What was your bottom/ah-ha moment....

nlwilliamson

I saw that scale hit 190 and said to myself, oh wow, I'm 10lbs away from 200 pounds! at 5`3 I felt terrible. Between that and being one of those "i'm going to loose weight" then the next day i'd be eating badly again.. I want to be slim and sexy in my 20's not feeling bad about myself!

lambing05

i said "enough "

when i dont like what i see in the mirror anymore.
and when i calculated my bmi and to my shock i was at the obese stage...

i finally said enough! I really need to change.

Tambookie

My mom sent me some pictures she had taken at my daughter's first birthday party. One in particular was my wake-up call. You can see it in my first blog post. I won't post it here to scare everyone, lol. That's when I was finally motivated to change, but I didn't have the tools to do it until I found MFP a few months later.

sandyinsc

Thank you for that link. I needed it today!!! :flowerforyou:

.......... He showed me a video on youtube (the link is in my profile) which has changed my life. I would encourage anyone to watch it for some motivation. If you think you can't do something, it will show you just how wrong you are. YOU can do ANYTHING.

HurricaneElaine

I've been struggling the past few weeks (ok, two months) with getting motivated and telling myself tomorrow is my day and ultimately I fail and disappoint myself.

I was just wondering...........what was your bottom and/or ah ha moment (if there was one) where you said enough and started your weight loss/exercise journey?


(I should also not try posting when I first wake up)

On my 35th birthday. Thinking, OK, my life is at the halfway point now, and what have I done? Still single, no children, living with my mother, still smoking & drinking, no major accomplishments. Then I got on the scale and saw I weighed 290 pounds. The heaviest EVER. That was it right there.

conniehv40

It wasn't EXACTLY an ah-ha moment, but I kept gaining a few pounds, a few more-nothing really bad. Then I'd lose 2 and keep it off. But, I kept getting mad at myself for how I look, how things fit and not having control over my total snacking until I was overly full.

UNTIL I set my calories and stayed under on a daily basis, I didn't understand HOW MUCH I WAS EATING!

I have a goal of 20 pounds and lost 5 of that because I actually am working the program instead of being a cheater every day!

Good luck

Bakkasan

I was at a cookout and saw this photo:

Then taking my nephew shortly after to a pumpkin patch:

greatthatsgreat

Oh my, where to begin.

Apart from the general daily embarrassment, a few key situations helped motivate me:

1) About 5 months ago, when I was 10 lbs LIGHTER than I am now, I was standing in my driveway, about to get into my car, when a group of kids walked by and one of them yelled, "HEY FATTY!" Another kid tried to hush the offending kid, saying, "shhh, you don't even KNOW her!" I just stared at my hands and didn't let them know that I had heard them, but on the inside I was dying.

2) Traveling in a plane. My previous job took me all over the US, and the plane seats got snugger and snugger. I've always had wider hips, even when I was thinner, so the extra weight made this unbearable (for me and my fellow passengers!)

3) Growing out of my "fat clothes." How did that even happen?

4) I heard that an old friend suffered a heart attack at the age of 31. She was overweight, probably technically classified as "obese." I know every body is different, but this scared the hell out of me. (She's okay now, btw)

5) Not being able to perform the basic functions of my job (which involves being outside and walking, among other things) for the first time in my life.

And so many more. I just started MFP, but I can detect changes (physical and mental!) already. I look forward to the journey.

fat2fit4good

the pic at the beach (my current profile pic), from this summer. A_HA is right!

look at the shade under those man boobs! that one really hit me, I was at my biggest ever and had to do a double take

I said to myself: "i am going to take a pic in the very same spot a year from now and look and feel VERy different"

leanne2376

Today was the first shock horror :sad: feeling i got when i went shopping for boots and felt so fat and uncomfortable trying them on.
So i decided to do something about it and went to Zumba

But i have a long way to go - i have let myself go and i think this is a new beginning for me. Lets hope !

x

Erienneb

So I grew up being teased for being bigger than the other girls, even though I was quite fit until the end of high school. I kept gaining after graduation but thought nothing of it because I was already used to being bigger. My boyfriend loved me, I was fine.
And then one day I got these cute sandals. That have those tiny buckles. And I went to put them on and realized I couldn't reach because I could no longer cross my legs. I cried for half an hour. I then had to face that in the four and a half years since graduatino I went from being tall and muscular (and therefore to a twig of a 16 year I did look big or "fat") to being obese. I gained 130 pounds and four pants sizes. I changed my life right then and there.

kimothy38

- Not being able to find anything nice to wear and ending up with pile of clothes on the bed as I tried everything on
- Grunting when trying get out of the car or off the floor
- Spare tyre getting in the way when bending over
- Feeling tired and cranky constantly and taking it out on my kids
The final straw was an impending family gathering and being too embarrassed to go. Then my rec centre offered a 'just lose it' challenge so I enrolled for that and came 2nd overall.
That was 17kgs ago..... wooo hooooo

changeahead22

I was a finalist for The Biggest Loser. I didn't make it, but I was determined to lose the weight. They sent me an e-mail asking me to come in for an interview for this season, the feeling of "HA! I"m not even close anymore" was the feeling I was looking for and I didn't even have to embarrass myself on national TV.

Ashlee2421

Having to shop in the big girl department while my best friend can wear kids clothes.
Watching her be hit on over and over again when we go out then I sit there in the fat friends corner with all the other girls.
Beginning my healthy lifestyle for my son to encourage him to have good eating habits when he's older.
Changing my outfit 23,123,342 times in the morning until I find something I don't feel gigantic in.
Being classified as "obese" before I was 21.
Having my mother weigh less than me

regal7

I didn't really have an aha moment, I knew I was gaining. I realized I gained over 35 lbs. and every pair of jeans/ pants I own are tight. Even experiencing this, which bothers me, doesn't necessarily keep me in line with my eating. I used to be in pretty good shape and watched what I ate and just kind of let things go. I'm really ready to lose this weight though.

KimberlyMarie22

I finally said I've got to stop putting it off b/c tomorrow could be today.. Ive got a wedding to plan for!!! So I started!!! feel free to add me as a friend... We could motivate each other...

mearlie

My Ah-Ha moment: I was stuck on the couch watching TV with vertigo. For years I've let a pound creep on here and there and just figured one of these days I'll decide to lose the excess weight.

When I had vertigo, I realized that I had been ignoring myself and NOW I CAN'T get up. I made a decision that as soon as my body would let me, I was going to get healthier. It's not really about losing weight for me, although I'm overweight so that's part of what I'm doing. But for me, I realized that I HAVE to get healthier or the problems like the vertigo are going to get worse. Diabetes runs in my family as does heart disease. I need to get my cholesterol down, gain some strength so I have more stamina when playing with the kids, and lose some weight so I can easily bend over and tie my shoes.

I've tried before, not very hard but tried a little. But after the vertigo, something clicked and I'm now committed.

sandrahulleman

Turning 50 this year; diabetes diagnosis; feeling crappy all the time.

laserturkey

We went in to sign up for the weight loss challenge at our health club mid-January and I only weighed 25 pounds less than my very tall husband. That was a real wake-up call for me.

Kerri_is_so_very

Mine was turning 40 and looking like a frumpy old 40+ year old mom.....that and like any woman I had my "skinny", "just right" and my "fat" clothes in my closet and my fat clothes were getting too small So I said :noway: kicked myself in the *kitten*, gave myself a little pep talk and away I went!!! :drinker: I now consider my previous "skinny" clothes my new "fat" clothes...I'm now 4 sizes down...I never even had those in my wardrobe!!

flannelbug

When I ballooned into the 200s after a year long fight with depression. Felt like crap, ate crap, life was crap.

Kendralh

I've been a student in a long-term relationship for the last four years.... I wore a lot of sweatpants and didn't pay much attention to anything because I didn't think I needed to. Last Spring, I broke up with my boyfriend and graduated. I realized I needed to make a change when I moved for my new job (completely alone) and realized I didn't have any clothes to wear out with my new co-workers because I felt HUGE in all of them. It also helped that my cube-mate is SUPER fit and SUPER attractive, and I was so self-conscious of my stomach hanging over my pants all the time!

It's time!

27stoneofidiot

I've always been big, even as a kid, I suppose I had a couple of revelations. Firstly my other half had been really ill and lost weight as part of her rehab and her determination to be healthy was amazing. Secondly I've only ever been good at one sport, badminton and when I tore my cartilage and completely ruptured my ACL I knew something had to change. I've now had one lot of surgery and will need another op to fix my knee but it hasn't stopped me losing 70lbs and I can't wait until I can play again.

Louiseisme

In February 2012 when I had to do a health assesment for work... at 42, 5 1.5" 277 pounds, and a BMI of 52%.:sad:
I realized I had to do something or I would not see my child graduate or get married.
I've lost 67lbs since then and recently started using MFP because of hitting a plauteu. Last time my weight was what I currently am at was almost 11 years ago, 6 weeks post baby. Goal weight is 133 more than 1/2 my start wieight. Losing a whole me.:laugh:

amrositas89

well I have been a MFP member for a while.I was always off and on with dieting, and lacked the motivation to do anything about it. I knew I had gained some weight ,but i was afraid to see the number. So today I got up the courage to weigh myself and I almost died when I saw the number that was on that screen.The first words out of my mouth, were not pleasant and then I realized I weighed as much as my DAD!!!!!! I am 5'6'' and I weigh 230 lbs!!! UNACCEPTABLE for a 22 year old!!! So today I am starting my journey and I want to never see those numbers in the order on a scale ever again!!!!!

Lizsullie

I have been trying to think about what has made me so motivated and I think you've hit the nail on the head. I recently realized that I'm 4 pounds HEAVIER than my taller boyfriend. That has to change.

HeavenLeAngel127

When I realized the Jillian Michaels shred is only 27 minutes. And 5 minutes of that is warming up and cooling down. It's hard to make excuses about 22 minutes of workout.....

JoyfulSparkle

My Aha moment- I was turning 30, and wanted to have a FAB party, but couldn't find a cute thing to wear. And I was turning 30 I'm not getting younger/sprightlier, it's only going to get harder to lose as I age; not easier. So, if I don't lose the weight now, when will I do it?

JoyfulSparkle

and I also thought, "I complain a lot. What If I just tried, applied all the information, and genuinely tried to lose weight. What would happen?"

flatblade

My "aha moment" was when my doctor suggested bariatric surgery. He also noted that my blood sugar and tri-glycerides were elevated. My blood level was in right on the cusp of diabetes. Also, my mother passed away and I looked at a lot of photos, some with me heavy and some with me much lighter. The really fat guy was not my friend.