What was your "Gotta Change my Life "moment ?

JennyDee2012

Many of us hit a moment in life when we say:" Enough is enough I can't take this anymore. I have to take control and change what is before me. " If you dare to share your "AHA" Moment please feel free to here .

Your story may help someone else and in sharing you may be able to forgive yourself for having neglected your self for too long. But realize in that same moment you opened you eyes and heart to decide to give your self the gift of health.

I will start by sharing mine. On June 1, 2012 I went in for a annual check up. Feeling good about myself because I had been doing so much gardening, landscaping, and working hard despite a bad knee injury the end of April. Walking on my own for two weeks without crutches or a walker. I was "PROUD" .

Well I weighed in and was elated I was 296 pounds I hadn't weighed under 300 in 6 years. WOW . I had them reweigh. Same result. Mu DR congratulated me on dropping weight he had never seen me under 300 to 325. I exclaimed again I still can't believe it. Wanting to make me feel better he said where their are two witnesses go get on the other scale down the hall and confirm it to yourself.

I went down got on the scale and it wouldn't weigh me it maxed at 350. Very confused I went back to the room and told him what was happening. He said you didn't do something wrong let's try again. We went back to that scale it wouldn't weigh we went to the first scale it said 296. Then he took me to the Dr's office down the hall and it couldn't weigh again.

As you can imagine JOY to utter DEFEAT in minutes. He sent me to the hospital then for blood work and also to be weighed on their scale that can weigh to 500 lbs. I recorded 370 pounds. 370 Pounds I was broken as a person. I apologized to my husband. Cried and realized how much I really didn't want to accept being over 300 even definately not 370.

My Dr then told me about my fitness pal and I promised to try. My husband and son decided to try to. My husband has to lose 40 lbs and my 26 year old son weighed in at 431 he wants his life to take control too. He had recently lost 15 pounds after starting a new job and had been weighing himself on a pallet scale at work.

These are life learned manors that we must all change. God willing we will achieve this. My first grandchild is due on Sept 14 and I really want to be around to watch him grow up.

47 years old and a lifetime of being overweight and I have finally hit my "Awakening". 6 pounds down so far. Many to go but I am on my way!!! For all of us just beginning may God give you strength and may next year we all report on miraculous results. .

wk9t

When my doctor told me I was pre-Diabetic. It scared the hell out of me.

SueD66

a couple of things... the chest pains i was starting to get and also i actually looked in a full length mirror while on vacation. It was not pretty, not even close. Now i just need to put that mirror on my kitchen walls. hmm now there's an idea

Mariaisgettingfit

I've had several. My most recent breakthrough was when I noticed that my friend had lost a lot of weight, and she told me about the exercise she had been doing and how she had been eating healthily, influenced by the friends she lived with at university. She looked fantastic, and she had started off at about my weight and my height. Unfortunately she doesn't live near me to work out together, but she's my inspiration anyway!

meshashesha2012

When my doctor told me I was pre-Diabetic. It scared the hell out of me.

this and in the same visit she told me i had high blood pressure. she said that she would give me 3 months to change diet and exercise to reduce the blood pressure if not then i'd need to go on meds.

i do not want to take meds so the next day i started tracking my food and going through what i eat to see where i could make changes.

Stargirlsmiles88

I also got the pre-diabetes news. It runs in my family regardless of weight, but he said with losing weight it should go away. At that time I weighed in at 299...and knew I couldn't let myself hit 300.

JennyDee2012

Putting your mirror up sounds like a great idea.

byrnet18

I had back surgery when I was 21 after injuring myself lifting something too heavy at work. Well I recovered well from that but I was still terribly out of shape. A couple years ago I went cliff jumping with my husband and his family. After jumping the second time I could barely walk. It was my back again. I was injured from that for the rest of the summer. I saw some pictures from that jump and couldn't believe how big I was. As soon as I recovered I joined a gym and the rest is history

MichkaMeShell

I was at the doctor for an aching knee. I've been heavy my whole life, and as young as I am, I knew my weight was a huge factor. I've been in the mid-upper 200s most of my teen life, but I never hit 300.

I weighed in at 301 in his office and was immediately ashamed for even being there for my knee pain. I knew the source of the pain. I knew he'd tell me I needed to lose weight. Why was I so stupid to think the doctor could fix me with a pill or surgery when the problem was all over me, literally.

I didn't even do follow up appointments. I was so ashamed of myself and I felt awful for my boyfriend. He had to be with me like this and it wasn't fair to him at all.

It took me a while to finally get on the ball, but so far, I've lost nearly fifty pounds and I'm not even close to stopping.

Mina133842

I've had several moments that have been building up to me not wanting to be this way anymore.
1 - unable to buckle a seatbelt in my van.
2 - winded after walking up the stairs in my own house - and realized I hadn't been downstairs in a VERY long time.
3 - I had gallstones and had to be weighed before the surgery - in front of my husband and one of my best friends, and I was at one of my highest weights ever (and not pregnant at the time- just very ill).

and just hate the clothes shopping when you're in plus sizes, the selection is- well crap to be honest, and it's never fun to shop in large sizes like that, I DREAM of shopping in a normal size...
getting married in a normal dress size would have been nice. I would have loved dress shopping.

Nataliaho

Honestly it was after I broke my leg a few years ago, the reasons were 3-fold:
* I received very poor medical attention for my leg simply because I was obese
* I found getting around on the crutches really really physically difficult because my fitness was so poor
* I had a tiny insight into what it would be like to be incapacitated and realised I was doing that to myself on purpose

Romans624

The last time I moved my apartment, I had to do most of it myself. Afterwards, I was so sore (particularly my hips), that I could barely move without a lot of pain. I had to take a lot of time like an old person to get out of bed.

- some rear seat belts didn't fit me, and I struggled with plane seatbelts as well.

-My husband said he wanted a divorce (for other reasons). But it was such a shocker and blow that I wanted (and want) to get rid of everything that shouldn't be in my life, attitude,etc. No more taking life or people for granted.

JennyDee2012

Wow in just a few moments so many of you have shared so much thank you . I see myself in so many of your stories.

oOTaraOo

I had never been a skinny girl but was comfortable around size 12-14 (Australian Sizing). I gradually put on weight without realising it until I had to buy my first pair of size 18 pants. I had hit 98kgs (216 pounds) My mum had started WW and had lost a huge amount of weight. I started it myself at that point and over about 2.5 years (on and off) I managed to drop to 75kgs.

I have gone up and down since then but this time around I want to get to my ultimate goal of 70kgs which I have never been at except for the first time through on my way up to my current weight.

When I hit 75kgs I had a TIA which is a mini stroke. It scared me as I was only 24 at the time. I believe it was partly caused by how overweight I had been and the body hadn't recovered from it. So this is always at the back of my mind when I start to go up in weight.

JenRunTriHappyGirl

At 29, I realized that there were more days than not that I woke up in pain. With 2 young boys, I knew that this was not okay. The only way this would stop was to loose weight and get in shape. Here I am and ITS WORKING!!!

steflbrown

I was in complete denial. My mom had tried to talk to me about it, but I just refused to see the weight gain. Last October I had a friend and his girlfriend visit from England. They wanted to go to Cedar Point. Sounded great. So I tagged along. Sure enough, we wait 2 hours and I go to buckle the seat belt and it wouldn't go. I couldn't even "suck it in" enough. So I couldn't ride. I spent most of the day just sitting watching them enjoy the park. That was it - I knew that I had totally lost control. I had a few struggles, but since then I have been working hard to get my life back.

SpecialKitty7

Mine was all that dramatic. I never felt fat, my health was good, and then i had gone to a charity dinner and my friend had taken a picture of me and my husband. She brought the pictures into the office for me to see and i couldn't figure out who the fat chick was in the background of a lot of pictures...and then i realized it was me. I knew then i had to do something.

pittsblue99

My moment was when, at 29, I was put on two medications for high blood pressure. I have never been one of the skinny girls but that was the final breaking point for me. Now, two years later, I am down to just one BP medication and that is only because my bottom number will not do down.

marylouise123

My moment was getting close to hitting the 300 mark on the scale.. I started this journey at 292.. Well went to the doc & found out I actually had hit 299.. I started thinking it might have been higher when I was not at the docs.. That 300 number scared the hell out of me.. So I found MFP by accident by searching weightloss on the net.. I was tired of being short winded & feeling basically like a lump... My new life started on January 9th, 2012 & I am now happy to report 33 pounds down & 34.5 inches off.. I started out just doing a 20 minute workout & now am up to as much as 2-3 hours on a good day.. I help my husband with the yard work & do Leslie Sansone workouts or my Wii or Tae Bo.. Whatever gets my moving & sweating.. I have had some bad days & down moments, but my friends here have helped keep me on track... I am in this for the long term.. I want to lose 100 plus... If it takes me a year or more then thats fine.. I have changed the way I eat & my whole outlook on life is more positive.. MFP really saved & changed my life for the better.. I am forever grateful.. Thanks for sharing your story & good luck...

FrauHausMaus

I've had a few... let's hope this one sticks... My step dad passed away last Thursday from complications of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. He was 50. I'm 30. I want to live more than 20 years. It just shocked me out of some major self-pity and got my fat *kitten* back in the gym.

timmymon

Last year I went clothes shopping for the summer time and I realized that I looked absoulutely terrible in everything that I picked out. it was such an awful feeling. This summer I am 100 pounds lighter and am never going back to feeling like that!