What was the final straw for you?

sugar4becky

What was the event that finally made you decide that enough was enough and it was time to change? Was it a picture? Was it something someone said? Was it a doctor telling you that the weight had to drop?

I remember mine. My husband and I had gotten lucky enough to fly to Belize for 10 days with some of our really good friends. We were going to spend those days in paradise--snorkeling, swimming, and getting tan. However, I spent the majority of the trip feeling disgusted with the way I looked and the way I felt. I remember walking down the street to meet up with our friends and my thighs were rubbing together and it HURT. I was so angry with myself for letting my weight climb that high. At that moment, I decided that I would never let this happen again and that the next time I went on vacation I wouldn't let my weight get in the way of a wonderful vacation!

What was yours? Do you keep it in the back of your mind to remind you of why we are doing the things we are doing now? I know that I never want to feel that way again, and I am committed to making sure I don't!

KristenAnn711

My moment was a picture I found of me 6 years ago. I was getting ready for my sister's wedding and it's a picture of me from the back. I can acutally see my shoulder blades the way my arms were. That made me think I wanted to get back to that weight, about 125-135lbs. Also that I had to give away almost my entire wardrobe to GoodWill because nothing fit me anymore!

michlingle

I was teaching summer school with 1st graders, one of our sight words was 'thick.' One of the little girls said, "thick, like my teacher's thick?" I could've died right there. I was going home completely exhausted at 12 noon, something had to give!

verbifyvenus

Mine was when I was walking down the hallway at work and noticed I could feel a roll of back fat. LMAO! :laugh:

A roll of fat was all it took for me :happy:

125again

During grad school I gained some weight from poor eating and no exercise. I finished in June and found a teaching job. During the summer I get to wear very casual clothes because I get the summer off. I finished June 9 and by August 9 I could no longer fit into my work pants without having a mean muffin top. The next morning I joined MFP.

shari253

Mine was just finally getting disgusted enough with my spare tire to want to do something about it. I have a very big belly, and at age 56, I actually look about 7 months pregnant! I'm not kidding. Clothes never fit me right because if the waist fits, everything else is way too big. Also, every time I look in the mirror I'm surprised by my big belly. I need to lose at least 35 lbs to get to the high end of a normal weight, and I swear that whole 35 lbs is in my middle. I am the apple of all apples, lol!

dawnsant

I got married almost three years ago. At that time I weighed 120. In the first two years I somehow gained almost 50 pounds, so did my husband. I was daily thinking about how I hated that none of my clothes fit anymore and how I didn't feel sexy. Well, one day I was fussing to my husband and he said that I wasn't fat that I was "beefy". ummmmm, thanks hunny! lol Well, he really didn't mean anything by it. BUT it hit me like a brick! Now, I am determined to drop all this post-wedding weight.

pcw52

My final straw came when I got some blood work back that was not so hot. I had some really bad side affects of some medicine I had to quit. I started feeling so much better and the tests were worse. The new medicine is so expensive. I was very upset. I around and saw that I take care of everything for the people in my life- my 90 yrs. old mom, 2 daughters, my husband ( I am separated from), my brother. Now it is my time and for the next 4 months it is all about me. Strange to say that because I still have them to tend to. I hate being a chef but now I AM one with my food needs , my time to exercise, my time to work, etc.. I HAVE EXERCISED FOR 3 STRAIGHT WEEKS . YOU JUST CAN NOT IMAGINE WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE. i HAVEN'T HAD AN ASTHMA ATTACK NOR HAVE i QUIT BECAUSE OF THE PAIN IN MY HIP. SMALL VICTORY. .

hroush

I got tired of giving myself excuses to not eat better or work out. A friend of my wife's had lost weight with MFP and I signed up immediately. Since I have started working out more and eating much better when I go out to eat.

NoelleLou

The final straw for me was when I was shopping at a plus sized store (Fashion Bug) and realized that 4X was the biggest size they carried. There was no where to go from there.. I am 33 years old & Id have to be shopping from a catalog catering to 5X+ sized woman.. I never thought it had gotten that bad.. But it was. I took a hard look at myself, my life & my family & knew that I was capable of DOING THIS.. And doing it without surgery. I was 4 months away from having gastric bypass surgery when I decided to try it on my own.. Im down 22 lbs & have since cancelled the surgery. I KNOW I can lose 100+ lbs. It used to seem like an impossible feat- But I know with the tools i have learned here & the amazing friends I have made who help me every poundo f the way that I CAN and WILL do this.

RushinBruisette

Mine was multiple things within a few days, starting with being beyond out of breath after 30seconds of running with my little brothers, same day I could barely zip up my 22 jeans. Same week, an old co worker wanted to see my wedding pics and asked if we had a baby (I looked preggo in a pic appearently) and my glasses were digging into my face a bit. My grandma was diagnosed with diabetes which I knew I probably was pre. And when I refused to let my hubby see me partially naked because I was ashamed of myself. I decided that was it and I'm glad I made the decision to be here

vdubteach23

I have always been thin. Almost 4 years ago I met my fiance and started getting into the daily routine. He's 6'2" and weighs around 130. He can eat whatever he want so the pounds started adding to me. I went in to get my insurance for my car changed when we moved and the lady handed me a book to read while she processed my information and it was "What to Expect When You're Expecting" I was mortified and cried all the way home. I knew I had to change something as soon as this happened. I understand because I basically only carry my weight in my stomach, but I couldn't believe that had happened to me.

allie7383

For me it was looking through photos from the past few years. I've never been a thin girl, but the weight really started to come on after high school, and I no longer had dance classes or marching band to keep me active. I wanted to post pictures online of my vacations, of me in a friend's wedding, etc..and found myself disgusted with almost all the ones I was in. I want to actually like my body for once and not shrink away from having my photo taken.

weaklink109

My birthday came a week before Easter in 2009. I had to renew my driver's license, which meant a new picture. There I sat, weighing more than I ever had, wondering what the h3LL happened to the 13 lbs. I lost in the prior January when I had a planned surgery. What happened to my plan to "watch it" and keep losing, FINALLY? :mad: Well, I DID watch it....just that "it" went back up, to where I had been, + a couple of pounds of "interest" :noway: because I was fooling myself about how much I was eating, and how much "exercise" there really was in walking two (at that time, now it is three) pesky little doggies, who like to stop and smell the roses, a LOT!:laugh: :laugh:

I decided the best birthday gift I could give myself for the following year (2010) was to lose 100 lbs. During the week before Easter, I began searching out weight loss info online, and read some important basic truths. People who record their food intake and exercise calories burned are more likely to be successful at LOSING, and if those same people adopt a "lifestyle change" rather than going on a "diet" that they eventually plan to go "off" of, they are more likely to KEEP the weight off. I also found that people who had a support system, whether it was in person or online, were also more likely to continue for the long haul.

I searched for free calorie-counting websites, found another one I can't recall, and MFP. MFP seemed much more user-friendly, than the other site, so I registered and started using it every day on April 13, 2009. I started walking (without doggies), and for a while during the summer, I was doing about 25 miles per week. The weather and shorter days made that pace impossible to maintain, but I still tried to walk outdoors when I could, and at the Mall, when the weather was uncooperative. The secret was to KEEP WALKING PAST the Food Court!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

It took me 7 months and 3 weeks to lose 50 lbs. In December, my doctor removed one of my BP meds and cut the dosage of the remaining one to half of what I had been taking. I sustained a head injury in January, 2010, and the aftermath of it, put me off of trying as intensely to lose for a while. I didn't gain, but was not losing anymore--just going up and down the same 2 or 3 lbs.

Along about July, I was getting fed up, since what I had done the previous year to lose wasn't working. As a result of posts on MFP, I researched the HCG diet, and found it was supposed to be helpful for someone experiencing a plateau due to being at a setpoint (a weight that you held for a long time in the past, and when you get back to it, you can't get below it). I knew that I was right in that neighborhood and I was sick of it. My original expectation had been to lose 100 lbs. in a year, but when April 2010 arrived, I had only lost half of that.

When I got a 'save the date' notice for a family wedding in September, I decided I HAD to get it in gear if I was going to be anywhere close to where I had planned to be by the end of the summer. On July 19th, I started the HCG diet. About 20 days into the process, after losing about 12 lbs. I experienced a week of severe carb cravings that seemed to come out of nowhere.

After a few days, I figured out it had been triggered by artificial sweeteners--something I had not been using, but they were in something I had eaten away from home. Not realizing that was the issue, I tried to "solve" my cravings by having a squirt or two of sugar free syrup in the decaf I was getting in the evening at Starbuck's. Then I was coming home and gobbling multiple servings of crackers, and even some of the candy stash that I had no trouble ignoring for the previous three weeks.

A look at my food diary for that week helped me figure out what had happened, and within two days of stopping that sugar free syrup "fix," my cravings disappeared, and I began losing again. I "lost" a week, and probably cost myself being at least 6 lbs. lighter than I am now, but I am not dwelling on what can't be changed. In another 4.5 lbs., I will be "overweight" ONLY (per BMI) for the first time since 1989!!:drinker: :drinker:

Almost as good as that day will be, last week I visited my doctor and when my blood pressure was checked, it was 100/74!! Mind you, before this time, the best I could do off meds was about 114/80. My doctor was very pleased.

So now I am trying to get to a loss of 100 lbs. by the beginning of November, 2010, which would put me at the high end of a 'healthy weight' for my height. Talk about something to be thankful for!!:drinker: :drinker:

Anyway, that is the story of my "final straw"--a driver's license picture from hell. Within the last two weeks, two people have looked at it, at my bank, and looked at me and said "You need a new photo!" So probably this Fall, I will pay extra to have it redone.

sjdjnd20

I actually have a few of them if thats ok! Of course after the first one I started to try to lose weight and succeeded but gained most back with another pregnancy! It was a scare actually, I was forced to give birth to my second child at 36 weeks pregnant due to a severe case of Pre eclampsia, My blood pressure stayed through the roof even a few days after delivering and I had a home nurse to check on me. I thought I had a bad cold and was coughing alot and felt crappy with chest pain, The home nurse sent me to the hospital ER and they found during a CT scan that my heart was enlarged and I was in heart failure..the coughing was due to my right lung being totally full of fluid! I got worse over the next 2 days before finally getting better, I came soo close to to being in the ICU for the Pulmonary Edema that I had developed! I was only 22 years old at the time!!! Very scary!

Another one is that my little girl told me that I should be on the show "The Biggest Loser"

And finally, Not having the energy to play with my children outside on hot summer days and not wanting to take them to water parks! I have to do it for me and for my children..and most of all I need to be alive to see them grow up!!!

lisafrancis629

My final straw was a family vacation at the beach 4 weeks ago. The whole week I was miserable and hated going on the beach. Struggled to get up out of those beach chairs (the ones that sit low to the ground). My breathing was awful just walking down the the beach. We went to an amusement park and for the first time in my entire life, I was worried I wouldn't fit on some of the rides. Thankfully, I could but at that moment, I told my sister, "this is it! When I get home Sunday, I am eating better and exercising, It makes no sense to be so miserable and unhappy when this is something I can control." So that Monday, I found this website and began the journey to a healthier and happier me.

shari253

Thank you to everyone for sharing their stories, some humorous, some dramatic, but all heartfelt. I am very touched by the sincerity of this community.

Brandy217

I have been off work for a year now & I went to the doctor for some blood work & found out that I am a daibetic. I am getting married in 2 weeks. My fiance went & had his done too & we both are diabetic. We have decided that we wanna live our lives together & we are getting healthy together. I have gained about 50 lbs while I have been off work & he has gained about 60 the 2 years we been togeather. It has been to hot to exercise much but I got the Biggest loser video so i'm going to try it.:flowerforyou:

kidakiwi04

My final straw was a couple weeks ago when my friend set me up with a friend of a friend. The four of us went to a Dave & Busters and and had a great time. The guy was cute, funny and we had a lot on common. I was looking forward to getting to know him better. After D&B we went back to my friends place to talk and play rock band. I had gotten up to use the bathroom and when I came back I could here them talking about me. The guy had said "Hell she would be perfect if she wasn't so fat." Talk about the big ouch. I made my excuses and cried the second I got home. The next mornng I downloaded mpf to my phone and a week later joined the website.

A part of me wants him to regret those words...Hey whatever motivates you right?

ASpaulding

I have just started my weight loss steps and what started it for me was the day I got married ( August 7th 2010) and i was looking at my self in the mirror and thaught WOW im a FAT bride and was disgusted with myself. I have just started and set a goal of 60lbs in the next year by my wedding anniversery. I would like to weigh what i weighed in highschool a wopping 3 years ago...

I HOPE I HAVE THE STRENGTH TO MAKE IT

katefor3

This would be my first post... I have only been on this site for a little while, but am so impressed by everyone on here. The numbers are just astonishing and Oh so inspiring!!! Thank you all for sharing so much!

Here's my little two cents on my final straw, although it was more an inspiration then a straw. I met a friend to visit Governor's Island out of Manhattan just last weekend, and we had a great time walking around the island. On our way back, we got on the ferry, and sat down. I noticed a woman with two kids, who was at least 10 years older than me and she was holding one of her boys with ONE arm. She stood on the ferry, without holding on to anything, and with plenty of seats available. She was balancing herself while holding her kid (2-3 years old) the entire time the ferry was moving, including the bumpy wavy parts. I was AMAZED and INSPIRED, to me she looked like the mother I would one day like to be. And her lack of laziness which I have a little too much of was so inspiring to me that now I often choose to stand on the subway and not hold on to rails to balance myself and get that little bit of extra exercise! haha. It makes so much sense to me since its a time when I CAN get a workout for free unless the train is too crowded. The point is she inspired me without even knowing it, i never even saw her face, but I dont think I will ever forget her. Its strange because you can look at pictures of beautiful women online, and here and there, and its not the same until you see someone Real who is actually LIVING it. I dunno, it worked for me... and I'm ready to get this weight behind me. Break that 200 number and get back to my energetic, fun-loving, outdoor adventurer self!

Sarandipity

I had started not feeling comfortable in my own skin when I first joined the site in Feb 2008, but lacked the motivation to stick with it. That summer and fall I ended up spending it swollen and in pain due to an autoimmune disorder that had developed, I hit 300lbs, and tried on a size 24 pant and they fit! :noway: . That was the final straw for me. Jan of 2009 I had finally gotten some medication and the swelling had gone down and the pain had decreased. It wasn't until after I started losing that I really truely saw how big I was in pictures. It was quite horrifying actually.

Ready4Changes

I have had several actual things as well. I absolutely hate pictures taken of my self. I want to change this. I hate seeing them. I also went to a 4 day convention about a week ago and was dead tired from all the walking. The first day of the convention, I had to walk back out to my car that was about 9-10 blocks away. I was so exhausted. I honestly thought I was going to pass out. My face was a purplish red and my kids and husband must have asked me for over an hour i I was ok. This really embarrassed me and made me feel ashamed that I had so much trouble with something. It made me cry inside. They could see my face that it made me sad and my husband felt really bad for me. I don't want anyone to feel bad for me that I can't walk 9 blocks. I just can't believe I am that out of shape. I know I have gained about 85 lbs since I got married. I hate that . I soo want to get my oldself back. I know I may never weigh that little again but if I can even get close.... My hubby looks the same as the day we married almost 20 years ago. the same boyish face the same awesome body. ( sigh ) I really let myself go and I need to make it better for me

TonyaVanDe

When I finally woke up and noticed that the girl that I imagine inside of me no longer matched the woman on the outside of me. I needed to wake up and realize that if I gave everything of myself away to those around me - - - then there was nothing left for me.

At the end of the day - - - I had no energy left for me - - - no inspiration left for me - - - no courage left for me - - - no drive left for me -

ENOUGH - - -

I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered - - - why do I look SO OLD - - -? What the heck is up with my hair - - - ? When did I get so FAT - - - ?

WHEN DID I STOP SMILING - - - ???

It was the day I did not recognize myself in the mirror - !!!

jenny2x

My moment was when my husband said "you're the heaviest girl I've ever dated." He wasn't trying to be hurtful, but like a lot of guys he didn't think before he opened his mouth. It hurt my feelings, and he has apologized many, many times. It still hurts, and I can hear it over and over again in my head. I may have been the heaviest girl he's ever been with, but I'm definitely the prettiest! Trust me, I've seen pictures. LOL

sslaughter1

After I got my results from my sleep study and being told I indeed had Sleep Apnea but defined in the doctors observation as morbidly obese in the summary. I've had a lot of joint and muscle pain for the last year. I knew I was over weight but the words Morbid and Obese punched me with a huge dose of reality when I looked back at pictures in the last year. I've lost about 10 lbs before starting MFP but really want to stick with it.

fat214

This summer on our yearly family camping trip.When they said today were going to climb a mountain.And one of them was a 70 year old lady who passed me by as I sat dieing on a rock.And thought to myself would it really be that bad if a bear would show up now.I would not let that mountain beat me.I made it to the top as everyone was ready to climb back down.And then they said time for a family picture~GREAT REALLY! Next year I will run up that MOUNTAIN!!

annitin

You go girl. Yeah, whatever motivates you, but know that you are really doing it for yourself. :bigsmile:

WeightingForSara

Mine was when my period stopping coming and I wasn't pregnant! I went 8 months with my period, as it turns out after running a bunch of tests, my fat cells and SO stretched that they're producing too much estrogen. Moral of the story: I can't have children, and I'm 24 and have been married for 3.5 years.. and we wanted to try to have a baby once we had been married for 5 years. The doctor told me, "Hunny, to be honest, you're gonna have to lose a LOT of weight for your hormones to balance out, and even then there may be too much damage."

Yeah. almost -60lbs later and I still don't have a period.

missmiller1

The kicker for me was that when I was 13 I weighed almost 200 pounds at only 5 feet tall, I had to buy size 38 men's pants, which was the largest size Pacific Sunwear used to carry. This was before Torrid or any big-box stores sold cute plus-size clothes for teenager girls. I remember just crying looking at myself in the mirror and hating how I looked and felt. I lost 80 pounds over the course of a few years when I cut meat, dairy, and eggs out of my diet. Once I started eating all of those foods again, got engaged, and starting eating the same portions as a 6 foot tall man, I started gaining weight again. I saw a picture of myself before the summer started this year and I saw the fat teenager all over again and decided to get serious. So far I've lost 20 pounds and just bought a pair of size 4 skinny jeans and I feel fantastic! I'm even training for a half marathon. I never would have thought that all those years ago, the same person standing in the mirror crying would be as athletic and addicted to diet and exercise as I am today.

kidakiwi04

WHEN DID I STOP SMILING - - - ???

This