What was your wake up call?

vineas

I was thinking recently about my wake-up call, when I finally decided that I needed to get healthy and lose weight, and am interested in what motivated other people.

For me, it was a physical I had right around Christmas. The blood results were mostly good - sugar levels OK, cholesterol OK, borderline high blood pressure, but my ALT levels were elevated, which indicate that my liver is damaged. Doc said no alcohol at all for a month, then another test. This didn't make sense, as I don't really drink much - but it scared me sh*tless - I've had two uncles die very horribly from liver disease caused by severe alcoholism, and that's all I can think about. Test came back still bad, so I had to go get an ultrasound. Here I am, sitting on the same table as my wife was a few years ago when she was pregnant - but I'm obviously MUCH bigger and the technician was having problems. It was a very uncomfortable and embarrassing hour.

The verdict came back - I had a fatty liver. Years of eating crap embedded fat into tissues that shouldn't have fat in them, causing the liver to start leaking into my bloodstream. The doctor didn't seem too worried about it, he didn't even think I needed to lose weight ("lots of people have this, and lead normal long lives") - just lay off the pasta and potatoes. But like I said before, it scared me pretty bad so I went much further than he indicated.

As a result now, I eat mostly organic food, exercise regularly and in general just pay more attention to what I'm doing with my body. I'm down 42 pounds, though still have a ways to go. I can't wait until my next doctor visit - I know I'm well on the right path and it should definitely show up on the results, though I will admit a small part of me is still scared that I haven't done enough.

4myheartnsoul

Laying on a hospital bed watching the ultrasound on my heart and watching it pause every other beat and driving home thinking of my family if I fell over dead and how it could all be prevented if I just got healthy.

garcia3duardo

My wake up call was High Blood Pressure. I would wake up in the middle of the night wiping my face off thinking i had boogers all over my face! When I turned on the light, I had smeared all the blood that came from my nostrils all over my face. My hands were literally full of blood. At work or family events, I would start bleeding blood from my nose all the time. Not to mention when someone used to piss me off!! lol. 50 something lbs later. I don't worry about high blood pressure anymore. My results show me normal. I still have some lbs to loose too. But, health wise I feel so much better. I feel like i'm actually living my life. Before i felt like I was dead person walking the face of the earth. Congratulations!! on your weight loss you look awesome!!!! I bet your baby appreciates this too!! lol

TheKitsune6

My most recent wake up call is when I was at my peak weight (232lbs) I complained a lot to my BF at the time and never did anything about it. Finally he got fed up and told me to do something about it or shut up. Nothing quite like tough love. He was very supportive while we were together and now that we've separated I'm able to carry on on my own

GooBeGone

mine was pretty simple compared 2 ya'lls

i got on the scale & it said 248lbs & i said 2 myself i will never weigh 250lbs. also my parents r both on blood pressure meds, borderline diabetics, cholesterol meds, i have a number of older relatives that r turnin diabetic.

i look at them & say i don't wanna b on medication so i'm takin steps 2 b a healthier fitter me. :flowerforyou:

balance9

Loved your story:-) Kids are being diagnosed with fatty liver disease now, something that was unheard of a decade ago.

My wake-up call was doc telling me that fasting blood sugar was high, and I needed a Hgb A1C test to confirm diabetes. My brother has it, and my mother died from complications. I never went in for the test, but changed my diet and lifestyle completely. Next appt, 20 lbs gone and blood sugar back to normal.

smsummers

I was told I had a fatty liver years ago but my Dr did not seem too concerned, so neither did I. NOW, I was diagnosed with Pre Diabetes last Friday. I joined MFP last March and lost 19lbs but fell off the wagon because I was lazy. For the last 3 months I ate terribly, did not exercise at all and gained 5lbs back. When I went to the Dr Friday she told me I had 3 months to change my results or I would be looking at being on Diabetic medicine. So, enough is enough I am back on board and have lost 4lbs since last Friday. I am counting Sugars and Carbs and exercising 4 days a week. It is a shame it took getting a diagnosis to wake my butt up.

I read a statistic yesterday that 30% of Americans are Pre Diabetic but less than 10% of them know about it. That is scary to me.

All it takes is a healthy diet and exercise to avoid fatty liver and diabetes yet all these years cookies have won out....such a shame. NO MORE though, that life is over and a new healthy life awaits!

tim_fitbuilt4life

My wake up call came after I got injured and could no longer powerlift metabolic syndrome set in and I gained too much weight. I was 245 lbs with a 5 foot 7 inch frame. My BP 160/110, cholesterol was 270 and my tryglicerides were 170. I found it diffcult to run without feeling tired and dizzy. I started with a personal trainer who got me involved in cross training and the rest is history.

Shash27

I was scheduled for gallbladder surgery (A problem that started while I WAS in shape) and had a doctor's appoinment. I stepped on the scale to see 188 lbs! 188?!?!? I had lost weight in college when I was 165lbs and swore I wouldn't get THERE ever again and now I weighed 188?? That was it for me. I was NOT going to stay at that weight. I had been ignoring my clothes not fitting and eating crap and not exercising. NO MORE. I have a long way to go still but I'm over 20 lbs lighter than I was then and in much better shape and it feels GREAT!!

chandnikhondji

I had broken several chairs until then, my doctor told me i would not get older than 40, i was not able to get clothing in any shop because i was too big, was diagnosed with diabetes, and have an enourmous blood pressure... but strangely that all did not help. It was a shelf collapsing when I supported myself on it to stand up and 5 minutes later getting stuck in the door of the shower that made me think "Enough is enough". Started at about 551 lbs and lost 110 lbs since then.

melbhall

My wake-up call makes me feel shallow but it is what it is....

I have been carrying around this excess baby weight for about 8 months when my husband treated me to a day at the spa and massage. I always felt self conscience but since no one mentioned my weight or always said "well you just had a baby" I kind of thought maybe it was just in my head. The day of the massage, the therapist talked to me afterwards trying to get repeat business. I talked about how good it felt but sometimes it hurt a little bit, I said I was a wuss. She said "you know, it always seems to hurt a little but for us big girls, those skinny girls can come in and not complain one bit." I felt like crying right there because she said it out loud...us big girls...I was one of them. Granted, I looked at her and thought she was a big girl, but I didn't know I was until she said it

Like I said, shallow, but either way, it motivated me to make a change for the better.

lutzsher

I had surgery last summer and when the tech asked me my weight in front of my husband I realized that I was embarrassed because I was 217 lbs and didn't want to say it out loud.
My husband is my best friend, we share everything and have am amazing relationship but this was one area that I was so ashamed of I couldn't even share it with him.
Once I recovered I decided to be open and honest about myself and told my husband my weight, I also told my mom, and we are now sharing a weight loss journey together.
Now each week when I weigh in I share my weight with my husband and my Mom because Im proud of the fact that Im working toward my goal.
As of this morning I was 191 so have lost 26 pounds and Im no longer afraid of it as Im in control now, not my weight!

Samantharose8akaDebbie

My wake up call was the day I thought I could climb 3 small flights of stairs and then struggled to breathe for the next 10 minutes. Thought they were going to have to call an ambulance at work. I am only 46 years old..............I have high blood pressure, high tryglycerides and when I went to the doctor she told me I was borderline diabetic...............enough was enough!!!!!! I began this journey in February and have almost 40 lbs off. I feel better than I have in a long time. I am happy to report that I can climb that same flight of stairs and breathe normally:laugh:

bellinachuchina

I've had many triggers throughout my life that should have kicked my butt into gear many times, but I was always too stubborn and lazy to really make the change! From family members saying hurtful yet "helpful" things about my weight, to seeing a girl I went to high school with drop about 50lbs., and look awesome!

Finally, becoming pregnant with our daughter really woke me up. I was scared to have a girl, because I knew I couldn't be a role model to her being as large as I was. Also, I had insecurity/image issues and I didn't want to pass them onto her, so I knew it was time to change. She was born March 31, 2009, and after my milk supply left a few weeks after, I began my diet full force! I was at my goal by her first birthday

lisalynn35

I had a few wake up calls but there were two that drove me right over the edge. The first of which was when I discovered that at 5'7" tall I weighed more than Shaquille O’Neal weighs at 7'1" tall. The next came at my doctor's office. I am a cancer survivor and had to have a mastectomy while I was pregnant. Because I was carrying my son I could only be under anesthesia for 2 to 3 hours at the most so they could not do any reconstruction or remove the other breast and I was left with only one. When I went back to my breast surgeon's office for the first time post pregnancy she told me that there was no way she would even consider doing reconstruction on me until I weighed less than 200 lbs because it's so dangerous to but someone of my size under anesthesia and since the situation is not life threatening she felt that the cons far out weighed the pros.

miss_amy

my wake up call was my last doctor appointment. for over a year i've had borderline high blood pressure and i didn't care. i wasn't a fan of doctors and i was pretty much in denial. my last appointment, i stepped on the scale and it said the largest number i have ever been. i was so embarrassed. then when the doctor took my blood pressure it was very high (partly because i was upset about my weight but mostly because of the CRAP i have put into my body). my doctor said she wanted to put me on medication to lower my blood pressure. that was it! i started balling in the room in front of my doctor. i have always been overweight but never this bad and to be put on medication for high blood pressure at 24?! noooooo!! so i begged for her to wait til my next doctor appointment to make that decision. i WILL lower my blood pressure and my weight! i don't want to be unhealthy anymore.

since starting this site at the beginning of this month, i have already lost 6lbs and i feel great. my pants that i'm wearing right now are already loose on me. i can't wait until i go down a full size! i am so excited!

thank you for everything, MFP! i couldn't be happier sharing my journey with all of you.

snowsflake

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired! My feet, back and joints hurt. My self-esteem was at an all time low. I didn't care about anything...just about eating and it was killing me! I was lucky enough to not get diabetes, high blood pressure or bad cholesterol readings, but at 343 pounds I was really killing myself and my body was not liking it one bit! Once I decided I was totally worth living a great, healthy life...I made the lifestyle change that I needed to do.

Everyone gets there in the own way. I'm just glad that we got there!

"A man who has no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness..."

mysi019

I have a couple of different reasons for finally getting serious about this. 1) is i am just sick of being overwieght, 2) I too complain about it all the time, and I too have a boyfriend who got fed up with it. I see it causing tension between us. I am tired all the time, i get upset easier and my self confidence has went down the tube. 3) My best friend was just diagnost with pre-diabetes.

The other "shamefull" reason. I feel even terrible for saying this out loud. But my friends and I are doing this together and i know they will succeed so i dont want to be the "fat" friend. That is big motivation for me.

MassiveDelta

Bump for later

aehenson

I had a health screening at work & my blood pressure was so high - (stroke level at the age of 28!!!) - that they told me to see my doctor. That was February 2008 & 20 pounds ago.

Alysgrma

I guess mine was a two sided wake up call. My mom died of heart trouble in her 60's so we have that in the family. I had gained a lot of weight after my daughters death. I had high bp, high blood sugar and just felt horrible. My doctor told me that I couldn't keep going this way because I was killing myself....that was the first wake up call. Did I do anything about my weight yet? No. The next call was when I was playing with my granddaughter who was only about 3 and I couldn't keep up. I had horrible pain in my chest and couldn't breathe. I was alone with her and the fear of me dying and being with her is what made me wake up and get going on things. I have tried and failed several times until my brother and sis in law told me about this site. I have been losing even with some set backs. Now I know I can run and keep up with my 5yr old without to much trouble. My doctor was even pleased the last time I saw him. :laugh:

SaxIfragas

What made me reply to this is that i had the same high results back on some blood tests which scared me to death so i can relate to your story completely! i had been feeling unwell for a long time was feeling really sorry for myself and i was secretly comfort eating. I dont drink huge amounts so i knew it wasnt that, it turns out i dont have a fatty liver and my tests are levelling out now, although still higher than normal and im still getting tested every 6 weeks but its been put down to a very nasty virus (meaning no one really has a clue). I remember how embarrassed i felt that they could be due to a fatty liver because i knew how badly i had been eating and i constanly go on about eating organic food, fruit and veg, fish etc etc and boast that i havent drunk tea and coffee for 30 years but then eat copious amounts of chocolate and rubbish which negates all the good stuff.

I suddenly realised i was 12st 5lbs and remembered saying id never let myself get over 12 stone, then in a flash remembered, a couple of years before, saying id never let myself get over 11 stone, and back to when i said it about 10 stone and suddenly thinking its time i realise that im lying to myself and noone else, that the weight could snowball if i let it get any further out of control and that this time next year i could be saying i'll never allow myself to get over 15stone.

I feel self conscious when i go out, i have to worry about what im going to wear for days before a special event, i hide in long dresses all day. My b/f is GREAT, he tells me im beautiful and sexy but his words dont get through any more and i always ask myself if hes lying to make me feel better ........... so i decided that enough is enough and im going to do something about it - starting yesterday!! That i started yesterday and can say those words is a miracle in itself as ive always said starting tomorrow before!

I want to get into the jeans im wearing in my profile pic which was taken 3 1/2 years ago - i think i was about 10 1/2 stone then and i think that would be amazing!!

JennaGermain

I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I want to be better able to focus and to not hurt so much. I think my main wake-up call has been my mother having to up her insulin (she's been ignoring a lot of the dr's orders) from once a day to with every meal and right before bed. I decided I'm a hypocrite to be telling her she needs to eat healthy & exercise like her dr told her when I'm not willing to do so myself.

Also, my heartburn and sleep apnea have gotten worse & worse and to the point where a couple times, I've really worried that I was having a heart attack.

jackpotclown

Honestly for me it was watching the weight just keep coming on, I'd diet or fad diet some of it off but yet it seemed no matter what I did, I couldn't keep it off. So I would go through yearly bloodwork/physicals with the doc and my cholesterol started one year at 205 and the next at 216. The doc told me if I didn't do anything that I'd be on the same meds within the next couple of years. Noted that my dad's level was in the upper 230's and they placed him on lipitor. I decided to start exercising more, but my weight had gotten right around the 200 mark and I couldn't get myself lower than 192....and I was spending hours at the gym. I looked built in certain areas but puffy in others lol. It took me a while to figure out that what I was eating was the real problem, I mean eating 1/2 to 3/4 of a chicken in one sitting is a bit much, right?????? Anyway, I went on what was called the fat smash diet (portion control with an emphasis on fruits/veggies/whole grains) and watched the weight drop off, so nowadays I work to maintain it.

kelika71

It was being told I was Diabetic. After two doctors thinking it was my Thyroid that was causing me to be extremely cold all the time, blood work told a different story. When the nurse called that morning to tell me I was Diabetic, it was like someone had punched me. It was literally a wake up call because hubby and I were asleep when the phone rang. I remember laying there in shock and remembering what my father had gone through and how we lost him. I also thought about how I was struggling to breathe (due to fluid I was retaining) and remember how my mother had gone through that.
I turned to my husband and told him we were overhauling the way we ate and did things. I didn't want to end up in an early grave like my parents. I sure didn't want to go through the painful Hell they went through towards the end of their lives. Just walking from one end of the house to the other, I'd end up out of breath. I knew I had to change that.
Thankfully, I found an Endocrinologist who has a great staff and Dietician. With them and the education classes, I've learned so much and sure, I still have a lot more to lose, but I feel better than I ever have in my life. I never thought I'd see the day I'd be exercising an hour a day for 6 days a week!!
It was a terrifying wake up call for me, but I'm glad it happened...it's made things better.

shrublet

Seeing photos of myself was my wakeup call. Funny how we always seem to look 30lb lighter in the mirror... my friend took some pictures of myself playing with some dogs on the lawn and I was aghast. That, combined with seeing my highest weight on the scale yet and buying size 14 pants, was the catalyst for change. I'm sick of always being self-conscious, especially in University- a time in my life when I shouldn't have to worry about how I look (not that anyone should).

One day, I just woke up and decided today was the day. No fanfare, no planning. I find it works better that way. It's been a little over two weeks and I've lost seven pounds... to me, it doesn't seem like much yet because I have so far to go, but the only option is to keep going. I'm really glad that I've found this community- I think it'll help.

CGerman

Mine is going to sound pretty shallow after reading some of yours! Aside from feeling like crap, and not being comfortable in my own skin - my wake up call was a picture hanging in my office. I have one of my engagement pictures hanging up in my office at work, featuring a younger and thinner me. Since payroll is part of my job I often have new people in my office asking questions or bringing in paperwork, and quite a few would ask about the picture. They were always shocked to find out it was me. I knew the picutre was 10+ years old, but I should still be recognizable! The last straw was someone saying noticing the picture and telling me, "Wow, your little sister is hot!". Figured I'd rather be the hot younger sister than the chubby old one :laugh:

JJs25th

I am really inspired by everyone's story. And it really hit home to me just how much different our bodies are and how much they may or may not endure.

I have never been classified a BMI of "obese". No one ever even called me "fat". The worse my weight got was 5 pounds into the BMI "overwieght" for my height. I ate well, a little endulgences now and then, but lots of salad and fruit and veggies too. I limited red meat to about once every other week -- and one 9 ounce filet mignon feeds my family of 3. (If I am am going to limit a steak to once per month -- I am going to enjoy it!). Most of my protein was chicken and fish. I worked out at least 3 times a week and was often active beyond that. I had sworn I would never weigh more than I did the day before my son was born.

At my worse I was 5'5" and 152 lbs -- not really "that bad" I was told; especially "for my age" (45). But my body couldn't handle it -- my Blood Pressure went thru the roof to 180/110. When my doctor looked at that and then said, "You can't feel that?!!" :noway: :noway: :noway: That was my wakeup call. What I thought were hot flashes were BP issues. I was retaining water, acid reflux had been diagnosed, I snored, my asthma needed more controlling, and my migraines were off the charts. In short for not being "that bad" I was a mess.

I have lost 22 of my 25 pounds and I am still working on it. My BP meds have been reduced, and my migrains and asthma are doing much better. My DH says the soring has stopped. I am speaking to the Doc about the acid reflux next time I see him.

MzMolly

Vineas,
My wakeup call was the same as yours but perhaps further advanced. I was having pain in the area of my liver, felt like crap, no energy, and had a bad gut feeling. Went to the doc. and he ran all kinds of labs. I to have liver disease in my family. My grandma and uncle die from hemochromotosis. As it turned out my cholesterol was almost 400 (way to high) trigliserides out of this world and several other labs were off. My ultra sound showed a very enlarged liver. I was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease also. My doctor told me to clean up my diet, loose weight and put me on several meds. I met with a dietacian and was told to AVOID trans fats, try to eliminate saturated fats out of my diet and put me on 1500 calories a day and 180 carbs a day.
Fatty liver disease is common but can be very serious and even fatal! You did the right thing and took it seriously. Your doctor should be ashamed of himself for not giving you better advice. Have you done any reasearch on this. If left untreated it can lead to cerosis and death.
Way to go for making the change on your own. Keep it up!
By the way, all my liver counts are now back in normal range and my liver has also shrunk in size. My cholesterol and triglicerides are all great as well. (I did get meds for cholosteral)
Molly

hkystar

My wake-up call wasnt nearly as serious as others here. I had been "trying" to lose weight for a few months with no results (and all I got were more aches and pains). My friend linked me the site and I said I will just try writing everything down, and I was HORRIFIED by just how bad all the stuff I was feeding myself was. I decided I could lose the weight if I was willing to change. I am still trying to stay strong and continue with my journey today (just over 3 months later).

riveraphx

my wake up call was when I found out that my coworkers were making fun of me behind my back and saying that "my *kitten* was so huge it hung over the side of my chair." Although I can laugh about it now, it gave me a lot of will power to prove something to myself and to shut their mouths once and for all.