When did it click for you?

I was obese and unhappy but completely unmotivated to do anything about it.
One day, the strap on my shoes broke and I had to go buy another pair during lunch hour. After a good five minutes of sweating, grunting, and trying various positions to do up the strap on the shoes in the store because my huge belly was in the way (which was quite humiliating) I finally decided enough was enough.
Happy to report that even though I’m only 13 pounds lighter – I can now easily do the strap on those same shoes – LOL.

It still hasn't.

On my 50th birthday, I weighed 270 lbs... have always been heavy...60lbs at 6 years old, 99 lbs at 9 years old... and it just went up from there... I vowed on my 50th that I will NOT be fat by my 60th birthday. My weight was up and down for a few years... managed to get down to 175lbs by age 54, but then also managed to reclaim about 60 of those lost pounds in the next 3 years. Never quite made the lifestyle change -- instead "dieted".

Took me until last year, June 30, 2013--- 16 days before my 58th birthday, to realize that I've wasted 8 years talking the talk, but not walking the walk... I had enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I finally realized that there is NO ONE but me that can make this happen. As much as I wished for a miracle... as much as I had dreamed I'd wake up 100lbs lighter one day, I knew it was never going to happen.

On July 1, 2013, it CLICKED... I don't know what "it" is, but 390 days later, I am wearing a size 4...(once wore a size 28) have literally lost one whole "me"... and more important -- am walking no less than 7 miles a day -- everyday --... I have found foods I thought I'd never like. I have changed the way I prepare my meals. I have my chocolate and my wine and my craft beers... I am enjoying my life and my only regret is that I wasted the first half of my life fat and feeling sorry for myself and telling myself that it is impossible to lose weight.

I simply ran out of excuses... and can't wait to see what age 60 will bring me!

Kudos to your husband for saying that in such a kind and sensitive yet honest manner. So many times on this website I read horror stories about SO's who aren't so tactful, often rude or at the very least, dismissive. It sounds like he will be a great support to you, given that chance :-)

As for me...I always knew I needed to lose weight. I was morbidly obese for most of my adult years until pretty recently, topping out at 307 so it was no big shocker that I needed to lose 130 lb I've lost, and still need to lose a bit more.

But as for when it "clicked" for me...2 times...once when I just decided, I may not be able to improve dramatically but I'm gonna give it all I've got...lost 45 lb that way. The second time it clicked was when I joined this website and started tracking. I've been totally committed to it since that first couple of weeks when I saw the scale go 262, 260, 259.4...I was sold and it just clicked. Fast forward to today and 177.2, I'm a believer ;-)

I have a four month old daughter, and I think it clicked when I became pregnant with her (on accident). I had to have an emergency c-section because she was trying to come out sideways and her heart kept stopping, but I remember thinking at that moment, my God, how much fat do they have to move to get to her? Twenty pounds? thirty, forty, fifty maybe? I spent my entire pregnancy, including the last few months, just looking fat. Really, really fat. I could tell, and my friends could tell, and one very special little girl could tell. But other than that, no one ever asked about my pregnancy - strangers never said anything - and I knew, and know now, they didn't know if I was fat or pregnant. So they all aired on the side of caution.

While they were being polite, that really hit home for me and embarrassed me to no end.

The dreaded Pill Caddy . . . I was on one pill for High Blood Pressure and while discussing the side effects with my doctor she suggested another pill to counter the side effects of the first pill and I could envision was that large pill caddy my mother has. Not the way I wanted to live.

I knew I wanted to and needed to lose weight and knew it would kick in one day. I started by taking a tour of my local gym and when they sent me an offer that I could not refuse (never pay an initiation fee) I joined and started with that. I told everyone that I was not on a diet and so do not look at or comment about what I am eating Mind your own business - I work with several serial dieters! I always intended to make changes that I could actually live with, my first recipe on MFP was for My Coffee with sugar and creamer - not giving that up until I deceide to.

My ultimate goal was to become active, I just wanted to be able to do things that I wanted and not have my weight hold me back and of course avoid the dreaded Pill Caddy - I am officially several months of pill free with no pre-conditions!

I lost about 15 pounds during the winter months and since then I have gained it back plus some... I think it hit me when I looked in the mirror when I didnt feel as confident when I was losing the weight

Forgot to mention that your husband sounds like a really amazing, supportive guy. I am lucky to have one as well.

Wow! These are SO encouraging! Thank you everyone!

Mine actually started a year ago when at a pool party, a "friend" said she'd take a picture with me, but not our beautifully skinny friend. I was hurt, but didn't say anything for . . . a year. Yeah, a YEAR and only after she did the same thing again. I am very confident in my body, and, while not where I'd like to be health-wise, do not feel shame or comment on my body to others as is often the case amongst the girls in my group of friends. After this same "friend" told me how brave I was to wear a bikini in front of the guys, I did two things. 1. I moved her to an arm's length friend and 2. started riding my bike and using Myfitnesspal. Sure, it started off as a revenge move, but now I've found activities I LOVE doing, I feel much better, and am starting to find other reasons for losing weight and getting healthy, such as GETTING HEALTHY. Yeah!

Mine was a couple of years ago. I was not even 30 yet. I went to bed every night with a heating pad next to my bed knowing that at some point I would need it to soothe the back pain. I had 2 little boys and would get exhausted playing with them. I was not obese, just overweight. I realized that if I didn't do something, I would be miserable, obese and in lots of pain by the time I was 40. I was not going to let that happen.

And I didn't! 31 now, 35 pounds less and feeling great!

Last summer I had gotten to my highest weight ever tipping the scales at about 280. I suddenly learned in July of 2013 that my brother was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. I thought about how he could not change his life path, but I could change mine by changing the quick and easy and highly sugar filled calories that I was taking in and swapping it for a healthier nutrition and exercise plan. My brother passed away in Sept of 2013. At that time I had already lost about 30 pounds. At the funeral I noticed that my siblings were dwindling away and I needed to commit to this healthier life path if I did not want to be the next one to fade off this planet too soon because of poor life choices. So I have been sticking to MFP everyday (except for a few days recently when in hospital). I am now at 171, almost 110 pounds lost. I have gone from a size 26/28 jean to a size 14 jean. Last year when I started this journey I hoped to get to between 150 and 165. (That is the goal I set with the support of my doctor as a realistic goal for me.) I am amazed that I am so close to my long range goals. I have had to stop exercise while recovering from surgery so will not be able to get back on the fitness track until mid August. Being sedentary this month has really been difficult. I do not want to get back into my old bad habits. But I know I can do this! If I can do this others can also.

When I almost couldnt see my ******$## from the side naked.!!

Things have "clicked" for me a few times, but I feel like this time around is different for me, because I'm doing it more for health reasons than anything else. I used to be quite athletic and fit when I was younger - never super skinny but always average weight and healthy for my height and age. Now I'm many pounds overweight and getting closer to 30. My metabolism is definitely changing, and so I need to change. Plus, heart problems and diabetes are common in my family. I'd rather change my life now instead of being forced to once disease and illness hit.