What was your wake-up call?

I did the math. I lost weight once and since gaining it back I've been saying I did it a few years ago; I can do it again. Then I realized I had been saying it for ten years. I got so disgusted with myself I shut up and started doing instead.

My boo telling me he thought my belly y was cute and squidgy! After burying his body in the loft I joined this site!! lol

I was having heart palpitations and got scared. Well, when I lost some weight they stopped, so I am going to keep on going so I don't get all the illnesses that run in my family.

I was always thin and in shape growing up. I had my daughter young (at age 21) and gained a lot of weight, and have had horrible back problems and complications as a result of my pregnancy and her birth.... I gained SO much weight, and I was depressed and used my back problems and pain as an excuse.... until I caught my boyfriend of three years cheating on me with every woman he could get his hands on, and they were all amazingly skinny and beautiful.... something just snapped in me, all the wasted crying over him and I took a long look in the mirror and decided that enough was enough.

I since have made tremendous life changes, lost 30lbs (working towards more loss), quit my job that was contributing to my misery and was leading me no-where, and went back to college full-time....

Honestly... we struggle, we don't have a lot of money now that I am not working, but we make do on savings and my school loans.... and I can say that I am the HAPPIEST that I have EVER been!!!!!!!!!

I'd been telling myself that I was trying to lose weight, but not really doing it "because I didn't have the time" to exercise. In reading a blog, I discovered a book called Make Shi(f)t Happen and decided that I needed to make some shifts in my life. I started riding my bike early in the morning before kids and hubby get up, I make a lunch instead of take out and I have a supportive husband. Now I am down 26 pounds - not trying to lose more, but not trying not to either. If I keep doing what I am doing, I will be healthy and my weight will be where it is supposed to be.

For me pictures have always been difficult. I would fanatically untag pics of me in Facebook because I didn't want people to really see how big I had gotten (especially the old high school and college friends). In May I had to have my gall bladder out and the lab tests to determine what was wrong showed that I was prediabetic and that my cholesterol was high. I don't want to take Rx drugs...so I'm here. And of course, I feel sluggish all the time and hate looking in the mirror. Time to change!

You know what, I missed a lot of signs, being referred to as the big guy, so I'm over 6 ft, have broad shoulders etc but was too heavy....

Struggling to put shoes and socks on, nearly constant lower back pain, out of breath in no time - then my son arrived!

Man, what a wake up call that was, and is. He's amazing, without doubt the best ever thing to have come into my life and it was the terrifying thought of not being around for him, not being able to spend time messing about, being out of breath etc.

So, things had to change, and they are. I've lost over a stone in 6 weeks, and it's still coming down. I can bend over with ease, the back pain hasn't been around for a while now, and I can move about better. i can fit into my old suits again, run about without having to stop after a few seconds, and the bowel problems that have been dogging me for years seem to have all but gone too.

We have all had many attempts at this before, but for me, I can't let this go now - my life has real focus now, and I'm going to make it count.

For me it just kept creeping up year after year even though I lifted and ran (marathons and ultra marathons), my gosh, I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. The rest of my story is on bobbies fitness blog but the bottom line is our society has an over abundance of food. I was not a pig, not a mindless eater, not a snacker, not a binger, didnt' stuff myself, it just didn't make sense. Portion sizes are designed for 6' tall men. I'm a 5' tall female. duh! Anyway I finally achieved my dream at age 50 last year.

Oh yeah and one final incident for me. At age 45 I retired from my high tech job and went through the police academy. I worked really hard to stay fit and even though I was over weight my years of running and lifting made me strong, although I didn't look the athlete I could run circles around the young guys in class. I was really proud after I was hired as a deputy (I work part time as a volunteer) but then to my horror I kept gaining weight! I had to buy bigger uniform pants. What the heck? Finally when we were taking a guy to jail he sat in the back of the patrol car calling me a fat *kitten* the whole time. That was the last straw! I just started eating less. Cut my portions in half and no eating after 7pm. After all the diets I've done for 15 years, it just comes down to eat less, move more (although I had the move part down).

I had a breast reduction and it took me near 6 months to recover from it, yes 6 months....3 of those months I could not bathe myself and for the 1st month I could not take care of my own...hygienic needs...I can't even say the words as even now it's humiliating. I know my weight and lack of physical activity before surgery was a huge reason for my recovery being what it was, the rest was my complete lack of self worth.

I was 25 tired of being out of shape. I couldn't sleep, didn't fit into clothes or shoes that I liked. Two things in one week were my triggers. 1. I have two little girls they both drew a family picture and I was a circle with arms, :laugh: , I can laugh now but for some reason it got to me then. I asked them why am I a circle they said because I was the fattest in the family:noway: . 2. That weekend I was going out so i decided to go shopping, 2XL no longer fit me. That was it for me. That was a year and a half ago and I don't regret starting this journey, one of best things I have done in life.