What was your "moment"?

dovesouls

Hi,
My moment was..

I'm the typical fat guy who has always said. "You know what I've tried everything to loose weight, but nothing seems to work" I have tried a bunch of stuff, but never really anything that has worked for me. I used to work out for 3 hours a day going hard. But I would still keep eating garbage(burgers everyday pizza hotdogs etc mostly processed junk). So as expected I did not notice any positive change. I actually put on more weight. So yeah I tried everything but to eat right.
-- One day I went in for a work required physical/health examination, and the doctor told me that I would need to have a sleep apnea study, and that my urine protein levels where way too high; which indicated kidney damage. I also had a huge risk of diabetes. I weighed in at 345 lbs that day. Naturally I failed the physical, and could not work there in the shape I was. I felt devastated by this news.
-- A buddy of mine who works with me, and is a bodybuilder/Personal trainer was with me that day, as he took his physical too. After he passed his physical. He saw the look of disappointment on my face, and right then and there. He outlined to me what I need to do. He told me to stop eating breads pasta rice sodas sugar etc. I was too increase my protein/veggies levels and do exercise 2 to 3 times a week. My exercise was to be short, but intense in nature.
-- I was doing this for a week and a half, and bamm in that small amount of time I had lost like 4 lbs. Too be honest I didn't do as much exercise as I should have. I was online googling how eating more meat helped me loose weight, and came across a site on paleo. I read on why exactly I should avoid the breads and those carbs. It makes a lot of sense. I decided to give the highly restrictive(by todays dietary standards) Paleo lifestyle change a try.
-- 2 more weeks go by, and after eating Paleo style and small amounts of extreme exercise I feel great and I lost a shirt size! Then 2 months later I go re do my physical, and I come to find out that I'm healthy; well considering my size haha. There was nothing wrong with me. The doctor said my bp is super healthy, and that my sleep apnea b.s risk is gone. Doctor had me do a sprint on a treadmill a bit, and checked my heart rate. He said I'm as healthy as a horse, and too keep doing what ever I have been doing. I passed! I was hooked on Paleo!
-- The first couple of weeks where tough as I fought through my sugar addiction, but it was sure damn well worth it. Paleo was the best lifestyle change I could have made. At first I only wanted to get healthy, but now I can see myself actually getting in shape. It's awesome! Now I grunt like a caveman and say hell yeah....

WOW, TCD01. What an inspirational story you have! Congratulations to you for all of your hard work and perseverance, as I know that wasn't easy. It's a hard pill to swallow when you have the awakening that yes, you have a weight problem because of something YOU were doing wrong. I had the same epiphany and it is a hard pill to swallow. I, too, am a prisoner to carbs. I am just beginning my journey to a healthier lifestyle. Thank you for inspiring me today! :bigsmile:

marhia7

Moment number 1: I had a family Christmas party to go to and put on a super cute outfit (or so I thought) that I had laying around from before my last pregnancy. It fit, I felt good. Then I saw pictures that my cousin had posted on FB and thought, "OMFG! What in the hell was I wearing and when did I get so....HUGE?" Of course, I hid every single picture from my timeline so that NO-ONE could see me. Lol. That's when I decided to make a change and lost 25 lbs.

Moment number 2: As a single mother of 2 children and working crap jobs that didn't pay well, I decided to make a change. I finally got my GED and decided to go to school for therapeutic massage. Learning about anatomy, physiology, and pathology has helped me to realize just how out of shape I am and what can happen. I want to be strong and healthy. If I am going to help others, I want to be the best I can be. So, here I am.

greenhudler

Thank you again to everyone who has replied so far, it's great to see these inspirational stories. Many of these that are being shared I'm sure are making at least one reader out there go, "That sounds like what I've gone through!" and that's such a good feeling to realize you aren't alone. This has become a very supportive thread and I can't wait to read more stories!

qtgonewild

On July 19th when I went in to get a pap smear and couldnt believe A) that I weighed 278 pounds and who wants to get a pap ever especially at 278 pounds. That was a friday. I went home didnt think too much more about it that weekend. Woke up Monday with this unexplained determination, motivation and WILLPOWER. Definitely a gift from GOD. Im very thankful.

LosingItForGood13

My moment was in March 2013 stepped on scale at Doctors office and it read 330 this is the heaviest I have ever been so after that the doc decides to tell me about South Beach Diet and maybe will help me with losing weight and That I needed to exercise which I wasn't doing at this time. So started out walking for 4 months was able to get 40 pounds off then decided to enroll at the Y which help with getting more weight off. Never want to see that number again on the scale so that is what woke me up.

Saucy_lil_Minx

My "moment" was when an older lady at work said she thought she looked younger than me. I asked why, and she said b/c I had put on so much weight since I started my job. (Desk Job) that she thought it aged me. I went home that night, and started walking the block. Turned into going to the gym.... which turned into me reading and researching nutrition...... Then my son was diagnosed with high cholesterol, and it really kick into high gear in 12/2012

Ed98043

I would like to point out that not one person's "moment" came because of nagging or ultimatums by their spouse.

My first moment came last January when the scale showed a number (220) that I guess was my personal red line. I lost 23 lbs in a few months and then started to slack off. In October some pictures from an event I attended (and thought I was looking pretty cute at) were posted online and I looked like Shamu. So I've lost the 5 lbs that I'd gained and an additional lb, and I'm back on track. Hoping to hit the 30 lbs lost mark by the new year and 5 lbs a month thereafter until goal.

rosemary98

looking at a picture of myself in a dress that i thought i looked pretty good in...only to notice a belly roll.

greenhudler

I would like to point out that not one person's "moment" came because of nagging or ultimatums by their spouse.

*thumbs up*
Yep! Because that hardly ever works, and when it does it often doesn't stick :P

momof2boyz832

I have always been a yo-yo dieter..Lose a couple of pounds, gain a couple of pounds...Then gain a couple more, then a couple more..You get the picture. In January 2013, I like many others started out with the greatest intentions..lose the weight..feel great..I acknowledged that I was an emotional eater. I decided to grab that bull by the horns.. I slipped here and there and before I knew it I was not logging food and back into the snowball effect of gaining and losing..Still gaining more than losing. In September, I turned 38 and was 209lbs. I was tired...physically tired, emotionally tired. I had to tell myself, the weight was not going to come off by itself and I was going to have to work my *kitten* off to get rid of it. I started back with MFP and have not looked back. I use MFP to be accountable. I will hit 75 days logging in this week and will be here to hit 275. I walk everyday, work out with weights every second day and check in here several times a day. I love how I can be motivated by everyone's story, and hope to motivate others in the future..

elleloch

I always feel weird talking about my moment because I've never been "fat," but I had reached a point where I just didn't feel confident in my body anymore. I hated shopping and looking in the mirror and hated pictures of myself.

The moment was when I was in Key West with my husband and in-laws. There is a Marilyn Monroe statue on the street down there and I posed next to her. When I saw the photo I was just disgusted with myself. Who the hell is this person!?!

So I snapped and dropped 20 lbs, lol. Now I just want to get crazy ripped and smash everything.

87monkey

I slowly gained all of my weight over five years, so it was easy to ignore. Then I gained quite a bit the end of last year/early this year, I noticed but ignored it. Then early June I prepared to fly to Alaska for work for the summer(as always ) so I stepped on the scale with my luggage to make sure it wasn't over the weight limit. My luggage was fine, right within the limit, but what happened to my weight?! I gained nearly 80 pounds in 5 years. I am so thankful for that moment! So far only 20 pounds down since then, but it feel so much better!

Broderick50

My first moment was when I sat down in a chair at work and it broke. That was when I was like ok this is too much so I lost like 60lbs then I gained it all back after an injury and some lazyness. My latest moment was after a breakup I know this wasn't the best reason to start getting back in shape but I told myself while your single get yourself together that's what i'm doing now.

an8e

I had always been fit and healthy, but then I grew up and got busy with life! In 5 years I gained about 15 kg (say, 30 pounds) : and didn't notice (of course, I thought the sizes of clothes had changed, I didn't think I'd really gained weight).

I only 'noticed' when I saw photos of myself at a wedding ... hopped on the scales, eyes wide opened and that's when I joined MFP, July 2012.

Now I laugh. I can't believe I actually thought there was something wrong with the size of clothes! DENIAL!

SuperJo1972

I have PCOS so I really need to lose the belly fat and I also am up for an operation to remove my gallbladder next year, so you would think that I could do it for myself. But no.

I tried before and even managed to lose over a stone once, but something always stopped me in my tracks, sickness, car accident, total lack of willpower. In reality they just stopped me exercising at times and I was the one who chose to stuff my face above and beyond maintenance levels.

About 2 months ago I was trying to convince my mum to get a mobility scooter, as she has really bad problems with her back and hips (she's in her 70s) and we had a very frank chat about having to just cave in and do what is needed for once. In one last ditch attempt to convince her I promised her that if she would get a scooter and use it, then I would promise to get some weight off before my operation and aim to be near my target weight by next Christmas.

Well, she got (and is using) the scooter and I am keeping my word. I started at 14 stone and am now 13 stone 5lb with a final goal of 11 stone by next Christmas.

I attended a healthy eating lecture about maintaining good sugar levels and I started to eat breakfast of all things. So far I feel much brighter and healthier. I don't "feel" any lighter but the scales don't lie (I hope) and I am keeping the faith. MFP has been a godsend so that I can monitor what I eat, track my weight-loss and balance my food. I will stick with it this time.


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greenhudler

I always feel weird talking about my moment because I've never been "fat," but I had reached a point where I just didn't feel confident in my body anymore.

No reason to feel weird, my "top weight" still isn't that high compared to a lot of people here wanting to lose weight -- but I still had a moment . We all have different journeys and that's fine :P

TheGymGypsy

My moment was when I almost paid $2000 (my entire savings at the time) for laser lipo when I was only 17. I was like, what am I doing? There has to be a better way.

Lo and behold, it was as easy as exercising and not stuffing my face all the time.

pawoodhull

My moment was twofold. Just before we left for vacation in South Dakota at Mt. Rushmore we saw the pictures from our son's wedding two months earlier. The group shots I was in were great except for me. I was huge and took up so much space that I eclipsed the other family members in the pictures. I weighed 386, so yes, I really did eclipse! Then we went to Mt. Rushmore and once again I found myself not being able to do certain things because I was so big, or going certain places because I was too big to fit in that spot or ride that ride or was frankly afraid of getting stuck in the gold mine my husband wanted to tour (and no I'm not claustrophobic), so I sat and waited for him while he did those things (because I insisted he do those things, I didn't want him missing out because of my size). I had the same issue in Boston, Maine, Hawaii, Seattle, Vancouver, you get the idea. But the trip and the pictures combined were my "moment". I had bariatric surgery the following July. I'm still not to goal 2 and 1/2 years after surgery. but that's normal when you start off needing to lose 220 pounds. Like everyone else on here I have had to make a lifestyle change and a lifetime commitment. Go back to my old ways and the weight will come back, just like everyone else. It's really slow now, but I'm still working on it, counting the calories, eating lots of protein and exercising. I will make goal and I will keep it off.

elleloch

I always feel weird talking about my moment because I've never been "fat," but I had reached a point where I just didn't feel confident in my body anymore.

No reason to feel weird, my "top weight" still isn't that high compared to a lot of people here wanting to lose weight -- but I still had a moment . We all have different journeys and that's fine :P

Thumbs up

hollifina1

When my baby was born and I realized it was time to wake the freak up and start taking better care of myself if not for myself then definitely for her. Especially given the fact we live in South Korea and I don't drive here.