Did you get serious?

When did you get serious about your weight loss / fitness goals??? Did you have something happen?? I have yo yo'ed 20 here 20 there for years, but it was'nt until I ripped out the bottom of my shorts at Wal Mart while lifting a bag of dog food did I get real.... lol... I laughed but then I said somethings gotta go, and it was some weight. What was your moment??????
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Replies

  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    This latest time..last May after I got diagnosed with Type 2 DM. Joined MFP June 7th and have been here daily ever since. Fellow yo yo'er here, see my profile :sad:
  • yaseyuku
    yaseyuku Posts: 871 Member
    I got serious about dieting when I bought a skirt for my birthday that couldn't even fit halfway up my thighs - you weren't allowed to try it on in the store so I just eyeballed it and thought it looked okay.

    I got serious about fitness when I joined a gym and started with a personal trainer.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    Lost my mum last June to a heart attack and realized I was not immortal and needed to take care of my body. After I was with my boyfriend for a while, I realized I was happy with my life other than one thing. Job is great. Money is good. The boyfriend is wonderful (I'm keeping this one). Got everything else and needed to work on what should have been a first priority. Started a weight loss competition at work to get me kickstarted past the first few weeks, where I'd always failed before. It's a way of life now. I'm serious now :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I didn't wake up with any of my wake-up calls. I hit snooze. :laugh:

    When my dog got loose and I had to run a couple blocks to fetch him at the park (maybe at most 1/4 mile) and that left me wheezing for hours, it didn't bother me like it should have.

    Losing both my parents bothered me, but didn't make me change my habits. It made me feel like nothing really mattered.

    When I went to my 20th high school reunion weighing 50 pounds heavier than when I graduated, that didn't bother me.

    When I'd throw out my back, knees, hips or ankles several times a year, that didn't bother me.

    When my pants got too tight, that didn't bother me. I blamed drying them in the dryer.

    I wasn't until I saw pictures of the Warrior Dash, and thought, "I wanna be able to do that!" then realized, "Oh, wait. I can't run," that I started doing something about my lack of fitness. That was pushing three years ago, and I haven't looked back.

    I got healthy so I could have more fun. I guess I never got serious. :tongue:
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    ^^^^^^^^^^ that is kick-butt!!! I luvvv all these posts.... :) These are some good stories :)
  • Once my dad humiliated me in front of our whole family last Thanksgiving.
    He was saying grace and at the end he was like, "…and also Megan needs to lose weight and I mean she needs to lose it BAD! Because she has gotten really fat since her mother left and looord does she need help!"

    I so was shocked I ran into the bathroom and hid and cried!
    After that I started watching my meals, cut junk food, and do tougher workouts.
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
    About 3 1/2 years ago when I went out for dinner with the man I with at the time and out ate him.

    That night,when I went to bed I could barely breathe,felt like I was smothering.
  • nino07110922
    nino07110922 Posts: 2,149
    I've blamed asthma for my lack of physical activity for years. Whenever my son asked me to go outside and throw the ball, I was good for five minutes at most. I broke my tailbone in January of 2013 and was in bed for 12 weeks. That's a lot of time to stare at your body and become unhappy with what you see. When my doctor said I could expect pain and, maybe, a cane for the rest of my life, I decided that was enough. The moment my doctor released me to resume physical activity, I started going to the gym 2-3 days a week. Ninety days later, I'm going 7 days a week for 2 - 2.5 hrs a day. Aside from losing 16 lbs, I've lost 4 inches from my waist. Where I couldn't last five minutes with cardio, I can now go an hour at full pace. Seeing the results and feeling the improvement has definitely been worth it.
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    I've blamed asthma for my lack of physical activity for years. Whenever my son asked me to go outside and throw the ball, I was good for five minutes at most. I broke my tailbone in January of 2013 and was in bed for 12 weeks. That's a lot of time to stare at your body and become unhappy with what you see. When my doctor said I could expect pain and, maybe, a cane for the rest of my life, I decided that was enough. The moment my doctor released me to resume physical activity, I started going to the gym 2-3 days a week. Ninety days later, I'm going 7 days a week for 2 - 2.5 hrs a day. Aside from losing 16 lbs, I've lost 4 inches from my waist. Where I couldn't last five minutes with cardio, I can now go an hour at full pace. Seeing the results and feeling the improvement has definitely been worth it.



    Duuuude, you've done great!!! You look like a defensive lineman!!!!
  • JskC1893
    JskC1893 Posts: 156 Member
    I just graduated college, and every years since probably 4th grade I've thought "Im going to lose weight and look awesome when I go back to school!!".

    Even though most of those years I wasn't actually heavy, just believed I was.

    I decided after graduating I'm FINALLY doing it.

    Super serious the past 2 months, and doing great, hoping to continue on this path!!

    Good luck everyone, sorry to those of you who had some pretty rough moments to get where you are now.:flowerforyou:
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Got into it thanks to a 6 month internet challenge on another forum. Been doing it for over 18 months and can't kick the habit. :-)

    Interestingly, what I'm doing fitness-wise has changed but the desire and motivation to do something and keep doing is still there. For instance, my lifting routine has changed and I have replaced HIIT with tennis.
  • When my marriage started to go sour after 20+ yrs together & I filed for divorce. Thought if I ever go back to the single scene, I would need to love myself first & the path I was on was self-destructive.
    We stopped the divorce three months into the process & things are still going great. I have lost 44 lbs already & I'm not quitting just because I'm not "single" I'm loving the new me, so far!!
  • nino07110922
    nino07110922 Posts: 2,149
    Thank you, BrotherBill. I can always use the encouragement.
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 662 Member
    When my marriage started to go sour after 20+ yrs together & I filed for divorce. Thought if I ever go back to the single scene, I would need to love myself first & the path I was on was self-destructive.
    We stopped the divorce three months into the process & things are still going great. I have lost 44 lbs already & I'm not quitting just because I'm not "single" I'm loving the new me, so far!!



    I have not stopped smiling thewho;le time I'm typing this, this is cool :)
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
    I had seriously lost most of the weight about 8 years ago when I lost my first husband to cancer. I had no problem keeping the weight off until I met my new husband and he has really bad eating habits and I picked them up.

    He is the type who is the tall bean pole who can eat anything and never gain.

    Just eating pizza and fast food several times a week that I would never eat before and all the chocolate he would bring home was enough to pack on 60 pounds.

    I had tried several times to lose the weight but frankly my husband thought it was some big joke and was always waving food in my face and bringing home sweets. He really can eat one square of chocolate and leave the block for weeks.

    I will binge on it until it is gone. I told him that and it was a battle as he said he had a right to eat it.

    His attitude changed dramatically when I ended up int he hospital for 4 days.

    My doctor told me to lose weight, exercise, and sent me to a dietitian.

    So no more fast food and no more junk in the house. I have to say it has been really easy so far to start losing some weight.
  • lcransaw
    lcransaw Posts: 95
    Well, there are so many "aha moments" (as Oprah would say), but I think that the biggest wake up call for me was when I went to workout with my trainer, and he took me on a brisk walk. I swear it was less than 2 miles, and I was so out of breathe, I struggled to complete the rest of the workout. I had to stop several times, and he genuinely looked concerned. I felt so embarrassed and out of shape, but the realization hit me that I was out of breathe, out of shape, and I needed to get with it BAD, because I have a very young son, and I need to be able to keep up with him, and be here for him, healthy. So, that next day, I told myself that I would workout atleast 4 days a week, no excuses, and clean up my diet. I formed a support group with my family, and we do fitness activities and share recipes and information about nutrition and fitness.
  • My five year old sister in law who i just met was fascinated by how 'big' I was. She kept going on and on about how big my stomach was and my thighs and squishing my fat while we were at the pool. She doesn't know anything about 'fat' yet so she doesn't know that this was bad (and I made sure not to react so as not to make her feel like being big was something bad because I wont be the one teaching her that) but I wanted to die. I nearly started crying right there. I'm so fat a five year old is amazed because I'm the fattest person she's ever seen. I went 100% strict on my diet the moment I got home. :(
  • t1nk6
    t1nk6 Posts: 215
    The discs in my back went 3 year ago due to wear and tear of caring for my daughter.. i was stuck on my back 3 month couldnt walk never mind cook food for my family. had alot of take aways and conveinience foods piled on 3 stone by the time i seen the surgeon he said i was obese and couldnt operate. They gve me epidurals and a load of meds to deal with the pain and told me to lose weight but i wasnt allowed to try to exercise because of the compression on my spinal cord.. not that i could anyway. tried alot of well known diets with my sisters who both lost weight on them.. including exercise. they had never been thin before so i was happy for them but i was still gaining weight because i couldnt exercise. i didnt know what to do. i didnt recognise myself anymore in the mirror, felt like my loved ones were ashamed to be seen with me in public including my hubby of 17yr. maybe it was all just me.

    sick of doing nothing and couldnt seem to help myself, i set up a charity online to raise money for a power wheelchair for my daughter and if it went well i could continue it for other children with disabilities that needed aids. Lots of groups and businesses got involved, i had to go to a moulin rouge pub crawl with a group of strangers in the city because i had the licence i had to be there.. i explained that i couldnt and why and the woman that was leading the group put it bluntly 'i have a bad back too but im planning on doing the uk 3 peaks challenge as well as this to raise money for your charity so you can do this at least!' .

    hey if she can do it why cant i?, so i went and i was laid up again for a week or so in agony and when i seen the pics of myself in moulin rouge published to the world it was a slap in the face. i need to take drastic measures to lose this weight and get fit again. i need to be fit and as healthy as possible for as long as possible for my kids.
  • smilesback
    smilesback Posts: 203 Member
    I go to bed earlier to get up earlier and feel more positive that today is the day I will lose weight. Yes, I believe falling off and getting back up on to the weight loss bandwagon is not quitting, so I get serious over and and over about losing weight to get healthy and fit every day or nearly every day. I think when I see the scale go down even a little, I think I get serious all over again because it matters to me to see that what I am doing makes a difference in losing weight. I am demoralized when what I am doing does not make the scale go down and then I fall off the bandwagon. Negative thinking weighs me down and make that scale number go up - I swear!!! I just plummet in motivation when I don't see any results. If I can't have a slip up now and then because the scale goes up and up, I seem to want to give up. And if I don't see the scale go down a little here and a little there, I want to give up too. BUT, if I see that scale go down and stay below last month's number, - well then I am ALL IN!!! Losing 1# a month is great in my log book!!!! So I keep on, keeping on. Some people think that it is failure when you slip and fall, and your scale goes up. Not me, I just think it is losing focus for awhile. You get serious all over again but thinking positively that you can do this! It is a lot about hope and optimism in order to get going again. So I believe you are serious when you keep trying again and again. You slip, you fall, you get back up, you try again -- you are serious! So what makes you get back up and try again? Getting tired of not losing? I will put myself to bed early to avoid eating more calories and then wake up in the morning...what is the alternative if I don't try again? There would be no change on that scale, right? So I try again, and again, going to bed early helps my outlook.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    Pills. I got sick of the many I was taking for x,y,z...
    The last straw was a Neurologist that said "I don't know what is wrong, but I can give you a pill to control it"
    F that.
    I figured that if I could get in the best shape ever (or the best I could possibly get) I could control some of the things that were issues for me.
    Done.
    I still have issues, don't we all, but the prescriptions are way-way down.
  • sarscott
    sarscott Posts: 189 Member
    I was just diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri... after I've been trying to track and lose for years. Guess I have to finally figure it out for good now?

    Anyone looking for another friend feel free to add. I've got a ton to lose
  • twinmoon
    twinmoon Posts: 108 Member
    I got serious when I hit an all time highest weight earlier in 2013. It was a mindset thing for me - all these years of emotional eating, and then something clicked, and with the help of my MFP & other friends, I did it - one day at a time. I had medical issues during the past year, I have kids, and I didn't want to hear that I had to lose weight anymore. I was done, cooked, tired, and ready for a change.
  • kimbtaylor1
    kimbtaylor1 Posts: 210 Member
    After I had my ankle surgery and balloned up well past anything I have ever been before I couldn't stand looking at myself in the mirror. My husband, was less than respoinsive to me and I knew I had to do something. I could no longer accept him only being interested in me when he had beer glasses on. My kids would walk well in front of me to not be seen with me. I couldn't walk up the stairs to my house without getting winded and this is coming from someone who as a teenager marched in a competitive marching band while playing trumpet. I shouldn't have been getting winded. So three summers ago, while walking in a outlet mall I noticed my husband eyeing the little skinny minnies and I announced right then and there in the middle of the mall that I would be someone he could be attracted to again. I honestly never thought I would get as far as I have and I am truely busting my rear to get to the 100lb lost mark.
  • mojoryzn
    mojoryzn Posts: 5 Member
    At 39, i had my first heart attack, I blamed it on stress and anything I could think of other than the fact that I was just lard butted, is that a word...should it be hyphenated? For my 49th birthday and as a college graduation present, in early May, my body decided it was time to have another heart attack. I have two stents in the right coronary artery, one ten years ago and a brand spanking new one. I decided that if I were going to be around for a while then I would need to get into shape. For myself mainly, but I also have a wife, 3 kids and two grandchildren I would love to be able to help along the way, as both mine and my wife's grandparents did for us. As soon as the cardiologist released me, I started working on it. I love this app as a tool to help me along the way. I can put items into it, BEFORE I eat it and see what my daily result will be. Additionally, It helps me PLAN my daily food intake. One more thing, I have a friend, also once a large person, that gave me the best advice I have heard. DO NOT TREAT/REWARD YOURSELF WITH FOOD. YOU ARE NOT A DOG! Food is to fuel your body so you can do the ACTIVITIES that are important to you.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    Once my dad humiliated me in front of our whole family last Thanksgiving.
    He was saying grace and at the end he was like, "…and also Megan needs to lose weight and I mean she needs to lose it BAD! Because she has gotten really fat since her mother left and looord does she need help!"

    I so was shocked I ran into the bathroom and hid and cried!
    After that I started watching my meals, cut junk food, and do tougher workouts.

    While that was very cruel of your father, I am glad you decided to get healthy. You are very beautiful. I hope he really just wanted what's best for you and that the two of you have a good relationship. I am sorry about your mother whether she left or she passed away (cannot tell which by reading this).
  • RunningForeverMama
    RunningForeverMama Posts: 261 Member
    I did get serious but no event brought it on. I just realized, really realized, that everyday I was making a choice in what my body will look like and if I'm not going to do it know when will I, I'm not getting any younger.:laugh: So I started and started losing, then I began to believe I really can have the body I've always wanted, I can do this and I will.

    This is one of my favorite quotes -
    "I just woke up one day and decided I didn't want to feel this way anymore or ever again, so I changed. Just like that."
  • mailaki
    mailaki Posts: 14 Member
    I really got serious when I joined college. This was the first time when I met a lot of other people and that made me realize that I am the only one this big. This really hurt me and as a result I am here! I will complete my journey before I get a degree..
  • norahwynn
    norahwynn Posts: 862 Member
    I had a doctors appointment in April '13 and I had to get weighed of course. I hadn't weighed myself in probably 2 or 3 months, but I had always been consistently around 155-156 lbs. For whatever reason, I was horrified when I got on the scale and it read exactly 160 lbs. My mom was with me because we have the same doctor, and she had an appointment scheduled right before me. i have no idea how or why she made it back there with me, but when she looked at the scale, she said (with a look on her face like she'd just seen a UFO) "woooooow".

    Well her reaction pissed me off.

    Prior to that doctors appointment, my fiance and I would workout intermittently, and eat healthy here and there. After my appointment, I kind of continued with the same attitude. Just keep plugging away and it should come off sooner or later...

    Then one day I was doing a bit of research on weight loss, and ran into the MFP website. I called my fiance and told him that I was signing up and losing this weight for real this time, and he can either be with me or against me. Lucky for him, he's with me. That was on 5/20/13.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
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  • millionairesstv
    millionairesstv Posts: 55 Member
    Lots of things did it for me , last week at a family gathering seeing all my family who are in good shape it made me realise I have to take action.
    I am currently on my fertility journey and have used my fibroids as an excuse for my expanding stomach.
    No more now i have found you guys on mfp.
    millionairesstv:wink: