What was your "wakeup call"?

NotJustADieter

Mine was hitting the same weight my mother was the day before she gave birth to me.... as a not-pregnant 20 year old, that scared me into action. I'm now down to 155 and still going strong! I'd had health scare after health scare beforehand, but was able to think my way out of it until I came to that realization.

FatFreeFrolicking

Seeing my old modeling photos and developing insulin resistance.

BIW2012

Seeing a horrifying number on the scales and realising that if I don't do something about my weight now, I'd just keep gaining. I cried like a baby and then booked an appointment with a nutritionist.

FeraFilia

Seeing the scale tip past 300. :-\

vherrere123

Having a friend die because of diabetes.

ashleyjohnstonn1

Someone very close to me told me that I wasn't as attractive as I used to be and that I need to lose weight. Took an honest look at myself.

letsdothis180

Seeing my husband lose weight while I gained. Also, when my "fat" pants started getting tight.

mzbek24

Joined a hiking group in February to meet new people and I enjoy hiking, but it somehow escaped my notice that I was extremely unfit and quite overweight.
I couldn't do it, kept the entire group up waiting for me continuously so I could catch my breath! I couldn't finish it, I let them go on without having to wait, and just went home before everyone. Didn't have the guts to go back to that group again, felt so ashamed that I didn't realise how far I'd let myself go. But I worked on my fitness and weight goals over a few months and recently went back with my partner and completed the entire hiking route without even having to stop once. I'm kinda glad it happened.

yc4king

Had a bath with my kids who are still young enough to say whatever comes to mind. My daughter looked up at me and said "daddy you have really big legs", and I replied "yep they are pretty big aren't they". Then she looked at me with her usual inquisitive nature and asked "are they that big because you are fat?". I was a little surprised but all I could do was tell her the truth, "yes, it's because daddy is overweight".

She wasn't being rude and has no idea that being "fat" is something normally viewed as negative, but it still made me feel a bit ashamed to have to explain to my daughter why daddy was bigger than a lot of other people.

My lifestyle change started a couple days later and have not looked back since. I'm eating much healthier and went from just going on the odd walk at lunch to running 5k almost every morning. Tight in 42" waist pants then, 38" are loose now, almost ready for 36

IAmThatGuyYouAlwaysSeeAtTheGym

There's a similar topic at getting started, so I hope you don't mind that I copy my answer from there.
Also, proof, incase anybody wanted to go twice. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1359760-at-what-point-did-you-finally-decide-this-is-it?

When I realized I was the only fat graduate in my school that was still a virgin. I wasn't even the biggest guy, so I figured I just have an awful personality. If people don't like your insides, then might as well go for vanity and make your outsides nice and pretty. Some of you may be thinking, "that's a pretty stupid answer", but hey, my motto is that there are no stupid answers, only stupid people and I'm on track in going into nuclear school, so depending on your personal definition of stupidity, my answer does not sound so ridiculous after all. And now you can see why I have so much trouble getting laid. But hey, my goal has lost me 30 pounds in 9 months (first six month 15, next three months 15).

Here's a bonus, though. I still haven't gotten laid, in case anyone was wondering. It might be obvious to you as for why, but I guess I'm pretty clueless about myself.

TiberiusClaudis

Just a little over 2 years ago , when the family sawbones said either drop 40lbs and change your wicked ways or wake up dead.

I didn't listen to him, instead I lost 60lbs and in 45 days I'll be entering my 1st bodybuilding competition.

Anything is possible, if you set your sights on it.

ShadowFallRising

When I looked five months pregnant, and I was not pregnant at all lol that was like, whoa, ok this needs to change. Funny thing is, at one point I was nearly 200 lbs, then we moved, I kicked our deep fryer to the curb (I was eating fried chicken and french fries literally every other day), and I plummeted from about 170-180 to 150, and I vowed to NEVER touch fried food again if I can help it. I bake my chicken now, and it's SO much better.

malavika413

Having the two kindest, most important men in my life (my boyfriend and my father) finally say something about my weight. They were supportive and kind, but told me like it was--I needed to shed a few pounds to help my physical and mental health.

kstar0327

When I went for a walk and had to stop 2x to catch my breath enough was enough i cut out all junk food out of my diet eating healthy now and down 12 lbs in 3 weeks

lildynarider

I had several but they hit me all at once this year. My fam has a history of heart disease, and I'm currently taking care of a grandparent that has major organ system failure do to all of the prescriptions he was on to maintain. It was insane to me that I could prevent all of that and all it took was some self control.

kwilcox1195

Had a bath with my kids who are still young enough to say whatever comes to mind. My daughter looked up at me and said "daddy you have really big legs", and I replied "yep they are pretty big aren't they". Then she looked at me with her usual inquisitive nature and asked "are they that big because you are fat?". I was a little surprised but all I could do was tell her the truth, "yes, it's because daddy is overweight".

She wasn't being rude and has no idea that being "fat" is something normally viewed as negative, but it still made me feel a bit ashamed to have to explain to my daughter why daddy was bigger than a lot of other people.

My lifestyle change started a couple days later and have not looked back since. I'm eating much healthier and went from just going on the odd walk at lunch to running 5k almost every morning. Tight in 42" waist pants then, 38" are loose now, almost ready for 36

That is amazing. What a wonderful father. you should be really proud of yourself for making such a big change from just a statement from your child!!!

eggomylegos

All of my immediate family members are Type 2 diabetic or pre-diabetic. My mother has always been a relatively healthy eater and never overweight a day in her life. She called to tell me that her glucose levels were high. I flipped out. At 300+ lbs, it seemed like pure luck that I had avoided it for so long.

I logged on to MFP the next day. Doing pretty well so far

kfesta52

Mine was the start of summer two years ago, when I couldn't fit into any of my shorts, except the stretchy-waist athletic kind.

sistrsprkl

Last spring, someone thought I was pregnant when my son was already 9 months old

marricurt

Cancer. It wasn't a direct cause of being overweight but it made me reevaluate my life and my health. It is a hell of a wake up call....

EdoLuna

My wake up call was when i started cosplaying

Seeing the difference between the actual character and myself and feeling disgusted at what i was staring at in the mirror.
but i stopped because i got discurraged and side tracked but now im back

The second wake up call was the same thing and along with seeing my brother so skinny now omg i had to be like that or close to that by next year !

mhasita

My dad dying because of diabetes. Seeing him losing his life to that horrible disease helped me realize that I needed to start making healthier choices with food.

garethlewry

Mine was realising i needed to buy 42" trousers.

aedreana

In 2010, I caught a side view of my waist and midriff in a full-length mirror. That was the fateful day that I discovered I had developed a matronly fat pad in that area. My weight had not changed. Menopause in 2006 led to this horrifying redistribution of weight--all the fat on my hips/butt had shifted around to my waist! I knew at that moment I had to reevaluate my ideal weight. My ideal weight used to be 135; now, it is 112.

pyrowill

Making a deal with myself that I can't buy myself a surfboard until I hit under 200lbs, considering I'm going surfing end of August and I'm currently 205, might just make it .

justisroyster

My daughter calling me fat and my friends getting 6 packs with women loving them.

JenToms80

Buying a size 18 pair of trousers....something just clicked

crimsontech

It's been about 2.5 years since I started this journey but one of the main memories I have is that I was no longer able to fit comfortably into the booths at more and more restaurants. Between that and needing a seatbelt extender to fly, as well as having to put the driver's seat of my car all the way back and STILL have my stomach touch the steering wheel... that was enough for me. I was at the point where I was getting to be too big to fit in "normal person" spaces.

Although I am not yet at my goal, I can now fit forwards AND sideways in booths, fly a plane without an extender, and now I can't even reach the pedals if my driver's seat is all the way back. I am a normal size person again and couldn't be happier about it.

icrushit

Being weighed in hospital about three and a half years ago, and seeing that I was almost 110kg/ 17st. There were plenty of signs before that, like clothes size increases, hating any pictures others took, and lack of energy, but they were often drowned out with food quickly enough. Nothing is crueller or more effective than the scales though.

Since then I made a lot of life changes, even if it took a while to actually do anything at all about it initially, but once I did after about 6/ 9 months, I made many changes, all gradual, but each building on the previous one when I felt the timing was right. Habit can be a very powerful thing, and finding myself dragged along by it, I hit my target weight about 2 years ago. Between now and then, unfortunately about half of what I lost crept back on over time, and although I had one period in the middle where I shaved back the pounds a little, I never really maintained what I lost.

This time I'm more motivated than ever, and intend to both lose weight, and keep it off. Good lifelong habits are what interest me most these days, and I feel I have a good idea where to go from here

cookiekrunch

Looking at a facebook picture of myself and not recognizing the person on the screen. I made it my before picture for my profile for motivation.

Allterrain_Lady

Everything was a struggle and I could find clothes.
One day: "You're 30 years old and you can't walk that far without being out of breath, getting a purple face, sweating AND feeling like your legs are going to fall off?!" came to my mind.
I was ashamed of myself. New journey started!