Besides yourself and a mirror, who gave you a wake-up call?

About 15 years ago my husband said something hurtful, out of concern for me. I was at my highest weight of 266.

I've had babies and health stuff pop up but my health is finally sorted out and my babies aren't babies anymore so I can focus truly on me. My decision four months ago was entirely mine being uncomfortable in my own skin. At 241, I was awfully close to that dreaded highest weight number, I never want to revisit again.

So, no excuses, it's all up to me. It's my journey and I want to be healthy.

Actually it was two things...No one ever said anything about my weight. Being overweight is somewhat the norm in my family.

1.) I was on the scale at physicians office (in a clinical trial for 18 months) and just happened to look at my weight and a chart posted above scale. For my height and weight, it said my BMI was 37 (Obese Class 2) It took a few days to sink in. I thought I was just a little fluffy.

2.) Following up with primary physician and after blood work, was told my glucose has been consistently high - impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)

I was told to go on a low glycemic diet.

Strangely again, I was never told that I was obese and needed to lose weight.

Nope. Family members' comments just made me more stressed out, which caused me to binge and fueled my social anxiety. It was a vicious circle.

Besides myself and the mirror, my boyfriend was a huge catalyst. He never, ever said a word, and he was always SO nice about making sure we went to restaurants where I could fit or buying aisle seats at Wrigley so I could sit on the edge of the seat, but I felt bad that he had to make those concessions and take my weight into consideration. I also couldn't keep up with him, so he had to walk a lot slower and stop frequently to let me sit. This made our trips to Chicago really hard, as we couldn't do as much, and I was in pain to the point of tears by noon. It was awful.

I promised him I would be the fun, exciting, active person I was before we met, someone he'd never had a chance to meet. He's already made comments about how much faster I walk and how I run up and down the stairs when we ride the L (Chicago's mass transit). I can also sit in the seats at Wrigley just fine, so we can sit anywhere we want. He's been very supportive without being judgmental, and it's awesome.

My family... meh. My mother told me I shouldn't brag about losing weight until I'd lost "60 pounds or something really impressive" (this was back when I'd lost 25 pounds and said something on Facebook). She used to harp on me even when I was only 10 pounds overweight - heck, even when I was a kid and she was the one giving me cookies - so I'm learning to ignore her any time she mentions my weight. I showed my parents some comparison pictures at Christmas, after I'd lost 40-ish pounds, and everyone else was super excited and complimentary, while she said, "You still have a long way to go, though." I'm not sure if it's jealousy or if she's just super-critical or a bit of both, but ugh.

As many people here: pictures. In the mirror I looked small and good, but in the pictures? Oh blob no :noway:.

Second, I was tired all the time, had to sleep at least 15 hours a day. So went to the doctor, did a blood test and it said I had Amnesia. With a 5.2 mmol/l I was near the bigger problems. So I needed to learn to eat again actually and MFP helps me a lot with tracking!

Took a company picture and out of 15 people.. I was the only "fat" one in the picture. I did some research, took a bodyfat test and it turned out I was nearly 33% bodyfat. I have a long way to go.. but I am moving in the right direction.

Mine wasn't the mirror but the camera lens. In a mirror I look fabulous! LOL!

My oldest (4 yrs old, at the time) was obsessed with growing up. She'd pat her head and say it was higher today. She'd pat her belly and say it was getting bigger. She'd look at her socks and comment how they were getting smaller.

One day she was commenting on how she was taller, and asked if I was taller. I told her I was done growing up. She patted my belly and said my belly was growing and was nice and big. It was supposed to be a consolation, in her little-kid mind.

I had already lost 50 pounds at that point, and had coasted at that weight for several months. I found MFP the next day.

Man, that still makes me cringe.

Nobody mentioned it to me. I didn't have mirrors in my house, I guess I was in denial. It wasn't until I realized I kept untagging myself in photos and I couldn't keep up with my kid at the park that woke me up. What 22 year old can't run around with a 4 year old? I feel so much better now, though I tell my husband not to be scared to mention it if I start slipping up again.

When spring rolled around and I pulled out my warm weather clothes. I couldn't get any of my shorts past my thighs or butt, could not get any of my dresses over my bust without a fight, and I had "outgrown" several of my skirts. When I tried on my tighter fitting t shirts and tank tops, it was back roll city. Buying a pair of size 12 jeans that were tight on me (I was too much in denial to get a 14) was the last straw. After that, I got on the scale and discovered that I had gained almost 30 pounds since September 2011 and was 40 pounds from my ideal weight.

I've had to lose 10-15 vanity pounds in the past, but this is the first time in my entire life that I've actually been overweight. It's scary, especially with the diseases(hypertension, diabetes) that run in my family. I want to get my body back in proportion, but I want to get my internal health on track as well. I'm an apple and all the visceral fat that I'm carrying is dangerous.

Watching my parents health problems as they have gotten older and most of it could have been preventable with the right diet and exercise. As I am getting older I want to live longer and be healthy because I love to doing things...