What Was The Turning Point For You?

sunshine__angel
sunshine__angel Posts: 366 Member
edited September 27 in Chit-Chat
I know most of us are here to lose weight, to look and feel better, to be healthier and happier and more energetic. But what motivated you ENOUGH to do something about it? At which point in your life did you say, "Okay, this has got to stop. I HAVE to do something about this!"?

My turning point was when I stepped on the scale at 189. The last time I had weighed myself before that I was in the 150s and it was only a couple of years previous. I knew I had been getting bigger but I guess it never really bothered me until lately. I was always feeling hot, tired and lazy. I didn't like what I was becoming. I didn't even know who I was. I bought a Wii Fit and tried to work out for a while, I got in better shape but didn't lose too much weight. I still had to change my eating habits.

My best friend got engaged in December and asked me to be in the wedding party. For me, that was my wake up call. I didn't want to feel disgusting on the most important day of my best friend's life! Not to mention all the photographs that will be taken.

I have a few months left before I have to try on dresses and a year before the wedding (June 2012) and I'd like to be back to the 150s by then. This was my major turning point, what was yours?
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Replies

  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    pictures and see what I really looked like while on the beach in shorts and a t shirt with my second son ....my legs were as big as he was as a toddler and I HATED to see that that was what I really looked like....I usually never bothered to see myself in that honest of a light.
  • lajuice24
    lajuice24 Posts: 409 Member
    The fact that my daughter who is now 17 is graduating and I am younger than most of the moms of her friends but looked as old as they did! And seeing pictures of myself, when I thought I looked really good, but I looked like I was busting out of my clothes. I think I just really avoided looking in the mirror and looking at pics of myself!
  • fitnessGETZeasy
    fitnessGETZeasy Posts: 79 Member
    Seeing someone I know who had lost a ton of weight that looked really fantastic. And I knew if she could do it, I definitely could. The same weekend, seeing a lot of people at a party I hadn't seen in fifteen plus years. And they didn't look so fantastic. Realizing I was one of those girls who had let themselves go after highschool was unacceptable.
  • jcpeters13
    jcpeters13 Posts: 19 Member
    My turning point was when I stepped on the scale and saw that I was 301. I couldn't believe that I'd let myself get over the 300 mark. That's when I got really serious. That and my upcoming move to South Korea where an XL is equivalent to a US Medium. I don't want to be the biggest person in the country!
  • flewill2000
    flewill2000 Posts: 3
    The turning point for me was looking at myself in pictures..I hated the way that I looked and I was always tired and sluggish..I have 5 children and my weight is the biggest that I have ever been 291!!..So I wanted to be around for my kids and despite being plus size I am generally healthy i.e. no pre-diabetes, cholestrol, high blood pressure etc...I really want to get down to 150-175..Long process but the reward is worth it
  • Hopie17
    Hopie17 Posts: 53
    my turning point was weighing myself and finding out that i was the heaviest i've ever been. the last time i was this heavy was about 3 years ago. i lost 40 lbs then so i know i can do it again
  • MellowYellowGem
    MellowYellowGem Posts: 120 Member
    Yep mine was photos too. We had a family photo shoot done, I got the pics back and they were beautiful, very special - however they also highlighted my extra weight, seeing as I don't normally have my photo took very often. I'm hoping maybe if I lose the weight I'll be inclined to book a date for my own wedding and look lovely (& 'my old self') in those photos!
    :smile:
  • Dippydog
    Dippydog Posts: 154
    I truly wished I knew. Every year I say I will lose the weight, but by the 2nd or 3rd, I stopped. For some reason this year I kept going. I have always been over weight, so I wish I knew. I know I am motivated because I am still doing the two things I hate....cooking and working out. I am losing and losing slow, but still losing and tomorrow I am meeting a trainer for the next 6 weeks. I never thought I would actually pay someone to yell at me, but look at me know. I have learned more about myself in the last 6 months then I ever thought I would.

    Maybe because my 40th birthday was a week ago and I did not want to be as big as I was when I started this journey. Who knows, but I am glad it happened. I don't think I have ever been this happy.....ever.
  • katekrise
    katekrise Posts: 178 Member
    i had been upset with my weight gain through college, but my priority was college and not my diet, so I put it off until I finished my bachelors. Once I graduated...my health took priority. I had a semester out of college before I started my masters, so I used that time to get healthy. Today is my last day of my semester out of college. Grad school starts tomorrow and I now can run a 5K, fit into a size 7 and work out on a regular basis. I'm not going to pick up my bad habits from my undergrad again!!!
  • NikkiTaber
    NikkiTaber Posts: 190
    Mine was when I got engaged. I REALLY didn't want to be a fat bride. At that point, I weight about 250 pounds I didn't want to look at my wedding photos and be disgusted over how I looked. I didn't want to deal with wedding dress shopping at my current size (at the time was 22).

    I even started to think about after the wedding. Did I want to weight 250 pounds and get pregnant? Did I want to be 250 pounds and not be able to keep up with my future kids? Hell no I didn't!

    I just thought 'enough was freaking enough' and buckled down. I am so thankful and happy I did. I will never allow myself to get anywhere near that big again.
  • velvetkat
    velvetkat Posts: 454 Member
    The turning point for me was that I had gained 30lbs after I had surgery in Sept and then over the holidays. I noticed that I was having a hard time breathing while I was sleeping on my back and also that my blood pressure was borderline high and I had always had a low BP. It scared me to think of what I was doing to my body as I was 52 at the time(now 53). Over the last 3 years I have had 5 surgeries and between not being able to walk much or do much exercise I was a mess.

    The people here have been super on the motivation and by logging in everything it has kept me honest with myself and the results have been astronomical. In 3.5 months I have lost 56 lbs. my BP is normal and I don't snore at all anymore(my BF told me that which I am sure he is happy about)
    I am looking forward to hear what everyone else's reasons are!

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  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
    It was a combination of factors, but having perfectly good clothes that I cannot wear and no money to go buy clothes is what got me serious. I'm making a bunch of changes in my life, and this is just one of them. I am in a totally different area of the country for a year and then will be moving back - I want the new me to be a healthier me in all respects: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual & perceptual.
  • sunshine__angel
    sunshine__angel Posts: 366 Member
    Wow, thank you guys for being so honest! Very interesting reasons.. a lot involving pictures. I hope to, someday soon, not hate taking pictures of myself!
  • janine0187
    janine0187 Posts: 15
    What has got me that I wanted to lose weight was when I stepped onto scale one day and say that I put on a lot of weight since last summer. That was one thing. Then the other thing was I tried on my summer clothes and had to find out that most of them no longer fit and I was wearing them fine last summer. So something was wrong there and I needed to do something against it.
    I am diagnosed with underactive thyroid which makes things a bit more difficult but I still don't give up that easily. My tummy definitely has to shrink. lol
  • jw17695
    jw17695 Posts: 438 Member
    Mine was my upcoming wedding too. I joined last year because I was getting married that May. While my husband is a normal size, both of this sisters are obese and my parents are over weight. I really didn't want to be like any of them. So I picked bridesmaids who were very fit. I would look at pictures of them and think "there is no way you are going to look better than me at my own wedding!" :wink: It was all the drive I needed.
  • bmw4deb
    bmw4deb Posts: 1,324 Member
    Pictures!!! I want pics with my grandkids and me :smile: not just them and everyone else.
    I saw a picture at christmas when i was feeling really good thought i looked good NOT it was
    horrible major wake up.
  • xoTLCxo
    xoTLCxo Posts: 185 Member
    When you are told you need to loose weight or you may not see your daughter grow up really makes you open your eyes!!
  • LolasEpicJourney
    LolasEpicJourney Posts: 1,010 Member
    I have a few pivital moments in my journey.

    My battery died in my car - and I had to walk to work. It wasnt a terribly long walk when the weather was nice - maybe 25 minutes.
    I was all hot and read and couldnt breathe for about half hour after I finished it. On the way home I had to stop half way! I knew enough was enough. I recently had weighed in at 315 lbs and knew something had to change - and this was my ultimate turning point.

    I lost some weight - but then I had a lot of things happen one after another so my weight was at a standstill for almost two years.

    My husband and I decided we wanted to have kids almost immeditely after getting married - and I am fairly sure my weight is what is holding me back from getting pregnant. So I am now working my butt off (quite litterally) to have kids <3
  • tannaleigh
    tannaleigh Posts: 188 Member
    It wasn't really a huge "I hate this, lets change" sort of turning point. I had just had my second son and finally being able to nurse him I knew I should take advantage and watch what I eat so he can literally suck the fat off my *kitten*... I had gone from 234 the day before I had him to 200 in 3 weeks... and I wanted to keep the momentum! I also made a promise to a coworker that when I come back from maternity leave I will be a skinny b!tch and she can call me that all she wants.... I've seen her a few times along the way and she is totally shocked at how I am doing...
  • psb13
    psb13 Posts: 629
    2 major things i guess. first, it had been a really bad year. several serious health issues with family members that required me caring for them. i am also a nurse, so i spend most of my time taking care of the needs of others. i decided now that all of that is over (thankfully) it's my turn to take care of me. secondly, my daughter graduates from high school next year. that involves "senior night" for her activities that means all seniors in the activity -accompanied by their parents- are presented in front of a large group audience. i am older than most mothers of 17 years olds and don't want to look it. i am finally putting me first and doing it this time!!
  • zaidasky
    zaidasky Posts: 20
    my turning point was when i get on the scale and seen 376 i wanted to cry cause i let myself get so big i didn't do much about it but about 2 weeks ago i got back on and i weighed 356 and i knew that if i could lose almost 20 lbs with out really trying that if i tried hard enough that i could lose so much more
  • hazelnutflav
    hazelnutflav Posts: 391 Member
    stepping on the scale and seeing 299, OH HELL NO!!!!! I GOTS TO TURN THIS ***** AROUND.
  • sunshine__angel
    sunshine__angel Posts: 366 Member
    Thanks so much for everyone's responses. I see a lot of different reasons, mostly everyone wanting to be better for themselves and their families. These are very inspirational (some funny, too!) and I really do thank you all for responding! :)
  • lilac01
    lilac01 Posts: 180 Member
    When I couldn't fit into my jeans.
  • sassyfit04
    sassyfit04 Posts: 9
    My turning point took quite a while and a lot of baby steps to achieve. I was in an emotionally and physically abusive marriage for ten years. I had absolutely no desire to look good (why bother?? the last thing I wanted was any "attention" from my ex) and I wasn't capable of feeling good about myself with all the negativity surrounding me. I finally got up the nerve to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night with my two kids about a year and a half ago. I spent the last year trying to get my life back together.

    I guess a few months ago I decided I was ready to stop letting my fear control me and I want to start a new life. I was 130 lbs when I met my ex and went up to 200. I want to get back that confident feeling I had. I want to look good and feel good about my life. No more shame for me!!! So that is what I am trying to do.
  • KayakAngel
    KayakAngel Posts: 397 Member
    My turning point was about a year ago when I started thinking about what my life will be like when my oldest son and eventually youngest son leave the house. My oldest will be a senior in high school this fall. I realized that I need to get it together, to have a plan for my life with no kids at home. I definitely didn't want to be the mom that clings to a child ready to be an adult, that holds them back. I want my kids to be excited about going to college and starting their lives on their own, not worried about mom. I bought a kayak, took lessons, and that hobby has taken on a life of its own. I lost 8 pounds last summer only because of increased activity and made lots of new friends. This year, kayaking started in March, and by logging food and exercise on MFP, I'm pushing my weight loss and increasing my activity levels. I want to be prepared to live healthy and happy for ME and to support my kids in their own lives and their own adventures.
  • BenKnowsFitness
    BenKnowsFitness Posts: 451 Member
    Forgive the dissertation…

    I’ve seen 160lbs 3 times. On my last assent to fatness (made it to 265) I quit exercising when I went back to school as a working adult. Every second I was not at work (and during lunch at work) I was in the books. School has been over for a while now and I am making excellent progress towards a lighter healthier me. So what happened, how the heck did I go so high? Before, I never paid attention to the diet, I did not have to, I was running 30 miles (minimum) a week and taking 3 tae bo classes a week and lifting weights 4 times a week and maybe a few other things. I remember eating whatever the heck I wanted. I wish I would have eaten sensibly after giving up the exercise but for some reason I didn’t. Now I am eating under 2000 cals a day and exercising on a more reasonable schedule (7 miles a week run and 6 miles a week walk, takes 3.5 hours total). It is working.
  • dnthaveasn
    dnthaveasn Posts: 113
    Mine was when I couldn't get my seatbelt on. No matter how much I sucked in my stomach, that seatbelt was not coming on.
  • sueclarklee
    sueclarklee Posts: 3
    Unpacking my summer clothes and trying them on. Being strangled by every pair of bottoms I owned! I have let myself slide since finishing university, so it's time to be more conscious. And I don't want to have to re-purchase my summer- or winter!- wardrobe.
  • kayleeblue
    kayleeblue Posts: 273
    Mine was my 18 year old son saying "Mom, I Love You, you have to do something now, I want my kids to have a grandma!" Tear jerker..17 weeks 17 pounds..I figure if I can lose a pound a week by the time he is done with college and gets married...I should be one healthy grandma! He just better wait til he's done with college!
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