Curiosity - What was your wake up call?

For me it was my boyfriends family going on and on about how awesome this picture of all of us kids was. And how Mom was going to have copies made and give one to everybody to frame etc. It was a great picture but then when I saw me in it I was so horrified and embarrassed. I looked huge. And then they all said "I looked great ". That means that must be how I look all the time.
I still get sick to my stomach when I think of that picture. I hate it. I wanted to burn it.

A lot of things should have been my wakeup call. Clothes getting too tight. Double chins in photos. Not being able to run a block without getting out of breathe. Not being able to keep up with a Pekingese. My 20th high school reunion. My ability to go through a bag of Butterfingers in two days.

But it was being shown pictures of the Warrior Dash that did it for me. It just looked so frickin' cool! I wanted to be able to do it. I didn't care if I lost weight or not. In fact, I didn't think I could lose weight, and was satisfied (read: resigned) with the way I looked. But I knew I could be a lot healthier, so that was my goal. I figured if was in good enough shape to run a 5k in respectable time, then my size or weight didn't matter.

No problems running a 5k now. Warrior Dash was as awesome as I hoped it would be. And I'm doing a 10k on Saturday, but with high temps in the upper 90s that day, and probably in the upper 80s by race time, I highly doubt I'll actually RUN all of that one. It'll be a personal record no matter WHEN I finish and it's not worth a heat stroke to make it a fast one.

My son being born a month early, a result of gestational diabetes (hence, my fault he was born premature) and seeing him attached to all the wires, and other things in the NICU...making me see that made me realize that if I kept it up, it would be me laying up in the ICU fighting for my life if I kept it up. I made a promise from the first day I seen him (he was life flighted to another hospital with a NICU) I would never go back to my old ways...I've slipped up, but nothing to impair my ability of being a healthy mom to him (and a healthy person - for myself). He's my reason, and saving grace.

1) When my girlfriend (who is Juvenile Diabetic- Type 1) checked my morning blood sugar last october and it was 110 (that number is prediabetic). I don't want Type 2 Diabetes. Now, 9 months later my latest morning blood sugar was 81 which is perfect!

2) When I participated in a walk last year and they took pictures and I looked like a house. I was at my highest ever at 204 and looked like a lard. Now I have WAYYYYY more confidence and feel better about myself since I am 169 today.

1) My brother managed to a lose a lot of weight and is now enviably the right size (and we're very competitive siblings).
2) I bought a set of scales and realised I'm significantly heavier than my mother.
3) I never feel comfortable or confident at school because most of my classmates we're skinny and healthy, and I always felt like an elephant
4) I considered the possibility of developing diabetes or heart disease. Please - never.
5) Guys

When I think about it now, I wonder why I didn't notice it before - why I needed to change. But I do, I really do. And I am doing. And I feel great!


TIP: If you're a sugar-junkie, like me, then I always find this helps: Don't eat sugary foods earlier on in the day, or you will start craving more and possibly give in to temptation and go over calorie limit. Seriously, save your sugar-treat until late afternoon, so you're less likely to crave more.

My stomach started to hang over my pants and I got tired from simply walking up the stairs!!

1. Having to buy pants for work that were in the largest size I've ever bought as an adult.
2. When he put a ring on it, and I realized that wedding photos last (almost) forever!

1. I was no longer in the "normal" weight range.

2. I hit 200 pounds.

3. I went from 185 to 200 in about a month, without realizing it. My father in law was sick and died. I was drinking a lot and binge eating all of the time. I could barely walk around the block.

4. My husband told me that I had gained a little weight (he usually does not point those things out). I didn't think I had and weighed myself on a different scale than I was used to. It said 204. I didn't think that could possibly be true and pulled out my scale. Sure enough, that said 204. I almost cried and started walking soon after.

1. my SIL really upset me and lit a mini fire under me over last Christmas ( it was anger) I couldn`t let it out on family so I let it out on myself in the form of exercise
2. I was NOT going to buy a size over 16jeans and my then jeans where getting tight
3. I wanted to play with my kids for longer than 5-10 min at a time without getting winded and needing a break

I held onto #1 until May when I just kinda broke and focused on me gave up pop and started to exercise then the rest has just started to fall into place. ( I was drinking over 12 cans of pepsie regular before May1st everyday and I quit cold turkey Now I drink water HUGE HUGE change for the better). I`m currently a size 14 almost ready to move into some 12s and its only been 3months.

My wake up call was on my birthday last year. My boss always gave the employees a birthday gift. I was at my desk working away when I got an email from her with the subject "Happy Birthday". I opened the email to find the following note: "Don't take offense but I thought you would enjoy this" follwed by a big picture of the gift.

What was it? A subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine....

I went to the bathroom and cried. As rude and hurtful as that was though, it was the wake up call that I needed. I lost 32 pounds and counting and I no longer work there.

Oh my gosh, how rude was that??? I'm so sorry it happened but I like the way you have used it to push yourself to lose weight!!

Mine was when I had my baby and was under the impression I could "lose the baby weight" in no time...hahaha...2 years later and I'm only 10lbs smaller from when I gave birth and 30lbs heavier from pre-baby time!! GRRRR!

Several things...I, too, was at my highest weight for the SECOND time in my life...I feel you on that one!

My father was diagnosed with diabetes, mother with high blood pressure, and a whole family history of heart disease.

Pictures always make it more realistic! I always thought I just didn't photograph well...not true...I was fat!

I go out with my girlfriends for happy hour once a month and I was so depressed every time because I had nothing to wear that I looked good in...they are all thin and stylish and I wanted to get excited about dressing up to go out, too! They are also all married...and all the single hot guys were looking at them and not me (the only single one in the group!).

The biggest reason I decided to get in shape is that by the end of this year I want to attempt pregnancy with donor insemination and I know that it's easier to get pregnant when you're healthy...I figured if I'm paying the big bucks for it I need to give it the best chance possible. I also pictured how much I would weigh fat and pregnant...and how much more weight I'd have to lose after pregnancy if I was fat prior to pregnancy.

Tips? Don't give up!! I have a tendency to lose several pounds all at once, then plateau for several weeks before losing several more pounds. At first I let this get me down, now I know if I just keep on working hard my body will catch up! I always think back to standing on the scale and being stuck at 221 and being very angry...and now I'm on the scale and stuck at 180. I made it past 221 and I'll make it past 180, too...I just need to keep working!

I was always thin growing up, and in the past could lose weight easily...now, with 5 children & the busyness of life, I was horrified to realize I weigh more than I did at 9 months pregnant...and it is not so easy to take the weight off as it used to be, probably a combination of the amount of weight I have to take off (if you think about it, my pregnancy weight included 8 lbs of baby + fluids, etc which change your weight right after giving birth--I'm presently HEAVIER, with no baby accounting for part of the weight!!), and getting older.
Also, I believe life is a gift from GOD, and I need to start treating my health as precious now so I can stay healthy/become more healthy.
My tip is to drink plenty of water and take vitamins to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. Exercise is key--not always my fave thing, but as I become consistent, it is becoming a habit. As time goes on, I may even look forward to it! Lol

There were a number of things for me... Seeing a picture of me at my highest weight Mothers Day weekend, I'm getting married in March, I want to tstart trying to conceive my second baby shortly after that, then I have my 10 year high school reunion in the fall!

when i began working in a hospital and seeing the patients we see. this is a rural hospital, full of poor people with no health insurance..its the south so its mostly fatty, fried foods they eat..so we see a LOT of obese, copd (smoking), diabetic patients, heart issues due to diet and obesity...thats when i woke up.. i dont want to be like of the folks i see here..55 yrs old and bed ridden

when i began working in a hospital and seeing the patients we see. this is a rural hospital, full of poor people with no health insurance..its the south so its mostly fatty, fried foods they eat..so we see a LOT of obese, copd (smoking), diabetic patients, heart issues due to diet and obesity...thats when i woke up.. i dont want to be like of the folks i see here..55 yrs old and bed ridden

My sister is a nurse and says about the double wide wheel chairs and double wide beds, people that are too large to roll on their side. It's really scary and I can't imagine how they feel on a daily basis. It' has to be so hard.