what was that moment that made you change?
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Here's what it took for me to get motivated to make the lifestyle change I needed.
I was at my annual med check in November 2008 at my doctor's office. At the time I was on 3 blood pressure meds, 1 cholesterol/trigycerides med, and 1 blood sugar med and weighed 294 lbs. He had just increased the blood sugar med.
I was showing him pictures of my new baby granddaughter (Our first! ) when he interrupts me and says, "Do you want to be around to play with her 10 years?" I stammered back "Of, course!" He then says, "Well you had better start doing something about your weight then. You are on the slippery slope to Type II diabetes."
Man! talk about getting punched in the face! That's all it took. Just the thought of being dead in10 years if I didn't change!0 -
I retired from the Marine Corps and immediately gained 30 pounds. Now, 2 years later, I have added 10 more. I began to Zumba, got motivated, and am heading down. My 20 year old son is battling his weight, as well. I want to be his motivation, not his example. My daughter is 4 and I do not want her to think being overweight is the norm. It is not healthy.0
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My moment was when we were having family pictures taken and I changed clothes three times looking for something that wouldn't make me "look fat" and then when I got the pictures printed, I was totally mortified that I was the biggest person in them! I wanted to die!0
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There were several things that helped me to push myself to lose the weight, but the thing that sticks out the most is when my 11 year old daughter came home from school in tears because her school friend whom had come over to play the day before was on the bus making jokes about her "fat mom" It broke my heart to see her hurting like that. I had already been on my diet for about a month and had lost about 20 lbs. I actually was having a bad day that day and started eating junk while she was at school. I think that if she had not come home crying that day I may have gave up on my diet. I have lost 111lbs as of last Thursday. What is great is that just a few days ago we ran into that little girl and her mother at the grocery. My daughter was so proud to show me off. She said to me " Mom I don't think she will be making fat jokes about you anymore, because you are smaller than her mom".
You are an amazing mother and a true inspiration. It's so nice to know that there are moms out there who put there kids happiness first. Thank you for sharing your story!0 -
I had been doing Weight Watchers for a few months (again) and was really doing well, but wasn't really motivated. I knew I wanted to be healthy for my daughter and to be a good example for her and to see all the great things she will do in her life. One night I was watching a TV show about some woman who was diagnosed with cancer and she had a daughter who was my daughters age. I was thinking to myself, "oh, if that ever happened to me I would fight with everything I had to live, people wouldn't know the strength I was hiding inside. There is no way I would give up the opportunity to watch my daughter grow up and there was no way I would leave her without a mommy." Then I started to realize that eating what I ate, how much I ate and how often i ate wasn't much better. I was cutting my life short by my eating habits and my frame of mind around eating. The next day I went to my Weight Watcher weigh in and one of the other members was talking about how she was pregnant with her daughter (now 6 or 7 years old) and how the dr asked her, "so, you don't plan to see your daughter graduate collage?" She was like, "what???? I haven't even had this kid yet?" and it became a realty for her. At that moment I've changed my ways and haven't looked back. I occasionally eat like poop, but it's a much healthier version of it. Even my "splurge" day is a healthy choice.0
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I had been doing Weight Watchers for a few months (again) and was really doing well, but wasn't really motivated. I knew I wanted to be healthy for my daughter and to be a good example for her and to see all the great things she will do in her life. One night I was watching a TV show about some woman who was diagnosed with cancer and she had a daughter who was my daughters age. I was thinking to myself, "oh, if that ever happened to me I would fight with everything I had to live, people wouldn't know the strength I was hiding inside. There is no way I would give up the opportunity to watch my daughter grow up and there was no way I would leave her without a mommy." Then I started to realize that eating what I ate, how much I ate and how often i ate wasn't much better. I was cutting my life short by my eating habits and my frame of mind around eating. The next day I went to my Weight Watcher weigh in and one of the other members was talking about how she was pregnant with her daughter (now 6 or 7 years old) and how the dr asked her, "so, you don't plan to see your daughter graduate collage?" She was like, "what???? I haven't even had this kid yet?" and it became a realty for her. At that moment I've changed my ways and haven't looked back. I occasionally eat like poop, but it's a much healthier version of it. Even my "splurge" day is a healthy choice.
You too are an amazing mother! I had always looked at my weight as my problem. I never realized that it was also effecting my family. I have always tried to put my kids first. I thought as long as I was taking good care of them I was being the best mother I could be. But by me not taking care of myself I was in a way being irresponsible. I have 4 amazing children. I want to be around as long as I can possibly be for them. So I couldn't agree with you more on the importance of taking care of ourselves to be here to love and care for them. My weight was not only emotionaly hard for me, it was physically hard for me. I was very ill. I was tired all the time, simple tasks took everything I had to complete. I couldn't play with my kids the way that they wanted, had high blood pressure, acid reflex, migraines, and just felt blaaah all the time. After losing the weight I am full of energy. I honestly feel like I have been cured of a serious illness. Blood pressure is back to normal, and all those other things are a thing of the past. I have my life back, and most importantly my kids have they're mom back.0 -
My moment came in March of 2009. My employer offered a Health Risk Assessment and mine came back OBESE with high cholesterol and high chance of developing cancer. My Dr put me on cholesterol meds which I took for 2 weeks and decided I can do this on my own. I was miserable. Huge. Achy. Itchy. Sneezy. Sad. I knew I could be better than that. I had been a normal size and active up until about 4 years before. So I decided that proper diet and exercise would become a MUST and not a SHOULD. It worked.0
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I'm really enjoying reading this. It's fascinating to see the different types of triggers.0
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I was just diagnosed with diabetes. Enough is enough. With all of the other major health issues I have, I realized I was on a downward spiral to death. I had to do some serious thinking, and I realized: I have so much more to do in this life! I knew I had to change.0
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There are so many reasons why I made this choice...
1.) I want to be healthy, strong, and the best that I can be.
2.) I quit smoking (woo hoo!). But I gained back weight I had already lost. If I can quit smoking, I can do this!
3.) I've been heavy since 12, so in other words, I was fat all my teens. I just turned 20 and I REFUSE to be fat into my 20's
4.) My boyfriend. Someone I love finds me BEAUTIFUL...that encourages me that I don't have to lose weight to be attractive to him...but I want to
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I had been putting off losing weight and getting healthy. You should have heard all the excuses I could come up with! But then this last Christmas Eve I just woke up and felt that that was the day.
In the past I've tried to lose weight many many many times and even succeeded in losing 70 lbs. (just to gain it back), but this time was different. It's just come naturally to me. Sure, I still lay in bed at night and crave cookies and cakes, but I've found the strength to say no. I can feel it in my gut that this time I will go all the way.0 -
MARCH 17, 2009---My husband and I took my parents to a concert and Mom had to be in a wheelchair because she was unable to walk more than 50-100 feet without becoming exhausted. Looking at her that night I realized that in less than 2 years I would be in a wheelchair myself because of the shortness of breath and pain in my knees and back when I walked 100 feet. That night at the concert I was out of breath and perspiring by the time we got to our seats. I had failed at losing weight so many times that I didn't even try or think of "dieting" I went to Curves a week after the concert because I hoped that the machines would be "Physical Therapy" for my knees and preserve my ability to walk.
JANUARY 1, 2010---I have lost 112 pounds and I am walking 3--5 miles most nights, going to Curves 5-6 days a week, and most of the time I am PAIN FREE!!!!
When they took the picture of me for the newspaper after I lost the weight, I look so much like my Mother and Grandmother I can't believe it. Both of them were/are dependant on wheelchairs at least part of the time, but thanks to Curves and MFP I don't think there is a wheelchair in MY future anymore. 0 -
I've been half-arsing the weight loss thing for a year now, but maintainted fairly well until June, when we had to move in with my parents. I gained some then, and then lost it after we got into our own place in August but quickly gained even MORE back! At 155, I was as big as I had been when 9 months pregnant with my third and I knew it was time to get serious about this. I have a clsoet full of skinny clothes just waiting to be used again!0
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For me, I think it was when I realized that I only weighed a few pounds less than my husband! That was a shocker. He was about 60 pounds heavier than me, but he really needed to loose weight. He did it. But, he didn't really change his eating habits or excercise. He stopped drinking Mountain Dew and over 5 years dropped 60 pounds! I've tried through the years to loose, but I always give up. My life has always been really really busy and with 3 kids, i always put everyone elses needs first. Well, the kids are grown now and I have "me" time, so I'm taking it! I'm a full-time sudent and I only work part-time right now so I don't have any excuses. Lots of free time to excercise. I'm actually really shocked at how much easier it is this time. Thank God I found this website! It really helps to track food and excercise and to read all your posts!! Such motivation! I got on the scale for the first time a couple days ago and I've lost 7 pounds! I actually got on allday because I was sure my scale was lying!!!lol I'm having an awsome week so I hope I loose a couple pounds at the next weigh-in. I really do think that your mindset does have something to do with it. We all have it in us, its just convincing ourselves we can really do it if we put our minds to it!! Of course, a little help and encouragement from others doesn't hurt!!0
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Love that attitude !!0
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Congratulations! That's so fabulous! I am sure that your Daughter is VERY proud of you! Very Inspirational especially as a Mom!There were several things that helped me to push myself to lose the weight, but the thing that sticks out the most is when my 11 year old daughter came home from school in tears because her school friend whom had come over to play the day before was on the bus making jokes about her "fat mom" It broke my heart to see her hurting like that. I had already been on my diet for about a month and had lost about 20 lbs. I actually was having a bad day that day and started eating junk while she was at school. I think that if she had not come home crying that day I may have gave up on my diet. I have lost 111lbs as of last Thursday. What is great is that just a few days ago we ran into that little girl and her mother at the grocery. My daughter was so proud to show me off. She said to me " Mom I don't think she will be making fat jokes about you anymore, because you are smaller than her mom".
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I am so sorry. That is a very sad story. Good for you for making the decision to change it. Feel very proud of yourself for making a change!Well this is a sad but true story..
What made me decide to change my life was the day i took my son to the amusment park. He wanted so bad to go on the roller coaster they had and i wanted so bad to be the first to take him on one. So as we got to the park he was so excited "look mom look" he was jumping up and down real anxious to get on that ride. so we made our way over to the coaster stood in the line for about 40 min, and by the time we got up to get on the ride my feet were killing me i was so ready to sit down. so i was looking forward to sitting in that ride, We got in he buckled up i steped in to sit beside him ready for some thrils, But (here it goes) I could not fit in the ride!!! i couldnt even sit down in it.. So Not only was i uterly and steemingly emabarased with everyone looking at me and wispering to thier friends about it but i had to wait until the next ride so my son could go on with his dad, Needless to say i was so very ashamed, and upset that my sons first roller coaster was not with me. I walked away with my head held between my legs "so to speak" As i listened to on lookers tell the tale of the fat lady who could not get on the ride. HOW MUCH SHAME I FELT>>:sad:
The moment that made me change, 5 days before Christmas my father had a heart attack, My dad is 63, walks 5 miles a day and eats a low fat diet, now flash to his oldest daughter 42 years old with high cholesterol and 65 pounds over weight, that was a serious wake up call!0 -
I'm really enjoying reading this. It's fascinating to see the different types of triggers.
I agree, thank you for posting it! Great idea!0 -
I've re-written this post like 4 times. With 4 different epiphanies.
For my adult life I've been the jolly fat guy, I used to make fun of the guy that I am now.
The biggest epiphany is when I joked to myself that I was going to get on a scale to see just how bad off I was...when it said 336, Buzz-Kill! 336 is over a third of the way to 400. 336 that's, that's frickin huge. 336, how the hell do I even get through the physical actiVities I do, do. 336! I can't joke about that anymore. Something has to be done.
So, January through March of last year I started cutting things out and back, and started walking. I couldn't run because my knees hurt from the pounding. I quit drinking a 44 oz of Mt Dew every morning. I cut my FF intake in half. I lost about 20 lbs. Then in April I kind of fell off the wagon. But because it was spring and summer I was pretty active so I maintained the loss through August. In August we went to RMNP for vacation. Long's Peak lives there. (the Mt in my ticker) Reading some of the trail guides I discovered that climbing Long's Peak requires a 17 hour hike. I didn't think I could handle something like that in my condition at that time. So we came home. Still no wagon for me. But then my Wife's Aunt told her about this site. My wife started using this site, and used this site for a week and a half before a swtich just flipped in my brain. I found my Radio Flyer and installed a Pratt & Whitney TurboFan Engine.....I'm gone. Not looking back.
It feels so good to have addresses this area of my life. It's become an obession. What's the next challenge? How can we eat better? Is a 1/2 Marathon out of the question this year? I'm climbing Long's Peak...I just don't know when.
Yes, IPlay, Long's Peak is no "walk in the Park". 17 1/2 hours round trip from the trailhead is about right.. Since you want to be off the summit not later than 1 pm to get from possibly being hit by lightning during the summer, you leave the trailhead before 5 am. I tried to do it in the 70's (before putting on the weight that I've now gotten off) but things started getting dicey when we reached the keyhole (hair starting to stand up) so we got down fast. Haven't been back.0 -
It was when my dad had to lose weight so he could have knee replacement surgery. I had been big since I was in high school. After the doctor told my dad to lose the weight I changed the way he ate. After a while people were asking him how he lost the weight and and would point to me and say because of her. It got me thinking that those same people would look at me and think well why isn't she losing weight. At the end of December '07 I got on the scale and I saw 236. I was 4 pounds away from what I weighed when I delievered my son 2 years before.
I decided then I needed to do something. During 2008 I lost 50 pounds. I felt great. Then last year my son was diagnosed with Mild Autism and so I focused on him and figuring out what we needed to do to make our lives just a little easier in coping with ASD. During this time I did manage to maintain at 186, until about October I started putting a little bit of the weight back on. I saw the scale go up to 195 and I thought "uh uh no way I am going to be heading back to the 200's" So I shifted some of the focus back on to me and started excersizing and using MFP.0 -
There was a definite moment this time around. I was 254 at my highest in college, and had lost 80 lbs two and a half years ago. This past September, I went on a cruise and when I got back, the scale said 245. I couldn't believe that I was less than 10 lbs from my highest, and the way I was going, I felt like I would be setting a new "highest" pretty soon. Even my "fat jeans" were too tight, and none of the clothes I had been wearing at the beginning of 2009 fit me. I decided I had to make a real commitment, not just the various two week diets I had been doing unsuccessfully all summer. I'm serious about being healthy this time, and I'm having good results.0
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Christmas... I missed out on a great op to have pics taken with my husband and kids... I didn't want pictures with how I look.. I can never get that particular moment bad... never want to miss pics with my family again!!0
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My moment was when I went on Wii Fit for the first time in about 9 months.
I was at my boyfriends and decided I would have a go. I have always been a size 8 or so, but for the past few months the junk food was really starting to affect me and become noticeable. Upon stepping onto the scales I was informed that in 9 months I had gained 10 pounds. It may not seem like a lot but for me who has always been so small it really came as a shock.
From then, I am determined to change my ways!
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