What pushed you over the edge?

potluck965

"What was the moment in your life that fully motivated you to pursue your weight loss goals?"


Looking at a recent photo.

ThierMummy3

A picture on my daughters 1st birthday, I'd kinda been kidding my self i looked okay as i weighed more or less the same than before i got pregnant, BUT i have lost alot of muscle tone which has been replaced with fat. so i do look bigger. Also i can out-eat my husband and he has a big appietie, and when i asked hubby if i was looking fat he said "your not there........yet"

nickyskins

I was getting very heavy.

julsofdenial

Facebook.
Can't go anywhere these days without everyone taking unflattering pics and then tagging me! I have to say that was my final straw because I was forced to look at myself in pics all the time which I usually tried to avoid.
Sad, but true!

PrairieRoseNE

Being told by my Doctor that I could do serious damage to my heart if I didn't reduce my blood pressure. OK, Doc - what do I gotta do?? She says - lose the excess weight and start eating more healthy.

60lbs lost - I'm half way there, thanks to MFP!

Guinivere

I had an epiphany on my birthday this year in January and simply said - I'm not going to try to keep any resolutions. I'm just not going to procrastinate any more. I'm fed up of waiting for life to happen to me. I have to make it happen!

Then my brother announced he was getting married at the end of August (next week in fact) and that really solidified my resolve. I did not want to be the fat bird in the photos.

So I have lost 36lbs and love how I look in my purple trouser suit. I have further to go, but I am tall and don't look chubby any more. I can hold my head up high. With my heels on I'm 6ft so carry my current weight quite well.

I've been anorexic in my teens so I was always afraid I'd go too far and I think that held me back from trying to be slim again. I have engaged my friends and family to intervene if I go below my safety weight this time round and I feel confident that I will maintain control and not go too far.

I should be at goal by January. What a difference a year makes! I'll be 39.

missbeccaanne

Facebook.
Can't go anywhere these days without everyone taking unflattering pics and then tagging me! I have to say that was my final straw because I was forced to look at myself in pics all the time which I usually tried to avoid.
Sad, but true!

Yeah I always thought I was doing better at avoiding pictures but you pop on and there is you at the most unflattering angle...Hate it.

I got up to 180 when I was pregnant, and two months after having the baby I was 147 a month or so later the baby quit breastfeeding and I did not quit eating like I was so I passed 160 again, I though I was starting to lose the weight but any photo I have seen of myself in the past two years tells me otherwise. With my boyfriends job we are in a lot of photos and I am sick of plastering on that fake smile and praying this doesn't end up in a magazine or on a high profile facebook.

Alyx128

I turned 25 this year. I realized that I have never been happy with my body because I have always been overweight. I want to look in the mirror and like what I see, and I want to do it while I am still young.

bubbles143

I suffered from anorexia and bullemia, lost weight and gained it back.
The last straw was being 192lbs, unnqceptable for my age!

Plus my 82 year old gramma kept asking if I was pregnant >>:(

Jasmine_Moonstone

Realizing I always hid from the camera & that I have very very few pictures of myself with my son. Also the fact that I am in very few pictures from family functions & holidays b/c I always ran when people started getting the cameras out. When I do see a picture of myself from one of those functions or holidays that someone did manage to get a picture of me I am not smiling. Then last but not least realizing just how BIG I had gotten from the pictures from Christmas of this year. I was truely disgusted with myself & realized just how unhappy I was with it all. I pretty much hated myself & hated how I looked. How was anyone else supposed to like me little on love me if I hated who I was. It was the MAJOR kick/jump start that I needed to make up my mind to do something about my weight. When I logged in & seen that I was in the obese catigory only pushed me harder!

So, I decided that Jan 1st I was going to make a lifestyle change. AND I have stuck to it!

flausa

At Christmas my mother-in-law had a not-so-quiet discussion with my husband about my weight and how if I wasn't careful I was going to be very unhealthy. My initial reaction was to eat an entire bag of Doritos (thinking, if she thinks I'm fat, I'll show her). But some how reason took over and I found out some friends were doing a half marathon power walk for charity. Our first 4-mile walk out I was huffing and puffing and knew I had to make a serious change. A friend recommended MFP for counting my calories, and between a much healtheir eating regime and power walking 3-4 times a week, the weight started melting off. As much as MIL's words hurt, I'm glad someone finally said something, because nobody else ever has!

A2Zmama

Buying larger pants...again. Going up the one size stunk. But when THOSE jeans started to get tight, and the scale said 140, I was done. Heavier than I've ever been, minus preggo/breastfeeding. I cut out most of the junk food (a girl's gotta have a little piece of chocolate now and then!), upped the water, and made the commitment to exercise more. The weight is not my concern, so much, it's about where the fat is sitting on my pear shaped body (hips and thighs). I have my calories cut to lose 1/2 lb/wk, lift weights w/DH at the gym twice a week, and do 30 min of cardio a day now (had to start at 5 min as I'd never done any cardio before). Now I am very slowly watching those thunder thighs melt away

MCYoung

My push was 2 fold ~ I really really HATE having my picture taken!! I have a beautiful daughter and Granddaughter and I refuse to have a 3 generation picture taken. I don't want Violet to look back at the pictures and say she dosen't remember Mema..... or Why was Mema so fat? Or...Is that why Mema died? I want to be around to play with her and watch her grow. I want to be a "hands on Mema" I WANT to ride bicycles and go for walks and play in the park with my beautiful girl.
Oh and I really HATE having to buy bigger clothes every year! Shopping sucks enough, let alone the numbers going higher every year!! When my "new pants" started getting so tight that I had a ring around my waist after 8 hours of work... I said that's enough! They may be big and baggy now... but NOT going to buy again till I am down 2 sizes!! Which BTW I am pretty close to already :flowerforyou:

jw258

The missus booked us in for an induction at a gym and sulked when I said I wasn't sure I wanted to join!

That was my turning point... i'm doing better than her though atm so I suppose I should be grateful of her help and support!

brocksmom

Realizing I was alive, but not living. Not doing fun stuff because.... would I fit in a seat (movies)? did I have the clothes that would fit me if I went anywhere? could I keep up with the group if there was walking? All these thoughts were in my head, but no more.

Karen

(42 lbs lighter as of 8/20/11)

I plan on going horseback riding in the next few months:-)

Michelle_M2002

June 20th was my oldest son's 6th birthday. We went to the aquarium (which he loved). My husband took a picture of me with the boys when I was not looking. In the picture I was kindof standing sideways to the camera. It was seeing THAT picture that finally made me say "Enough!"

The next week I did some research and found a nutrition plan was well rounded and HEALTHY. No pre-packaged foods to buy, no protein shakes, no crazy fad diets....

Once I got used to eating healthier, then I joined a gym and bought a package of personal training sessions.

I am now down 17lbs from that day in June.

God bless!

KeriA

Just like weight loss it was a process. I knew that my job, being a parent and a long commute were really killing me. I spent time on everyone but myself. When my work opened an office in my City I asked for 1 and then 2 days there. That birthday I asked for a gym membership and started exercising. Great right. I didn't lose. Every chance I got I walked around a 2.8 mile lake here too. I didn't walk at lunch because I used working during lunch to let me leave early to take kids to activities. I was laid off a year later and I started exercising everyday more and more but wasn't losing. I knew that I was getting older and although I had no major health issues how long could that last if I didn't do something. So I had made the decision long before. It really wasn't until I read about a woman who had lost alot and she said this site helped her. I was on here right away and finally I started to lose the weight. I feel like it was just in time. I love MFP. So be nice to each other please everyone. This place is important.
:flowerforyou: Keri

Bmoviemama

I love to travel and recently getting into an airplane seat was impossible. Also noticing that the clothes I want to wear
don;t come in my size. The recent fire I started when my thighs rubbing together on the elliptical machine has proven
to be quite a motivator as well!

Hope228

For me it was a few things. My clothes were getting too tight and I didn't want to go up a size.
I had spent the last year feeling sorry for myself and eating, not a good thing. Time to move on.
The final straw was not long ago when i logged on Facebook and this one womans status enraged me. She was making fun of a lady on the beach that was overweight. At first I thought I was upset only because the post was so shallow, but I realize that it also hurt because that easily could have been about me.

cgafriday

I had been going up and down for years with my weight - I knew I was heavy but it wasn't until my doctor said I was a candidate for gastric bypass because I had over a hundred pounds to lose. I was so shocked which sounds stupid but I was. He said even with the surgery I would need to diet and exercise and I thought - well, why don't I just try dieting & exercise?? I look at pictures now from that time period and I can't believe I was that big. (I'm 5'2" and was close to 280). It's been a really long process but I'm down about 100 lbs with about 50 to go. I didn't want to be fat and 50 - didn't quite make that goal (I'm 52) but I'll get there. I did WW for years but I've been stalling out until I found MFP. I've been losing every week since.

dchillin65

What was the moment in your life that fully motivated you to pursue your weight loss goals?

After feeling so crummy for months and test results coming back negative for everything, I decided it was time to gain control of what I can - my weight and physical activity.

lucythinmint

I have struggled with anorexia/bulimia since I was 13.
I was in bad marriage which spiraled me into a depression and after having 3 kids my body was shot. I went through a divorce and was working and going to school full time so I never had time to eat or stop or you know, live. I got down to around 165lbs completely healthy.

I met my husband who is a complete and utter blessing and we had our last child. I have never been happier in my life. My depression had lifted and I was enjoying my pregnancy and our new life together. I enjoyed it a bit too much.....
When I left the hospital 3 days after having my son I weighed 255lbs.

Six months later we went on vacation to visit my brother a few states away and at that time I was around 200-210lbs. When I got home and looked at the pictures I cried. I was so happy but looking at those pictures I was completely ashamed, embarrassed and at a loss for words. I could not believe how big I had gotten.

I spiraled into a very bad bulimic phase which took me down to 141lbs. My husband helped me out of the spiral and I went back to 165lbs.
In February I decided I was ready to do this the healthy way because I do not want my daughter to go through the same things I have. I do not ever want her to hate her self so much that she has to starve herself or purge after every meal.

A friend was using MFP and I gave it a try. Turns out it is a huge life saver to me. Now I had someone telling me it was OK to eat and I *needed* to eat.

Jycooper

Getting on the scale and seeing 225#

DawnWendalynn1973

I have tried a few times....to work on my weight loss....but knew going in it was going to be an uphill battle because I have PCOS. I still gave it my best shot though. But when you plateau after just 20 lbs and get stuck there for months...I would give up.

This year, in May.....my whole mindset changed....thanks to being diagnosed with cancer in my uterus and having to have a complete hysterectomy. I came home from that surgery and it has just been this way since. I was watching my portions and what I actually ate....without it being thought of...I was just doing it. The first two months after the surgery I wasn't allowed to do very much in the way of activity/exercise so my food intake was the only thing I could do. I lost 13 lbs between surgery day and going back to work.

Now I am walking to/from work most days and 1.5 weeks ago I signed up to the YMCA in my city and have been going almost every day.

But, I am at that dreaded plateau right now. I have to find a way to kick my butt over it. Thanks PCOS for still showing me you are still around. LOL

kyle4jem

There wasn't ONE thing as such, more a series of events that had been brewing for a while. I knew I’d been gaining weight steadily and it was becoming more and more tricky to fine smart clothes that fitted well.

I'd also noticed that I was getting out of breath going up stairs, feeling hot and bothered more and more after lifting heavy stuff out of the car or when I was rushing for the train. :embarassed:

So there we were in my local pub the other weekend and once again my friend Mari had a go at me for being too heavy. I was getting the waggy finger and all that. So I shook her hand and said that I would give up chocolate until our friends wedding at the beginning of October.

And that was it really. I went home from the pub and instead of devouring a sleeve of Jaffa Cakes before dinner, I steeled myself, had my dinner and then went to bed without so much as one sweet morsel passing my lips.

The next day I started keeping a food diary and went online to check calorie counts of the foods I’d consumed and it wasn’t long before I stumbled upon MFP.

The rest as they say is history. :bigsmile:

FoxWilkinson

After graduateing High school, I gained the "freshmen 15" twice over, and have been carrying it around since, and then some. It's not a lot, but at 5"3' it's noticable in anything form fitted. And I LOVE haute couture fashion, and am in Fashion design school. The biggest thing that motivated me is being able to fit in designer clothing.

The first indicator for me was when a friend and I went to the bar one night. Now, she's stick thin, and still is. A couple guys starting hanging around us, and all was well enough. Then my girl and I went to the wash room, and when we came out I heard one of the guys says "No way are you sticking me with the fat friend". That's when I started the crazy "get-thin-quick" scemes. And you can tell by my profile that obviously nothing worked.

Moving ahead in time (weight goes up and down), I found a pair of Micheal Kors distressed denim jeans at a local thrift store. They looked amazing, they were under $10, and they were my size! So I bought them without trying them on...You see what went wrong? They didn't even go up passed my thighs. Now they're my target pants!

And like everyone else, I hated being in pictures. So now I'm with MFP, and am going to get rid of this 30lbs once for all.

cjw6

Trying on dresses for my cousins wedding. Had 3 dresses I thought looked ok-ish in the mirror. Got my hubby to take pictures from the back and sides to help me decide which to pick (couldn't see the back well in the mirror). Was so horrified by the pictures I cried for about 2 days, pretended to be sick and missed the wedding. I wallowed in misery for a couple of days before pulling myself together and deciding enough is enough.

rachel1496

I was at the Dr's office for my daughters 12 month appointment and I hopped on the scale just out of curiosity. I was 12 months post partum and weighed 10lbs more than I did at 40 weeks pregnant.

BFit40

My moment came when I realised that I was struggling to get into my "fat jeans". In addition for some time I have been getting concerned that my 40th birthday is looming.
In the last 2 years my health has been hit by multiple small illnesses over and over again and I've realised there is a direct corrolation with my weight creeping up.
I couldn't help but be spurred into getting fit by the fear of being constantly ill plus being over 40 and over-weight.

2pinks1blue

When the scale showed 200 lbs. Granted, I was pregnant, but I had weighed 127 less than a year earlier!

And after I had my third child and tried on my jeans, I couldn't even pull them up, let alone button them!