Besides yourself and a mirror, who gave you a wake-up call?

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Replies

  • Th3stral
    Th3stral Posts: 93 Member
    No one immediately. In fact the only supportive and encouraging people have been my doctor and my husband. I think certain members of my family positively delighted that I'd put on weight (had a baby) as it closed the gap between them and me and I was bullied/hassled/pressure about not loosing weight before I'd even thought about starting, despite it being a medical concern for an existing condition.

    Amazing really. Close family members who are meant to love and care about me actually put their own feelings of fat/failure over my health.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    My pants.
  • FirecrackerJess
    FirecrackerJess Posts: 276 Member
    I volunteered at my cities Comicon and got a photo with actor John Barrowman (awesome guy!!!) and I can't even share it for how terrible and disgusting I looked in it. It really made me depressed, but it wasn't that, not yet, it just made me more aware.

    It was someone actually who told me I wasn't disgusting looking, and I couldn't believe him, didn't believe him. I started to think, how could that even be possible when I hate myself. That was when I really started thinking, I want to, need to change something.
  • sjanejack
    sjanejack Posts: 158
    My mother's health, after eating too many sweets while being more than slightly overweight, with diabetes. I did not want to have problems like that cause of my eating habits or my weight.
  • TamaraKat
    TamaraKat Posts: 533 Member
    I kinda just signed myself up to the gym and ran with it. It was a 'spur of the moment' thing...
    But it was the best decision of my life.
  • karenertl
    karenertl Posts: 271 Member
    At my 'fitness test' for my new gym last August, my instructor measured my body fat % - something I had no awareness of. At 135lbs, I had 37% body fat.

    That was what got me moving!

    At my heaviest, I was 135 lbs. What opened my eyes was that one of my coworkers was trying to convince everyone else at work that I'm pregnant, even though I've never been pregnant before in my life and he knows it. I told him several times that I'm not pregnant and that none of what he was saying is true and after about 2 weeks, I told him I'd turn him into Human Resources if he didn't stop his bull crap. Back in January, a couple of my other coworkers told me about this site and I figured it would be a good idea to try it out.
  • furrina
    furrina Posts: 148 Member
    My pants.

    ^ this.
  • dadzzz
    dadzzz Posts: 16 Member
    for me it was after clothes shopping jeans and t-shirt that didn't fit me when i got home(no i didn't try it at the shop) i was i a really in a bad mood all week and then it click i hung the clothes up were i can see them took me 4 weeks got into them after lose a stone so now i alway buy smaller jeans and a t-shirt hang them up where i can see them
  • brinsy
    brinsy Posts: 226 Member
    For me it was a lot of things. Nobody said it to me though. But photos mirrors the scales my clothes getting tighter my bloatedness and also for a healthier me in the long term. Gaining extra weight made me a lot more tired and lazy.
  • Chellychuu
    Chellychuu Posts: 3
    I think it was definitely my clothes.

    I had recovered from an ED and I just figured 'oh, my clothes will probably be tighter now' things like that.
    But eventually pretty much all my clothes were tight. I had gone from a small/medium to a large and my pants used to be a 7 in juniors now...I don't even know!

    My mom also contributed. She never flat-out said 'oh your fat' but all the back-handed things she said, like my dresses being too short or assuming I wore an XXL....that, and when I was at my lowest weight she'd always compliment me and my outfits, and eventually they just stopped and turned into criticisms.
  • QuirkyD
    QuirkyD Posts: 68 Member
    Not really. My husband is constantly telling me that he likes me the way I am and everyone else says nothing. I was and am pretty horrified whenever I see medical records describing my health which always includes "overweight." It seems like such a horrible thing to put on record and to describe an individual. We are all complex and so much more that just our weight. Can't wait until the day I am in the normal weight range!
  • valeriemcmichael77
    valeriemcmichael77 Posts: 69
    Encouraging!!!! Thanks for sharing!
  • FindingMyPerfection
    FindingMyPerfection Posts: 702 Member
    I went pants shopping and grabbed a size 14 to try on I the dressin room. My hubby was outside and asked how they fit. When I said they didn't he offered to grab the size I needed. Actually saying size 16 made me sick! That was back in April of 2013, I am now in an 8 and getting close to a 6.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
    My son, my health, my social life...
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
    No one. That's how I ended up gaining so much in the end, people trying to be nice and lying to me saying I wasn't getting fat. Finally it took me trying to fit into a pair of shorts that were once, just 4 months earlier, too baggy but now too small. Now after losing 20+ lbs they fit again :-)
  • JMel86
    JMel86 Posts: 124 Member
    Aside from the mirror, my daughter's FNP. She asked if my daughter was jumping & doing other movements. I hadn't really noticed if she was but she said I should do running & jumping with her, 'it might help you lose some weight', she said. Very embarrassing, also my husband was there, he had been so kind & quiet about my weight gain. That week, I joined mfp & started jogging.
  • Shreddingit84
    Shreddingit84 Posts: 330
    Some old lady on FB! She called me fat cuz i said George Zimmerman gained weight!

    I hated her at that moment cuz she only saw my face but now i thank her in my head she still a Bish! :drinker:
  • JBcat123
    JBcat123 Posts: 211 Member
    when I went to Israel to visit family for the first time, my great aunt told me I need someone to teach me how to loose weight and how to control my eating habits. and others said some hurtful stuff about how big I was as well. so that was the last straw and decided that I have to loose this weight so next time they see me they will be sorry for putting me down because of my weight.
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    Seeing my self all fat and ugly in the mirror was not enough to do anything about it.

    The whispers behind my back about how huge I had gotten wasn`t enough for me to do anything about it.

    Seeing the scale go higher and higher didn`t get me to do anything about it.

    Not finding clothes that fit right didn`t make me do anything about it.


    What finally got me to truly say enough is enough and do something about it was my health - I wasn`t sleeping well - got high Blood Pressure- horrible snoring in the night that was actually waking me up ! , and not being able to walk up my stairs without feeling out of breath, Not beeing able to barely tie my own shoes any more because my belly was in my way! , Knee`s were hurting so bad at times I needed a cane to get to the bathroom. I could no longer even walk 1 block .
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
    For me, it was 2 things

    1. None of my clothes fit. I had to buy an entire new wardrobe of pants/shorts because I couldn't even come close to getting in my old stuff.

    2. I started getting stretch marks on my legs... at 22. It obviously wasn't from growing too tall, I was just growing too wide. I didn't gain a ton of weight, but it was devastating that I escaped adolescence with no stretch marks yet I gave them to myself by consuming beer and fried foods 7 days a week.
  • TracyHarmon10
    TracyHarmon10 Posts: 16 Member
    Besides pictures that I see.. my job is what woke me up. I work for a cardiologist and seeing patients my age come in with diabetes, heart disease, heart failure, with their own choices playing a big role in these diseases...started to scare the crap out of me.. especially with a family history of all of the above. Really makes me want to take control of the things I am able to control.
  • jadey_lady
    jadey_lady Posts: 32 Member
    My biggest wakeup call was when I could no longer ride half the rides at theme parks that I used to. It's so embarrassing to have to struggle to fit and then you can't ride and everyone is watching. It has never left me. I cried for days.
  • sugarkissprincess
    sugarkissprincess Posts: 2,595 Member
    My jeans ... When I had to go up again
  • acaudill042106
    acaudill042106 Posts: 108 Member
    My son! He's 6 so he's brutally honest. We just got cable after not allowing it in their rooms. He woke up one morning and walked in the kitchen said "Hey, Mom! I saw a commercial for creamer for your pimples! (Proactive! :/) and a machine called a threader climber..ya know, for your pounds too!" I laughed...but when a 6 year old says you need to lose pounds....you need to lose pounds! LOL. Unfortunately the working out and eating better has done nothing for my sudden acne breakouts. It's just not fair to be this old and still get breakouts!
  • Apinget
    Apinget Posts: 41 Member
    Finally having a supportive partner who wants me to be all that I can be. He is always 100% supportive of me and helps me in anyway he can.

    I've had multiple yo-yo's of weight loss and gain. In August of 2013 I decided that I was tired of being tired and losing weight only to gain it back, I decided I deserve a healthy life and confidence in myself. Having someone to help me achieve my goals was just icing on the cake :)
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Mine was a mean evil ICU nurse who told me I was too young to be having the issues I was having and the majority would be fixed if I would lose weight. I got so mad at her when she said it, but luckily I had all night to lay there and think about what she said. Gave me time to rethink my first thought that I should report her for being insensitive, by morning I realized she was right When I was released got home found a site to start tracking calories, couple months later found my way here.

    I have since sent that mean evil nurse flowers for giving me the kick in the butt I needed at the time, and the belief that I could change my life.
  • lostmyreligion
    lostmyreligion Posts: 9
    Photos and then my horse struggling with me :(
  • VFBloch0725
    VFBloch0725 Posts: 37
    there were several factors influencing my change. The very first was not allowing my picture to be taken; once I did, I hated it! The other is not being able to sit down and cross my legs or bend over to tie my shoes (I had to sit down with one leg to the side). I am going on a 30lb weight loss, just a few pounds shy, and feeling great. I think the most influencial factor is having the mindset.
  • BellaKaren89
    BellaKaren89 Posts: 21
    Family would tell me in a nice way to get on a diet and lose weight. My grandma even suggested I get weight loss surgery, and a school friend told me I should lose weight so my ex (father of my child who left us) would come back to me. It made me so mad that they would tell me things. Like I knew I was fat and did not need people commenting nor would that encourage me to lose weight.

    One day I realized how fat I really got and how depressed I was. All along I blamed my mood on other things such as a full time job, school, being a single mom. But no that day I realized I was so fat and I was always tired and *****y because of my weight. The most I ever weighed was 257. One day I just realized I needed to lose weight for my overall health because of how depressed I was about everything.

    And more than 80lbs later (I now weigh about 167-169) I feel sooooo much better. I still work, go to school, and still single but I am so much happier and with so much more energy. Looking okay not only gives me more confidence, but I also have a lot more energy to walk around, stay up, etc. I am in a good mood at work. I care about my appearance so I always try to look good at work.. I have noticed the increase in attention that I get from men. I am a more pleasant person to be around, and I also have no problem buying clothes that fits.

    I still hope to lose more weight and my goal is 135-140.

    OH ANOTHER THING THAT REALLY ENCOURAGED ME IS MY DAUGHTER!
    I want to be a good looking mom that she looks up to, wants to be like, and will not be embarrassed of. I have always dressed my daughter super cute and get compliments. Now we both dress cute! And what I absolutely love is when my daughter (who is turning 4 next week) tells me "Mommy you're so beautiful I like your dress" or little things like that.
  • mmorpgaddict
    mmorpgaddict Posts: 1 Member
    My body did. I started having some warning signs / health issues, and decided that I had a lot to live for.

    I feel so much better now! I just moved over to this web site / app from another that I'd been using, to try to manage my diet and exercise even more thoroughly than I had been. It's getting tougher as I near goal weight, but I'm up for it. If I maintain about a 1.5 lb per week rate, I'll hit my goal this year :)

    Back to the question, though. It wasn't just the mirror. I have a large frame, and hide my weight very well. I'm also very good at denial :) I had a gall bladder attack, though, and thought I was having a heart attack. On top of the other annoying things about being so heavy, that gave me the push I needed to take the weight off. Additionally, I blew out both knees in my 30s playing basketball, and moving at my high weight was excruciatingly painful.

    I walk 5 miles per day, now. Life is good :)

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