Found out I have too much fat in my liver after a biopsy. After being down 20+ pounds I feel much better. Blood pressure is down. I had back surgery in 2010 and have flare ups of pain. After the weight loss flare ups are much less and not as painful.

Mine was also a medical issue. I was obese - class 3. I went to the Dr. because I was losing the feeling in my feet and my legs were swelling badly. I was put on 2 additional prescriptions, had already been taking meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and a diuretic. I was going through an extremely stressful time in my life and felt I was losing control. I needed to fight back, others needed me to be strong. I'm not there yet (still obese - class 1), but I've lost two-thirds of my goal weight and I know I'm making a comeback!

I am not sure I had an ahh-ha moment per say. I just knew it was time to make changes in my life. Also I was surrounded by people who were inspiring me.

Lot's of ways, but mostly taking care of one's self.

I was always in shape until the last 15 yrs. But then I started packing on the pounds, bit by bit. Soon I was about 45 lbs over my ideal weight.

My moment of clarity happened about 3 yrs ago during golf (I always walk, even before my 'enlightenment'). Anyway, a friend and I went out to play 18 and he asked if I wanted to get high before we went out for our round. I hadn't done anything like that in years, but that day I said, "Sure." Please note: I'm not advocating drug use; my circumstances just worked out like this.

In any case, I entered a highly analytical state of mind. As we walked pulling our carts, I could plainly see that I was struggling to keep up to my friend. Furthermore, I saw, quite clearly, that I had become a fat middle-aged man. I also saw that I had no one to blame for my overweight state other than myself.

But I also saw--and this was key--that it was imperative that I do something about my weight. I saw as well that it wasn't out of my hands and that it wasn't too late.

After looking at various options, I went to the local gym and hired a personal trainer for 10 sessions. She got me going to the gym, familiarizing me with equipment, and gave me routines, both cardio and weights. Most importantly, she brought this website to my attention. I lost 30 lbs in about half a year.

So if you're here, you know it's a tough slog. Yeah, I know, maybe we might gain some back, but that's ok. We will keep at it because it just feels so god damn good to take control of our bodies again.

Am I right?

I remember a couple of things that finally clinched things for me (after being over 100 lbs. overweight for at least the previous 15 years -- and as someone who has always struggled with my weight).

• I had to ask for the seatbelt extender on an airplane. That is such a humiliating experience.
• A cousin of mine who had always been heavier than me started losing weight. That would have left me in the awkward position of being the heaviest member of the family.
• One of my kids lost 50 lbs. Another one of my kids quit smoking. I figured that if they were tackling these major health challenges, I should do my part, too.

italy10548 wrote: »

My moment begain at my annual Doctors appointment in December of 2013, my weight was up to 196.8 and I still smoke. My Dr was yelling after me as I headed down the hall towards the exit, lose weight and stop smoking. I was so embarrassed and ashamed b/c I had gained 6 lbs since my visit last year.

Later, When the Dr called with my blood test results he wanted to put me on chlorestoral meds. And told me my sugar was borderline.

I decided right in this moment to take action!

No matter how good the advise, it was inappropriate and unprofessional for the doctor to do so in the manner you described, I am sorry you had to experience this type of treatment.

On a positive note, it's great to hear that you decided to take action towards leading a healthier lifestyle.

My ahh-ha moment? I've had a few...
Recently, the motivation that got me off the couch, up from the desk and away from the refrigerator has been realizing what obesity is doing to my health. It was easy to compare myself to others and foolishly believe I wasn't in that bad of shape, funny how that works isn't it.

A number of people close to me have recently had *heart attacks, bypass heart surgery, heart stints, been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. I felt bad for my friends and all they had to endure, but I still had not connected all the dots. I still thought I was in decent physical shape and that all these maladies were years away from catching up to me, maybe they never will. I thought I had all the time in the world to regain my health, but I was deceiving myself.

Then just recently, another friend, experienced severe health problems due most likely to obesity, and narrowly escaped death's grip. This one jolted me awake. What the heck was going on? My circle of friends were too young to be experiencing all these health problems. I finally realized that I was going to be in the same boat and soon, if I didn't make some changes.

I took a slow hard look at myself, no longer comparing myself to others, and what I saw frightened me. I am obese, and might just be the next one in line for an emergency room visit. So that is where this journey starts, I just hope it is not too little, too late.

*Many of these health related issues affect those that are the proper weight as well, but I believe obesity has a direct correlation of these diseases in otherwise healthy individuals.

NikonPal, that is a truly inspiring story, where can I find the rest of it?

I've just been told by my doctor that there is no medical reason for my weight gain so I've got to sort it out myself if I want to be a size 12 again (14 will do). Lol

I remember being totally inspired by your story when I read it on the message boards a few weeks ago, @NikonPal Well done, my friend!

Thank you - alphabetsoup2013

PaytraB – It is amazing how MFP can open eyes about portions. I don’t eat anything without considering portion size now.

Background - always had to watch my weight as I gain very easily but was reasonably good at keeping it under control it until I gained 30lbs very rapidly when I was 31. A car driver used my knee to remove his front bumper (US=fender). Three months on crutches, depressed at having some permanent disability, bored and fairly inactive was a good recipe for weight gain.

Turning 50 started the process - very much the thought was if I don't lose this blubber now, when will I?

But the ahh-ha moment was having a nasty case of quinsy, it's like tonsillitis with a turbocharger! My throat was so swollen I simply couldn't eat and not surprisingly lost a lot of weight quickly.

And that made me finally admit it may have been the idiot car driver that led to me getting fat but it was me, and only me, that simply ate too much and kept myself fat for 20 years.

sijomial wrote: »

Background - always had to watch my weight as I gain very easily but was reasonably good at keeping it under control it until I gained 30lbs very rapidly when I was 31. A car driver used my knee to remove his front bumper (US=fender). Three months on crutches, depressed at having some permanent disability, bored and fairly inactive was a good recipe for weight gain.

Turning 50 started the process - very much the thought was if I don't lose this blubber now, when will I?

But the ahh-ha moment was having a nasty case of quinsy, it's like tonsillitis with a turbocharger! My throat was so swollen I simply couldn't eat and not surprisingly lost a lot of weight quickly.

And that made me finally admit it may have been the idiot car driver that led to me getting fat but it was me, and only me, that simply ate too much and kept myself fat for 20 years.

Thanks for sharing. like you I ate too much & kept myself fat.. Great sentence. Sums it all up

I didn't have a single a-ha moment for myself. I knew I was overweight but the freaky part is folks around me kept saying I shouldn't worry about it because I "carry my weight well" and I don't look fat etc. Sorry, folks... I'm muscular but 283 lbs on a 5'11" frame is still obese.

What got me going in the right direction were two friends who tackled weight loss from different perspectives. One had bariatric surgery plus diet & exercise. The other joined a weight loss clinic which specializes in a holistic approach to weight loss through diet & exercise plus teaching people to approach eating differently through meal planning and keeping a food diary. I decided to join the weight loss clinic. I was successful in losing +30 lbs.

Around the same time as I started losing weight, my marriage derailed. As a result of all of the disruption, I stepped back from the clinic for a couple of years and dedicated my time to healing my soul and caring for my children. Now that divorce is finalized, I'm back in the gym. Current focus is less on losing weight and more on rebuilding muscle.