When was your last straw that made you want to change?

The last straw for me was at new years. I had gained 20lbs since I had met my boyfriend and when and I was almost 200lbs ( last year). I told myself I'd never get back up to my heaviest ( 213) and i was definitely on my way there. However, I didn't get REALLY serious until Valentines day.

My boyfriend and I went out to this club for a night of poetry and rhythm and blues and we took a picture together on my phone. I felt HUGE. I had a gorgeous dress and the shoes to match, but it still couldn't mask the fact that I was 15-20lbs heavier than our first valentines together. I was so unhappy. I hated how round my face looked and my belly was poking out.

( It didn't help that my boyfriend gave my valentines day present on stage with the lights gleaming and everyone could see how unconfident I was in myself!)

So I started getting serious about my weigh loss journey and then it turned into more of a fitness journey because I remembered how much I LOVED being active in the gym. I have grown to love the burn!

I lost 13lbs in 2013. It may not be munch compared to others on here--but I had set out to lose 20lbs so i'm almost there! Slow and steady wins the race!

Once I make it to 20lbs down I am going to reevaluate and see if I want to lose any more weight. I'm thinking I'll lose a little more and gain it back (purposely) in muscle.


We shall see!

Toward the end of June 2013, I was 2 months from my 58th birthday, and
that meant that I was 2 years from my 60th birthday.
I weighed over 315 pounds, and was beginning to exhibit damage in my eyes and kidneys.
I have a darling young fiancé, and I want to have 25-30 active, healthy years with him,
since ONE side of my family lives into their 90's, but the other side...my mom and her brother
each died at 71, and their dad died at a mere 67 years old.
Sooooooooo...
On July 1, I got busy with monitoring the food intake, and lost 50 pounds in 6 months!

I ordered a whole wardrobe's worth of new clothes in "my size" online. I tried the first pair of pants on- "Must be mis-labeled size"....second pair "Weird, did I happen to get two mis-sized pair of pants?" Third pair "Ok, I'm apparently fat"

They were not one, but two sizes too small.

I did this also. Sadly I was even going by measurement guidelines that they gave, you know, to be sure they'd fit. Apparently my measurement were much larger than I remembered I dug out the tape measure and realized that despite thinking I was eating pretty healthy and exercising, in a year I've gained 2 inches in places I definitely did not need it. Ouch.

Mine was when I realized I gained 10 pounds since my first goal weight. No no no!! So I'm back in the groove now

OK, so mine is kind of a one two punch.

My first wake up call was when I almost had to buy new work pants for the third time recently in November and I was thinking UGH! No way.

Secondly, in December after already getting on the healthy food bandwagon and getting a physical (where I was complaining of weird amounts of fatigue and occasional palpitations) the doctor diagnosed me with low potassium (the cause for palpitations & fatigue) as well as low creatinine ( basically the medical term for serious lack of muscle, commonly seen in elderly folks). I am 35 years old, 170 lb at the time and 5 '8", I knew I had gained weight and didn't exercise at all outside of my work ( events & catering) but I didn't see it coming. I don't want these small issues to snowball.

On the upside, I have started a regular exercise routine incorporating cardio & free weights. I also keep my calories in check and have lost 12 pounds! Yes 12 pounds in a month and a half. I feel more attractive, am hoping to feel more energy soon and just rewarded myself with some cute workout clothes. I need to take some pic's so I can post before & after photos when I hit goal, which WILL happen.

A few things!! I've been on here for a long time but the most recent kicks in the butt were:

1. I went to my best friend's baby shower. My mom took a picture of us and I looked WAY bigger than her. She was 8 months pregnant at the time.
2. My button actually popped off of my work pants. Thankfully it was in the car on the way home.
3. I forgot to bring my duty belt one day so I had to borrow my co-workers...a co-worker who I had always seen as being "a little bigger". He isn't morbidly obese but he's kind of a big guy. So he said I could borrow his belt but he said "You just might have to do a lot of adjusting" (meaning to make it smaller for me). Wellllll no......it fit comfortably and was BARELY BARELY too big...

when i weighed 370 pounds. trying to explain to my four year old nephew there was no baby in my stomach.. he touches my stomach.. than grabs my face.. and says so your just fat aunt char.

out of the mouths of babes

the next day i started walking very slow but i started.. now i am 30 pounds from my goal of 135. that 370 pound woman is no longer .

Your pics are inspiring. I have a LOOOOT of weight to lose...and this makes me feel more like it can be done

So I have been casually trying to lose weight on this site for quite some time without much success. Two nights ago I decided that casual attempts to lose weight were not going to cut it. This decision was reached when my wife woke me up and told me I had stopped breathing for several seconds in my sleep before gasping for air. I thought that was pretty scary and I had better get myself healthy before I stop breathing for more than just a few seconds.

I'm just fearful that I won't be around for my kids as long as I dream of. The years go by fast and I just need to stop stalling before it's too late...

The last straw for me...........................

I am 33 years old with high blood pressure. My mom died this past March at 53 years old of a high attack in her sleep. It is heart breaking for me. So I decided at my highest weight ever(280) I have got to change. I started on December 10 2013 and have loss 17 pounds so far. I started videos on YouTube so people can follow me. And a blog I write almost everyday on. That was my last straw. I want to be healthy and try to live longer for my family.

At work a couple of weeks ago I was working with another nurse who had floated from another unit. (never met him). He saw my name tag and this was the convo:

Him:Whoa! Is that you?
Me: yea why?
Him: You were skinny..
Me: Yeaaaaah. That was 5 years, 1 husband, and 2 kids ago.
Him: oh yeah, thatll do it.


#1OUCH!. #2 I'm using the excuse that hes from a different country and maybe its ok to talk nonchalantly about a woman's weight? #3 I know its 100% true though.

I was tired of not feeling well. I saw myself in pictures. Nothing fits right. So many reasons I could go on forever. Any one that wants to add me feel free please.

What a great topic, I have enjoyed reading everyone's journey - kickstarters. I've had a number of last straws:

1. NONE of my clothes fit. I have 1 pair of VERY stretched-stretch jeans and a couple of very stretchy t-shirts. I am 32 years old, I don't want to dress like this.

2. I weigh 20lbs more than my fiance, and he's a 6ft2 muscular bloke - I feel incredibly unattractive.

3. THE BIGGEST LASTEST STRAW...late last year, after queuing 2.5 hours to get on a roller coaster ride at a theme park, I sat down in the seat and the safety harness wouldn't come down over me. After having 2 members of staff jump on me unsuccessfully to try and make the harness "click" I was asked to leave the ride. My family and friends stayed on the ride and I waited at the "exit" point with a big smile waiting for them to get off. I was screaming with embarrassment and shame on the inside, and I have decided that I NEVER want to feel that way again, it was an absolute nightmare.

I am new here (though I did sign up over 2 years ago but never actually logged in) so please do feel free to add me as a friend. I am looking forward to meeting new people and sharing in your journeys

Kym.

Getting a colonoscopy and being treated like a diabetic was an all time low for me. It made me realize how serious this truly is and how I can turn this around, the ball is in my court, its me that needs to do something.

January 9th 2013 I tried on a pair of jeans that not even a week before I could fit into and those were my size 20 jeans which I had to buy after my pregnancy and gained 20lbs. I couldn't fit them hardly and I weighed myself and came in at 246. I always told myself while watching all these very obese people who could barely walk and were bed bound, that I'd never let myself get that far. Well, I was well on my way. 15lbs away from 300. 300. Those numbers terrified me so bad. I had just had a baby, I could not let myself get to 300. Now, I quit in April due to so much stress and I didn't know how to deal with it. I lost 30lbs last year doing this and quit. So after gaining 18lbs of that back since April, I decided January 1st I'd go back to it and never leave until I reach my goal and learn to live a healthy lifestyle. Now, here I am. Back in the game and more determined than ever!