What was your "moment" that pushed you to begin your weight loss journey?

JulieSHelms

My daughter's wedding. There were all these pictures of me as mother of the bride and I didn't recognize myself. Here I was dressed the best possible, best makeup, best hair, and professional photos and lots of them. And I looked huge. And bloated. I realized for years (decades) I'd been blaming the photos--not a good picture, not a good day, not a good angle, blah, blah, blah. With the wedding photos I had nothing left to blame except me. That's also when I realized how much my mind played tricks with the image in the mirror--'cause that didn't look nearly as bad.
That was 3 years ago--now I'm 130 lbs lighter and almost every medical issue I had evaporated. And I'm not scared of photos anymore!

iRyanS

Thanks for sharing these stories, all. Very inspiring and eye opening, and I hope that you all find initial and prolonged success in your journey.

Feel free to add me as well if you're looking for any support/tips/motivation.

makkimakki2018

When every woman around you wants a thin but slightly toned Jpop/Kpop star boyfriend. I realized I needed to transform into the ideal.

StephCain1990

Going clothes shopping and having to go up a size- AGAIN (which even then was tight!) I'm still in the bigger size now but they're getting looser aha.

Brabo_Grip

It was steadily building for me...the straw the broke the camels back was getting winded just from carrying my infant son in his carrier from the garage into the living room. All of 30 feet. That was it. I had enough. Now I am 95 lbs lighter. In the best shape of my life at 43. I do have a tendency to get lazy and let the holidays put back on 10-15lbs, but I take it off the spring (does get harder every year though so I need to stop that). Almost six years and I have maintained.

WynterDreaming

I've noticed for a while that my clothes were getting tighter, I was having more problems with my back and knees. Everyone laughed because at 24, I shouldn't be having those problems. But I was. On Thursday, I convinced my mom to go to a local weight watchers meeting and I promised her I would go with her. I got on that scale and seeing my weight was...terrifying. I was getting lazy and at over 250 pounds, I could easily see myself getting to 300 or more. I didn't want that. So something had to change and I had to be the one to change it.

z4oslo

A little over 2 years ago I overate on Pizza, like overating so much I couldnt move for like 2 hours. There and then I decided to lose weight, and never have the feeling of overeating again. Next day I bought a scale and it showed 99 kg (218 pounds)
I started to eat less and do a daily 5 km walk, and 3 months later I started the C25K program, still running today 5 x week.

I never tracked my calories, but went from 100 kg to about 67 kg in the next 12 months.

wmweeza

Long post, sorry (and I think I made a similar post awhile back. This is from my MFP blog)
This all started at least 2 years ago. I developed a cough, and I assumed it was from smoking for years, but I ignored it.( I had quit long before this started). Months went on and my cough got progressively worse so fearing the worst I sought out a Pulmonologist doc. Without running any tests he diagnosed my with COPD, sent me home with 2 inhalers to use daily, told me I was stuck with this condition and wished me well.

Back and forth I went to this doc and my cough kept getting worse and I'd frequently stop breathing, but yet all this doc did was hand me more inhalers to try. At this point I was coughing constantly, wheezing and gasping for air, and barely sleeping.

My "Eureka" moment came after almost a year of this; I laid down for a nap and as soon as my head hit the pillow my mouth filled up with stomach acid...and then my wheezing kicked up the worst it has ever come up....I had a cause! I immediately got on my computer and looked up a Gastroenterologist and made an appointment.

Tests were run, evaluations done. "Well, you have a very bad H Pylori infection of your stomach that is loosening your esophageal sphincter causing stomach acid to back up into your lungs". I was given a cocktail of 3 antibiotics and scheduled for follows ups. Imagine that, after over a year of coughing and being told I had a lung disease that one night I'd have stomach acid back up....and that would FINALLY lead to an answer. Right after my diagnosis I ended up hospitalized for 3 days because I had acid in my lungs so bad that I couldn't breathe and if I tried laying down more would get in my lungs. I had sat upright at night for several nights and never slept! By the time I got to the hospital I was exhausted and hallucinating.

Early on even before my diagnosis, I had problems eating. I kept telling my doc I felt full and it felt like every time I ate that my stomach was pushing into my lungs. I started to be phobic about eating, and the stomach acid got worse before it got better. I was eating about a half ounce of rice and a half ounce of chicken, that was it. It was all I could eat that didn't cause me to cough or spit up acid. Gradually I was able to very slowly re-introduce normal foods and a few spices back into my life. I lost about 20 pounds just from being afraid to eat and the effects it had on my ability to breathe.

To this day, 2 years later, I am still afraid to eat a full meal. I still avoid spicy foods. I still have problems breathing but it's much better. It's the worst close to my periods. I decided to use these problems to my advantage since I'd already lost 20 pounds and that I'd go on a diet in a sense; Mainly eating much healthier. So much of the last few years of my life has been out of my control, so I am loving losing weight and tracking my food intake/calories, it also is bringing out my creative culinary side I didn't know I had! One thing I was told is that weight loss will help my situation, so I am determined to win this.

My starting weight was 263, today I am 199! 63 pounds down so far...and still going! I've gone down 2 sizes in clothing and I feel so much better. My knees no longer hurt, I no longer have a huge double chin, and I'm just happier. Losing weight is actually fun and empowering!

Leannep2201

For me it’s wanting to have another baby, since my first turns 12 next month! We’ve been trying to conceive for 4 year now, I have PCOS, but I know that being overweight makes it harder to conceive too.
We conceived a couple of years ago but I miscarried, and as I got closer and closer to 35yrs old, I started to lose hope, fearing that age was also going to be against me. Then my Dr referred me for fertility treatment, and I found out that if I lost weight, I’d qualify for a certain treatment that would greatly improve my chances of having the baby we desperately long for.

So here I am, 22kg (about 46lb I think?) down now, and not far from the goal my fertility Dr set for me. 😊

waytoofat3

An *kitten* at work called me Rob Ford,the morbidly obese,crack smoking,now deceased former mayor of Toronto.

cdojko4931

I have been a yo yo dieter for as long as I can remember. But this past year has been a real eye opener for me. I lost my oldest sister to cirrhosis of the liver a year ago in June and my other sister in February- cirrhosis as well. I had some tests done and found I have fatty liver and some hardening of the liver and was told to go on a “low carb” diet. I’ve been working on it since February- hit and miss, guessing and trying to learn. I have currently lost 39 pounds. Still have a ways to go, but making progress and gaining knowledge along the way - at least not going pounds! I saw a nutritionist and she set me up with this app. Very inspiring seeing some of the posts!

sschrock

My weight loss journey is a long one. Chubby since childhood, I hit my highest weight of 278 in 2007. Went on multiple medications for high BP, high choles., metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance. Yo yo'd for almost a decade. In Jan. 2016 I had had enough, and via my employer, I was able to join "The Biggest Winner" fitness group; a spin off of the TV show, "The Biggest Loser." I guess that was the "a ha" moment that January. I walked/jogged a 5k that spring, and now I'm proud to say I work out 6 days a week and I'm down to 215! I have worked hard on trying to view this as my new lifestyle and not a temporary diet. Good luck to all of you in your journeys!!

GOT_Obsessed

I was not unhappy at my weight but the last few years my blood pressure has started to rise and I was in the pre hypertension area. I didn't really realize my weight had gotten up so high. I am still not sure how I didn't see this. But my Dr. Has wanted my BP a little lower. I tried to reduce salt and caffeine and began walking daily. For the full year I did this but It only helped slightly.

A new gym opened here and they had an amazing membership deal. I could not think of any excuse not to join. I tried to find one but could not. I joined and tried zumba and kind of enjoyed it. I looked forward to going actually. Then I tried bodypump and bootcamp classes. I even started the c25k program. (Graduate Jan 22/2018)

My knees started to hurt. Well duh...of course they would hauling that fat as$ of mine around!! It just hit me one day that I was doing all this hard work exercising anyway. If I ate better perhaps I could get some weight off. I am currentky 2 lbs from goal.

mkculs

Over the past several years, I struggled with gaining weight each winter and losing it in the spring/summer/fall. Then 2 years in a row, I didn't lose the extra 10, so I was 20 lbs heavier. I was smoking, too (an off-again, on-again smoker for about 10 years over the past 2 decades). For the first winter ever, I had given up jogging through the season--3-4 months with no exercise. Then I got a blood clot after a long road trip in late March, and realized I absolutely cannot enter my senior years with these awful habits and extra weight. I want to continue to be active, to travel, and to enjoy the next 20 years as best as I can. A healthy body is essential to living that goal.

I do feel like a lot of things have "clicked" this time around. I make every decision about my health with the question, is this sustainable? I know some things that have made me fail before (eating chicken, among others. I hate it.) I have learned from MFP that I was probably not netting 1200 cals each time I tried to lose before, so after losing 20-30 lbs, I'd give up and regain, having been too hungry and not feeling great while losing in that unhealthy way--undereating and over exercising.

I have quit thinking about "how long this is going to take," and feel pretty good all the time--only about 7 weeks in but feeling very positive after some early frustration. So thankful I found this site, b/c it is really helping me stay motivated and informed.

GoodLardy

So many for me coming together in a short time frame. A bloody awful miscarriage, a fit person I respect telling me I would feel better if I just got the weight off, several awful photographs, my mother laughing when I told her my dream of owning a hiking/camping/outdoor store because “ you can’t even hike!”

kbmnurse1

Just feeling bloated. I also quit smoking---cold turkey at the same time. Today is day #51!!!!!!!!

GloriaE2016

Early this spring I decided to try on my summer clothes. I knew I had gained weight but didn't think it was too bad. I only had 2-3 shirts that actually looked half decent, the rest made me look like an over stuffed sausage I decided that was it, I was not going to buy another new set of clothes. We are adopting so I didn't want to spend the money!

dedkev

I've had a lot of these. I got winded from going up 3 flights of stairs at work, so I quit smoking, put on some weight afterwards, but realized not fitting into XXLs was more than just a quitting-smoking-weight-gain excuse it was a lifestyle excuse.

ajward1975

I gave up soda pop for Lent this spring and actually started going to mass every Sunday. I lost 7 pounds during Lent and then we had a weight loss challenge at work that started on April 2nd. Starting weight = 342.6, as of this morning, current weight 280.8. Lots more energy and no more getting winded walking up a flight of stairs!
Good luck to everyone here!! Remember its a marathon, not a sprint!!

drbeanie2000

Being "obese." Vanity. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law lost a lot of weight, though on a faddish diet (Scarsdale as opposed to the peanut butter diet or whatever else is out there). They inspired me to try, and then compliments & feeling more energetic kept that going.

Being 45 and realizing, it's not going to get easier.

drbeanie2000

TessMickens wrote: »

I've noticed for a while that my clothes were getting tighter, I was having more problems with my back and knees. Everyone laughed because at 24, I shouldn't be having those problems. But I was. On Thursday, I convinced my mom to go to a local weight watchers meeting and I promised her I would go with her. I got on that scale and seeing my weight was...terrifying. I was getting lazy and at over 250 pounds, I could easily see myself getting to 300 or more. I didn't want that. So something had to change and I had to be the one to change it.

Congrats on finding this out at 24 - lots don't get to this point til their 40s, 50s, 60s - then they wish they'd started when they were in their 20s!

drbeanie2000

cdojko4931 wrote: »

I have been a yo yo dieter for as long as I can remember. But this past year has been a real eye opener for me. I lost my oldest sister to cirrhosis of the liver a year ago in June and my other sister in February- cirrhosis as well. I had some tests done and found I have fatty liver and some hardening of the liver and was told to go on a “low carb” diet. I’ve been working on it since February- hit and miss, guessing and trying to learn. I have currently lost 39 pounds. Still have a ways to go, but making progress and gaining knowledge along the way - at least not going pounds! I saw a nutritionist and she set me up with this app. Very inspiring seeing some of the posts!

I'm so, so, so sorry about your sisters. How agonizing.

drbeanie2000

GoodLardy wrote: »

So many for me coming together in a short time frame. A bloody awful miscarriage, a fit person I respect telling me I would feel better if I just got the weight off, several awful photographs, my mother laughing when I told her my dream of owning a hiking/camping/outdoor store because “ you can’t even hike!”

This all sounds terrible - I feel awful for you. I hope going forward that this fitness journey/quest is something POSITIVE that can motivate you.

jackimartin1973

When I looked at myself in a mirror. I looked like a barrel. Better yet- a keg with all the beer I have been consuming. I let myself go. I decided I didn’t want to look like a keg! I am on week two and I have lost 3 lbs so far.

Deviette

A combination of things really. Yet another Judo injury and the previous knee injury never really clearing up 100%. Trying on one of my fancy dresses for a party, only to discover that it's a bit of a squeeze. Trying to buy a new swimsuit and not feeling comfortable in a bikini. Having to take the protective pads out of the hips of my bike trousers because otherwise I couldn't comfortably fit into them. Realising that my adjustable mannequin for dressmaking (uk sizes 8-16), some of my measurements put me in size 14 (as opposed to the size 10-12 I always think of myself being)

But the thing that really sent the red flag was not being able to wear my mum's vintage motorbike jacket because I couldn't zip it up. My mum has always been just a little bit bigger than me, but now I'm bigger than her. That made me take notice, but the real "aha" moment was when I bought a new set of bras, and I had gone up a cup size. And I was horrified. And suddenly it made sense that my tops were that little bit tight across the chest, I was starting to get gaps in my button ups across the bust. It suddenly made sense that I did wear certain clothes anymore because I didn't feel like I looked that good in them, because they were too tight. It was the realisation that it wasn't just my belly, it was everywhere.

Runariel

Office life, stress and sedentarism caused ongoing anxiety and depression. I started to work out to help clear my mind and improve my self image.

uucee

I took part in a three-peak challenge with work colleagues. All others came down from the first mountain, had lunch and headed off for the rest of the challenge while I was still struggling to come down from the first one. I only managed to go half-way on the 2nd mountain and had to watch others return from the peak of the last mountain. I have lost over 40kg since then, done lots of hiking and multi-peak challenges and completing lots of long distance cycle rides (50-100 miles rides) and regular 5/10k runs. I still have some 10kg to get to my ideal weight - but this last bit seems to be the hard part, as I am not ready to starve just to lose weight. I am just happy with the level of fitness and mobility that I have achieved for myself so far.