What was your "moment" that pushed you to begin your weight loss journey?
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I got a genuine obesity-related health issue. Not one that gets as much attention as heart attacks or T2D, but the veins in my legs collapsed under the strain of my class three obesity. My extra weight was (as I understand it from the vascular surgeon) compressing my lymph ducts. So, when I got some sort of cut or scrape or bug-bite on my leg, first I developed cellulitus. Then lymphedema, culminating in 1) a weeping wound on my leg that required daily nurse visits for dressing changes, 2) being banned from walking during the couple of months before I got to see a vascular surgeon because all my GP knew for sure was that I had an infection, the leg had to stay cool, and moving around would warm it up. 3) Multiple courses of antibiotics. Which frankly scared me because the one that did the trick? Apparently was about the only one that the bacteria was susceptible to. Which left me worried that more infections would lead to my building up a tolerance to the treatment. (At this point, I tell my doctors not to prescribe me antibiotics unless I actually need them, but not 'Well, we don't know yet if this is an infection or a virus, but we can start you on antibiotics now, just in case').
Oh, and also, this condition can be managed, not cured. The treatment? Compression stockings and weight loss. I decided I didn't want my life to be swollen infected legs and building my day around when the nurse was coming to visit. (It seems minor unless you're dealing with it, but because the dressing couldn't get wet, I had to time my showers for when I knew the nurse was on their way. And every now and again, the call would be 'I'm just pulling into your driveway now; are you home?' Which meant having to put the shower off until tomorrow.)4 -
When my son was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, his doctor sent him to the local bariatric center to help him manage his weight. I went with him for support. When we met with the personal trainer at their fitness facility, I suggested various activities that we could do together as encouragement. The personal trainer said, in a polite way, "You know, you could join the program and work out right along with him." So I did! That was exactly 1 year ago today and I have lost over 50 pounds. I'm eating healthy now and exercise 5 days a week (7 when I was in training for the two 5K's I've walked in the past 2 months). The Nurse Practitioner told me I should only shoot for 10 more pounds, but I'd like to lose 20 more.7
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How does putting down the fork constitute a "journey?"5
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I stepped on the scale. I didn’t realize how much weight I had gained until I checked. Been working on my weight since then.0
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When painting my toenails left me breathless.4
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I was sent to a liver specialist due to very very slightly elevated liver enzymes. My doctor thought that it was due to autoimmune liver disease. The specialist told me I probably had a fatty liver and needed to lose some weight. I was about 55 pounds overweight and had been overweight a long time. That made me get serious about losing weight, though I tried in the past through eliminating food groups, which didn't work very consistently. That was the first time a doctor told me I needed to lose weight for my health, and I started thinking about it as more than a cosmetic issue. I am happy to say I am down 25 pounds since then!2
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Realizing I was larger than most of the people in my family. These are people who would point at me seven years ago and say "she's got her stuff together." Now they all look at me sideways and try to push fad diets my way.
I'm chronically tired too. Ready for that to stop.
So many self help gurus out there go on and on about how weight has nothing to do with self esteem. BS. I had much higher self esteem when I was thin.
But this time, I want to be thin and fit. Before, I was thin but not fit.4 -
Damn full length mirrored closet doors right across from the shower! But hey it worked!4
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The thing that really made me do it is kinda silly. I was trying on rugged light blue jeans and it really made me realize how much I had gained and how much it impacted my choice in clothes. I'm not gonna let my weight define what kind of clothing I wear, this is the end of that. I used to wear hoodies everyday, but now I'm getting more feminine clothes that compliments my body more. My confidence is coming back and I own rugged light blue jeans now, so it works for me
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My oldest daughter's high school graduation. I only owned one dress that fit (it was ugly and black) and when I looked at the photos I was appalled at what I looked like. Right then I decided I needed to stop gaining weight. Note, that I did not tell myself to lose weight, but to stop gaining. My first, and really only, goal was to stop the weight gain. Kinda sad.
I Googled how to stop gaining weight, found My Fitness Pal, started counting calories and 6 years later here I am. Twenty pounds lighter (I was 30 pounds lighter but switched from a retail job where I walked 8 hours a day to a desk job and stupidly didn't lower my calorie intake).
I discovered weight lifting and have packed on some muscle and I haven't looked back.
PS - I find all of your stories so inspiring5 -
My daughter's wedding. There were all these pictures of me as mother of the bride and I didn't recognize myself. Here I was dressed the best possible, best makeup, best hair, and professional photos and lots of them. And I looked huge. And bloated. I realized for years (decades) I'd been blaming the photos--not a good picture, not a good day, not a good angle, blah, blah, blah. With the wedding photos I had nothing left to blame except me. That's also when I realized how much my mind played tricks with the image in the mirror--'cause that didn't look nearly as bad.
That was 3 years ago--now I'm 130 lbs lighter and almost every medical issue I had evaporated. And I'm not scared of photos anymore!9 -
Thanks for sharing these stories, all. Very inspiring and eye opening, and I hope that you all find initial and prolonged success in your journey.
Feel free to add me as well if you're looking for any support/tips/motivation.0 -
When every woman around you wants a thin but slightly toned Jpop/Kpop star boyfriend. I realized I needed to transform into the ideal.1
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Going clothes shopping and having to go up a size- AGAIN (which even then was tight!) I'm still in the bigger size now but they're getting looser aha.3
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It was steadily building for me...the straw the broke the camels back was getting winded just from carrying my infant son in his carrier from the garage into the living room. All of 30 feet. That was it. I had enough. Now I am 95 lbs lighter. In the best shape of my life at 43. I do have a tendency to get lazy and let the holidays put back on 10-15lbs, but I take it off the spring (does get harder every year though so I need to stop that). Almost six years and I have maintained.7
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I've noticed for a while that my clothes were getting tighter, I was having more problems with my back and knees. Everyone laughed because at 24, I shouldn't be having those problems. But I was. On Thursday, I convinced my mom to go to a local weight watchers meeting and I promised her I would go with her. I got on that scale and seeing my weight was...terrifying. I was getting lazy and at over 250 pounds, I could easily see myself getting to 300 or more. I didn't want that. So something had to change and I had to be the one to change it.
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A little over 2 years ago I overate on Pizza, like overating so much I couldnt move for like 2 hours. There and then I decided to lose weight, and never have the feeling of overeating again. Next day I bought a scale and it showed 99 kg (218 pounds)
I started to eat less and do a daily 5 km walk, and 3 months later I started the C25K program, still running today 5 x week.
I never tracked my calories, but went from 100 kg to about 67 kg in the next 12 months.
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Long post, sorry (and I think I made a similar post awhile back. This is from my MFP blog)
This all started at least 2 years ago. I developed a cough, and I assumed it was from smoking for years, but I ignored it.( I had quit long before this started). Months went on and my cough got progressively worse so fearing the worst I sought out a Pulmonologist doc. Without running any tests he diagnosed my with COPD, sent me home with 2 inhalers to use daily, told me I was stuck with this condition and wished me well.
Back and forth I went to this doc and my cough kept getting worse and I'd frequently stop breathing, but yet all this doc did was hand me more inhalers to try. At this point I was coughing constantly, wheezing and gasping for air, and barely sleeping.
My "Eureka" moment came after almost a year of this; I laid down for a nap and as soon as my head hit the pillow my mouth filled up with stomach acid...and then my wheezing kicked up the worst it has ever come up....I had a cause! I immediately got on my computer and looked up a Gastroenterologist and made an appointment.
Tests were run, evaluations done. "Well, you have a very bad H Pylori infection of your stomach that is loosening your esophageal sphincter causing stomach acid to back up into your lungs". I was given a cocktail of 3 antibiotics and scheduled for follows ups. Imagine that, after over a year of coughing and being told I had a lung disease that one night I'd have stomach acid back up....and that would FINALLY lead to an answer. Right after my diagnosis I ended up hospitalized for 3 days because I had acid in my lungs so bad that I couldn't breathe and if I tried laying down more would get in my lungs. I had sat upright at night for several nights and never slept! By the time I got to the hospital I was exhausted and hallucinating.
Early on even before my diagnosis, I had problems eating. I kept telling my doc I felt full and it felt like every time I ate that my stomach was pushing into my lungs. I started to be phobic about eating, and the stomach acid got worse before it got better. I was eating about a half ounce of rice and a half ounce of chicken, that was it. It was all I could eat that didn't cause me to cough or spit up acid. Gradually I was able to very slowly re-introduce normal foods and a few spices back into my life. I lost about 20 pounds just from being afraid to eat and the effects it had on my ability to breathe.
To this day, 2 years later, I am still afraid to eat a full meal. I still avoid spicy foods. I still have problems breathing but it's much better. It's the worst close to my periods. I decided to use these problems to my advantage since I'd already lost 20 pounds and that I'd go on a diet in a sense; Mainly eating much healthier. So much of the last few years of my life has been out of my control, so I am loving losing weight and tracking my food intake/calories, it also is bringing out my creative culinary side I didn't know I had! One thing I was told is that weight loss will help my situation, so I am determined to win this.
My starting weight was 263, today I am 199! 63 pounds down so far...and still going! I've gone down 2 sizes in clothing and I feel so much better. My knees no longer hurt, I no longer have a huge double chin, and I'm just happier. Losing weight is actually fun and empowering!5 -
For me it’s wanting to have another baby, since my first turns 12 next month! We’ve been trying to conceive for 4 year now, I have PCOS, but I know that being overweight makes it harder to conceive too.
We conceived a couple of years ago but I miscarried, and as I got closer and closer to 35yrs old, I started to lose hope, fearing that age was also going to be against me. Then my Dr referred me for fertility treatment, and I found out that if I lost weight, I’d qualify for a certain treatment that would greatly improve my chances of having the baby we desperately long for.
So here I am, 22kg (about 46lb I think?) down now, and not far from the goal my fertility Dr set for me. 😊1 -
An *kitten* at work called me Rob Ford,the morbidly obese,crack smoking,now deceased former mayor of Toronto.3
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