Final Straw

Its sad to say this because my husband never ever said anythiong bad to me about my weight. I love him for that But I knew I had to lose weight when I didnt want to have sex anymore because I didnt want my husband to see how fat I had gotten. I also knew it was time to stop using the excuse well I have had 6 children yeah my youngest are 10 . So i started working out and eatting right logging on here then my son has to spend Mothers day weekend in the hospital last year and after that I got lazy again. I have notices that I gained back 10lbs of the 50 lbs I had lost and my husband asked me the other night what happen I was looking so good and working so hard for myself . Thats when I knew I have to try again and Hopefully not fall off the wagon again.
Amy

My turning point is so vain, I can't even believe myself. I told my husband for our anniversary next year, I wanted to go to the beach....well surely, I can't go looking like this! I already did that 3 years ago and it wasn't very pleasant. Can you imagine the wind blowing your beach umbrella away and you're too fat to run down the beach chasing after it? Yeah...I just let that sucker blow away! So then a couple of days later I found MFP and decided to get serious about my health in general. I have 4 kids who need their mom to be healthy....beach or not.

My final straw was when I had to go shopping for clothes to wear over Thanksgiving holiday. I was going through pile after pile of jeans in Old Navy looking for a size 20 and could not find a one! I saw tons of 8s and 10s and I just kept thinking to myself "you know if you weren't so damn fat you would've been in and out of here 20 minutes ago." It was so hard to find anything that made me look good let alone feel good. Then Thanksgiving came and I saw the pictures, ugh, I was even wearing a body shaper underneath! I had never, ever been that big. I decided when I got back to work to weigh myself (my bathroom scale was broken), it said 240 even (I'm 5'7"/8"). Never in my life was I ever that heavy, before kids my heaviest was 222, during pregnancy with my 9lbs 1oz baby girl I topped out at 226 and was down to 199 going home from the hospital after delivery. I was disgusted, depressed, angry, I literally felt trapped in my own body by my fat. Then my SIL got engaged and asked me to be a bridesmaid. There is no way in HELL I am going to walk down that aisle and stand next to her (gorgeous) and her gorgeous friends looking like a whale! I needed to do something. I need to do it for me, my husband, my kids, there is no excuse and no other option. I'm 30 lbs down since January 1st, I'm well on my way and there is no turning back

I had several turning points:

1. When announcing " I have some good news" at a family get together and my Aunt yells "oh my god your pregnant I just knew it" ummm no Im going to be a grandma but thanks!

2. When shopping for the arrival of my new grandbaby the associate asked me when I was due and if I knew the gender.

3. I started to out grow my "fat" clothes and was contemplating asking my daughter in law for her maternity clothes!

4. I stopped going to any social events with friends and family and would rather sit at home in my "comfy" clothes so I would make up some excuse when the real reason was because I didn't have anything to wear that didn't make me look pregnant.

Im 2 weeks into my diet and Ive lost 7 pounds and I feel great. No more lounging on the couch in my comfy clothes Im off the couch going for walks or "cleaning" anything to keep busy.

I guess my story has one major factor different from all of yours. I have no children nor am I currently trying too. Not that it really matters because the 'final straw' is the final straw. Am I right? haha

Anyway, I have been trying to lose weight on and off throughout my high school years but usually ended up stopping because I just didn't really care that much. My whole life growing up, I was always the heavy one in the family. Both my parents are smaller and all of my siblings are small. Not that I would say ANY of them are healthy by any means but they are small framed people in general. One of my sisters decided she was a vegetarian to lose weight (that she really didn't need to) and she did. Then she was a STICK. Hardly eating anything at all and everyone in my family would compliment her on how good she looked meanwhile they didn't realize she wasn't eating anything hardly at all. One of my other sisters is a big health nut and married to a personal trainer, so needless to say she is thin and fit (but too thin and over exercises if you ask me). One of my brothers eats and eats and eats all day long and won't gain a pound (high metabolism I guess) but NOT healthy at all.

Now I know your all probably thinking that I am super negative and not happy for anyone who loses weight, well you haven't met my family (lol). They have been very hard on me my whole life even when I was a under the age of 10. I look back on pictures and think "I was NOT heavy when I was a kid" but all I can remember is my mom and sisters saying "You should really start eating less or at least exercise". And then for Christmas and birthdays I would get work out clothes and a gym membership. Gee thanks guys, what a subtle way of saying I'm overweight. But the point is in high school I would always try to please them by losing a few pounds to shut them up and then gaining it back soon after.

I grew up a few years later and realized that I had gotten even heavier (for multiple reasons that I won't go into). I am not a depressed person or generally unhappy and I am most definitely not self conscious (I never have been, considering the kinds of "encouragement" I had to hear from my family). Anyway, I got up to 270lbs at 5'2" which is pretty high. I am the assistant manager at a drive in restaurant so it was difficult to resist the amazing foods we serve and I would always gain weight during the season and then in the winter I would lose about 20lbs and then we open again in spring and it would start all over again. I was gaining more and more weight though. I went from one winter to spring 230lbs up to 270lbs. As stupid as all this sounds, I really didn't think I had any problems. I didn't see myself as overweight. I didn't look in the mirror or weigh myself on the scale ever. I don't think I actually owned a working scale for years, I never thought I needed it before. Then I went to VEGAS! Well that might sound great but it actually was really humiliating. The amount of walking you have to do is insane and I had to stop lots and was sweating and huffing any puffing ridiculously. I can only imagine how it looked. It was so embarrassing for me. Even looking back at any pictures of me in Vegas is brutal because I have sweat stains and my hair is wet and my face is all red (ew). I wanted to go on this zip line at Fremont Street and I heard that the weight limit was 240lbs or something so I didn't even suggest it, even though I REALLY wanted to do this. I just felt limited to being "fat" (I dislike that F word).

Last year in April I finally had it (because apparently how humiliated I was in Vegas didn't cut it). I got tie up shoes. I usually wore slip ons or crocs. Basically I went to tie my shoes... I broke down crying. There was too much stomach in the way. I started to freak out. My one friend witnessing this was just watching me and telling me to relax and calm down (me dramatic? no... haha). Well anyway, that was the day I decided to get serious about my health. At the time it was about my weight but as I have now lost 61lbs and counting!! I am deciding it is also about health. I want to be healthy for myself. I have finally realized that if I want to do this, I have to do it right and for myself only. No one else. And you want to know the funniest part? My "awesome" family hasn't even noticed, or at least if they have they sure haven't said anything about it.

I feel better than I have in years. And I feel confident in a healthy lifestyle change and will continue this for my future. It is worth it. Even if food is still one of my favourite things in the world, I don't feel trapped like I did before and my self confidence has taken a big boost. Next time I go to Vegas, you WILL see me on that zip line! And I will never buy slip ons or crocs again just because I can't tie my shoes.

Here is one from a guy's perspective.

My final straw was a set of random things all at once:
1. My grandmother died, she always brought us Krispy Kreme when I was growing up.
2. My blood pressure was hitting the danger level
3. Work reduced our health benefits and we have to earn them by getting points on VirginHealthMiles
4. I hit 295 and thought uh oh here comes 300
5. My 30th class reunion is in two years and even if I don't go, I want to be able to go and not be "chubby"

The first time I tried to walk 3 miles after I decided to make the change, I was suffering before the first mile. Last night, my wife and I walked over 4 miles in 90 minutes and felt good about it.

the end of the old me was on 1/10/2013...

I had a physical the morning of the eighth and my bloodwork was back. Despite being on a statin for my cholesterol, all my values still went up(thank you genetics and smoking) and my liver enzymes were starting to become elevated. Doc told me that I had to stop the medication, which was fine with me because it evidently wasn't working anyways. I also wanted to quit :smokin: , which I had been using Zyban for the past year for(it was really helping, let me tell you:noway:), but I didn't want to gain the weight. Enter a book I hadn't been planning on reading by Allen Carr which I first saw mentioned in the forums here...50% of the way through the book and:noway: more :smokin: for me since. MFP has literally saved my life....

Remember through all the :brokenheart: , the :sad:, all the people that said :noway:, my friends on here have gotten me through it with a mixture of :laugh: :smooched: and quite a lot of :drinker: (j/k)....Everyone on here is motivation for me..

Keep on keepin' on even when you want to :explode: and everything will eventually turn up :flowerforyou:

RobertHendrix- I hope this means something coming from a total stranger. Your story made me so proud it brought me to tears, proud of YOU! As a nurse who works with patient's with diabetes and HTN and HLD this touches my heart. You have done a superb job so far and you are no doubt on the road to reaching your goal. You have made tremendous leaps already. It puts stories like mine to shame. Here I am at 210 lbs feeling like "yeah, I've lost 30 lbs but I'm not even halfway there. I'll never reach my ideal weight/shape" and I have so much doubt in myself. Stories like yours make me realize that what I'm going through is a piece of cake compared to what others have done already. Thank you for being strong and healthy for your family and for you and for other MFPers like me, to whom you are an inspiration.

Saw pictures of myself on our annual Disney Christmas trip. I can't believe I let myself get that bad.

Thank you. I hope I can be as much of an inspiration to my patients as you have been to me! I have felt like a hypocrite in the past when doing diet and lifestyle teaching to my patients, now, hopefully, I won't have to feel that way anymore

My final straw was when I was referred to a bariactric surgery clinic by my family doctor. I did not want to go, but I went for the consultation and when I got there they weighed me and I was 375 lbs...25 measly lbs from 400! I could not fathom it. I remember crying to my mother telling her that if I didn't make a change I would not be here much longer. I purposed in my mind to change for me and God is giving me the strength EVERYDAY! I had a small setback for a few months but I am back with a vengeance with the much needed structure of MFP and I'll be damned if I go back again...Hell no I won't go! I am doing it on my own, no shortcuts with surgery for me. I am now back down to 336 lbs where I was before my setback. Keep up the great work everyone! Also, feel free to add me!

Truly amazing life stories, Robert especially brought a tear! ( Sorry I am a right girl!)

My straw was ????? I don't know really, i have been meaning to loose weight / change my life style for 20 years, I kept trying two or three times a year. This year I have started the 5:2 thing, and it seems to be working, plus mentally this year I am happier!

My wife lost allot a couple of years ago, and it is time we matched again!

Thank you all so much for sharing, it is really good to read.

I always avoid the scale and one night my hubby comes home with my old scale from my moms house, i forgot about it , and he turned it on.. the kids found it fun to take turns to check how much they weigh, hubby climbed on and then the dreaded question came "babe arent u going to weigh yourself, come on, its just for fun!!" oh my word.. i got on and when I saw how much i weighed, my heart dropped into the floor... from the very next day i started my eating healthy exercise 5 times a week plan and it has worked, started in Jan 2013 and so far ive dropped 27lbs and i cannot wait to drop some more i have 132 lbs to drop still, its been hard.. but im determined

My turning point was 47 days ago when I returned from a cruise. Even prior to getting ready for the trip I knew this was going to be miserable. I had to literally try everything on before packing it just to make sure it would fit. I only found 1 pair of shorts that fit. Of course the airplane seat going there was miserable. Too big for such a small space. I couldn't even fit in a chair at the buffet. My friend had to give me the booth side to sit down in. The one time I tried to climb the stairs I was so winded I thought I'd pass out. When I got back I knew I had to make a change or probably die. So 46 days ago I logged back onto MFP. I've lost about 17 lbs and feel good about that. It's a real slow process, especially at my age but I'm committed to stay on track this time.