That 'light bulb' moment

Yes I did.

I re-ordered my life and made being healthy a priority instead of an afterthought.

For me, it was on a trip to NYC where I couldn't even walk around without back pain/having to stop. And then to top it off, I didn't feel like I could walk back to the car, so I had to wait to be picked up. I was 340 lbs at the time

I came home and joined a gym and then finally looked up the weight loss doctor that my GP kept telling me to go see...

1 year and 170 lbs lighter, I am patting myself on the back for finally getting my *kitten* in gear

There wasn't any specific moment I guess...

A few different things really... 1. My "fat" clothes barely fit and my choice was to buy EVEN bigger clothes or get off my butt and do something about my weight. 2. We bought a small sofa to put in a game room and it just about killed me to help my husband get it upstairs into the room. I'm talking about not much bigger than loveseat size sofa (!) I had no strength and could barely breathe by the time we got to the top. :blushing: I couldn't believe I was so out of shape. :sad: 3. We bought our house last year, it's on a lake and I want to be able to enjoy our summers on our boat rather than hide behind ugly swimsuits and cover ups bc I'm so embarrassed by how I look and it was much harder for me to climb up the boat steps by the end of summer last year.

And finally, I turned 49 this year, I don't want to go into my 50s this heavy and out of shape!!

A few years ago, my friend gently told me that I had gained quite a bit of weight. Of course, I knew this but was also in denial. I cried my eyes out but then realized that with my family history, those extra pounds could be detrimental. I've never been crazy overweight but for someone who is pretty petite, extra pounds show up quickly, and I had gained about 40lbs. I started running and joined MFP, and ultimately lost 34lbs. My weight was +/- 5lbs for a few years, which was ok with me... I wanted to get lower than that but ultimately liked how I looked. Last year, I got off a medication I took for migraines and gained 15lbs back, then got pregnant (37 weeks yesterday!). I've also gained a bit more than I would like but as I near the end of pregnancy, I'm diligent about my diet and hoping to minimize the gain.

So, ultimately, I've discovered you have to really "want it". There will be times when you fall off your track but that doesn't mean you can't pick yourself up and keep going. A bad meal does not need to equal a bad day, or a bad day does not equal a bad week. Another thing that I've found is that thinking of this as a "diet" sets you up for failure. I'm never going to diet again - I'm simply working every day on instilling habits that will take me through the rest of my life.

I've had two. And as a result my weight loss of about 115 lb thus far has happened in 2 "waves".

Wave #1

I'd rocketed from normal-for-me 260-270 lb up to my HW of 307 lb. I had shortness of breath, ankle swelling, etc, while on a business trip with my (normal weight) supervisor...and it scared the crap out of me. I'd always felt energetic and healthy up to that point and I knew I had to do something! After the trip, I started eating a LITTLE better (I was sort of clueless) and exercising a lot, mostly walking miles each night. It took me over 3 years but I lost 45 lb and felt MUCH better and like my old self. Even though I was still not at a healthy weight, I honestly and truly felt FABULOUS!

Wave #2

After maintaining the above losses for a year or so, I met my now-husband and with his good influence I started eating much healthier. But I was not losing much or any weight. I went to an auto show in March 2013 and looked at photos of me afterward and I was ticked off because I didn't look like I felt. I felt wonderful yet still looked so fat and unhealthy! So I finally bought a scale (for the first time EVER) and joined MFP. Since then I have logged every single bite of food, and I've lost 70 lb (haven't updated my most recent loss yet...waiting another couple of days).

I am not done yet but now I feel very accomplished and am on a good path for the future.

Yes I did.

I re-ordered my life and made being healthy a priority instead of an afterthought.

^^^^THIS FTW.

I've battled with weight problems for years and am a comfort eater. I've tried to lose weight countless times over the years with varying success but inevitably end up putting more weight on. I had back surgery 3 years ago which has aggravated the situation cos I can't do as much as I used to do. I am 46 and am now the heaviest I have ever been.

My light bulb moment was yesterday! I walked to the shop for some milk which is a matter of yards away and felt like I was having heart palpatations by the time I'd walked back. That was enough to make me realise I have to sort myself out!! I've booked myself a session at the swimming pool tonight with half an hour in the hot tub afterwards and I'm going to get out there on my bike again with my kids. I want to be around for a few more years and see my kids grown up and living their lives.

I had 2:

1. like delmuriac, the family went to Sea World last summer and to take my daughter on the roller coasters, she and I had to sit in the 'fat seats' because of my weight (this will not happen again EVER)

2/ My wife and I attended her company Christmas party in December and I really looked at the picture that was taken of us as a couple and I was completely shocked at how big I had gotten - I was wearing the largest shirt I owned and it was straining to hold me in - this will also NEVER happen again!

I started this journey the day after the Christmas party (joined the gym that very day) and haven't looked back since!

I've always exercised and thought I was eating pretty healthy. I was pretty adept at telling myself that " I'm tall, it's muscle!" to justify the size clothes I was wearing. But one day a friend of mine emailed me a picture from a cruise we had taken the previous spring. I remember getting ready for dinner, looking in the mirror and thinking " I look GOOD!" Uh, no, I looked FAT! I then got out our summer vacation pictures and really looked at them and was appalled at how I looked.

I was convinced it was my thyroid (I only have a third of mine and take meds) so I called my doctor for a checkup. I knew though that she was going to want a food diary and since I KNEW I ate healthy I'd keep a diary and just show her. I found the MFP app and just started logging my food that I normally ate. Wow. Apparently, I should not have been keeping up with my husband and teenage boys in the quantity category! Talk about eye-opening! I cut back on how much I was eating and started being very mindful of how many calories were in things and started making smarter decisions about what I ate and the weight just started coming off. By the time I had my doctors appointment I had lost 15 lbs! (She did have to adjust my meds too!)

I started MFP in August of 2010 and hit my initial goal weight in February. I then decided to lower my goal another 7 lbs and hit that in April of 2011. I've been her ever since. I had a really awful 2013 and stress ate about 15 lbs back but I'm slowly losing it. I've added a lot more strength training and am not looking at the scale and I feel great. And I started this at age 47 and had my 50th birthday last year in better shape than I've ever been in my life.

For the TLDR crowd: saw pictures,realized I was fat, started MFP, lost weight.

I just wonder if any of you ever had a defining moment when you knew it was time /knew you where ready to loose weight?

I've always been big and I've always tried not to be big. What I'm doing now, tracking what I eat and exercising, I've done for years. As long as I remember, I've always slowly and gradually gained weight.

The difference now is that weight is actually coming off. I'm happily shocked and amazed.

The combination of the MFP support community and information sharing seems to be the difference that is helping me. The positive peer pressure and feeling accountable to your MFP friends is great. This place is full of role models with helpful insights. People who are in your shoes, have been in your shoes and will be in your shoes. I can't really overestimate the impact of seeing a wide variety of regular people overcome, improve and succeed.

I'm not motivated the same way by people who have been healthy, thin or athletic their whole lives.