That AHA moment: What made you start?

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Replies

  • sgallagherxo
    sgallagherxo Posts: 89 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events
    Something just clicked in my mind that I would get fitter, coming from a lot of yo yo dieting in early teens and self hate also an eating disorder.

    2. When did you start this journey? 14/01/17

    3. Where are you now? I'm down 20lbs and 3 months pregnant so doing well.

    4. What keeps you going? My life has just changed from that moment I decided I wasn't going to be sad anymore
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,212 Member
    I never thought I would be here answering these questions but here I am.


    So this is pretty straight forward. Please share the following:

    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events

    It was a Lady's night out. We went out for lunch and to the movies afterward. The seat beside me stayed empty, nobody wanted to sit there because I had gotten so big. That was the wake-up call I needed. The next day I came here.

    2. When did you start this journey?

    87 days ago.


    4. Where are you now?

    I lost 30 pounds and fit in my 2X clothes.

    4. What keeps you going?

    The empty chair beside me.

    I know we are friends on here and I've told you already, but you are an absolute inspiration to me and I cry every time I read your story. I am so incredibly proud of you and what you have accomplished so far. ❤️❤️❤️
  • LindaGilpin59
    LindaGilpin59 Posts: 233 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events
    Getting back up to over my highest weight after losing 30-50 pounds a couple of different times.

    2. When did you start this journey?

    May 2, 2016. I joined a program called pedal off the pounds. it is run by the Des Moines Cycle club. and ended up being the biggest loser last year and winning a bicycle.

    3. Where are you now? Started at 260. The highest I had ever been and now am at 207. Am back in Pedal off the Pounds this year as a team leader and that helps.

    4. What keeps you going? The winter months were hard and bounced around with the same 3-4 pounds but now am motivated by the accountability of the group and am able to ride more frequently.
  • DeannaNL
    DeannaNL Posts: 53 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events

    Various BP medication not lowering my blood pressure & chronic stomach issues. Finally listened to my doctor (out of frustration & feeling like crap) to change my diet.

    2. When did you start this journey?
    I started eating low carb on March 27th, 2017

    3. Where are you now?

    Almost 1/2 way to my goal. Down 26 pounds!

    4. What keeps you going?

    a) My ultimate goal is to get off of blood pressure medicine. I know if I stick to this way of eating I will achieve that goal. b) My stomach issues have vanished and I no longer need to take any meds for that which is a huge #NSV for me! c) Also, my fantastic support group on Instagram. They are the ones who keep me motivated and inspired. Couldn't do it without them. Come and find me @toodles_kilos
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events
    I went to my annual women's visit, and my PA who had always been much larger than me had lost a ton of weight. I asked how and she said she had used Medifast. I researched it and realized that "prescription food" might be what I needed to drop the weight. At 100lbs overweight, I had to do something. I was so physically limited and had a ton of back pain and was just generally unhappy. Health problems from being overweight was trying to set in. I did a little research on MFP on what the "MFP diet" was, and decided to give it a try and if that didn't work, was going to pursue Medifast or weight loss surgery.

    2. When did you start this journey? September 6, 2016 at 256 lbs.

    5. Where are you now? 172lbs this morning.

    4. What keeps you going? My success so far keeps me going. I know that my goal is completely reachable. I love my new life and health and body and want to keep improving myself and setting new goals.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    aemsley05 wrote: »
    Oh, and reading everyone's success stories on MFP :)
    I'll second that! I love reading about others' successes. Totally keeps that fire lit.

  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you?

    I got up to about 200 lb. I'm tall, so no one (including me) realized how big I really was, and it came on slowly.

    2. When did you start this journey?

    The highest weight point was when I was in law school, about 10 years ago. I have started and stalled a few times. I got back on MFP around Christmas when I noticed I was back up at 170 and clothes were fitting tightly.

    3. Where are you now?

    Since school, I lost about 20 lb. in two separate years (both times when I was dutifully logging my calories). Now I'm at 160 lb. with a lot of muscle from running, swimming, biking, and sometimes lifting.

    4. What keeps you going?

    Now I love challenging myself on running speed (although I do run slow) and distance. I enjoyed my first sprint triathlon last year and signed up for an international / Olympic distance one in July. I also never thought I'd like running enough to be doing a half marathon, but I'm doing one this weekend!
  • RobinSFoster
    RobinSFoster Posts: 44 Member
    1. What was the turning point for you?
    I was wearing maternity clothes still when my daughter turned 6 months old. I weighed myself and saw I was higher than I was at my 6-week postpartum checkup. She's almost 8 months old now.

    2. When did you start the journey?
    It's been ongoing. I lost all the weight plus an additional 30lbs after my son was born in
    2015.

    3. Where are you now?
    About 10lbs down. 30lbs to go to reach my pre pregnancy weight. My mini goals are 10lbs. I celebrate those with going through my closet and getting rid of anything too big. And then I'll keep going from there.

    4. What keeps you going?
    The more weight I lose, the more energy I have for my husband and children. And an infant and a toddler require a lot of energy!
  • crystaldelise
    crystaldelise Posts: 2 Member
    So this is pretty straight forward. Please share the following:
    1.What was the turning point for you? First time was the picture my dad took when I was 23 years old, and my sister who was seven asked me when was the new baby due. I wasn't pregnant. More recently (I am 41 now) I have found out that I am gluten intolerant and for me that means I am sluggish and don't have the energy or desire to take the weight off
    2. When did you start this journey? The most recent reboot has been May 7, 2017

    3. Where are you now? Down five pounds, and still working every day to make the little changes that create a new lifestyle.

    4. What keeps you going? I want to be around and have the energy to play with my grandkids
  • LauraInTheWater
    LauraInTheWater Posts: 477 Member
    edited May 2017

    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events.
    Got back from vacation and looked through our pictures. I was a little bit chubby for my liking. That morning I also weighed myself and I was at my highest weight EVER. I was done. I had also been having serious issues with my knees for a while.

    2. When did you start this journey?
    50ish days ago

    3. Where are you now?
    12 lbs down. Over half way there, and out of the overweight BMI category! Can't believe I don't eat chocolate everyday!

    4. What keeps you going?
    My knees feel better! I look better! I'm more confident! Even though it's just a little bit of weight a couple of people have already said things because I only have about 20 lbs total to lose. Then I plan on re-evaluating.
  • drenergy
    drenergy Posts: 112 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you?
    For the first time in my life, I realized my BMI was "overweight." It's a stupid thing because BMI is a terrible indicator of health and so is just looking at your weight, BUT I knew it was just one of many signs that my health was slipping as I headed farther into my 20s. I felt sluggish and gross all the time, and I was a smoker. Smokers know it's bad for them, trust me. I felt like an idiot every time I had one, but I figured I'd "do it later" and get better habits "later." Well, at 25 I realized that if "later" didn't turn into "right now" that I'd easily let a decade pass me by while I sat around eating nacho cheese, smoking cigarettes.

    2. When did you start this journey?
    August of 2011 when I started couch to 5k. Changing my eating habits came a while after that. I started losing weight and then stopped after a few pounds and couldn't figure out how I could run 5 miles but couldn't lose 5 pounds. Well, then I cut out the chicken wings and fries after every softball game and things got better. haha

    4. Where are you now?
    Well, I had a baby, ran a marathon, ran tons of half marathons, and my weight has been up and down. Except for pregnancy, I've never been overweight and I've stuck to being really active, even if my eating habits haven't always been totally consistent. More than 2 years post-partum, I'm pretty consistently in the mid 140s (20 lbs down from where I started), can run several miles no problem, and feel great.

    4. What keeps you going?
    My son. I want to model good habits for him and to make it 'normal' to be active, eat a balanced diet and a wide variety of yummy foods, and I want him to feel good about his body and abilities. :)
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you? It's ok if it was a series of events
    Getting a fitbit. I lost all the weight years and years ago by extreme dieting. Like a can of soup and 40 calories of yogurt per day kind of dieting. Then, I got married and my new spouse wasn't thrilled that we couldn't ever like order a pizza. So, then I would eat the pizza and then not eat for 48 hours to make up for it. Anyways, very disordered eating. I did keep 100 lbs off for around 10 years, but, then gained it all back in a few months after job loss in 2008. I've tried losing the weight a couple times since, but, did the same stupid disordered eating. I really wanted one of those devices that they wore on the biggest loser. Everyone says it's just calories in and calories out, except, oh yeah, how in the world do you arrive at your calories out if you are anything but sedentary? I thought fitbit was just a glorified pedometer. Anyways, spouse surprised me with a fitbit blaze that does the heart rate and everything on April 1st as an early anniversary gift. It's not perfectly accurate, but, when paired with trendweight to see my actual achieved deficit, it is really consistent for me. I finally know that mystery part of the equation, calories out. Everyone used to tell me I was sedentary but it turns out that I'm not. So, with my activity, I can eat 2000 calories per day and still lose weight. I'm not starving and I'm trying to quit being that crazy person I used to be. I was one of those fat people who did eat my vegetables everyday, walked a lot and only really had junk in some kind of moderation, so, I always had good labs. It used to be fun to see my doctor be surprised by them. lol

    2. When did you start this journey? April 1, 2017

    3. Where are you now? 14 lbs down, 14% of my weight loss goal achieved, 89.4 lbs to go.

    4. What keeps you going? How easy it is. I could do this for life. I do log everything, but, it only takes a few moments to do so. I'm only hungry right when I should be, cause it's lunch time or dinner time, I'm never starving. When I go walk 30,000 steps at a theme park I get to eat like 3000 calories and still lose weight. If I want pizza, I can go jog for an hour and have that pizza. As I get closer to goal I may even drop my deficit a bit and keep going slow and easy.

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  • Smaya29
    Smaya29 Posts: 106 Member
    edited May 2017
    1- I wouldn't look in the mirror for more than 10 seconds a day. I dreaded it. My facial features seemed so unfamiliar like I had pumped some air in it to make it look like a balloon. I had to go buy a new pair of jeans and ended up buying size 16 US... THAT was a huge blow. Size 12 to 16 in a year and a half?? How's that possible. There was a time when I felt like I was at my heaviest and had to buy size 8 jeans. I started hating shopping for my clothes because none of them would look good on me anymore. Felt constantly bloated like a whale. My legs ached, I felt sleepy all the time. Really really low energy. So I decided to come back to MFP for the third time around at 157 pounds.

    2- May 23rd, 2017.

    3- Dropped down from 157 to 152 (I'm 5'2 and want to be at at least 125 pounds)

    4- the person in the mirror who I can hardly recognize. Where did that curvy body go? Where are those big beautiful eyes and the petite nose?? And that double chin that's becoming quite obvious!!! Sick of feeling tired and achy.
  • TheLaser
    TheLaser Posts: 338 Member
    Mine is not a radical weight loss story, just a story about trying to be the healthiest and fittest me I can be:

    1.What was the turning point for you?
    I've done this twice. I did a challenge with a swim team for a month, then kept going and got down to my goal weight. About a year later I was pregnant, then pregnant again. I'm finally back in a place where I have more control over my time and just restarted seriously again. I saw some awful pics and also couldn't properly button a pair of shorts from last summer without looking like a squeezed balloon.

    2. When did you start this journey?
    I don't know exactly what my starting weight was for this round because I didn't have a working scale. I got one about a week in, and it turns out I was at about the weight when I started MFP the first time (136.6 lbs). I guess that's where my body just wants to rest at. It's not a terrible weight but I feel huge and lethargic at that size.

    3. Where are you now?
    In the last thirty odd days I have lost about six pounds. My goal is to reach and maintain at 121-2 lbs. My short term goal is to drop under 130 by the end of May.

    4. What keeps you going?
    I feel SO GREAT! And I look great in my clothes! I'm dreaming about shopping again and all the new styles I can wear this summer. I love feeling so energetic. And I can actually feel myself shrinking. It's only 6 lbs but I already feel much lighter and freer.

    Great work, everyone!
  • jacquih2981
    jacquih2981 Posts: 120 Member
    1.What was the turning point for you?
    I got to 282 pounds and had to wear elasticated everything. My ankles swelled up by almost 2 inches from morning to evening and heartburn kept me awake most nights. I tried an exclusion diet and realised i could lose weight and improve my health.

    2. When did you start this journey?
    1 May on MFP logging food and exercise. I ate more and moved less than I realised. By a lot. A whole big lot.

    3. Where are you now?
    I have dropped 8 pounds and increased my step count from 4k a day to 9k. Not there with the nutrition but one step at a time.

    4. What keeps you going?
    I keep getting PBs at the gym, I am moving more, I feel great. I might be able to wear the green dress without looking a bag of spanners. In time I could get back in my corset and still breathe, I could wear my heels again without my knees whingeing, I could do all my yoga poses, I could wear clothes that were not elasticated again, I could dance the night away without looking heart attack red and sweaty

  • EDTake2
    EDTake2 Posts: 165 Member
    1. Turning point - I had not realized how big I was until my brothers wedding in 2013. I was 227lbs (my highest) at the time and the wedding photographer did not want to take my pictures. The whole wedding I was in 5 professional photos, and that's because he had to take them.

    2. When did I start - right after the wedding. September 14, 2013.

    3. Where I am now - from September 2013 to July 2015 (sister in laws wedding) I went from 227 to 182. It felt great and I was in a lot of photos
  • EDTake2
    EDTake2 Posts: 165 Member
    Not sure why part of 3 and 4 were cut out previously, but here is what I wrote:

    Part 3: since then I gained 20 lbs, got to comfy with myself and stopped cc. End of 2016 I was at 202 lbs. in January of 2017 I started MFP and I am down 13lbs (188.4 lbs as of this morning)

    4. What keeps me going - my family and health. I need to set an example for my kids, and live a long and active life with my husband.

  • Aarjono
    Aarjono Posts: 228 Member

    1.What was the turning point for you?

    It was a domino effect of things, and this will probably be TMI, but here goes.
    I've gained weight steadily for about 10 yrs and for the last 5 I've had terrible GERD, with a constant cough that sounded like I had TB or lung cancer. I never had high BP or pre-diabetes at my physicals, which to my dr was unbelievable. But then my weight started to affect my mobility. Last summer, I developed problems with my feet, and I hurt my knee in a fall, so walking was extremely painful even with orthotics and braces. My orthopedist wanted me to see a vascular dr for my pitting edema, and I couldn't bring myself to go (denial and let's face it, fear). I was on arthritis meds, and stomach meds. I took steroid shots to get me through a trip to NYC and marching the Macy's parade with my son's marching band in November 2016 when I was at highest weight (267). I felt horrible. Every day was a struggle. In March 2017, I cut my foot really deeply, requiring 8 stitches. When it happened, the blood was *so* viscous it didn't look real, and it scared me, because all I could think of was that high blood viscosity is associated with diabetes. When I went to urgent care for stitches, my BP was high (150/90, and I don't get white coat hypertension). Right about the same time, I felt sick whenever I ate, and every night I was in terrible pain, throwing up undigested food, what looked suspiciously like coffee grounds. Again, it scared the ever-loving crap out of me, because my ex-husband died of esophageal cancer 4 yrs ago. My life flashed before my eyes, and in that life I was physically crippled, with high blood pressure, diabetes, and other things unthinkable, and realized my children would definitely be orphans if I didn't finally *do* something.

    2. When did you start this journey?

    End of March, 2017. A friend had been suggesting forever that I try eating vegetarian for my GERD, so when my son left town for spring break, I downloaded 2 weeks worth of 1400 cal/day vegetarian menus, went shopping, and started logging my food religiously on MFP starting April 1. My GERD went away within the first week, along with that horrific cough and the vomiting.

    3. Where are you now?

    I'm down 25# from November, and 15.3# since March and logging in MFP. I have 77 pounds to go, but I'm taking it 10 at a time.

    4. What keeps you going?

    The facts that I don't miss meat, and I don't feel deprived while staying within my calories. How great I feel physically. My GERD is gone. My stomach doesn't hurt. My limp is gone, and my feet and knees don't hurt anymore. I feel better than I have in *years*. My mind feels more "present". Even my kids have noticed a change in me. My youngest is about to move off to college, and I want to be able to enjoy finally being on my own. I want to hike the Appalachian Trail. I want to be able to take my future grandchildren camping and hiking.
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