Ah HA! Moment?

Jenn152

Hey ladies! I was just thinking about why I started this whole process, and I wondered what made you guys begin your journey to better health?

Mine was twofold. It started with a trip to FL in May last year with my stunning girlfriends who are in great shape and looked fabulous in all of our beach/bikini pictures and I did NOT! The second part of my Ah HA moment was that I had crazy bad numbers come back in my annual physical/blood tests. So, I said, enough is enough. I know how to do this. I am an athlete and I am ruining myself. I am a very commited and determined and results driven person. So, once I had that revelation... I. have. not. looked. back.

What about you?

kkauz42

I am kind of along the same lines as you. I'm an athlete and in college i was SO lean (and to think i thought I was fat...CRAZY!). I just didn't have that lean body that I used to have. I'm tired of feeling fat and uncomfortable in clothes all the time!

trishajo82

I got tired of hating myself. And letting life slip right by me while I watched from the side lines. Like ya'll - I am a former athlete and prided myself on being in such good shape even though I might not of been a size 2 at the time.

Life's too short - I needed to start taking care of myself and my body! As Dr. Phil says, "this isn't a dress rehersal people!!" LOL

jamie31

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was supposed to go on a date with a guy I really liked. I couldnt find anything in my closet that fit since I normally wore stretchy pants or sweats. What I saw in the mirror upset me so much I cancelled that date and spent the night in my room hiding while crying and eating a whole container of ice cream. The next morning I got up and threw out all my junk food and went healthy shopping and havent stopped.

lik_11

I am not an athlete, nor have I ever been. When I graduated high school- I wore a size 16. Although I've lost weight here and there, it was never in a healthy fashion, and it never lasted. When I turned 30, I got fed up with myself and I joined a gym. I was good about going at first, with my husband, but he quickly lost interest. When he stopped going- I lost my enthusiasm and started slacking off.
For my 31st bday, I went to Florida. My Mom took a picture of me when I didn't realize it. No sucking in, so "correct" positioning... it was just me....and I looked pregnant (I wasn't! and I'm not!). Still had my gym membership- so I started going... alone... without my husband. Four months later, I'm still going. Except now... I actually kind of like it.

amflautist

For me it was athlete-related also. My daughter is the athlete. Olympic class, with 2 medals already, on track for London 2012. If she can do all that training, I guess a little wouldn't hurt me!! Second, I need to clean the fat out of my arteries. I don't want to succumb to a heart attack if I can help it.

cbbarge

I've been battling weight issues for longer than some of you girls have been alive! Back in my 20's I was horrified the first time the scale went over 200 pounds. Over time, I lost that weight and then gained it back and more, so the next time I tried to lose I was probably around 240. I lost 20 or 30 pounds but, guess what, I gained it all back plus some more, so the next time I tried to lose weight I was at 250 something. Well, you can can imagine how that turned out. And it's gone on and on over time. I've lost hundreds of pounds and gained them back over the last 20+ years. When I started on MFP I was 296.8 pounds and I absolutely refused to allow my self to get over 300 pounds.

I've wasted too many years as a big fat lazy lump and just need to get my weight under control for good!

beccyleigh

Being told I was type 2 diabetic at 32 years old was a shock. Not being able to conceive as my blood sugar was so high & so much excess weight was preventing pregnancy was a harsh reality. Looking at a photo & seeing a fat, frumpy, sallow skinned, spotty basically very ugly person who looked 10 year older than she was also contributed.

trishajo82

For me it was athlete-related also. My daughter is the athlete. Olympic class, with 2 medals already, on track for London 2012. If she can do all that training, I guess a little wouldn't hurt me!! Second, I need to clean the fat out of my arteries. I don't want to succumb to a heart attack if I can help it.

WOW, that's very exciting!! What event does she do??

amflautist

For me it was athlete-related also. My daughter is the athlete. Olympic class, with 2 medals already, on track for London 2012. If she can do all that training, I guess a little wouldn't hurt me!! Second, I need to clean the fat out of my arteries. I don't want to succumb to a heart attack if I can help it.

WOW, that's very exciting!! What event does she do??

rowing - women's eight

kenzysmom

I actually didn't have the "big" aha moment to be perfectly honest. I met this great friend last spring and we got pretty close over the summer, doing tons of stuff with our kids. She kept talking about joining a gym when the kids went back to school and I knew that it would be fun to do it with her. So really I just wanted to continue to be able to socialize with my friend but after a week or 2 of going with her I loved it and basically just was going on my own, as it turns out coordinating our schedules was too difficult! lol Once I was working out it seemed silly to continue to eat like crap so that's when I found MFP!

mattsmom04

I had to get off of a ride I had ridden a year previous at an amusement park. I was sitting next to my dad...who also had to get off.because the safety restraints wouldn't close over either of our stomachs. We told each other we would for sure ride that ride next year. The next day a friend texted me to let me know about a weight loss contest she was starting. The next day I weighed in for the first time, four months later and 36 lbs lighter, I am still going strong!

trishajo82

For me it was athlete-related also. My daughter is the athlete. Olympic class, with 2 medals already, on track for London 2012. If she can do all that training, I guess a little wouldn't hurt me!! Second, I need to clean the fat out of my arteries. I don't want to succumb to a heart attack if I can help it.

WOW, that's very exciting!! What event does she do??

rowing - women's eight

VERY exciting sport to watch! I had a close friend in HS that rowed. That girl had some ARMS on her!!!!

dbanks80

When my tight pants was making cut marks in my belly!!!! I was like "Oh HELL No!!!" So i set a goal to run a Half Marathon so I could stay focused! I am halfway at my goal and ran my first half marathon last September. MFP has become a habit for me therefore a lifestyle change!

MamaLutt

I was diagnosed with prediabetes a week ago. Big kick in the pants for me.

local5784

I've always been a big girl..."Amazon Woman" as my short friends like to call me. I can't remember when I was a smaller than a size 18. Probably in High School. I lost 40 pounds on WW a few years ago, looked great and felt great. Got a new job and moved, which led me down the same path of stress eating. My "Ah Ha" moment was looking at a picture taken a couple weeks ago. It's funny how I can look in a mirror and be okay with myself (for the most part) but in pictures (a third-party point of view) I want to throw up!!!!

I weighed myself shortly after that revelation and discovered I was a few pounds shy from 300 pounds...instead of feeling depressed and hopeless, I felt really empowered!!!!

bt_13_21

My weight gain has been slow and gradual over 7 years. I've tried at various points to lose weight... usually halfheartedly. During the past seven years I've been almost continuously trying to get pregnant too. So I had limited motivation. Plus, I'll be honest... I've spent a good portion of the last 7 years pregnant... but only 1 pregnancy survived (out of 12). Actually that's how I gained the weight. I'd gain "just a couple pounds" after each miscarriage, failed IVF, etc.

We've now completed our family (1 bio kid and 2 that we adopted). I'm glad to begin a new healthy phase in my life.

My hubby is naturally thin and fit. I have felt bad that he has a fat out-of-shape wife, although he has never said anything about my size. I want to look as good as he does.

My mom has a cottage by a lake, where we spend a lot of time in the summer. I really want to be able to wear a bikini this summer. Correction, I want to ROCK a bikini. I haven't worn a bikini is 8 years.

amflautist

VERY exciting sport to watch! I had a close friend in HS that rowed. That girl had some ARMS on her!!!!

Lol. I was looking at my daughter's arms when she came home for Christmas. She is thin everywhere else - 6'4" and 170#. But those arms!! Her dad says he wouldn't like to meet her in a dark alley.

doughnutwretch

My gain was progressive and was due to a serious of three injuries, increased alcohol consumption after my 21st birthday, and bad eating habits. Between April of 2009 and January of 2011 I put on approx. 35 lbs because of those injuries and bad habits. Early in 2011 I was really unhappy with how I looked in the mirror, how I looked in pictures, the size of pants I was wearing and my decreasd energy levels. I made the decision to change my bad habits and since I was no longer dealing with injuries, I also jumped right back into working out regularly. MFP and serious dedication made it all possible to realize just how bad my habits were and now I couldn't imagine going back to my old ways.

Karamonster

My whole life has been an aha moment that I mostly ignored I have been fat my whole life. I remember in jr high weighing 230. Size 18/20 in highschool 290lb. Lost 50 pounds on quick weight loss center diet and gained it even quicker back. Got up to 293. Always tried eating healthy....got down to 250 two years ago for my wedding. And now I have so many health problems it's ridiculous. Back problems, a blood disorder and hypothyroidism... I recently have been diagnosed with lymphedema which is severe swelling in the legs. My right leg is bigger than my left leg due to water retention. On any given day I can gain ten pounds of water weight..this disease has taken over my life. I am constantly depressed, I can't wear shorts or skirts. Being fat makes lymphedema worse. My husband and I want to have a baby soon but there is no way I can have a baby like this. I am about to turn 23 and I feel like I'm 80. I'm in nursing school and the biggest in my class... If I don't do this now, I don't think I ever will. Don't get me wrong, I am blessed in so many ways. My husband is so supportive and as well as my family and friends. God has great plans for me but I know I was not meant to be this big!!!!

Flixie00

Sort of fell into it really. Some friends were talking about doing a half marathon walk for Shine (Cancer Research), so I signed on. I started training for it in the summer, had some thoughts about losing some weight to make the walk easier, and about that time a colleague introduced me to MFP and a week later another colleague mentioned going to a gym to have a look around. Ended up just me and 1 friend doing the walk, I am the only one from 4 people who joined MFP still using it, and I was the only one to join the gym. I suppose it was a series of very happy accidents, but I am so pleased with my progress that I am certain that I will reach my goal weight perhaps maybe late summer.