What finally got you going?

I didn't want to buy bigger pants

There are two or three trade shows a year that I must attend. Suits, blouses, etc. The rest of the year when I'm at work I have a more business casual wardrobe.

The spring trade show rolled around, I couldn't fit into any of my suits. That was my wakeup call.

I was tired of being fat and a failure. I have always been the biggest out of my friends, and honestly its embarrassing. I tried getting on the right track last year, but after just a few months and a $500+ gym membership I quit going because my workout partner quit going. She was the only motivation I had, and I was lacking in the knowledge that while exercise is great, it wont help much when you are still eating tons of crap. So last month I decided I wanted to lose as much weight as I can (safely) lose before moving to Korea in a year, in hopes that I wouldn't be awkwardly stared at as the "fat foreigner" ,and possibly be able to shop there instead of having to bring a years worth of clothes with me. Plus, I'm still young, I want to be healthy when I have children. So now I am using MFP and runkeeper to track my food and exercises, which is helping me to learn to make better choices so that I can reach my goals.

A lot of my friends were completing 5K's and I wanted to try it.

Also, I saw a pic of myself at a wedding that I was less than thrilled with

I have always been huge but was mentally in denial about it. I was 430's for almost 10 years. One day in July I was scrubbing the grout of my tile floors on my hands and knees and my spine became inflamed. The inflammation pinched off my nerves that control my left leg and left arm. I was in piercing pain 24/7 regardless if I was in bed, standing, sitting, etc. Once my doctor had the inflammation down enough that I could walk we decided that I either needed physical therapy or a personal trainer the local gym. I chose the personal trainer. She is degreed and licensed to work with injuries and recovery. I am no longer in any pain. It has been three months and I am down 30 pounds. I started working out with my trainer Sept 1, 2013 and I was 430.0 and today (Dec 4) I am 399.7. I will never be in the 400's again. I am addicted to the gym and to eating right. I want to live and be happy.

I've been over 200 lb since high school and was honestly very "comfortable" in the 260-270 lb range for many years...most of my 20s in fact. I had plenty of energy, normal lab work, etc. I ate a diet of truly very healthy food - BUT it was poorly mixed with WAY too many restaurant meals, lattes, and "tricky" things like cereal, sugary granola bars, trail mix, juice, that I thought were "health foods" for a long time ;-)

Shortly after turning 30, I got a new job that was drastically more stressful, higher paying, and completely sedentary. Within a few months' time I found myself at 300 lb and "outgrowing" all the size 20 and 2X clothes I'd worn for a decade plus. For the first time in my life, I had slight difficulty climbing stairs, walking long distances, etc. I hated that feeling!! I'd always taken pride in being the "fat girl" who could do everything her thinner counterparts could do, whether in gym class, around the office, or anywhere else. So that sudden change (and the number on the scale, and the way I looked in photographs) quickly scared me into becoming MUCH more active, religiously walking miles per night and slowing down on the desserts and fast food lunches. I lost 40+ lb, but it took well over 3 years.

For about a year, I thought I was doomed to stay at 260-270 forever. That had been my "usual weight" for so many years and no amount (I thought) of eating better & exercising would force the scale to go lower. I went through a lot of stuff, a natural disaster, job changes, and divorce...and my weight was stable, so I was pretty happy. But then when I started dating my now-husband, changing up my exercise, and eating a lot better and pescetarian. I saw VERY little change, like 5-7 lb in a year. That was disappointing.

I decided to give MFP a try. I bought a scale for the first time. And it worked. I'm down 53 lb since March 2013 and hoping to hit "onederland" in January or February 2014.

I had been slowly gaining weight over the years. It made Army PT harder and I felt fat but most of my changes didn't last long enough. I always seemed to gain weight when I came back from a combat zone. I looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. Nobody thought I was fat except me. They said I carried it well. I inherited my dad's belly, and it was getting round. Both of my brothers's bellies were lean and flat. I started making changes after I went over 200 pounds. Then I started dating the most beautiful woman in the world and that gave me more motivation. I am still working on it. I have slimmed down and a number of the guys I work with have mentioned how much better I look, though they sometimes can't put their finger on why. . . . until I tell them about the weight I have lost. Some of them claim I have been inspirational to them for starting their own journeys to health. I do look better, but more importantly, I feel better. The next goals are recompositioning and rebuilding my body better. There are next steps because this isn't simply a goal, it is a path.

Loved reading all these stories!

I've always been hefty. People would tell me all the time I carry my weight very well. Nobody believed I weighed over 300. I have high blood pressure and diabetes. In July I started seeing doctors for back pain and it was concluded that I have 2 bulging discs pushing against my spine. I could not walk or stand without severe pain. I made the decision to get more healthy and I'm sticking to it best I can. I can walk, bicycle, run, jump etc. with almost no pain at all now. I'm off my diabetes meds and hopefully my blood pressure meds soon!

Congrats - I remember how excited I was to get of the diabetes meds. My high blood pressure is hereditary so I am still taking those but they have been greatly reduced

It wasn't the fact that I was at the deepest end of the fat-lady stores (and out of one of them actually). It wasn't the fact that I needed a seatbelt extension to fly, or the fact that Southwest once made me buy two seats. I just stopped flying. It wasn't that I felt unattractive because I still had dates and friends despite how big I was. It wasn't the kindhearted friends that tried to gently say that they were worried about me, or the friend who pointed out that I wheezed when I breathed. My career wasn't suffering, I had plenty of professional kudos.

In 2012 I lost 15 friends and colleagues, one of whom was a larger-than-life hero to me. He and his wife were actually in a magazine for being one of the fittest couples in town several years before he died. When he died and then when another colleague died at her desk it made me realize that I really wasn't doing much living. I spent so much time taking care of other people's problems but I didn't face my own---

Walking hurt.
Getting out of bed was painful.
Everything hurt...all the time.

I decided it was time to get busy living, or get busy dying. I got a new job that allowed for a set schedule (and health insurance!). I decided to take care of MYSELF for once. I don't regret that.

This year I have done some LIVING. I was able to jet ski, because I was finally "small" enough to wear the required life vest. I bought a bike as a reward for losing 100 lbs. I rappelled down the side of an office building in a fundraiser for Special Olympics! My life is so much better now and I hurt so much less. Totally worth it. I'm not done yet, but I'm finally busy living.