Your 'Ah-Ha' Moment

This is going to be a long one, so apologies in advance...

2014 was a really bad year for me and my husband. Knowing that we had packed on a few too many kgs, we agreed to get fit together that year. However my husband started having back pain which meant we didn't really get into it. I held off, waiting for him to get better, because I wanted us to do it together (he's not very motivated if he has to do it alone and I wanted us to be exercise buddies!). But by April he was in chronic pain and could barely stand - he was 33 at the time. Cue 6 months of him not being able to work, or even sit or stand while taking masses of pain meds while waiting for surgery. I was working full time and studying part time and had to take over all chores and basic running of the house. We were both pretty depressed and would buy "comfort food" from the supermarket most days - it looked like I was shopping for a kids birthday party every time with chocolate, chips and lollies! I was exhausted all of the time, so we would eat take aways most nights as I felt too tired to cook, let alone exercise. I gained 10kgs in a couple of months and topped out at 110. The doctor told me I had to change my contraceptive because I was now so heavy I was at risk of blood clots. He sent me for blood tests which were ok, but not great.

I realised at this point that it couldn't go on. I was so unhappy and I felt like my whole life was revolving around my husband's injury. I needed to do something for myself, so in July 2014 I dragged my bike out of the garage and set it up in the lounge, remembering that exercise actually GIVES you energy, which I really needed. It took 2 weeks before I actually used it! But I started exercising daily and lost about 5kg in a month. Then I joined MFP to get my food under control and haven't looked back. My husband finally had his surgery in August last year, and was back at work full time from november-ish. He is still rehabilitating - so still can't really exercise, but he has lost weight and feels better with the healthy food we have been eating. I hit goal at the beginning of this month - Having lost 42kgs. I finally feel like I have my life back again.

in some ways I think our crisis was good, because it made this stick. I needed something in my life that I could control and succeed at when everything else had turned to *kitten*, and weight loss was that thing. I'm not sure ii would have succeeded without it. Silver linings!

I love all this Ah-ha discussion. Isn't it amazing how often huge changes in our lives come from tiny moments. So if you add up all the ah-ha moments in a life time, the most important epiphanies in our lives, and it comes to what, less than a full minute? Amazing.

My weight ah-ha has hit a number of times in my life. It seems to hit around 25 pounds over my target. I gain about a pound a month if I don't think about what I'm eating, so 2 years in, I'm 24 over. This time I caught a glimpse of my tummy profile in a mirror - I don't usually look in full body mirrors (guy thing - like we NEVER look back at the tops of our head - no no no, I don't have a bald spot). I also start realizing if I don't lose weight, it's time to buy new clothes. Buying BIGGER clothes is such a bummer. Buying SMALLER clothes is a huge retail therapy rush.

Here's my MFP plug. I hit my Ah-Ha in March this year. My experience matched a number of writers here. Suddenly, like some kind of strange force from outer space, it became easy. As long as I knew I was eating less calories than I needed to compensate for living and exercising, I would not gain. This was huge. I have spent all my other "diets" fantasizing about what I wanted to eat, asking myself whether I could eat it, and basically stressing. This stress needs an ocean of commitment to keep going, which is the same reason I would give up. My mind can only take one of these big passion things. If I am really into building something, reading something, writing something, there's no room anymore for the passion needed to stop that eating stress. BUT, welcome to MFP. I don't think about it. I don't need to expend my precious passion resources to food - I just don't think about it. So cool. I don't even care if my weight goes up and down (I have a Withings WiFi enabled scale, which is SO great, and I recommend it to anyone). I used to base my whole day on whether I was up .4 pounds or down .2 pounds, and stress like hell. See, the beauty is that I can take on other passions, and there is still room for my maintenance effort.

I'd say the biggest issue I have right now, one I have NEVER had, is worry that I am actually losing too much. I'm trying to bump up my daily calories and having trouble allowing myself. My wife and family says I look thin, which besides being annoying and selfish on their part, I'm beginning to think it's true. I am wearing Levi jeans right now that I bought from the Boys department! I'm 59. When shopping at LL Bean the other day (I live in Maine), I ducked down and squeezed through a little kids-only tree door entrance to get to where I could find pants to fit me. Yes, I could have walked around, but it seemed "fitting". haha.

My last MFP plug is that wow, have I ever started eating better. I actually am living up to a declaration that I DO NOT EAT added sugar. I'll pile down two apples and half a cantaloupe, which have tons of sugar, but I don't put any on my oatmeal or have a single processed food sweet item. I shop almost exclusively from a small natural food store in Bath Maine (love this place), and am eating the best food ever in my life. SO cool. Delicious too. I have never been so excited about organic spinach leaves and Brussel sprouts. I just hope they don't decide that these are all bad too.

That's it - if anyone actually read this post, then thank you. Take care of yourself, and if you're early in this game, just commit to one simple thing - enter your food into MFP. That is it. If you can do that, and be honest (at first you think, THIS IS ONE SERVING? I USED TO EAT 4 TIMES THIS), you will lose weight. It won't come off smoothly, but if you keep your reviews to one week periods, you'll see, the weight average inches down. With the bucks you save not buying as much food, buy better food. You'll be a happier person in a year. But this time, you absolutely have to keep up the tracking. Your spouse will get sick of it when you're cooking dinner and standing there pushing keys on your smart phone. Do it anyway. Do it do it.

Gren

My Ah-ha moment... 337 lbs and buying the largest size Lane Bryant carried... I mentally broke down and started that day making goals to become healthier.
I admitted to everyone I knew that I needed to change and I admitted I needed their help. I got super honest with my lifestyle and eating habits and broke them down over time.
My mental choice is the biggest change this time around... I have accepted that this journey is the only option I have and it's daily my choice to pick to be happy and healthy and embrace the positives. I honestly believe there are many paths and options to lose, but if you can't make your mind up to make it a lifestyle change, they won't ever work. Also... motivation is just like a muscle, you have to work it over and over again to become strong willed. ; )

My ah-ha moment was a heart attack at 53 yrs old. I was over weight, a smoker and living in chronic pain. I was depressed and miserable. I had no idea how to regain my health and fitness until someone steered to MFP. I just celebrated 1 yr. on maintenance and I have never been healthier. I am loving the journey and I have no plans on slowing down. I have also found that through a healthy diet and consistent exercise I can manage my chronic pain. I have yo-yo dieted before but this time is different...I wanted it bad enough and I changed not only my eating habits but my relationship with food.