What was your final push to get serious?
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@Kiernla Congrats on sobriety too! That is the key in a way to a healthier lifestyle mentally, physically and spiritually. I'm 102 days sober and counting....
Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone. That is motivating me!13 -
This year for some reason has me down in the dumps farthest I've ever been. Just do not feel like my self any more and the only thing making me happy lately is food. With no motivation what-so ever to workout. October 11th I tested positive for Covid-19, Doctor told me to go home and sit on my behind till it passes and that I shouldn't worry to much because I'm 22 and in okay shape. Hearing her say that did not help me, my anxiety about having it and I had all flu like symptoms i just was terrified this was going to get worse.
For me when I have anxiety or that feeling of no control I make toxic choices and go on horrible binges. My work closed, I'm in my room cant leave my bedroom because I still live at home with my dad. I start ordering so much food. Started with Cracker Barrel, then Taco Bell, Cold Stone, McDonald's you Mcfreaking name it I ordered it all. The funny thing is about day 3 of being in my room I LOST MY TASTE AND SMELL. Yeah so mid Cracker Barrel pancake I realize I cant taste a damn thing and through that 12 days I still ordered food and shoved my face. That is when I realized this is a problem and I'm not even eating because I enjoy the taste or because I'm hungry I'm eating because of anxiety and boredom. I have acted this way for as long as i can remember. So its time to quit and I re downloaded the MyFitnessPal app went premium and I'm sticking to it this time.17 -
COVID and my impending 40th birthday.
A few weeks after my 39th birthday, it occurred to me that I could continue working from home for the rest of the pandemic, keep eating whatever I liked whenever I liked, and maybe pack on 10 - 20 more pounds. Alternatively, I could finally do something about it and try to lose the weight I've been putting off losing for nearly two decades now. I didn't psych myself up this time, didn't read any diet books, didn't Google things like "how fast can I lose 130 lbs?" -- I just sort of casually decided on July 26 that "Maybe I'll try tracking tomorrow" and accepted the fact that it'll take however long it takes. Now, it's Day 145, I'm down 52 lbs., and I'm on track to be under 200 lbs. by my 40th birthday. I've gone through a kid's birthday, Thanksgiving, Hallowe'en, and I'm still going strong. There's no falling off the wagon this time because there's no wagon. No ridiculous, restrictive diet that makes me constantly obsess over food and feel miserable and deprived, only to guiltily fail a few weeks/months later. I eat reasonably well, but if there's a day that I want McDonald's, then I have McDonald's. I just fit it into my daily caloric allotment. CICO works.25 -
For me, it was the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes back in January. At the time I had been 'yo-yo'ing for years between 290 and 260. At the time of diagnosis I was at 265lbs and my A1C was 9.7 with a random sugar reading of mid 20's. Being 51 I knew this was the time to smarten up and live better or keep on living the way I was and leave my family suffering through my early demise. I am happy to say that by July I had dropped 65 lbs to 200 and had cut my A1C in half, dropping it to 4.7 in a six month span. I've eased up some on the weight loss but have still dropped another 11 lbs since then and am sitting at 189 lbs with a BMI that for the first time since I was a teenager is under 25. At one time my BMI had reached 39!
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The scale at the Dr's. 201 and it had been climbing overall for probably 25 years. Rollar coasting dieting. Now out from uder a pile of serious stress for that long. Enough. Today at 150. About 25 lbs to go. A few years to get here. It is ok. It is happening. Things change in so many ways over time. I swear some of it is the food we eat and how much junk is in it. Even good food. There are many factors. It isn't all calories in, calories out.4
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I started my most recent weight loss journey October 18, 2009. 2 days earlier I had gone to the Cleveland Clinic for intractable burning pain throughout my body due to MS. I was told that a pain pump could be inserted into my spine, but I needed to be under 300# for them to do it. I cried the whole way home from Cleveland to a little town just south of Erie, PA. You see, I weighed close to 360 pounds at the time. I already had weight loss surgery back in 1995, and had gained almost everything back. 2 days later I found another weight loss site and my journey began. I did not think I'd be successful, not without a revision, but I had to try.
The above is on my MFP intro. Now, 11 years later, I am about 145 pounds lighter. I gained and lost over those years, but I always "got back on the horse". This is a journey that for me will last a lifetime.18 -
I was having issues with my knee, it was hurting all the time, even when I was laying down or sitting. Went to see my Dr about it. When we were talking about options, he point blank told me that he was hesitant to do anything because of my weight. He said that before we could look at surgical options that I had to lose weight first. I went home and got on the scale...I then sat and cried for what seemed like forever. I was heavier than I had ever been before. I set myself a BIG end goal, but started with small goals to help me reach that BIG end goal. I am a year and 3 months into this journey and I have currently lost 82 pounds!! I still have 100 more to go, but only 20 pounds at a time!16
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That's a classic covid symptom, as i expect you realise. I hope you are OK.maddywible wrote: »The funny thing is about day 3 of being in my room I LOST MY TASTE AND SMELL.
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I still struggle with the commitment, mostly because I feel very lost in all of this. Not necessarily out of information, I think, because I've done the research to a degree. But because I struggle with validation and feel that if I'm not seeing results I'm probably doing it wrong lol.
I got back into it because I realize my health is getting worse, but I have always been in it for the self-esteem. It's been a very long journey, I'm just hoping that I keep going from here.8 -
I still struggle with the commitment, mostly because I feel very lost in all of this. Not necessarily out of information, I think, because I've done the research to a degree. But because I struggle with validation and feel that if I'm not seeing results I'm probably doing it wrong lol.
I got back into it because I realize my health is getting worse, but I have always been in it for the self-esteem. It's been a very long journey, I'm just hoping that I keep going from here.
You sound like you (I hate to use this term as it seems excessive but it’s true) “suffer” from Body Dysmorphia.
That’s when you see something different in the mirror than others see. At about 50 pounds down, I was extremely frustrated because I saw the same fat chick in the mirror.
What really helped me was at that point someone (in my case my trainer) taking weekly photos and video of me.
It really messed with my head seeing visual proof of someone who looked completely different than the person I saw in the mirror.
It took a while but it truly helped and I am very grateful she insisted (still does, religiously) doing it.
Even now, I still occasionally “feel” or “look” fat. I am not enamored of looking at myself in the mirror, but I make myself model in front of it every morning to remind myself I am no longer that person, and to be grateful of and honor myself for where I’ve come from.
It’s still very, very hard, after years of disliking and criticizing that mirror image to come to grips that it’s OK to like myself again.
Hugs to you. Don’t give up. Get validation.
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A high blood pressure diagnosis along with high cholesterol and pre-diabetes and really terrible health insurance.7
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I weighed in at my heaviest (211) at 5'7" and was diagnosed with Stage II hypertension. If I let my blood pressure stay high I could have a stroke or heart attack at any minute.. I'm 29. I have finally decided to take control of my health and make this a slow and realistic journey. The weight loss benefits from lifestyle changes will be nice but the main thing that is motivating me is my health.9
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I was turning into my mother and about 20 years earlier too .Something I swore I'd never be - Huge and unable to get up the stairs without being out of breath. I was using her excuses the ones I knew were bogus.
I was about to get toward menopause and knew that it was now or never. It became now.
Menopause has been doable as a result
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Falconscoach wrote: »For me, it was the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes back in January. At the time I had been 'yo-yo'ing for years between 290 and 260. At the time of diagnosis I was at 265lbs and my A1C was 9.7 with a random sugar reading of mid 20's. Being 51 I knew this was the time to smarten up and live better or keep on living the way I was and leave my family suffering through my early demise. I am happy to say that by July I had dropped 65 lbs to 200 and had cut my A1C in half, dropping it to 4.7 in a six month span. I've eased up some on the weight loss but have still dropped another 11 lbs since then and am sitting at 189 lbs with a BMI that for the first time since I was a teenager is under 25. At one time my BMI had reached 39!
Congratulations and thanks for sharing. I was diagnosed type 2 in July with an A1c of 9.5 and non alcoholic fatty liver disease. In Oct my liver enzymes were normal and A1c was 5.7. Dec 18 I tested an A1c of 5.2. I've lost weight and like what I see in the mirror but the lower A1c and healthy liver was the real motivation to change. I've been wondering if this is as good as it gets but now I know that even starting at over 9, an A1c in the 4s is possible.3 -
I got close to 200lbs and felt *kitten*. Also was obese (though not by a lot) and I know that's a risk factor for worse outcomes in COVID.
Mostly, I stumbled across LukeNarwhale videos on youtube and realized that I didn't need to 'eat better', I just needed to eat less. If you tell me I can't have things I like - they're all I want, and I will eventually snap and eat them. And then I'm one of those all or nothing people who goes 'well it's all screwed up so I may as well keep going'. I KNEW that anything restrictive or removing foods or food groups would not work. Realizing I could just... eat what I wanted with a calorie limit? Made all the difference. It's even been *almost* easy. Because if I want ice cream I AM HAVING ICE CREAM, I just shuffle some stuff around to fit it in there. If I want fast food - I have it. Staying within the calorie limit means most of my diet (80% probably) is healthy so I don't get miserably hungry, but the other 20%? Whatever I freaking well want.
Am I losing 10lbs a month? No, lol, more like 3-5/month. I'm also down to my last 15lbs before healthy bmi and maybe 20 from goal since this summer, and also down about 4 pants sizes, and my blood work went from 'surprisingly good for a middle aged fat woman' to 'actually really good' . So. It works just fine.11 -
My sister died.
She was only 45. She left behind a shattered husband and 3 preteen girls. This just happened in October.
She was morbidly obese. Her BMI was over 50. She had been having heart problems for a year and was on a bunch of medications for it, plus meds for fibromyalgia, IBS, and depression.
Her heart just stopped. The coroner's report said: sudden cardiac arrest due to heart disease caused by obesity.
The thing is -- she was the most joyful, beautiful, funny, smart, and kind person I knew. She wasn't just a "fat person". She was overflowing with life! She loved movies, especially Disney and Pixar. She loved food. She loved to bake awesome cakes and desserts for her friends' birthdays. She loved to laugh. She was busy all the time, except when pain kept her inside, and even then she was on her phone chatting with her hundreds of friends. Over 2,000 people attended her virtual funeral.
We all had told her she needed to lose weight, that she was getting "too heavy". My other sister and I have also struggled with obesity. We were raised to "clean our plates" and Dad always insisted there was dessert after dinner. Our rewards were always food-based -- cookies, candy, Dairy Queen, McDonald's.
My sister wanted to lose weight but she was in so much pain, it was hard to start. It was a horrible cycle that ultimately led to her death.
Please tell my sister's story to yourself or anyone who is overweight and struggling with staying on track. She was beautiful and loved so much. She was such a bright light and now she is gone. Please realize that NOW is the time to lose the weight, no matter what. Your children need you. Your spouse needs you. Your sister needs you. Please don't think you have more time because maybe you don't.
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My mental health was getting really bad and I felt like I was losing control of everything and spiraling down into an endless hole of depression and anxiety. I was just so sick of not being happy and not doing anything about it. I turned 49 and decided I did not want to live the next chapter of my life being miserable. I started eating healthier foods, paying attention to portion sizes, stopped drinking and committed to exercising on some level every day. The small changes I was making gave me the confidence to finally see a counselor for my mental health issues. Now I've lost 10 pounds and have gained insight into my psych issues. Things are coming together and I'm feeling quite hopeful for my future.12
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My sister died.
She was only 45. She left behind a shattered husband and 3 preteen girls. This just happened in October.
She was morbidly obese. Her BMI was over 50. She had been having heart problems for a year and was on a bunch of medications for it, plus meds for fibromyalgia, IBS, and depression.
Her heart just stopped. The coroner's report said: sudden cardiac arrest due to heart disease caused by obesity.
The thing is -- she was the most joyful, beautiful, funny, smart, and kind person I knew. She wasn't just a "fat person". She was overflowing with life! She loved movies, especially Disney and Pixar. She loved food. She loved to bake awesome cakes and desserts for her friends' birthdays. She loved to laugh. She was busy all the time, except when pain kept her inside, and even then she was on her phone chatting with her hundreds of friends. Over 2,000 people attended her virtual funeral.
We all had told her she needed to lose weight, that she was getting "too heavy". My other sister and I have also struggled with obesity. We were raised to "clean our plates" and Dad always insisted there was dessert after dinner. Our rewards were always food-based -- cookies, candy, Dairy Queen, McDonald's.
My sister wanted to lose weight but she was in so much pain, it was hard to start. It was a horrible cycle that ultimately led to her death.
Please tell my sister's story to yourself or anyone who is overweight and struggling with staying on track. She was beautiful and loved so much. She was such a bright light and now she is gone. Please realize that NOW is the time to lose the weight, no matter what. Your children need you. Your spouse needs you. Your sister needs you. Please don't think you have more time because maybe you don't.
That's a really powerful story: I can feel the heart in it, right through the screen. Deep sympathies to you and your family for your loss.7 -
Not being able to enjoy playing with my babies 😕
Now I have hit my second goal weight and am headed towards just fitness goals 💪
LORD JESUS guide 💟8 -
I don't even know my weight yet because I'm afraid to get on a scale. This year, with Covid lockdowns, I feel as if I've been sitting around way too much, nibbling constantly. I also quit smoking and I'm sure that has led to weight gain as well. My clothes are too tight. I won't buy up another size. My hips and knees hurt, but they hurt less when I get up and walk or go for a bike ride. I've worked hard this year to avoid Covid, to quit smoking, to give up caffeine and sugar... so that tells me I actually do care about my health. Now I need to take it up a few notches, so I can fit into nice clothes, so I can keep up with my grandchildren next summer, and so I will feel better overall.11
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I tend to eat when I am bored or depressed....recently I had to get my drivers licence updated and the photo was so scary that I realised I needed to change my eating issues before I got any worse!
Please add me if you also eat when depressed! We can support each other
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My sister died.
She was only 45. She left behind a shattered husband and 3 preteen girls. This just happened in October.
She was morbidly obese. Her BMI was over 50. She had been having heart problems for a year and was on a bunch of medications for it, plus meds for fibromyalgia, IBS, and depression.
Her heart just stopped. The coroner's report said: sudden cardiac arrest due to heart disease caused by obesity.
The thing is -- she was the most joyful, beautiful, funny, smart, and kind person I knew. She wasn't just a "fat person". She was overflowing with life! She loved movies, especially Disney and Pixar. She loved food. She loved to bake awesome cakes and desserts for her friends' birthdays. She loved to laugh. She was busy all the time, except when pain kept her inside, and even then she was on her phone chatting with her hundreds of friends. Over 2,000 people attended her virtual funeral.
We all had told her she needed to lose weight, that she was getting "too heavy". My other sister and I have also struggled with obesity. We were raised to "clean our plates" and Dad always insisted there was dessert after dinner. Our rewards were always food-based -- cookies, candy, Dairy Queen, McDonald's.
My sister wanted to lose weight but she was in so much pain, it was hard to start. It was a horrible cycle that ultimately led to her death.
Please tell my sister's story to yourself or anyone who is overweight and struggling with staying on track. She was beautiful and loved so much. She was such a bright light and now she is gone. Please realize that NOW is the time to lose the weight, no matter what. Your children need you. Your spouse needs you. Your sister needs you. Please don't think you have more time because maybe you don't.
@CeeGu I am sorry for your loss!2 -
5/6 years ago, before i lost 130 pounds, it was because I did not want to end up like my (then) husband. diabetic, was paralyzed from a stroke, pick a health condition and he had it.
I've gained back 50 of that 130 (grrr) and truly .... a combination of vanity and being low on energy/ getting out of breath when doing routine farm chores. I mean, we have acreage and a farm but our barn and coop are not so far apart that I should be out of breath going to turn everyone out in the mornings!!!!8 -
I've tried many times over the years to lose weight. At my heaviest I was 15 stone 5 and wearing a size 20. I got down to 13 stone but only managed it because I was put on antidepressants that killed my appetite. After coming off I remained the same weight until one day two years ago. At the time, I was trying to paint my toenails and realised I couldn't breathe because my stomach was in the way. That day, something snapped inside me and I got angry with myself, starting counting calories the very next day. I don't know what it was about that particular day that lit a fire in me, nor why it was different to any of the other times I'd tried and failed. What I do know is that I'm sitting here today writing this at 8 stone 10 and a size 8. I have a little more to go and a whole lot of strength to build, but I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. I wish it'd happened years ago15
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It was a picture my husband had taken of me. I don’t feel like I look big in the mirror, but that picture confirmed for me that things had gotten out of hand and I needed to get it together!6
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Two things:
- my husband and I were/are heavy and uncomfortable
- we are quite frugal otherwise, but realized we spent $600-700 a month on takeout and restaurants... and we flat out decided we wanted to use that money for other things
We have a ban on fast food of any kind and have figured out healthy, simple meals to cook at home. We are deep into this habit now, and the weight is naturally coming off. We do eat relatively keto/low-carb as well, as we find that we feel best with this WOE.3 -
Feeling unfit and wobbly, a crippling fear of the scales and a very nasty comment from someone in my family.
But it's all good now, I'm getting healthy and well, pot kettle.....7 -
I had to buy a summer dress in size 20(UK). I was glad I’d the self esteem to buy something that fitted but realised I’d really got to the point of no return, I’m 5’1”. I was hurting all the time, I couldn’t do anything easily. On the other hand I’d rediscovered the joy of swimming and that made me feel good in my body. I wanted to feel good all the time. I’m 35 lbs down now, 20 or so to go. I’ll know it when I see it.11
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I needed a way to improve my life and feel good about myself that I could do at home and was super cheap!6
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It was a series of events.
I've always been heavy, and I've lost a lot of weight before (but unfortunately regained). Despite being heavy, I've never had noticeable PROBLEMS from it (probably because I'm young). During COVID and WFH, I started moving less and less, and my body started becoming so stiff. I couldn't bend over to tie my shoes anymore! I'd get out of breath just trying to pick myself up off our (admittedly, very poofy) couch.
Then, on Thanksgiving, my partner's mom - who is going to school for nursing - was checking everyone's blood pressure. Mine read in a range where I should have been at immediate risk for a stroke! I re-read my BP when I got home, and continued to twice daily for a month, and my BP never showed up that way ever again, so I'm confident there was a user-error in her reading, but still - what a scare.
The reality of my health just kept eating at me for weeks after that, until one day I decided to check the scale (which I'd been avoiding) to see just how bad things had gotten. And oh boy, they were so much worse than I thought.
So here I am.11
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