what was your "rock bottom"? what made you change?

cutiepieinchi

I studied abroad in Brazil. Everyone got to wear cute bikinis and I was stuck in a boring swim suit. My aunt was also diagnosed with cancer and it really made me want to get my health in order.

crystalbermuda

i dont know if it was my rock bottom but i have had enough of fat crystal ...i dont like her...she is lazy and never wants to go anywhere....i just want to be me again.

Crochetluvr

Not being able to get into the bathing suit I bought last year, which I bought because the suit from the year before didn't fit.

caraiselite

seeing stretch marks on my arms and lower legs
not watching to hit 200 pounds (i'm only 5 feet tall)
also, being single.. i guess.
my own kids even said i was 'chubby' lol
buying new clothes gets expensive!

everyone in my family has diabetes or even cancer.
i haven't been to the doctors in 7 or so years.. too scared to go.

still_crafty

I went to the doctor in late November and when I got on the scale it said 195 pounds. I was like "whoa!" - never seen that number before.

I got a good look at my *kitten* in a picture someone had taken at a party around Christmas time. Again came the "whoa!"

And then came the day I woke up and decided to stop listening to all the negative going on around me and finally do something for me. <~~~ That was really the turning point.

bufflo

My rock bottom was from arthritis in my right knee. I had no idea how it had effected me. I didn't want to be on my feet at all for any reason. I thought it was old age or just laziness. What got me off the bottom was total knee replacement surgery for the knee pain. When the pain was gone I got active again for the first time in several years. I now feel like exercising and the exercising has led to care about my diet. It feels so good to be active again without the knee pain that I have nearly become obsessed with working out. Currently, I workout seven days a week. I know that my left knee will eventially fail me the same way. I won't hesitate to have it replaced too when it comes time.

Jmstill300

For me, it was the prospect of losing my job because I kept falling asleep at work (due to sleep apnea) and the fact that I had to keep buying "special" clothes (my shirts were as large as 7X) and it started getting very expensive. I was sitting at my desk one day when I finally had that "A-ha!" moment (April 25, 2011). I weighed in that day at 351 lbs (although, I'm certain I was probably heavier at some point). I told myself I would never weigh that much again. 14 months and 166 lbs later, it was (BY FAR!) the best decision I ever made!

Misslisat

Being diagnosed with PTC (pseudotumor cerebri) - aka swelling in the brain. The first thing the neurologist said was "you should really lose some weight". We always hear that from the doctors, no matter the sickness....but this time it was different. I needed to lose weight to save my eyesight.

dollipop

2 miscarriages, a bout of bronchial pneumonia and a breakup. All in 6 months, and not in that order.
It made me realise there's not a whole lot I can control in my life, but what I put in my mouth, and how often
I move, are two things I can.

Candi_land

After sinking into a deep depression, gaining over 100 plus pounds on my already morbidly obese frame and losing everything (My live in boyfriend of 5 years, my job, my apartment, my social life), my rock bottom was having to book TWO airplane seats for a one way flight to Florida to live with my parents after losing everything. I knew I gained weight but was in denial as to how much weight I actually gained, but the day of my flight was a real eye opener. My lower back was aching something terrible and my legs were shaking from the pain of attempting to walk to my gate at the airport. I was out of breath, sweating, and deeply embarrassed at the looks I was getting from strangers. Not to mention I almost missed my flight from having to stop at every gate to sit down and rest my aching back and legs. Once on the plane people gave me the "Oh no I hope this fat girl isn't sitting next to me look". I had to use a seatbelt extender. I cried the entire flight to Florida. Once here I let everyone get off the plane first before I very slowly and painfully made my way off the plane (at this point my ankles and feet were extremely swollen) and it took me over an hour to get to baggage claim. My mother walked right by me because she didn't recognize me.

I was completely emotionally and spiritually broken at that point in my life. I had hit complete rock bottom. Since then I've been working hard on healing and picking up the pieces of my life. I've made some amazing mfp friends who keep me motivated and encouraged everyday, and while I know I still have a very long journey ahead of me (I need to lose over 200lbs) I believe I will get there.

SmallMimi

Started hiding from camera in 2007 after see a picture of myself on vacation. I was horrified, but the bigger horror was the fact that I gained 40 more pounds before I finally put a stop to it. I lost who I was and decided it was time to do something for me because I AM WORTH THE EFFORT!

konalove3

3 weeks ago i was at my heaviest (had been for a while) and i was in my friend's wedding.... saw pictures the next day and vowed to make those wedding pictures my "before" pictures. I'm in two more weddings in september and so im looking forward to seeing the difference. kicked my myself into gear and lost 11 pounds so far. going to keep working hard til the next wedding which is in 68 days.

meeka472

When I was trying to button my work shirt and the buttons barely closed. I'd always wore a shirt that was larger so when that happened I knew things went too far.

cjroberts08

The boy I thought I loved told me I just wasn't his "type" of girl. He said I was awesome and for pure fact of personality he would date me, but he couldn't picture us together based on my looks. It was mean and harsh, but it was the push I needed.

Arperjen

In April, when my husband after a few beers too many, said he deserved to be with someone skinny.

I'm sorry you had to hear that. ... that's about the most forum-appropriate thing I can manage to say about that.

My rock bottom was suddenly experiencing pre-diabetic symptoms and panicked - I couldn't go to a doctor (I'm broke and don't have insurance), so I started changing the next day. Lost about 30lb by myself before joining MPF. Those symptoms never happened again, thankfully.

charmander89

This past January, seeing 200lbs was when I finally woke up to the realization that although this past year had been incredibly sucky, I wasn't doing myself any favors by letting myself go so bad. I knew that if things kept going as they were, I was going to have an incredibly hard time getting a job and paying off student loans once I got my visa and could move to marry my fiance.

Moving forward to losing the weight meant that I had to take responsibility for my weight gain, which is something I had never ever done, but I am so glad I finally did. This journey so far has even taught me the values of creating goals and implementing plans, as well as strict budgeting, and organization. Thanks to all of these things my fiance and I are a million times more confident that our future is going to be great

agoraphobicheart

I was 115lbs when I was diagnosed with agoraphobia nearly four years ago due to my car having been rear ended by a drunk driver leaving me trapped in said car under water. I was put on disability and stayed in doors more and more. I had always eaten whatever I wanted without any fear of retribution by my waistline so I continued that horrible practice. A year ago I met an amazing man (online) and we ended up married 6 months later. Since then I have taken more and more "risks" in hopes of completely healing myself of this horrible condition. Now mind you I knew I was no longer a size one but when I decided to face my fear of water and do it in a swim suit I had no idea how huge I had gotten. The backrolls and gigantic swollen abdomen were my wakeup call. when I finally set foot on a scale it screamed 171 at me. At 5ft 5 and with such a small build that was tragic. I began doing Insanity workouts right away , limiting my caloric and junk intake and even though I don't see too drastic of a result yet, I feel alot better. My body may never be 115 again but I refuse to stop working at it.

imlik

My rock bottom came when I was buying some jeans. At my heaviest in the past, I've only ever been up to a size 18, and up to 190 lbs. They started getting a little tight on me, so I'd been wearing elastic-waisted stuff since late spring, so I didn't really notice. But as I tried on pants, I found out that I wasn't just a size 20, I was a size 22 or 24, depending on the pants brand. I weighed myself when I got home, and saw that I was up to 230 lbs. I couldn't stand it, so I decided it was time to get my act together.

jrlja5

seeing a picture of me at a wedding. I looked very pregnant and my "baby" is 18 yrs old! Don't get me wrong I loved how I looked pregnant so many yrs ago. But really? I looked awful and I have to see it everyday because it was a family photo and my mom gave it to me as a gift! I guess it's a good reminder for me though.

iuew

for me it was going to the doctor for a checkup, seeing that i was 270, and then hearing him say "we should discuss your weight." that was followed by a blood sugar check that revealed i was pre-diabetic at age 29. this was no surprise to me, because i was so thirsty all of the time that i had fantasies about diving into a pool of gatorade and drinking the entire pool.

currently, i'm 160, i have a BMI of 22.3, i exercise every day, and i'm a non-smoker. i feel and look better at 37 than i did at 27, and i plan to continue maintenance and toning for the rest of my life. i'm grateful that i hit bottom before it got worse, because losing 110 pounds was hard enough. but i don't ever ask myself if it was worth it, because there's no doubt in my mind.