When was your "Somethings got to change" moment?

Growing up, I always struggled with my image, my body weight, & my confidence levels. I was always smaller than my high school best friend, but I was still chubby. I hated how I looked but I figured, "Hey, I'm not as bad as so and so." Or, "Oh, as long as I don't get to X amount of weight."

And then when I'd go over that weight, I'd keep making excuses.

It was several things that got me to really take a good hard look. I was running out of fitting clothes to wear. It has taken many times of being winded while going up a flight of stairs.

But the final straw was when I got a free fitness evaluation from Anytime Fitness, my 2nd week there. I was so ashamed, so disgusted, so embarassed. It was like the Biggest Loser but worse. All of my measurements were taken and I was weighed. I had gained 40 pounds since I started high school 5-6 years ago. And within the last year, I have probably gained 15-20 of that.

After the personal trainer gave me my stats, I left the gym & cried in my car for the next 20 minutes before heading home. And I had an emotional breakdown for the rest of my night. At that moment, I knew that I couldn't overlook my health any longer!

Well, here's my sad story, lol.

I was 48 years old, 5' 9" and weighed about 210 lbs. I knew I was "a little" over-weight (obese? not me....:grumble: ); I had high blood pressure, but it was well-controlled with medication. I'm married, so not out chasing women, don't need to look good, right?

In July 2012 I took a routine, annual blood test. In August, the Dr. said my blood glucose was high, and sent me for another test. In Sept. 18, 2012, my Dr. looked me in the eye and said "Your A1c is 9.0. That means you're diabetic." BAM, between the eyes. (<5.7 is considered "normal".) "You're overweight; you should be eating about 1800 calories a day, you're probably taking in about 2800 now." He went on to discuss what I should avoid to keep my blood sugar levels down, and put me on Metformin. We also discussed the possible complications of diabetes; you know, little things like having feet amputated, going blind and death from heart or kidney failure. He also recommended MyFitnessPal. I've logged on every day since then, 200+ days and counting.

Also since that moment, I've dropped about 46 lbs, stopped taking one of my HBP medications, and my Dr. is talking about reducing my Metformin prescription at my next appt (in late May). So much for being "a little" overweight. I've lost nearly 1/4 of my total body weight! And I still need to lose a bit more.

I don't look at this as a "diet", and I don't look at it as a "choice". It is a lifestyle change that I HAVE to make, and I MUST continue it. The alternative is to have one of the ailments I listed above, and that simply is not an option I'm willing to consider.

It's the one thing I see that's constant throughout the messages in this thread - MOTIVATION. Just like quitting smoking, or giving up drugs, you won't change your eating habits and lose weight unless you REALLY want to and COMMIT yourself to doing what is necessary to make it happen.

46 lbs didn't just fall off me - I made it happen, as the rest of you have done. It takes personal strength to do what we've done, so my congratulations to all of you! Well Done!

First of all, let me say that everyone's stories have really moved me. Really! It's amazing how we've all come from different places, yet really, not so different. And here we are!

For me, it wasn't just one thing, but rather a few things.

1. I turned 30. Things just aren't moving as they should any more. Weight doesn't magically "drop off" like it did 10 years ago, and I creak in places I didn't know I had. Gotta change that!

2. My endometriosis got worse. My doctor gave me the, "The better your overall health, the easier your illness will be to manage" speech, and I actually, finally listened.

3. I had to change my diet to accommodate some changes to my illness. When I realized how much better I felt just from that, it was a smack in the head. Like, why am I not doing more than this?!

4. I'm getting married this year, and I don't want to look like a narwhal in my wedding dress.

5. DF and I hope to start a family within the next year or so. Because of my illness, getting pregnant will likely be tricky. The more I look after myself now, the better our odds are. Also, I wan to be in great shape BEFORE getting pregnant, so it's not so bad after (hopefully).

I've lost 5 pounds so far. For my original goal, I've got 10 to go (plus toning) but I might try to lose an extra 5. I don't know. Right now I'm just excited about all of the new possibilities before me.

It should've been when the doctor said I had high this and that, but honestly my moment came when I worked for a company that had uniforms. I had gotten so round that I busted the button off the size 38 pants and I decided that enough was enough...there was no way I was going to ask my boss to order size 40 pants.

My weight crept up and up.. I made some efforts to lose weight on and off, but never got anywhere far. When it seemed like surgery was going to be my only option left, I decided to give it my all because the idea of surgery scared the crap out of me. I've had ups and downs with it but I am not in that place anymore.

I have battled my weight for years, up and down, repeat, and more up than down. The last ten years have left me at my heaviest in my life at 236, now down to 225.2. But my actual turning point was not a talk with the doctor, family member, or friend. It was the morning of my 36th birthday in January of this year. I woke up, went in the bathroom, and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. You know the glimpse where it catches you off guard? In that instant, I realized that I was grossly overweight, and I thought who the hell is that in the mirror. I started moving more, but you know the expression that you can't out train a bad diet, I'm living proof. Last month I joined a thread on another forum, about losing weight. Somebody on it mentioned MFP, and I can here to check it out. Re-found an account that I had set up over a year ago. I had totally forgotten about it, but am so glad that I went through the process of finding the username and password for it. I wish I could reset the account to reflect the weight that I started at this time, instead of the weight from last year, but I can't (or don't know how), so I'll just live with it.

4. I'm getting married this year, and I don't want to look like a narwhal in my wedding dress.

Made me lol! Not just any ol whale...a narwhal.

My moment was when I got addicted to Pintrest oddly enough. I found some outfit website that used your body type to find clothes that would look good on you. Oh. My. God. THAT'S what I look like?I've always avoided looking at myself in the mirror, skimmed past pictures of me heavier than just about everyone else in my family. And then I started seeing all these wedding ideas and although I'm not engaged I though about other weddings I'd been to, brides in their dresses and thought yeah there's a couple women I do NOT want to look like in my someday dress. My guy always calls me gorgeous and says I look good in anything but after my third child I'm at least 35 pound heavier than when we started dating.
There was always this "geeez I need to lose some weight!" in the back of my head but it seemed impossible. Healthy food is expensive, we don't live near a gym, I'm too tired at night to exercise. All excuses that aren't good enough for me any more. I may never be a size 6 and I'm cool with that. But dammit I'm tired of bein the fat one and feeling frumpy all the time. Wishing and hoping was not going to take the weight off so it was time for a change. So far I've stuck with it and plan to keep sticking with it until I get down to 155. Then I'm gonna stay there! Lol

There's nothing like the thought of an impending wedding to make you realize everything you hate about yourself! LOL Sad but true. Funny you should mention Pinterest - I find some of their photos to be almost depressing, like everything is just so stupidly perfect.