What was your "final straw"?
AZ_Danny
Posts: 50 Member
I'm curious what was the deciding factor to finally take the plunge and change your lifestyle? In my case it was two thing: one, at 27, my doctor put me on blood pressure medicine and told me to lose weight like YESTERDAY (went in for a skin infection and the dr. basically gave me some meds for that and spent a vast majority of the time discussing my out of control blood pressure and weight). For me, bp medicine is for men 50+, not for men half that age. I felt like I already had one foot in the grave, even if my dr didn't say so specifically. I joined Weight Watchers and it was working very well... however I moved to Arizona after 2 months on weight watchers and right now I can't afford it. Also trying to get better health insurance than what my job offers (it's more of a discount plan, really) and being declined even the most basic coverage due to my weight has been quite an eye-opener as well.
What brought you here? what was your deciding factor?
What brought you here? what was your deciding factor?
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Replies
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Well...I actually had my moment in phases.
By 22 I had diabetes (bad, like 1200 blood sugar count), Stage two hyper tension (167/131 with P of 132) and I was 350 pounds. Which....is not a good weight to be at, at any age. That apparently wasn't enough though...when I was 24 my pancreas stopped working and I landed myself in the hospital a week at 17,000 dollars.
That got me from 352-289...where I hovered at for about three years.
Then I just got tired of being sick, tired of going to the hospital several times a year, tired of huffing when I went up a flight of steps.
All that lead to me hitting 215....
Now I'm going for 170.
It was just slow phases of 'I'm done.'0 -
I broke my ankle badly several years ago and ended up with a bit of hardware in there and a slight limp. A couple of years ago, I broke the same ankle again. Rather than have surgery again, we decided on "conservative care" for the ankle....basically zero weight bearing and lots of monitoring. This left me in a wheelchair for several months. Problem is, I didn't fit comfortably in a standard size wheelchair and had to have a larger one which didn't fit through some doorways. My upper body strength was nowhere near sufficient to lift my weight, either. It was awkward and embarrassing and just a bit demoralizing.
Because I was essentially bedridden, my daughter prepared all my meals. I ate what everyone else ate in the portions everyone else ate...and ended up losing weight! That really forced me to confront the "I've tried everything and nothing works, I must be a special snowflake" mindset. So, as soon as I was allowed to walk, I started using my long neglected treadmill and watching my portions. I still can't walk much faster than 2.2 miles an hour and not for very long...I'm hoping as the burden on my ankle decreases, I'll be able to go faster. For now, the elliptical has become my best friend. As the song says, I don't go very fast, but I go pretty far!:laugh:0 -
It's weird, because having to take BP medications wasn't enough of an incentive to me. What was my final breaking point was a) hating to take pictures because of how I looked, and b) hating to shop for new clothes that I needed because NOTHING fit. Every role showed, each negative physical feature was highlighted.
Finally, I decided to do something because I didn't want to enter my 40's overweight. I joined a gym because I knew I wouldn't waste my money by not going. I also took before pictures-naked. Talk about an incentive!
I lifted weights, did cardio, joined classes (which actually stunted my weight loss because I enjoyed that more than the weights and therefore stopped). I did lose 40 lbs, but I've gained 1/2 of it back. Round two. I plan to get down to the weight the gym told me I should be at (146 lbs). I'm also going to fit into my goal shirt (which is backless...what the hell was I thinking?) if it kills me.0 -
I'm with you on that one. Clothes shopping is absolute heck! I hate it. It's gotten to the point where I just order them online. I had to go to a wedding last year and buying a suit became a rather emotional experience lol0
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I was tired of ending up crying whenever I went shopping for clothes. At my size, the cute clothes don't go that high and the clothes that ARE in my size are styled for women 3 times my age. I was tired of looking in the mirror and being unhappy with what I saw.0
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I started running, and I want to run more and get faster. It's hard to do when you are too heavy, so I want to lose the weight to become a better runner.0
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After my 3rd baby, he'll be 1 in September I went on an eating binge because I was hungry all the time from breast feeding. When I got on the scale January 2013 I was at my heaviest ever 250 (that's more than when I was preggo). I know I needed to make changes and so I joined mfp, I didn't stick with it. In march tried weight watchers online but it was too expensive so in Ju e I came back to mfp and have been more dedicated tha ever to take care of me so I can have a long and healthy life with my kids. I turn 34 in December and when I turn 35 next yr I want to be under 150 and toned up.
With my 1st baby I had gestational diabetes, that didn't get me motivated, my 2nd and 3 rd I didn't but was told with my 3rd I needed to make changes b/c I was boarder line pre diabetic and if I didn't make changes I would end up a full blown diabetic. That scared me but it took some time after having my lo to become committed and make lifetime changes.0 -
Like many here I have been battling my weight for many years. I'm now 35. I can literally count the number of times I've been "a healthy weight" on one hand (minus two fingers). I too dread taking pictures, I look horrible. I just cleaned out my closet of clothing that fit me just a year and a half ago! I now literally have a handful of clothing that fits me. I refuse to go clothes shopping due to the emotional havoc it wreaks on my psyche, as well as the financial part where I can't afford to.
But my final straw was this: My children asked me to take them to a water park. I said I couldn't due to funds. The real reason was out of selfishness. I can't wear a bathing suit in public, let alone privately, so why would I take my kids to a water park where I couldn't have fun with them?!?! Yes selfish, I know, painful too, not being able to live a full life and having wonderful experiences with my own children because I didn't have the strength or will power to stop eating.
What have I learned in the last 3 years? School, stress, unemployment, and more stress isn't exactly fun and wreaks havoc on your health. I will not let it beat me though.
Next thing on my to do list after having joined myfitnesspal? A scale so I can take full ownership of my weight problem and getting it into check.0 -
My final straw was seeing my weight on the scale: it reading over 300 lbs... I didnt believe it... Wouldnt believe it, until i couldnt fit into clothing that used to fit "big" on me. Once i practically bust out of a coat... Yes literally, it ripped in the back... That was it for me. I was in denial for so long... Being tall, you get a little more slack for carrying extra weight, but c'mon i am under 30 y/o weighing more than a pro athlete that is way taller than me smh Sooooo... Here I am, 7 months in and with 34lbs to lose. Just hold yourself accountable and dont give up. You can all do it!0
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When I was pregnant with my daughter, I started off at 190 pounds, bordering on obese for my height. I had gestational diabetes so I ate very carefully and gained only 25 pounds during my pregnancy. After I had her, I lost most of the baby weight quickly. Then, I stopped caring about portions and was soon bingeing on a regular basis. Before my daughter was a year old, I had gained my pregnancy weight back plus 3 pounds. I realized that women contestants on the biggest loser had started out at or just above my weight and I just couldn't face watching the number on the scale go any higher. I am also STILL in maternity clothes which is too depressing for words since my daughter is now 13 months old.0
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When I found out my wife bought me 42" waist pants and cut the tag out so I wouldn't know and freak out. I had already gotten nearly suicidal over 40's. My closet is starting to look like a clothing store with the full range of sizes available. I decided I'm going back under 200 or else. My dad had heart surgery at around 61, that's only 7 years away for me now, I'd like to not do that.0
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Finding out my BMI classified me as obese
Seeing me in family pictures and my reaction was "Oh my God", and noticing that the jacket I was wearing was actually too small and being embarrassed
Always hiding in pictures
Never wanting to look at my reflection when passing by windows or mirrors in stores
Hating to shop for clothes when I once used to love shopping
Hating to get dressed for work and taking forever to decide what to wear because nothing looked good anymore
Just plain being ashamed of the way I looked0 -
I got tired of not feeling normal.... I have been here a short time but I am fully committed to this.0
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It may never be the final straw but it was the last straw! I've lost 18 this year. Last year it was 35. So I gained nearly half back over a bad winter, spring and early summer. But this last straw was that I donated all my size 36 waist pants. So I refused to wear anything larger than 34. But the only thing was that I had to wear shirts un-tucked because I was ashamed of my small belly showing. So my last straw is shame.0
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It's really weird, there was no specific trigger moment for me. I had 'known' I needed to lose weight for many years (all the while putting more and more weight on...) kinda like a smoker 'knows' they should quit. And yet somehow I just never.
One day I signed up here, started logging, and that was it. I've fallen off the wagon once or twice and I still can't pick my trigger moments. One day I just get back on it and 'do it'.0 -
Pulling a muscle in my chest while shoveling snow was one of the best things that happened to me. At the time, I didn't put two and two together as to the cause of my injury. All I knew was that my chest hurt for several days. I went to a doctor and was falsely diagnosed with angina. This was a few months before my 38th birthday. My wife and I were stressed about the idea that I could potentially have a heart attack at any time. Of course, that could still happen now, but you get the idea. A week later, my wife introduced me to MFP and it was the start of a much healthier lifestyle for both of us.0
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My moment came when I was getting ready for work and I could not get any of my jeans up past my thighs. I mean I had to have tried on 12 pair!!!! I just broke and flopped down an a puddle of tears and snot to cry myself into being late for work and worrying my mom to distraction...0
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My trigger moment happened while on vacation..my husband had a stroke at the age of 40. Official diagnosis was a TIA (transient iscemic attack) on the left side of his brain. He lost all movement on his right side. Thankfully with the help of great Dr's and rehab he gained his movement back. It was a long process but he never gave up. Hes now at about 90%. We decided then to live more healthy. We both stopped smoking and started regular check ups, and addressing issuses that should have been taken care of years ago. With genetics, smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight, eating junk, and not exercising we were a ticking time bomb. We had our "Aha" moment!0
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Mine wasn't a final straw - it was a way to avoid the final straw. For a large and tall woman, I am fairly flexible. I have always been able to touch my toes. I was watching TV one day and just wanted to see if I could still touch my toes. I COULD. It was still pretty easy, but it hit me......what if I can't in 3 or 6 months?? I decided that I would always be able to touch my toes, and that if I was going to put that goal on me, I better do something about it sooner than later.0
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So, last summer I got an epiphany that I was a fatass. The elevator was out at work and I was breathing like a beached pilot whale from climbing three flights of stairs. I remember thinking, "Is THIS what you've become? Is THIS the best you can be?"
I took a long hard, and truthful look at myself. At the advanced age of forty five I'd ballooned up from my physical work weight of one hundred fifty-five pounds to two hundred thirty pounds. My BMI was 34.5, and I was a mere fifteen pounds from being classified as 'morbidly obese'. I was tired all of the time. I didn't really do anything that involved being physical. I'd stopped working in the wood shop I have. Yard work requiring more than me pushing a self-propelled mower didn't get done.
At fifty-eight weeks of weight loss:
Weight: down from 230 lbs to 173
BMI: down from 35.4 to 27.1
Body fat (guess from pictures): 40%+ to 28%
Waist: down from 40 to 33
Endurance: up from "Couldn't get up three flights of stairs" to "hiking six to seven miles a day in under ninety minutes."0 -
I have previously lost a little over 50 pounds and then have become vegetarian and still don't quite have the physique that I want. (Mind that that's not why I became vegetarian in the first place) I still have a bit of fat around my midsection that I don't like or want. I have always wanted a flat stomach just for the mere reason to wear a bikini. Also the fact that I don't like being naked in front of anyone, not even significant others, is crippling to my self-esteem. So, here I am. Working on my core, doing a little more dieting in order to lose those extra pounds in order to feel comfortable in my own skin.0
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It's weird, because having to take BP medications wasn't enough of an incentive to me. What was my final breaking point was a) hating to take pictures because of how I looked, and b) hating to shop for new clothes that I needed because NOTHING fit. Every role showed, each negative physical feature was highlighted.
Finally, I decided to do something because I didn't want to enter my 40's overweight. I joined a gym because I knew I wouldn't waste my money by not going. I also took before pictures-naked. Talk about an incentive!
I lifted weights, did cardio, joined classes (which actually stunted my weight loss because I enjoyed that more than the weights and therefore stopped). I did lose 40 lbs, but I've gained 1/2 of it back. Round two. I plan to get down to the weight the gym told me I should be at (146 lbs). I'm also going to fit into my goal shirt (which is backless...what the hell was I thinking?) if it kills me.
My story is much the same. I had a hard time accepting the fact that I had to be on BP meds, put it off as long as I could, I was also under 200 lbs at the time. What set me off is a picture my husband and I got taken last fall. I couldn't believe that I looked that overweight, I never realized it, I didn't see it when I looked in the mirror, I saw someone who weighed probably about 70 lbs lighter. I was also buying size 22 clothing, the biggest I'd ever been, I was miserable. I decided I needed to get moving, exercise is my downfall, I get lazy. Anyway, so far I've lost about 35 lbs or so, I've been maintaining for the summer since I know that things are crazy and we're not around, once fall starts I'll start my next leg. I am proud to say that I've stayed within 2 lbs of the weight I was at the beginning of June so my maintaining is working so it is doable once I'm at a lower weight.0 -
Lots of "straws" indicated i need to change my lifestyle. But the FINAL one was when: my Buddah belly jiggled was i hit a bump on the road while driving.
That was the first time i felt my belly jiggled, and i was like: "Whattttt the ???"0 -
My final straw was not fitting comfortably into plane seats, theatre seats, restaurant booths, etc. Plane seats being the last thing..;..I barely got the seatbelt shut and I had to have the armrest up between me and hubby's seat....it was just a very uncomfortable ride
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diagnosed type 2 diabetes...52 years old..cholestrol way too high..low blood preasure though
lost 35 lbs since beginning of june was 267....feel better...endurance is alot more now
life is good0 -
" was tired of ending up crying whenever I went shopping for clothes. At my size, the cute clothes don't go that high and the clothes that ARE in my size are styled for women 3 times my age. I was tired of looking in the mirror and being unhappy with what I saw."
This!
and the fact I was almost the same weight and pants size as my Hubby who is 1 foot taller. Mom told me she and Grandma had talked about the fact they hoped my *kitten* did not get as big as the RN caring for my grandma. OK, I thought that she has huge, at least 300. that meant i was moving to huge! It was painful to hear, but Mom and I can be pretty honest with each other. I am so glad now! Quit smoking because I was sick of paying on extra insurance. Decided fat people (Moi!) would be next target.0 -
besides, what perverse s**** keeps putting petites across from the "women's" section.!!!!0
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Seeing my wedding photos, ugh. And the ex's new gf calling me a string of fat related obscenities on FB.0
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The social pressure from my friends. I'm still young, and I'm so glad that I have decided that enough is enough at this age. I have always been overweight, always. My clicking point was when my very skinny friend was telling me she was "considering" going anorexic. I told her that was NOT a diet. I - guiltily - looked into the "pro-ana" websites. I was not going to fall under that type of horrible lifestyle, and I was ashamed. That day, I found myself looking into lipo.
LIPO.
Now, mind you, that i am in highschool. I have always accepted that I would just be fat my whole life. That I would be fat, and that is that.
However, I looked at myself.. What was I doing? I can change. No, I wouldn't wait for summer. I started this at 200 pounds, 5'3, under 18 years old. Today I am 168 pounds, heading down to 130.
My whole childhood I've been told it was just my genetics, I was always going to be a big girl.
I don't want that. I want a boyfriend.
When I went shopping (a teenage girl!) I hated it. I would dread the fitting room and cry as I looked through the clothes. I would never look pretty and thin like those girls. ever. I would never be desirable, I would die alone, I got to be so insecure. Over everything - and by that I mean everything. I am STILL working with my insecurity. but it's much better now.
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My final straw was not fitting comfortably into plane seats, theatre seats, restaurant booths, etc. Plane seats being the last thing..;..I barely got the seatbelt shut and I had to have the armrest up between me and hubby's seat....it was just a very uncomfortable ride
Yes! I totally forgot about this! I barely sat in an airplane seat comfortably and restautant booths were uncomfortable if i couldnt move the table to adjust to my stomach. Too much...0
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