 95mg to be precise. I was hungry CONSTANTLY for the next month until I adjusted, and then I had my A Level exams (which decide if you can go to university) and didn't want to think about dieting stress whilst revising, along with the medication stress as the steroids gave me insomnia. I've lost 60lbs since I started though

Diana_GettingFit

My aha moment was in December when I went to the doctor and had my blood work done. I'm type two diabetic and my A1C was 7.2, which is fairly high. He wanted to put me on a second medication. I was already on Metformin. Not only did I not take that second medication, in April I stopped taking Metformin. Thanks to counting calories and running I was able to lose nearly 20 lbs. I went back to the doctor this month and my A1C is 5.8, which is the high end of the normal range. The doctor told me I can continue not taking Metformin. So in the space of six months I went from being put on a second medication to not taking any medication for diabetes.

dubird

My wedding pictures. I knew I had gained weight, but for the first time, I saw my picture are realized I was fat. That's what got me started.

arditarose

I think it was the knee cellulite for me.

lilbthebasedgod

For me it was when my depression was at its greatest point, where pretty much every aspect of my life felt like it was falling apart, gaining 20 pounds within 1.5 years in college and having new stretch marks appear on my body every time I looked in the mirror

charcoal18

My husband was best man in his friend's wedding almost 2 years ago. A doctor visit shortly before revealed I weighed as much as when I had our 4th child 2 years prior. I also had no dresses that fit for the wedding. That coupled with my upcoming 15 year reunion that year lit a spark. I lost 12 lbs before my reunion and am at 30lb lost to date. I still have about 20 to go before I reach my goal weight.

pineapple_peach10

A really, really horrible picture. Over three years later and 80lbs down I still use that picture as motivation.

sheldonklein

I was having very unpleasant leg pain - sort of a burning, stabbing pain. With the aid of aTV commercial for Lyrica, I self diagnosed diabetic nerve pain. I immediately vowed to lose weight and made a Drs. Appointment. He immediately ruled out diabetes and told me that the problem was my pants had gotten so tight they were impinging on a nerve. An equally good reason to lose weight. I've dropped 70 lbs and would like to do another 10, though my discipline has been slipping of late.

SongDragon

Last time it was seeing the number 150 lbs and going uh-uhh. This time it was no longer fitting the jeans I bought last time I lost weight and having no pairs of jeans that fit. I did not want to buy any that fit at that weight!

I probably would have started crying in your situation.

Chezzie84

My moment was when I realised that I would be going wedding dress shopping at some point in the next 12-18 months.
I want to lose weight slowly before then and not go choose a dress and crash diet to fit in it.

mummyzena

I had an appointment with my gynaecologist for an ablation and she asked if I had tried losing weight before and if I was having trouble maybe consider wls. I told her I can do it I'm just lazy so did it to keep off the surgeons table and to prove that sometimes people are just lazy when it comes to losing weight not that they can't.

smotheredincheese

A really awful picture my boyfriend took of me that makes my legs look like badly stuffed sausages. When I got upset by how unflattering it was he was genuinely confused "but that's what you look like, it's not a bad photo of you at all!". I knew then that I needed to get serious. I don't want to look like meat products.

DawnieB1977

I knew I was gaining weight while I was pregnant (still worked out and logged, but gained anyway) but even so it was horrible seeing photos of myself after.

12 stone at 5'7 isn't bad at all. I'm 5'6 and I was 12 stone when I got married and looked good. I got told I was beautiful on my honeymoon by some random French Canadian guy. I got down to 11 stone before I got pregnant with my 3rd and I was really thin. It depends how you carry the weight. So the rude comment from the guys about you in the car wasn't warranted at all. To them a 'fit bird' might be a girl wearing hot pants with fake boobs and blonde hair extensions, so even if you were skinny you might still not fit their definition. I'm sure they weren't exactly male models themselves!

angelfish257

I got tired of being 'the fat sister' - my brothers have never had weight issues and both their lovely wives are naturally small girls, even after having my nieces & nephews. Horribly unflattering pics of me with the kids just highlighted how bad things had got and then health problems sealed the deal. I have UC and struggled for years to get it under control, so was on and off a variety of medications till we found what worked for me - and steroids were used for an extended period until everything settled down. I didn't look fat as much as I looked like I'd been inflated like a balloon!
My medications were calculated using my weight, so the heavier I was = the bigger the dosage. I have systematically worked on reducing this as much as I can, now been steroid free for 22months and only take low doses of 2 other meds. Maybe one day I will be drug-free completely, but I am still happy with the progress made!
I am 5'5" and currently stable at 159lbs, this year my focus is on building muscle and getting stronger - it would still be nice to see the numbers come down a bit so i will keep plugging away. In meantime I have actual muscle in my arms, back and shoulders! My legs are stronger too, even my OH has confirmed my lumpy bits are less lumpy and more toned lol

chaos2k

my moment was when I seen my cardiologist in march. he put me on a second blood pressure pill. I just had my 4th heart surgery in July 2014 after spending almost a year in bed not being able to do anything. I had gained about 20lbs making me the heaviest I had ever been at 244.4lbs.

when I got back home something clicked and I looked at my wife and said I'm not going on more meds. I started walking and now biking and have lost 30lbs. CW 214 GW185. I was able to stop taking the new blood pressure pill. I have cut the first blood pressure pill and cholesterol pill in half and got off one insulin needle. I see my regular doctor again in August and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting off more meds. I feel better than I have in at least a decade.

Knyvern

Walking through Walmart and feeling winded. How did I let myself get so out of shape that shopping for groceries is my only workout? Sheesh!

MissAmyx

My "Aha! moment" is actually kind of grim.
After YET ANOTHER job application rejection I was just in a bad place and felt miserable about myself and my life and i can remember just kind of saying to myself one day "OK your life sucks, your job sucks, you're fat, you can't change the first 2 things but the one thing you can change is your weight! If you're going to be a failure in this life you might as well be a skinny failure rather than a morbidly obese one!"

and that super motivational speech did the trick, I still keep getting rejection letters, Im still stuck in the same dead end job, BUT I am losing weight!

I'm thinking about stitching my little speech out on a throw pillow so i can see my uplifting words each and everyday emblazoned in golden thread

Alluminati

arditarose wrote: »

I think it was the knee cellulite for me.

-_-

for me it was dimples where my kneecaps should be.

Asharee011

Mine was actually recently. I've been overweight ever since I was little. I'd honestly give anything to even be at the weight I was in high school which was still 50lbs overweight but now I'm around 140lbs overweight. I wish I would have tried harder then. But my breaking point was when my boyfriend calls me beautiful and I can't bring myself to believe him. And when I look in the mirror I just feel disgusting.

TheLittleGingerDoesWeightLoss

I keep having my moments, but I can't follow through!

I love photography, but hate to be in front of the camera. I used to be fifty pounds lighter and if I had something I felt to be unflattering, then I could move my body in such a way to mask or hide it. Fifty pounds later, I can't do that. The weight is all over and can't be hidden.

I am about to move up into plus-size if I haven't already. Depends on the store.

My butt is wider than the chairs at Cracker Barrel.

My family has history of diabetes and a family member just had to get a leg amputation as a result.

I am terrified of meeting people in real life romantically, because surely all the men I find attractive will only be attracted to "tight" women.

I have acne on my face that is scarring my skin and this got worse as I aged and gained in weight, so it's probably my diet written all over my face.

I am always the DUFF in my group of friends. Or at least that's how it seems to come off.

And so many more....

persephonic

Mine was a series of little moments. Clothes got too tight, underwear got too tight, I went from a size 4 to a size 6, but refuse to buy bigger clothes. I have this weird thing where I always feel sexier than I probably am - lol!!!! Like I'm a size 2 when I'm really now a 6-8. Finally we went on vacation and I felt ugly in every outfit I wore. Like a teapot instead of a swan. Also- my energy levels suck because I don't eat well. I did a bunch of research and googling and realized for my size frame and bones, I should really weigh between 115-120, not 135. I also measured my body at all key points and calculated what my ideal measurements should be and I'm working towards those. Am I going to keep letting 15lbs make me change clothes 3x each morning and dictate the outfit I pick bc I look skinniest in it? NO! I am re-teaching myself how to eat. My motivators now, in order of importance are:

1. More energy every day
2. For my Current wardrobe to fit like a charm; I have one size 2 skirt that is my goal to wear before summer is out.
3. Take better care now that I'm in my thirties - age well - prevent health problems.

Jenskiski

My family was at Disney World. We had a great trip, but I was utterly exhausted and towards the end of the week I knew I couldn't continue on with how I was living. For me, weight loss is for health more than anything else.