Did something just 'click' ?

That thing that Clicks, just out you in the right frame of mind! Mine was a photo i couldnt believe how fat I got! I used to have a pretty hot body, was never thin but suddenly i was really fat. sad and good day!

hiya, im' in the south of uk I don't know what it was but I ate sooo much over christmas and put another stone on my already morbidly obese self, having lost 5 stone on lighterlife and put it back on plus some a couple of years ago i want this to be the year i succeed, been watching a lot of that show 'Obese a Year to change my life' and it FINALLY clicked that I'm not going to drop it all in a week and am going to have to give myself a year minimum to shift the lard

Also I'm celebrating every loss whereas previously if I didn't lose more than whatever I would really hate myself, so the big switch is that i'm celebrating 8 pounds lost in 5 weeks instead of bemoaning the fact that i have lost that in one week

I keep picking up a can of beans and feeling the weight of it, just for interest I wanted something inthe kitchen cupboard that weighed around a pound and the can of beans does, if I stand there and really feel the weight of it, it's actually very heavy and I don't want to be carrying all the excess pounds, so.... one day at a time

we call it the "OH HELL NO" moment,
For me it was a year ago last fall, after my father passed away. I was at the funeral and everything seemed fine. I got home and one of my nieces posted some pictures from the reception on facebook. I was looking through them and it hit me, "OH HELL NO" that is not me, I am not that big. Well i was that big. I knew i was big, had not been able to use a normal scale in a long time. Well I was over 370 without a doubt, I started losing some before joining MFP, It was not until I ordered the cattle sized scale at home that i was able to find out where my starting point was.

I completely agree. Something(s) must happen before we can do this.

For me it was a few things..

I found out I was pre-diabetic.
I suddenly found myself with blood pressure of 190/110!
I had a small stroke in November.
I got up Christmas Eve in 2011, got on the scale and weighed 179. I refused to hit 180. Ever
A fat pic of me, and I wasn't even at my highest weight then.
Those were all HUGE motivators!

I was told by my family that the stress I was under was going to kill me. It really made me think about my life, my weight, happiness, etc. I pictured myself at my own funeral and the impact it would have on my family. I knew that only I could make so many changes, as I had no control over the 'stuff' that stressed me. I did what I could, then removed the toxic people in my life that made me miserable. It wasn't easy but it worked.
I got up that Christmas Eve morning and after weighing myself, I knew I had to do SOMETHING. I started walkng and haven't looked back. I'll NEVER go back there.

I really can't pinpoint one thing. I was tired all the time. I had poor self-esteem. I didn't love myself. I felt I couldn't get a 2nd job if i needed it because of my weight. It was just a lot of things compounding at one time. I've tried losing the weight several times in the past trying things from Atkins to diet pills and nothing stuck. This time around it has. I contribute a lot of that to finding the right exercise program. I'm ADD so just getting on a cardio machine is boring. I also felt I didn't get a good workout in large group exercise classes because of the size of them and that the instructor was up on a stage instead of walking around helping everyone. My gym offers a small group training class several times a week and it's similar to a bootcamp or crossfit class with circuit training doing all sorts of stuff with kettle bells, dumbbells, body weight, etc. Since there are several different circuits the instructors can pick from, we usually don't repeat during the week. And with 1-14 people in circle working, the instructor can give encouragement and correct form when needed. I think that's been the biggest contributing factor because I started seeing success almost immediately. As for food, the only thing I've completely cut out is soda. I also have cut down dramatically on eating out and now weight/measure everything and keep within a calorie budget. I don't deny myself anything per se. If I want cookies, as long as it fits, I'll have them. Granted, it may be one or two instead of 10, but the fact I'm not denying myself them, I won't binge on the 10+ later. I started this journey on Oct. 20th and have lost 29.2 lbs so far.

Everyone else congrats on your success so far and keep up the good work.

For me it was hitting the 300 lbs mark. I was fine with the 2 at the start but that 3 was a wake up call! (yep it was ok to weigh 299 but not 300). I'm 5'10" and carry my weight fairly well, so the 2 never bothered me. I never had any self image problems and was fairly content at my old size. Now I look at pictures and think I was likely in denial LOL I'm loving the 1 I have at the beginning now! LOL

I was getting close to 250 and having to up my pants size to a 20. In fact my clothes were getting tight so I started avoiding wearing jeans and only wore sweats around the house unless I had to go out. Kept throwing my back out and being sore all the time. My weight was increasing by about 5-10lbs a year. My mom called me up one day and said she was having a hard time walking from one side of the house to the other (she's been morbidly obese most of my life, takes pain meds for her back, and is now diabetic). I realized that if I continued on that pace, that I'd easily be her weight when I got to be her age and most likely have the same health risks. You're supposed to be your healthiest when you're in your twenties, and here I was already falling apart. My mind set gradually shifted, but the dedication this time, the "click", really came from MFP and being able to so easily count my calories. I really didn't think I'd keep with it or lose so much. My biggest goal starting was just to keep from gaining more weight and to refuse to buy the next biggest size up in clothes. MFP made it so easy to stay on track that the rest of my goals/motivations all sort of piled on after that decision.

I was getting close to 250 and having to up my pants size to a 20. In fact my clothes were getting tight so I started avoiding wearing jeans and only wore sweats around the house unless I had to go out. Kept throwing my back out and being sore all the time. My weight was increasing by about 5-10lbs a year. My mom called me up one day and said she was having a hard time walking from one side of the house to the other (she's been morbidly obese most of my life, takes pain meds for her back, and is now diabetic). I realized that if I continued on that pace, that I'd easily be her weight when I got to be her age and most likely have the same health risks. You're supposed to be your healthiest when you're in your twenties, and here I was already falling apart. My mind set gradually shifted, but the dedication this time, the "click", really came from MFP and being able to so easily count my calories. I really didn't think I'd keep with it or lose so much. My biggest goal starting was just to keep from gaining more weight and to refuse to buy the next biggest size up in clothes. MFP made it so easy to stay on track that the rest of my goals/motivations all sort of piled on after that decision.

I was the same way, gaining 5 - 10 lbs a year and doing nothing to change it. I never concerned myself with it but after years of that (I just turned 40 in Nov) it really added up. Glad you caught it sooner than I did and congrats of your progress! :flowerforyou:

I bought a smartphone. How's that for an odd "click"?

I have a very nice Sole Ellipictical that both me and my wife use almost daily. She is in great shape but I either don't drop weight or I drop some and put it back on.

When I got my phone I was just looking through the appstore and seeing what was free. I grabbed the MFP app for my phone because it had tons of 4 and 5 star reviews. I don't think I even ran it for the first week I had the phone.

Then one day I opened it and looked at the food logging tool and saw the little button that looked like a bar code. I hit the button and the camera came on with a red line. A little light went on in my head and I realized "even I can scan everything I eat". And that was 6 weeks and 15 pounds ago.

I keep picking up a can of beans and feeling the weight of it, just for interest I wanted something inthe kitchen cupboard that weighed around a pound and the can of beans does, if I stand there and really feel the weight of it, it's actually very heavy and I don't want to be carrying all the excess pounds, so.... one day at a time
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Also, try visualizing a pound of butter -- imagine that once being on your hips and now it's gone

I had two "aha" moments - one was seeing a photo of myself. I always FEEL skinnier than I am! The other was my 5-year-old innocently asking me why my tummy was still big even though the baby was not in there anymore (I have a 5 month old daughter). I realized I need to set a healthy example for my kids while they're still little.

Mine was seeing photos from my son's first birthday. When did I get THAT big?!? Couple that with him starting walking, and I realized that I now have a toddler to chase around and my body won't be able to handle that at my current size. In addition, he's eating solid food now so I'm very careful about what he eats...very healthy, very balanced...why wasn't I eating the same things? Duh. I also got to the point that I realized that this needs to be a slow process. If I go all commando and work out 2 hours every day and drop to 1200 calories per day, I'll never sustain that long-term. And I need to be okay if I don't lose from week to week. If I can lose 80 pounds over the course of the next two years by making small lifestyle changes, that's what I need to do. And 80 pounds in 2 years is only 3/4 pound per week. That definitely seems possible.

Edited to add: I used to be a smoker, and quitting smoking was similar. I tried several times and never stuck with quitting because there was always a reason to go back with it. Finally I got to the "enough is enough" point (living in IL with a price of $7.50 per pack may have had something to do with it) and was able to quit for good. But you really do have to WANT to.

I agree - without the "click" it doesn't seem to work. The "click" changes your attitude and gives you the mindset that you need to stick with the program and continue on to better health. My latest click (there have been many over the years!!!) was right after my 51st birthday. I sat on the floor and had a hard time getting up! I realized that there are probably more years behind me than ahead of me, and if I didn't get back on track and lose the weight (again!!!) and keep it off (this time!!!) that I was not going to be healthy and live a nice long life into my 80's or 90's.

Making a change in my life was long overdue. I have been unhappy with myself for a long time and always made excuses about why I kept gaining weight. That coupled with the fact that I married a saint who loves me regardless of what size I wear, and I just never felt a strong enough urge to make a change. Then one day I realized that my son is only 18 months old, and if I start losing weight NOW, he will never remember that his mommy was fat and unhealthy. I want him to grow up knowing that his parents are both active, enjoy eating and cooking good healthy food, and I want him to enjoy all those things too.
Now we all cook a healthy dinner together every night. I go home on my lunch hour and cook lunch with my son too (I look forward to this every day, and its way better than eating out). 5 nights a week I work out at home and my little buddy works out right along side me. His squats are adorable and his burpees look like he's doing the worm, but hes pretty good at jumping jacks! I even started working out with a personal trainer once a week bc I know if I spend my money on something and dont see results, I can only be mad at myself for not trying my best. This new life is becoming second nature to me and I feel like this is the time I will actually stick with it.