At what point did you finally decide "this is it..."

When I saw a picture of myself and didn't recognize myself. I'm 5'4" and weight around 178 to 181 depending on the day. My ideal weight is around 150.....

For me it was when I noticed my clothes are not fighting quite right and I just feel awful all the time. I did not want to have to go and buy more new clothes.

At one point I had lost nearly 50 pounds and felt wonderful I was the smallest that I could ever remember and I had done it with WW going to meetings and it was working. I had lost the weight to look good while on vacation. Once I got back I stuck with the program for a little bit but our WW leader was not giving the group the attention that she should have and decided that I knew enough to do it myself. In hind sight I did know enough but I didn't have the will power needed for the holidays and put on 10 pounds. I have gone up and down for the past several years with the same 30 pounds. Before I met my boyfriend I lost most of the weight again. But since moving in with him I/we have gotten way too comfortable and my clothes that once fit are getting way too snug and uncomfortable again. I know what I need to do its just hard to get myself motivated....

I know this time is different. I'm tired of being so over weight. Granted I do have a lot to lose but just need to take baby steps. I have already given up diet soda as I seemed to be addicted to the stuff. Drinking more water. Just need to fine tune my eating and start working out again and keep with it....

When the company I work for decided to take a picture of each employee and post it on the website. When I saw that picture posted online for everyone to see, my heart dropped, and what I knew for years, finally triggered action. I am a firm believer that you can't force someone into being healthy, when the time is right, they will do it themselves, everyone needs their own trigger.

At what point in your life did you tell yourself "It's time to lose weight" and ACTUALLY meant it??

- I'm 41 and gained over the past ten years... so basically I spent my 30's fat and miserable. I don't want to spend my 40's fat and miserable so this is my main reason for being here. I've decided to make a lifestyle change of counting calories and becoming more active. I didnt get fat overnight and won't lose it overnight. I'm only 4 days in but I feel better already (mentally)..

What about you??

Same as you but just entered my 30s at the time, wasted half of my 20s a few stones overweight.

I am turning 43 soon and I feel the same, I spent my thirties being miserable and its time to wake up. I was a body builder for 12 years before I became a mom and so i knew how to live and eat right, but just didn't. My four kids are older now and I have a little more freedom to think of myself again as Me and not just Mommy. I am horribly 100 lbs over my goal weight, but I know I can do anything I set my mind to doing.

I reached the point where I didn't want any pictures taken of me. I wasn't happy with the way I looked and it was affecting the relationship between me and my husband. Although my husband tells me I look fine I think it's more about how I feel about myself.

For a long time I had a pair of jeans that were an oversized 20w. I hated wearing them because they were just too big! They were in the back of my closet for years. Last summer I found myself in the situation where they had become the only pair of pants I owned that fit and they were getting tight. That was a wake up to me that I had to do something and now. I must of been in denial because I never realized how big I had got , I just didn't see it until that day. I started walking that day and joined MFP a couple weeks later.

When I figured out my hormones where making me insane...from a crappy diet and being 211 lbs, I didnt smile ever.
The other aspects in my life were great, but I simply couldnt be happy with me so I had to change my self.

For me it was moving closer to my mother who is house bound due to not taking care of herself, not watching her diet and being inactive. I thought I want to be able to have fun with my grandchildren one day and not end up in a wheelchair at 70. It was a good wake up call. It has not been easy because my eating habits have been bad for years. I always tell people I am in better shape at 43 than I was at 23 though and that is a big start!

Good luck! Keep moving forward no matter the obstacle! :-)

I couldn't walk a 5k. Everything else that I felt ashamed by or hated, I could ignore or reason my way around. Being confronted with the physical inability to stroll for 3 miles was a "Do not pass Go" moment.

When I saw a picture of myself and didn't know who it was. It was a shock-- I had always been overweight but that was awful Still have about 10 lbs to go. But doing it healthy and smart over last 2 years is so worth it

When I got food poisoning from the junk food I would always go too (KFC)

My husband signed me up to a weight-loss challenge. I was mad, but I went because I didn't want to disappoint.

I did it all for the wrong reasons, but I found my reasons along the way and I have not looked back since.

I've decided, and meant it, more than once. It's several years later that I kinda forget why I did it in the first place.

When I got on the scale at 19 and it said 151 and I cried, realizing I was closer to 200 than 100. Lost 30 pounds.
When I went back to college at 26 weighing 200 and got a lot of skinny new friends, and was ashamed of being the fat friend. My friends didn't care, but I did. Lost 50 pounds.
When I was 35 and 249 and decided to spend some time backpacking in China. Didn't want to be the "Fat American" so I lost 45 pounds. Not that the Chinese were impressed by my reduction in *kitten* size, everywhere I went I got stares and disgusted proclamations of how fei I was.

Along the way there were all those moments of can't put my shoes on without sitting on the couch cross legged, throat feels like it's squishing closed when I lie down, out of breath crossing the parking lot, only shapeless ugly clothes in my size, but for me none of that was really bad enough because once I'd lose enough weight that they were no longer an issue, I forgot what a PITA they were and went back to old habits and not paying attention. After all, in your head you're never as fat as you are on paper, right? Unless I saw a photo of myself, it was like I didn't really get how big I was, and I was never one for junk food or sweets so in my head I was doing just fine.

This time was actually different. I just kinda said, what the hell. No fanfare, no gung ho motivation, no ceremonial throwing away of the so-called bad foods. Food was never really my problem anyway. Lack of activity was. Made a few changes, then a few more. Took up an activity I actually love (MMA) vs trying to make myself believe I actually enjoyed walking or aerobics or sitting in someone else's sweat at the gym. It seems to be sticking this time because I'm at the marker where I usually call it good and quit, but instead I'm ready to see the next 40 pounds go away.

On my 39th birthday (October 2012) I decided I didn't want to be 20stone plus when I hit the big 4-0.... On my 40th birthday I was 15st 3lb, I had done it, I am still on my journey, but I am almost at my goal now, only 14lb to go.... xXx