My breaking point to lose weight...

Mera_Mera

Many factors contributed to my decision to lose weight. But last spring (2011), I was scared when I detected lumps in my breast during one of my weekly self-breast exams. I went to see my doctor and she quickly referred me to a specialist. It took three weeks for me to get the appointment to see the specialist. I ate so much during that time that I gained a lot of weight. Blame it on the stress or something. I tried to stay calm and collected, but the wait was horrible. I was scared. Growing up, I hada horrible fight with leukemia. I didn't want to go through that again. Never do I want to go through that again.

After I saw the specialist, she rudely told me that I had lipomas, non-cancerous fatty lumps. She told me that I needed to continue my self-exams and have my physician keep a closer look/monitoring of these lumps. She also sized me up with her eyes and suggested that I lose some weight, because I was fat. I was humiliated. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. In that instant, I knew that I had to do something about my health.

After that, I decided to follow a better/healthier eating regimen. I ate four smaller meals, no snacks. I began walking 3x a week. The town that I lived in only has farms and not a single gym in a 20 miles radius, so I opted on walking around the neighborhood. I stopped eating fried food, candies, and no more sodas. I upped my water intake to about 10 cups a day. I lost 20 lbs in the first 3 weeks. I know it was sudden. I went from 160 to 140 lbs. I didn't gain any of it back. Now, I'm working towards getting back to my pre-surgery weight of 125 lbs.

I still have a long way to go. In fact, I’m still embarrassed by what that specialist told me. Her words hurt me, but they were my breaking point. Her words pushed me to do something about my health. I'm glad that I came across this website. It has taught me so much about weight-loss and about exercising. Through MFP website, I found amazing people that have inspired me to never give up and to continue moving forward.

joyzoso

Good luck on your journey, but please if you ever feel degraded or hurt again by a specialist, practitioner, or doctor of any kind... PLEASE go to someone else. They might have the same diagnosis but a much more compassionate demeanor.

giantsfaninvt

I'm glad you were able to find the motivation to start some new healthy habits, but there is no excuse for a doctor to humiliate you. It's unnecessary, unprofessional, and can lead to more destructive behavior by the person who feels even lower than they did before those hurtful words were said.

Shellyyy7928

When I was 11/12 my doctor told me I was overweight and sent me to a nutritionist. He also sent me into a battle with my weight that I've been fighting for the last six years. I tried healthy eating but at such a young age, I wanted results quicker so I used very unhealthy means (ie. Starving, excessive calorie restrictions). Doctors sometimes say things that are better said in softer ways. I am glad that you were able to make this decision to become healthy but I am sorry it had to come about in such a harsh way.

Mera_Mera

Thank you, everyone!