when did you realize you were overweight.

anubis609

I always knew. I became comfortable with my size. I just knew it was time for a change when I almost died because of it.

MichelleB69

When even my panties were too small... :embarassed:

YES! ^^^THIS^^^

I knew I was getting fat when I even outgrew my undies! LOL

eellis2000

a combination of things at one time caused me to realize i needed to lose weight. my husband had open heart surgery and was told he needed to lose 30lbs, i hit 150 which the only time i had gotten that big was when i was 9 months pregnant and my youngest is 17, my doctor put me on cholesterol meds, and i couldn't pass the fitness test for the AFRC. and since then i've lost approx. 18lbs... yay me.

noltes2

For most of my child and adult years, I've always been "chubby". That was the life I knew - wearing larger clothes, being in the background, being ignored. Denial was my best friend. I tried to wear it as best as possible, and dress accordingly and sometimes thought that no one noticed and I actually believed the mirror and pictures were wrong. I hadn't stepped on a scale in a LONG time, hadn't gone to the doctors because I didn't want them to see my weight. I literally got sick and skipped going to the doctor because I was so embarrassed of the scale. But what really did it for me, was stepping onto the Wii Fit, and it told me I was obese and showed a big fat cartoon girl. Me, obese? That is impossible, I thought the scale and mirror were wrong all this time? Nope.

After that I made an easy decision to get my life under control. And I have, 42 pounds later, made a huge difference in my life and happiness. I still have about 15-20 pounds left, but I finally look like a normal sized person. I am no longer obese, overweight, I am in a healthy BMI which is a freeing feeling. I still feel like a fat girl sometimes, but occasionally have things to remind me that that isn't me anymore. Not too long ago I went to Macy's and asked a sales woman, "where can I find the women's dresses?" she said, "Do you mean Women's dresses or your sized dresses?" And I drew a blank, like 'do you think I am plus sized or do you think I am normal sized?' I couldn't believe that it was SO obvious to her that I wasn't plus sized, I was like, don't you need to analyze my body a little more just to make sure? I was SO confused when she said "your sized dresses", I was kind of offended at first like - thanks for assuming I am plus sized! But then I was extremely flattered! That was the best compliment.

I have noticed that I am not ignored or talked over as much. When you are overweight you get used to the way you are treated, and just accept it. People really do treat you differently when you are fat vs. thin. Men stare a little longer, women want to be around you a little more, and you are actually acknowledged when you go into retail stores. It takes hitting rock bottom to find your way again.

lcoulter23

I've always known and have been trying to get rid of the weight my whole life. Went so far as to starve myself in 9th and 10th grade. was NOT the way to go. Did weight watchers for a while, did spark people for over a year and GAINED 100 pounds while doing it even though I was completely honest about what I was eating... although I now know that it was my PCOS and Insulin Resistance kicking into gear after coming off almost 3 years of the birth control shot... Now I'm doing this and being extra super careful to eat the right things and double check my portion sizes before I eat and I'm also mixing up my workout routines.

rthompson81

When even my panties were too small... :embarassed:

Me too! How funny... I'm glad someone else had the same experience!

FIREfitGrl27

I can't really remember as a child. I know I was overweight around 9-10 years old. However, I still felt okay. Hmmm...probably once other kids started pointing out that I was FAT. I became aware of the issue. I'd say once I hit 5th or 6th grade I was fully conscious of being different and having a different body shape than some of the other kids around me. Going shopping for clothes during this time drove the message home.

komplexlysimple

I knew I was fat when I saw my ex boyfriend at a party. His frat brother said I was a pretty girl, but my ex responsed, " Yeah, 30 pounds ago." At that point I could no longer blame the washing machine and dryer for my incredible shrinking clothes!!!

Matchamatcha

I've been overweight since I hit puberty basically, but I put on a lot more weight recently. Just before starting on here, I decided to wear my jeans on a rare chilly night (it's Summer where I am), and even though they fit me great Winter of last year, they were sooo tight and uncomfortable! That was a big wake up call for me. That and looking how different my face looks in old photos compared to more recent ones. I just thought that's it! This has gotta change.

perrytyra

Somewhere between seeing pictures of myself and having to shop in the plus size section.

melsinct

I knew I gained weight since college (140 pounds to 175 pounds when starting MFP) and realized I was actually fat a couple months ago when my size 14 pants started to fit snugly. The next size up is "plus sized" which scared the you-know-what out of me.

irtloz

realized I was overweight for long time but video games and unhealthy eating took over.

Cori615

I have knowed all my life since third grade. I lost weight during middle school but felt horrible anyways because of bullying. In high school new people and no judgement I was around 160's i felt fine had a little tummy but was okay with it. College gain like 25-30 pounds in one year, due to depression. I saw pictures of me and was so embarrassed of the way I look I was around 200.. Now I'm 180 and I hope to get down to the 160's again.

thexica124

When I developed stretch marks on my stomach. Soooo embarrassing.

dmoses

i always knew i was fat. as a kid, every visit to the doctor would include the doc saying 'you know, she really needs to lose weight.' one of my nicknames in high school was 'ham hock'. kids can be so cruel...

clw_888

I have battled weight all my life. I can recall back to elementary school when kids would make fun of my weight. There was never a realization...it has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

stephding

My maiden name is Arbuckle... so I was called "airbubble" and "fatty Arbuckle" respectively. I got those nicknames when I was in 3rd grade.. people still say them, as if now that I'm older it's funny and not hurtful.

nikistyle83

I have been over weight as long as I can remember, family would say it was baby weight but unfortunantely I never grew out of it. I got teased like crazy in school and felt like such an outcast I dropped out of school. Once I hit 20 or so I lost a bit of weight for a while till I got pregnant and gain 70lb! It was the pictures at my sons 1st birthday that came as a hard smack in the face, weighing in at 220 and only 5'3" it was more then obvious I once again wasn't loosing the "baby weight".

Sepa

First time was a few years ago in the mirror. Most recent was today!!

erisfreenici

I moved to Michigan and gained about 40 pounds over 9 years. The day I went to the mall and I couldn't fit into a size 12 pair of jeans was when I realized I needed to lose weight. I went to the doctor for a physical, and my triglyceride count was high. She said that given my family history, I need to pay better attention to diet and exercise.

lklein

I needed to have a medical exam done when I was applying for insurance, and I weighed in at 150 LBS! I'm 5'3" and that's the most I have ever weighed. I had lost my job and stopped stopped caring about my apperance. I still wasn't doing anything about it until I got a new job. All of my work clothes were TIGHT, so I decided that my first day of work would be my starting point. I have been eating healthier and exercising 3-6 days a week ever since then.

twigs187

When I looked at pics of me and noticed my stomach more than anything else...oh..and when my family members teased me about it :grumble:

RJaxon00

I think my realization came in a combination of things.

- I avoided the camera
- I mostly wore my shirt when I was looking at myself in the mirror
- My kids have a longer endurance than I do

Lately, I started to become winded when I would carry my 1y/o up the stairs. I knew something needed to change in my life.

Oh, and it doesn't help when my kids think "Daddys are supposed to have big bellies" :frown:

Lunachic77

-When I would buy shirts bigger so my muffin top wouldn't show
-When all I wanted to wear with sweatpants
-When I started getting a double chin
-When my uniform got super tight
-Ultimately, when I decided to weigh myself (hadn't done it in over a year) and realized I was almost 150 lbs
-When my husband started not looking at me

Bootzey

For the longest time I didn't know. I have a lying mirror in my bedroom that always makes me look svelte. Then I started associating with different people. And these people took a lot of pictures. I couldn't even recognize myself.

MsScorpio67

When I tried to find a wet suit for a river rafting trip and even the largest men's suit wouldn't fit.

When me and my family went to an amusement park. Me and my son and a couple of his friend got on a ride. But unfortunately I couldn't fit and had to get off the ride. Now I fooled myself into thinking that I was fine with being kicked off a ride. My son and his friends stayed on. When my son got off the ride, and at the age of 11, (No shame in his game) fell into my arms crying his eyes out because he couldnt' understand why they didnt' make rides EVERYBODY could get on. That's when I realized that I was fooling myself into thinking I wasn't as big as I thought and my weight was affecting my son.

cenafan

When I tried to find a wet suit for a river rafting trip and even the largest men's suit wouldn't fit.

When me and my family went to an amusement park. Me and my son and a couple of his friend got on a ride. But unfortunately I couldn't fit and had to get off the ride. Now I fooled myself into thinking that I was fine with being kicked off a ride. My son and his friends stayed on. When my son got off the ride, and at the age of 11, (No shame in his game) fell into my arms crying his eyes out because he couldnt' understand why they didnt' make rides EVERYBODY could get on. That's when I realized that I was fooling myself into thinking I wasn't as big as I thought and my weight was affecting my son.

that happened to me too...at Cedar Point. I was with a friend. Horribly embarrassed. I didn't even try to hide the fact I was upset. But even that didn't trigger me thinking something was wrong. It was pictures from my brother's wedding that did me in. Holding my nephew and I looked HUGE!!! cause I am huge. It's getting fixed now....but wow...I wish there was a way to redo those pictures when I get to where I am comfortable with myself.

giraffebelly

I already knew, but it really hit home when I told my doctor that I was having trouble breathing and he suggested that the extra weight I was carrying around was probably the culprit. For some reason that really got to me. I was inspired to lose weight after that. Funny thing: I went back after I had lost about 35 lbs and he goes "Oh my God, you actually listened to me?" hahaha

ltaylore

Facebook photos over a course of a year and a half. I looked back at my albums and realized I was getting chunkier and chunkier. LOL You can lie to yourself but photos don't lie!

milehighcritic

Several things come to mind.

Running out of holes on my belts
Belly hanging over belt buckle onto my gas tank when motorcycle riding
XL shirts not fitting
Having trouble buckling into my snowboard because of the belly