What prompted your lifestyle change?

BernieMBurke

On March 9th, 2010 I was informed I would be in my youngest brother's wedding. I made myself a promise I wouldn't be the fattest person in the pictures. Also, I remembered a comment an uncle of mine had made during the family reuinon the summer before ("You haven't missed many meals, have you?").

I was determined to lose 50 lbs in 6 months and I made close to 60 lbs. I've since lost 20 more and went into maintenance mode at the beginning of December 2010. I've lost another 10 lbs since then, so I'm still working on the maintenance mode issue. On the plus side is I've only lost .8 lbs in the last 3 weeks.

cathyv0409

I had been having some trouble with one of my legs/feet and my doctor made the offhand comment that the swelling was likely caused because I wasn't getting good circulation to that leg. He said he usually recommends walking but for me (because I have severe arthritis in one ankle) he thought a recumbent bike would be a better choice. This scared me into making this change when even diabetes didn't. My mom had both of her legs amputated due to poor circulation! I'm sure he didn't realize how much impact his one comment made on me. I'm also pretty sure he didn't really expect that I would start exercising :blushing: That very afternoon I joined a local gym but didn't change my eating habits (just wanted to get the circulation going ). When I started to see results it spurred me on to changing my eating habits too.

merguson

After having my gall bladder and appendix removed I decided it was time to start taking care of my body! The motivation was there but I was having a hard time getting started. Then it hit me. I started seeing family members die of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc. I see it all in the genetics and I want to do whatever I can to battle against those diseases. I'm not going down without a fight! I realize now, that I have ONE body and it's MY RESPONSIBLITY to take care of it. Some of these things just happen anyways, but now at least I know, I'm doing everything I can to stay healthy! I love life and I don't want it to end before I'm ready!

LisaO2008

I am a Mother of a two year old an 5 month old and last season of Biggest loser there was is woman named Lisa who daughter was ashamed of her because she was over weight. I looked at my beautiful 2 year old and I didnt want that to be me. I want to be the mother my children are proud of. I want to be the mother that is running around playing with their kids I want to be the mom who takes their kid to soccor practice and that practice with them without being winded. So my choice to be healthy was easy. I want to be the best mom I can be!

bjberry

I was watching Dr Oz in Jan 2010, and by February, I realized I needed to get my waist down to that less than 35 inch Healthy waist he is always talking about. I went from an 18/20/XLg down to a 10/12-L or M (according to the clothing) and I am so much happier. :drinker: (lots of water)!

asltiffm

Mine has been an almost lifelong journey. It has evolved. I was a super active kid but when I was 13-14, I couldn't walk due to a couple knee disorders that I have. Though the most overweight I ever was was only about 30 lbs, I felt awful about going from a size 6 to a size 16 that year. I started trying to lose weight by taking diet pills, then when I ended up in the doctor's office with uncontrollable shakes, I quit that and went on a diet of nothing but bread, apples and milk. Then, other equally bizarre diets I made up. None of them worked for more than a month or so. Then, as a young adult, I was actually anorexic. One day, when I was alone at home, I ate a bowl of cereal after months of having nothing but milk and gum. I felt so ashamed of myself for eating that I actually made myself throw up. That only made me feel worse about myself though. That was the moment I knew I needed to make some serious changes. So I wrote a letter to my mom, knowing I couldn't face actually speaking the words outloud. She got me to a counselor who I only went to 3 times. She wasn't a dietician or anything so she didn't help me understand food any better but it helped me start a heathier relationship with food. Nowadays, I have the opposite problem, I have to really monitor my portions because I LOVE to eat.

penny39

Thank you for sharing!

BrianJLamb

My nephew was born on October 19, 2010. On October 20th, 2010 my sister-in-laws father drove to NJ from Kentucky to say hello to his new grandson. He was a great big bear of a man. I had never really had many conversations with him, but from all of the photos I had seen and stories I had heard, he was a guy in love with life and his surroundings. He drove all night from Kentucky, arrived in NJ, picked up his wife and my other nephew from my brother's house and rushed to the hospital. I had taken off work that day and I went to the hospital for some quality family time. A group of us were in the room and we could hear the grandparents and my older nephew coming down the hall. There was so much excitement in the air...a new addition to the family, everyone being together, so much positivity. He walked into the room and spent maybe 30 seconds just staring at the new baby. He turned and shook my hand, said his hellos, and then waited for his chance to hold the new little man. I watched as his eyes batted, his face, seemed to go limp, and he collapsed to the floor. The room flooded with medical professionals. Screams to "call code" and clear the way were frantically being thrown about. He was so big, that he wasn't easily moved to a stretcher or a bed, so we watched as they stuck him with needles and performed CPR on the floor in a room of the maternity ward.

They finally moved him to the ER and I waited by his wife's side, listening to them charging paddles across a curtain. I paid attention as his wife rattled off all of the conditions he suffered from and what medications he was taking. People milled in and out through the curtains and I waited and watched as this woman lost her best friend of 30 years. He never came back. I had witnessed the arrival of a new baby and the death of a grandfather on the same day. The doctors would tell us that he had a massive heart attack, that his brain had been without oxygen for over an hour and that even if they could revive him, he wouldn't be the same man. All efforts were ceased.

I had always loved food. I was an emotional eater. When I was sad or lonely or depressed, I would binge. I always sought solace in greasy foods, fast foods, etc. I had to help drive people home that night after what had occurred in the hospital. On the way home, I passed a Taco Bell and my brain went for a burrito. I just thought about how nice it would feel to just gorge myself on nachos, burritos, all that sour cream and guacamole, and then pass out into a food coma. My brain thought about it and I felt sick to my stomach. I thought about seeing him on the floor in front of me helpless, the horrible energy in the hospital, and all of the things that could have been done differently to prevent it.

I had been listening to some NLP programs and everything just fell into line. Controlling those urges, those food impulses, was what he could have potentially done, and it is what I am going to do. My brain tied that food impulse and the joy that I receive from bad foods to that memory. The negative emotions from that memory far outweigh any positives that I ever felt from eating those foods. I never want the people I care about to have to go through that. I don't want a laundry list of medications and health problems. I want to be healthy and happy and to live past 58 years old.

Cathy92

Two things really got me going. First, I have a daughter too that I know is ashamed and angry at me for gaining weight. She's grown, not little, so recently, she was able to strongly tell me off for gaining weight and asked me "since when don't you care about yourself?" She lambasted me and told me how I'm letting her down. She loves me and wants me around. Afterwards I cried] and was kind of in shock. Then, I really became upset with my weight after having a picture taken of me with about 30 other women. I looked horrible. Now I'm so embarrased that other people have the picture. I don't ever want to be in the position again, where I'm the biggest one. and I know there will be a few more major, social functions coming up in my life within the next year.

bahrainbel

Because I don't want to be a fat minger anymore :-)

NancySDA

I saw those pictures of my at my son's HS graduation. So HUGE! Then, the heart arrythmia started...and stayed. AND, trying to keep up with my husgand just when he walked through a store got me to huffing and puffing. I was SO depressed. I gained 90 pounds in 21 years of marriage. A friend told me about this site and she had just started a few weeks earlier. She told me how it helped her so I decided to check it out. I actually apologized to my husband for being so obsessed with my diet and exercise lately...and he said, 'Do not apologize. I am just glad to see you sticking with it and taking control of yourself again."

Me too. :happy:

TeamLeela

Nam, I have been trying to lose weight for over 15 years. I was just never really happy with myself. Some days I thought I didn't deserve to be healthy, other days I was more determined than ever. But I needed to find the balance between eating little to nothing to lose weight and eating everything in sight. I don't think there was one particular moment that really got the ball rolling. But I remember back when my husband and I were just dating and he wanted to take me shopping to buy new clothes. I had to try on size 18/20 clothes and I just sat in the dressing room crying because I hated the person looking back at me.

I have always been impatient and I wanted results fast. When they didn't come fast enough or if I would have a week without a loss, I would say, forget it, its not working anyway and go back to my old ways. So this time around, I am wiser and I understand the process.

I am to the point in my life now where I want my outsides to match my insides. And I will do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to get there and stay there.

marianne_s

My nephew was born on October 19, 2010. On October 20th, 2010 my sister-in-laws father drove to NJ from Kentucky to say hello to his new grandson. He was a great big bear of a man. I had never really had many conversations with him, but from all of the photos I had seen and stories I had heard, he was a guy in love with life and his surroundings. He drove all night from Kentucky, arrived in NJ, picked up his wife and my other nephew from my brother's house and rushed to the hospital. I had taken off work that day and I went to the hospital for some quality family time. A group of us were in the room and we could hear the grandparents and my older nephew coming down the hall. There was so much excitement in the air...a new addition to the family, everyone being together, so much positivity. He walked into the room and spent maybe 30 seconds just staring at the new baby. He turned and shook my hand, said his hellos, and then waited for his chance to hold the new little man. I watched as his eyes batted, his face, seemed to go limp, and he collapsed to the floor. The room flooded with medical professionals. Screams to "call code" and clear the way were frantically being thrown about. He was so big, that he wasn't easily moved to a stretcher or a bed, so we watched as they stuck him with needles and performed CPR on the floor in a room of the maternity ward.

They finally moved him to the ER and I waited by his wife's side, listening to them charging paddles across a curtain. I paid attention as his wife rattled off all of the conditions he suffered from and what medications he was taking. People milled in and out through the curtains and I waited and watched as this woman lost her best friend of 30 years. He never came back. I had witnessed the arrival of a new baby and the death of a grandfather on the same day. The doctors would tell us that he had a massive heart attack, that his brain had been without oxygen for over an hour and that even if they could revive him, he wouldn't be the same man. All efforts were ceased.

I had always loved food. I was an emotional eater. When I was sad or lonely or depressed, I would binge. I always sought solace in greasy foods, fast foods, etc. I had to help drive people home that night after what had occurred in the hospital. On the way home, I passed a Taco Bell and my brain went for a burrito. I just thought about how nice it would feel to just gorge myself on nachos, burritos, all that sour cream and guacamole, and then pass out into a food coma. My brain thought about it and I felt sick to my stomach. I thought about seeing him on the floor in front of me helpless, the horrible energy in the hospital, and all of the things that could have been done differently to prevent it.

I had been listening to some NLP programs and everything just fell into line. Controlling those urges, those food impulses, was what he could have potentially done, and it is what I am going to do. My brain tied that food impulse and the joy that I receive from bad foods to that memory. The negative emotions from that memory far outweigh any positives that I ever felt from eating those foods. I never want the people I care about to have to go through that. I don't want a laundry list of medications and health problems. I want to be healthy and happy and to live past 58 years old.

This is the most touching story.....!

marci355

For me, it was a series of events that happened. I've had a taste of what being thin feels like. I'm a gastric bypass patient and I lost 100 lbs. I actually went WAY too low (145) and looked like a tweaker or an anorexic person. I bounced back to my perfect weight of 165. I stayed there for a long time, till I met my psycho ex-boyfriend. Yeah, it's amazing how extreme stress can trigger bad habits. By extreme I mean restraining orders, threats of violence, some MAJOR scary stuff. This BS went on for over three years. How did I cope? Lousy. I self-medicated myself with beer. Yep, really lousy idea....So this 25 pound gain is from beer, not food. I WILL get back to 165, come hell or high water! (you're still with me, right? LOL....)
So...just when all this chaos in my life is about to be over, (finally!) a man I'm crazy about....his ex-girlfriend walks up to me in Wal Mart and takes my photo with her iphone! Yep, there i was, extra 25 lbs on me and NO makeup too boot and the smug look on her face ripped my self-esteem to shreds....Yeah, I know I shouldn't let it, but I'm still not back in my size 10's. The "old fat girl" reared her ugly head, and it hurt...bad.
So the upside to all of us (if you're still reading about all my BS...) is that I went back to the gym, quit drinking beer and I've been here one week and have already lost 1 lb. Yay me!!! I'm finally facing all of this head-on and I will win!
For those of you who are questioning the RNY surgery I had- one footnote. Yes, I'm glad I had the surgery. I'm glad I still get full on small amounts of food. I'll be 7 years out in June. No I don't regret the surgery at all. What I regret was drinking all those liquid calories, just to cope with some maniac. Could I have gained 25 lbs, by just eating food? In my opinion, probably not. I still have pretty good restriction. (small tummy) But any liquid just flows right thru my pouch (I hate that word!) and yes, gastric by-pass patients can gain the weight back. Some by out-eating the surgery (too much snacking), some by drinking alcohol, it depends.
So...after 7 years, I have to exersise and count calories, just like any one else. I hope I still have some mal-absorption due to the bypass, we shall see...
Thanks for getting this far on my post! It felt great to get that all out!!! You MFP'ers totally rock!!!! I truly mean that!!!

nam14uk

Those are some great reasons and some very touching accounts. Thanks so much for sharing. Congrats to you all on making the decision however you got there!

Kimbie500

For me, it was realizing my weight was keeping me from doing the active things I want to do. I just got tired of feeling fat, bloated, and weak all the time. Since cutting out sugar and reducing my daily caloric intake, I feel so much more alive!

@BernieMBurke: Good for you!! Isn't it amazing the hateful things "loved" ones say to us? Way to turn a negative into a positive!

Darlis

Enjoyed reading all these accounts of WHY.....guess it's confession time for me.

I have been overweight all my life, I joined WW for the first time in the 9th grade of HS. It worked, I lost and stayed not slim but a decent size thru college....then came my amazing husband and 2 wonderful children and pounds. I gained with my pregnancies, I gained when I stayed home when they were young, I gained as they went off to college......not steadily but yoyo dieting all along the way and always ending up heavier than before. In June of 2007, I lost my only sibling in an accident...as an emotional eater, I ate my way up to 305 lbs....on a 5'3" body that is morbidly obese. In May of last year the numbness and tingling started in my right hand and arm.....stroke? heart? circulation? I was sure that whatever it was it had to be related to the weight. Wrong again, after a heart cath, 4 MRIs, 2 CAT scans, and a spinal tap......finally last October I was diagnosed with Acute Progressive MS. MS...really???? You know the NO CURE, could wind up in a wheelchair or bedridden MS???? Well I soon found out that even though there is no cure there are new meds that help slow the progression. Okay....then the doc says..."There are no guarantees, you could be mobile today and it a chair tomorrow. But the good thing is MS is hardly ever fatal, just dibilatating". That's the GOOD news???? Now I am thinking.....I want to stay as mobile as possible while I can, I want to live a better life...and HOLY CRAP....do I really want my family to try and take care of me at this size??? I didn't find MFP until the end of December....but total...before and after joining MFP, I have lost 27lbs. It takes a long time for me to lose because exercise at this point is NOT easy. But I WILL stick with it and I WILL be as healthy as I can be.....and who knows, new meds come along every day.

Vick_MN

My reason may seem silly to some people but for me, it was like hitting rock bottom. I went to cut my toenails one night and I wasn't able too. My belly was in the way. I'm only 45 years old and having to ask my husband to help clip my toenails was one of the most embarrasing things that I have ever had to do. He is wonderful and helped me without criticism because he knew how bad I felt. I'm happy to say that I am once again able to clip my own toenails and I have learned a whole new way of life. I think this is the first time that I am actually going to be successful and lose the weight that I need to lose.

shallo

My boyfriend, sons and I were out visiting the many waterfalls that are around our area. They wanted to walk to the top of one, it was an extremely steep walk. I tried but was only able to make it about 1/2 way. I told them that they could finish and I would wait at the bottom for them but they didn't want to leave me behind. Because of my weight and fitness level they all missed out on something they wanted to do. It was the worst feeling knowing I was the cause of it.

amberlineilene

I found out that this guy was making fun of my fiance for being with me, saying that I was a fat *kitten* and that my fiance could do better than me. Hurt my feelings really bad..I'm doing it for myself, but also as a EFF YOU to that tool!