What was your wake up call?

Laying on a hospital bed watching the ultrasound on my heart and watching it pause every other beat and driving home thinking of my family if I fell over dead and how it could all be prevented if I just got healthy.

My most recent wake up call is when I was at my peak weight (232lbs) I complained a lot to my BF at the time and never did anything about it. Finally he got fed up and told me to do something about it or shut up. Nothing quite like tough love. He was very supportive while we were together and now that we've separated I'm able to carry on on my own

Loved your story:-) Kids are being diagnosed with fatty liver disease now, something that was unheard of a decade ago.

My wake-up call was doc telling me that fasting blood sugar was high, and I needed a Hgb A1C test to confirm diabetes. My brother has it, and my mother died from complications. I never went in for the test, but changed my diet and lifestyle completely. Next appt, 20 lbs gone and blood sugar back to normal.

My wake up call came after I got injured and could no longer powerlift metabolic syndrome set in and I gained too much weight. I was 245 lbs with a 5 foot 7 inch frame. My BP 160/110, cholesterol was 270 and my tryglicerides were 170. I found it diffcult to run without feeling tired and dizzy. I started with a personal trainer who got me involved in cross training and the rest is history.

I had broken several chairs until then, my doctor told me i would not get older than 40, i was not able to get clothing in any shop because i was too big, was diagnosed with diabetes, and have an enourmous blood pressure... but strangely that all did not help. It was a shelf collapsing when I supported myself on it to stand up and 5 minutes later getting stuck in the door of the shower that made me think "Enough is enough". Started at about 551 lbs and lost 110 lbs since then.

I had surgery last summer and when the tech asked me my weight in front of my husband I realized that I was embarrassed because I was 217 lbs and didn't want to say it out loud.
My husband is my best friend, we share everything and have am amazing relationship but this was one area that I was so ashamed of I couldn't even share it with him.
Once I recovered I decided to be open and honest about myself and told my husband my weight, I also told my mom, and we are now sharing a weight loss journey together.
Now each week when I weigh in I share my weight with my husband and my Mom because Im proud of the fact that Im working toward my goal.
As of this morning I was 191 so have lost 26 pounds and Im no longer afraid of it as Im in control now, not my weight!

I've had many triggers throughout my life that should have kicked my butt into gear many times, but I was always too stubborn and lazy to really make the change! From family members saying hurtful yet "helpful" things about my weight, to seeing a girl I went to high school with drop about 50lbs., and look awesome!

Finally, becoming pregnant with our daughter really woke me up. I was scared to have a girl, because I knew I couldn't be a role model to her being as large as I was. Also, I had insecurity/image issues and I didn't want to pass them onto her, so I knew it was time to change. She was born March 31, 2009, and after my milk supply left a few weeks after, I began my diet full force! I was at my goal by her first birthday

my wake up call was my last doctor appointment. for over a year i've had borderline high blood pressure and i didn't care. i wasn't a fan of doctors and i was pretty much in denial. my last appointment, i stepped on the scale and it said the largest number i have ever been. i was so embarrassed. then when the doctor took my blood pressure it was very high (partly because i was upset about my weight but mostly because of the CRAP i have put into my body). my doctor said she wanted to put me on medication to lower my blood pressure. that was it! i started balling in the room in front of my doctor. i have always been overweight but never this bad and to be put on medication for high blood pressure at 24?! noooooo!! so i begged for her to wait til my next doctor appointment to make that decision. i WILL lower my blood pressure and my weight! i don't want to be unhealthy anymore.

since starting this site at the beginning of this month, i have already lost 6lbs and i feel great. my pants that i'm wearing right now are already loose on me. i can't wait until i go down a full size! i am so excited!

thank you for everything, MFP! i couldn't be happier sharing my journey with all of you.

I have a couple of different reasons for finally getting serious about this. 1) is i am just sick of being overwieght, 2) I too complain about it all the time, and I too have a boyfriend who got fed up with it. I see it causing tension between us. I am tired all the time, i get upset easier and my self confidence has went down the tube. 3) My best friend was just diagnost with pre-diabetes.

The other "shamefull" reason. I feel even terrible for saying this out loud. But my friends and I are doing this together and i know they will succeed so i dont want to be the "fat" friend. That is big motivation for me.

I had a health screening at work & my blood pressure was so high - (stroke level at the age of 28!!!) - that they told me to see my doctor. That was February 2008 & 20 pounds ago.

What made me reply to this is that i had the same high results back on some blood tests which scared me to death so i can relate to your story completely! i had been feeling unwell for a long time was feeling really sorry for myself and i was secretly comfort eating. I dont drink huge amounts so i knew it wasnt that, it turns out i dont have a fatty liver and my tests are levelling out now, although still higher than normal and im still getting tested every 6 weeks but its been put down to a very nasty virus (meaning no one really has a clue). I remember how embarrassed i felt that they could be due to a fatty liver because i knew how badly i had been eating and i constanly go on about eating organic food, fruit and veg, fish etc etc and boast that i havent drunk tea and coffee for 30 years but then eat copious amounts of chocolate and rubbish which negates all the good stuff.

I suddenly realised i was 12st 5lbs and remembered saying id never let myself get over 12 stone, then in a flash remembered, a couple of years before, saying id never let myself get over 11 stone, and back to when i said it about 10 stone and suddenly thinking its time i realise that im lying to myself and noone else, that the weight could snowball if i let it get any further out of control and that this time next year i could be saying i'll never allow myself to get over 15stone.

I feel self conscious when i go out, i have to worry about what im going to wear for days before a special event, i hide in long dresses all day. My b/f is GREAT, he tells me im beautiful and sexy but his words dont get through any more and i always ask myself if hes lying to make me feel better ........... so i decided that enough is enough and im going to do something about it - starting yesterday!! That i started yesterday and can say those words is a miracle in itself as ive always said starting tomorrow before!

I want to get into the jeans im wearing in my profile pic which was taken 3 1/2 years ago - i think i was about 10 1/2 stone then and i think that would be amazing!!

Honestly for me it was watching the weight just keep coming on, I'd diet or fad diet some of it off but yet it seemed no matter what I did, I couldn't keep it off. So I would go through yearly bloodwork/physicals with the doc and my cholesterol started one year at 205 and the next at 216. The doc told me if I didn't do anything that I'd be on the same meds within the next couple of years. Noted that my dad's level was in the upper 230's and they placed him on lipitor. I decided to start exercising more, but my weight had gotten right around the 200 mark and I couldn't get myself lower than 192....and I was spending hours at the gym. I looked built in certain areas but puffy in others lol. It took me a while to figure out that what I was eating was the real problem, I mean eating 1/2 to 3/4 of a chicken in one sitting is a bit much, right?????? Anyway, I went on what was called the fat smash diet (portion control with an emphasis on fruits/veggies/whole grains) and watched the weight drop off, so nowadays I work to maintain it.

Seeing photos of myself was my wakeup call. Funny how we always seem to look 30lb lighter in the mirror... my friend took some pictures of myself playing with some dogs on the lawn and I was aghast. That, combined with seeing my highest weight on the scale yet and buying size 14 pants, was the catalyst for change. I'm sick of always being self-conscious, especially in University- a time in my life when I shouldn't have to worry about how I look (not that anyone should).

One day, I just woke up and decided today was the day. No fanfare, no planning. I find it works better that way. It's been a little over two weeks and I've lost seven pounds... to me, it doesn't seem like much yet because I have so far to go, but the only option is to keep going. I'm really glad that I've found this community- I think it'll help.

I am really inspired by everyone's story. And it really hit home to me just how much different our bodies are and how much they may or may not endure.

I have never been classified a BMI of "obese". No one ever even called me "fat". The worse my weight got was 5 pounds into the BMI "overwieght" for my height. I ate well, a little endulgences now and then, but lots of salad and fruit and veggies too. I limited red meat to about once every other week -- and one 9 ounce filet mignon feeds my family of 3. (If I am am going to limit a steak to once per month -- I am going to enjoy it!). Most of my protein was chicken and fish. I worked out at least 3 times a week and was often active beyond that. I had sworn I would never weigh more than I did the day before my son was born.

At my worse I was 5'5" and 152 lbs -- not really "that bad" I was told; especially "for my age" (45). But my body couldn't handle it -- my Blood Pressure went thru the roof to 180/110. When my doctor looked at that and then said, "You can't feel that?!!" :noway: :noway: :noway: That was my wakeup call. What I thought were hot flashes were BP issues. I was retaining water, acid reflux had been diagnosed, I snored, my asthma needed more controlling, and my migraines were off the charts. In short for not being "that bad" I was a mess.

I have lost 22 of my 25 pounds and I am still working on it. My BP meds have been reduced, and my migrains and asthma are doing much better. My DH says the soring has stopped. I am speaking to the Doc about the acid reflux next time I see him.

My wake-up call wasnt nearly as serious as others here. I had been "trying" to lose weight for a few months with no results (and all I got were more aches and pains). My friend linked me the site and I said I will just try writing everything down, and I was HORRIFIED by just how bad all the stuff I was feeding myself was. I decided I could lose the weight if I was willing to change. I am still trying to stay strong and continue with my journey today (just over 3 months later).