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  • katekrise
    katekrise Posts: 178 Member
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    Being in college and a Biology/Chemistry Major you spend all my time in sweats and comfy type clothes b/c grades are important...not looks...I didn't really notice...until I tried to dress nice to go out to eat with friends. Wow! When did I let myself go? I hadn't really noticed.

    Also...I noticed that my thighs rubbed when I wore short shorts. Ugh! I can't wait to be able to wear shorter shorts and skirts w/o chub rub!
  • appleshells
    appleshells Posts: 165
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    *I feel like I'm boring people with this story...I keep telling it. It's interesting to a point. Skip down to the "TL;DR if the length is intimidating*

    Almost dying from a diabetic coma pretty much made me come to terms with an entire lifestyle change. I hadn't even known I was diabetic until one day, I noticed that I was extremely dehydrated to the point of my skin being able to stand if I pinched it, and any form of liquid was no help. Then the frequent urinating. Then the lack of an appetite. Then sudden vomiting. The next day after that I felt fatigued, exhausted, weak, and apathetic, along with a sharp stabbing pain in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. I had the impending sense of literal death coming, and I was willing to accept it, though I didn't really want it. Without any fluid intake, I still had the frequent urinating. I began to notice the darker color of it and the odor was somewhat odd and almost fruity.

    I took 2 guesses at that point, I was diabetic and becoming ketoacidotic, or I was experiencing kidney failure due to having diabetes and not knowing it. It was the former. I tried to sleep it off because I had no energy to do anything, and my brother and his gf noticed I was shivering and had aggressive tremors in my sleep. I was rushed to the ER and my blood sugar was so high, it was immeasurable on the glucose meter... It gave an error: glucose level too high for reading. When they flushed out my blood with IVs, it was finally brought down to a number that could be read...the upper 550s [normal is between 60 - 99].

    On top of that, I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. The result is usually death. 80% chance of death to be a little more accurate. After multiple lab tests from bloodwork, I also had a fatty liver, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty deposits in the blood itself, high uric acid, [extremely] low potassium, [extremely] low CO2, [extremely] low bicarbonate levels, rapid, shallow respiration, and fluctuating rapid HR. I was textbook for the worst case scenario possible. I was supposed to die. I was willing to accept it. I just wasn't quite ready to stop living.

    Needless to say, I survived, and after my 9 day stay in the hospital, 4/9 days in the Critical Care Unit, 5/9 in Med-Surg, I decided that it would be a really good time to beat the odds and see if I could reverse any biological, genetic, and physical predispositions that I currently had at the time, that were shortening my lifespan, and take on the ultimate challenge of taking what rightfully belongs to me, and not to life itself.

    I'm currently asymptomatic and medication free from any existing health condition that I previously had, and I'm healthier than anyone I know in my family and my circle of friends. :smile:

    * TL;DR - I almost died. I survived. I'm better now because I made changes. The end.

    One of the best stories EVER! From someone who works in healthcare, I know with everything you had going on that you are a walking miracle! Great job!
  • angela828
    angela828 Posts: 498 Member
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    realizing I was not comfortable in my clothes or wearing size 12 jeans and XL or XXL shirts and sweatshirts... and getting engaged! my mom's words were "you don't want to be crying while trying on wedding dresses". She is totally right, so I want to lose at least 30 lbs before I go dress shopping this summer.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,550 Member
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    I started smoking when I was 14 years old. Since then, I had only tried and quit once, for about a year. I put on 15 pounds. So my excuse for the next 15 years was...I don't want to put any extra weight. Well, it so happens, I had baby in my mid-40's and have been struggling to get the 30 pounds off ever since (starving myself).

    I adore my (surprise) little one and really want to be around while she grows up. So I decided that I would quit smoking and not only would I quit smoking, I would get in shape at the same time! So I set a date and quit, joined the YMCA, and lost 15 pounds and 2 clothing sizes. I still have 30 pounds to go and will do it, because I know that I can do whatever I set my mind to. And I'm no longer on an inhaler or asthma meds or incredibly tired all the time (undereating). I'm starting to run again after 30+ years as well, and doing good at it (for an old fart!).

    We've changed our entire eating habits and gotten my partner off a boatload of meds as well. We plan to enjoy our retirement years traveling and need to be in top shape in order to do so.
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
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    That sound. You know that sound. The one when you are having **x and there's that sort of slapping/suction sound created by thighs and belly flying about. yeah - I heard that.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Almost dying from a diabetic coma pretty much made me come to terms with an entire lifestyle change. <snip>
    Wow, that's an incredible story, thanks for sharing, and huge congratulations on making the changes and your huge weight loss and improved health and quality of life all round.

    I'd gone from fat to fit then back to fat again, but assumed I was still fit as I pootled round the gym every so often. I did the London Marathon, but with my weight teetering on the brink of obese, I got slower.. and slower... Suffering from illness and injury it took me 7 hours 13 to get round, and every step hurt.

    By comparing myself with other fit of comparable age people through their running performance and taking gym classes which I thought would be easy and ended up nearly killing me, I realised I was kidding myself that I could be fit at my size. It got to the point where bending over to do up my shoes or walking made me breathless.

    Now I'm following a proper training regime, track all my food on MFP and have entered an adventure race in June and a half-marathon in October as targets. I plan to enter a 5K and a couple of 10Ks en route as I need the company of others as encouragement.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    That sound. You know that sound. The one when you are having **x and there's that sort of slapping/suction sound created by thighs and belly flying about. yeah - I heard that.
    Know it well :blushing:
  • paigebeverly
    paigebeverly Posts: 46 Member
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    Before I had my daughter I was skinny...I mean really skinny...you could see my bones. I could eat anything and not gain weight. In high school I was in every sport and cheerleading. But I gained 80 pounds while pregnant. After having her all I had to do was lose 20 more pounds but instead I hit a depression and ate everything. Now I am at my heaviest. And of course my daughter is 9 years old...lol...so I really can't blame it on pregnacy.

    And last year my father was suffering from brain tumors and spinal cancer. He passed away in September and I have gained 10 pounds since then too. I am an emotional eater. I don't have to be hungry to eat.

    But I finally decided to just do it. I don't want my daughter to be embarassed because I am big...I want to be able to do things with her without being winded. And I know longer want to be the funny fat girl at work. No one has ever said anything negative to me about my weight. But with my husband now being pre-diabetic we both decided to just do it. I don't want to be a stick figure like I used to be...I just want to be healthy.
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
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    Hmmm. I'm not really sure! I've always been fairly active (during the summer my job keeps me moving about 10-15 miles a day), but I've always been fairly Rubenesque too!

    I remember not being able to buy the wedding dress I wanted cause it didn't come in my size ("sweetie, you just have too much back fat for this dress" - salesperson)

    I remember one annual exam in particular ("you could stand to lose a good 20 or 30 pounds" - OBGYN, as my feet are in the stirrups)

    I remember working with a fire fighter ("maybe if you didn't eat two candy bars and potato wedges every morning", in response to my wonderment that 15 mile hikes 6 days a week weren't helping me to lose weight)

    But over the years I guess it just all added up and CLICKED into place...all of a sudden I am a health and fitness nut, it's like someone threw a switch. I mean, I literally got an "F" in gym class all through high school. Never ran a block. Two years later I'm training for an ultramarathon. I chalk it up to mid-life crisis.
  • ItsOn130
    ItsOn130 Posts: 269
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    I saw full body pics of myself taken last summer. I started eating better and exercising a little bit after that. Lost about 14lbs in about 6 months. Too slow for me but I wasn't really worried about it. Then in the middle of January we went for a winter hike and it was pretty hard. I said to myself, I want to be able to do these things without physically feeling awful! So since then I've been focused and lost an additional 13 lbs so far!
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    *I feel like I'm boring people with this story...I keep telling it. It's interesting to a point. Skip down to the "TL;DR if the length is intimidating*

    Almost dying from a diabetic coma pretty much made me come to terms with an entire lifestyle change. I hadn't even known I was diabetic until one day, I noticed that I was extremely dehydrated to the point of my skin being able to stand if I pinched it, and any form of liquid was no help. Then the frequent urinating. Then the lack of an appetite. Then sudden vomiting. The next day after that I felt fatigued, exhausted, weak, and apathetic, along with a sharp stabbing pain in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. I had the impending sense of literal death coming, and I was willing to accept it, though I didn't really want it. Without any fluid intake, I still had the frequent urinating. I began to notice the darker color of it and the odor was somewhat odd and almost fruity.

    I took 2 guesses at that point, I was diabetic and becoming ketoacidotic, or I was experiencing kidney failure due to having diabetes and not knowing it. It was the former. I tried to sleep it off because I had no energy to do anything, and my brother and his gf noticed I was shivering and had aggressive tremors in my sleep. I was rushed to the ER and my blood sugar was so high, it was immeasurable on the glucose meter... It gave an error: glucose level too high for reading. When they flushed out my blood with IVs, it was finally brought down to a number that could be read...the upper 550s [normal is between 60 - 99].

    On top of that, I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. The result is usually death. 80% chance of death to be a little more accurate. After multiple lab tests from bloodwork, I also had a fatty liver, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty deposits in the blood itself, high uric acid, [extremely] low potassium, [extremely] low CO2, [extremely] low bicarbonate levels, rapid, shallow respiration, and fluctuating rapid HR. I was textbook for the worst case scenario possible. I was supposed to die. I was willing to accept it. I just wasn't quite ready to stop living.

    Needless to say, I survived, and after my 9 day stay in the hospital, 4/9 days in the Critical Care Unit, 5/9 in Med-Surg, I decided that it would be a really good time to beat the odds and see if I could reverse any biological, genetic, and physical predispositions that I currently had at the time, that were shortening my lifespan, and take on the ultimate challenge of taking what rightfully belongs to me, and not to life itself.

    I'm currently asymptomatic and medication free from any existing health condition that I previously had, and I'm healthier than anyone I know in my family and my circle of friends. :smile:

    * TL;DR - I almost died. I survived. I'm better now because I made changes. The end.

    One of the best stories EVER! From someone who works in healthcare, I know with everything you had going on that you are a walking miracle! Great job!

    ...

    Wow, that's an incredible story, thanks for sharing, and huge congratulations on making the changes and your huge weight loss and improved health and quality of life all round.

    Thank you. I looked at it objectively. I was very curious to know what it was like to be on the brink of death and survive the ordeal. Now that I've satisfied that curiosity, it's not one I'd like to experience again. :tongue: Though, the Dilaudid + Vicodin naps were great for dealing with the severe pain, so it made it a bit surreal, and in hindsight probably made it a bit easier to cope with.
  • EbonyHunter
    EbonyHunter Posts: 12
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    :flowerforyou: Way to go that is awesome!!!!!!
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
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    *I feel like I'm boring people with this story...I keep telling it. It's interesting to a point. Skip down to the "TL;DR if the length is intimidating*
    ...

    Wow! How could you ever think your story would bore anyone? This is an amazing, eye-opening, and wonderful story! Thank you for sharing.
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
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    Last March when my Doctor scared the hell out of me. :frown: I knew I had hit the wall and now was the time to change.
  • vox23
    vox23 Posts: 246 Member
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    When my 5 yr old son told me my reflection looked bad because I was so fat.

    Nothing like your children's honesty to cut through you like a knife, but that was THE moment. After that everything changed.
  • jwharrison43
    jwharrison43 Posts: 17
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    :drinker: Awesome Phil :drinker: I used to care for patients in the hospital and I am so happy for you. It was not an easy task and you did it! What an inspiration for others! :happy:
  • live2smyle
    live2smyle Posts: 592 Member
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    Both my Parents & my Grandparents, one Uncle and one Aunt all dead by 60. I have one uncle left thats it :/ He's not 60 yet, and already had a heart attack and coded. Yep time for a change. I want to live forever :smokin:
  • jeromy75
    jeromy75 Posts: 112
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    I got tired of being out of breath just walking across the room. I don't even want to mention how I felt going up the stairs.
  • EbonyHunter
    EbonyHunter Posts: 12
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    So at what point did I realize? I have had a hard time dealing with being overweight. I mean I was always skinny now that I look back but I thought I was always fat. So when I did start gaining weight I didn't really notice. Then I had my daughter and I got gestational diabetes and now almost 6 years later I'm a type 2 diabetic. I'm still not used to the fact that I need to watch what I eat and really I don't eat that bad. I do enjoy the bad stuff but I am finally starting to feel guilty after I eat it. I think my real turning point was a few weeks back when I was talking with my daughter who is a skinny minny at 5 years old almost 6 (in 13 days to be exact ) and she was saying how the doctor wants her to "fatten" up a bit because she is tall and skinny and could maybe use a little more meat on her bones but I don't think so. Anyways, she said but mom I don't want to be fat like you. This broke my heart but kids are honest so I couldn't get mad at her for what she notices. The worst part was this was on the way home from Wendy's. She really wanted to eat there as a special treat and of course I couldn't resist. After her comment all I wanted to do was throw up what I had just ate. So I've been trying to find the time to get my butt to the gym but then I also feel gulity leaving my kids to go do this when I leave them all day already to go to work. We only have 3-4 hours at most in the evening and I don't want to loose that. My little guy who's 2 goes to bed around 8 and by then I'm already exhausted from my busy day. I'm torn but I know I need to take care of me. I just have to remind my self that my daughter doesn't want to be fat like me and I don't want to be fat like me either.
    I lost 13 pounds last year and I was doing good over the summer but in September I caught pneumonia and didn't work out for months. I feel like when I finally get back into something there is always something there to stop me. It is sooooo frusturating!
  • mikeyml
    mikeyml Posts: 568 Member
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    There were a lot of red flags thrown over the past two years that I tried to justify. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, 42 inch pants, XL shirts fitting too tightly, not letting anyone take pictures of me. But the last straw came about the week before Christmas just 3 months ago. A close family member had passed away and I had to travel out of town for the funeral. I packed my stuff up and drove 200 miles to be with family. After checking in to the hotel I went to put my suit on I could not button the top button on my dress shirt (it has a 17.5 inch neck). There was just no way I could button it...which meant no tie either. That was it for me. I felt incredibly embarrassed and disrespectful to my family for attending the viewings and funeral without a proper suit and tie.

    At that point I made a vow to myself that I will lose the weight and lose it for good. In the past 2 months I've lost 17 pounds, a full inch from my neck and 3.5 inches from my waist. I have a long way to go but I'm getting there. And I don't want to have to do this ever again.

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