What was YOUR final straw to finally make a change?
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I lost the Russian Roulette spin and got myself an obesity-related complication. The veins in my legs collapsed under too much me... which impacted my lymphatic system. Suddenly I had a weeping wound on my leg that wouldn't quit until about 12 weeks of antibiotics (it took some time for them to find the right one; when they did, it took three courses to clear it up), daily visits from homecare nurses to change the dressing, being told to rest the leg as much as possible, to the point where they wanted me taking a taxi (I don't drive) to my doctor's office, six blocks away—until the vascular surgeon cleared me to walk again.
The condition is controllable, not curable. And the main ways to control it? Compression stockings and weight loss.
I didn't want those 12 weeks to become my normal life.
That was 108 lbs ago. I'm about 10 lbs from goal now.31 -
I saw a photo of me and didn't recognize the fat guy in the picture. That is how strong the denial was. When I saw that I knew I had to make a change...3
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5 lbs did it. I hit a weight 5lbs higher than previous high, which was 20 years ago and when I was much stronger. I'm a long time gym rat (4-5 days/wk) and usually just tweak my diet a little to stay in my 'norms' but with age I've lost muscle and gained fat and that little bit more was just not acceptable.
So I got a plan from a lady at the gym and set some goals to get shredded. First I'll cut down to a certain target weight, that based on my history I should be pretty lean at, and then once there, decide what to do based on my body comp. Maybe cut more, maybe gain back muscle if needed? While I'm "in the mode" I figure I'll take it as far as I can.
Very happy so far with the progress. 20lbs in 70 days and 10lbs in the last 30 days. Strength is staying fairly consistent. Seeing some changes in the mirror.
Funny part: biggest goal was to lose the "moobs". Not even really focused on the handles or gut, I just want to be able to wear a tank top. I was actually surprised to discover that my waist was shrinking. Isn't that the first thing most people check?5 -
I just became really uncomfortable in my body. The fat I'm carrying gets in the way of me doing the things I enjoy, I don't like to go out or dress up, I can't do the sports and activities I like, sex life completely non existent, energy levels low and I realised I was becoming depressed and reclusive so I'm determined to change it and get my life back.10
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There were a few final straws that made me change.
1. Both of my nieces, ages 15 and 4, said I wasn't fun anymore because I couldn't play with them like they wanted. (Tag, going to the park, etc.)
2. My glucose levels were not within normal range and was diagnosed with pre- diabetes. I saw how my grandma died of complications from the disease and it scared me.
3. I saw a picture of myself and I bawled my eyes out.
I am glad to report that all my levels are within normal range! I can play with my nieces like I used to do and I even allow people to take pictures of me. I used to hide and I feel so confident now, I even got a fairly extreme (for me) new hairstyle and color!7 -
WOW such inspiring stories! I'm a yo-yo since forever. Lose 60 gain it back, repeat, ... I want this to be the last time.1
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I tried on my shorts from last summer and realized that, no matter how hard I tried to cram myself in there, its just not happening. I also vowed not to hit 300 again (was down to 197) and, yet, here I am. I'm tired of being fat.5
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I had three separate ones along the way.
First (2007) - saw a photo of myself at a work event and didn't like how I looked. Changed a few things in my diet.
Second (2008) - went on a trip with my boss and couldn't keep up with her on stairs in the train station. Started exercising a LOT more from then on.
Third (2013) - after literally years of improvement and down by about 50 lb, I hit a bit of a "plateau" and heard that my then-boyfriend's best guy friend lost 60 lb in 9 months just from going pescetarian. I'd gone vegetarian for an entire year and lost just 7 or 8 lb in that attempt to get healthier and lose weight. So that ticked me off for some reason and just made me feel really competitive & annoyed... and only then did I decide to try calorie counting. Lost almost 100 lb doing that and reached my goals.7 -
I watched a BBC documentary called "Obesity Postmortem " and that was my wakeup call. My son had recently told me about MFP, and I checked it out, and liked it. Now, almost a year later, I'm down almost sixty pounds and five sizes, and have never felt better. I have about 15 pounds to go for my goal, and am confident that I will succeed. Reading posts here has helped me immensely; I feel like so many people are going through the same struggles, and that motivates me to keep with the program. My MFPeeps are amazing!7
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I watched a BBC documentary called "Obesity Postmortem " and that was my wakeup call. My son had recently told me about MFP, and I checked it out, and liked it. Now, almost a year later, I'm down almost sixty pounds and five sizes, and have never felt better. I have about 15 pounds to go for my goal, and am confident that I will succeed. Reading posts here has helped me immensely; I feel like so many people are going through the same struggles, and that motivates me to keep with the program. My MFPeeps are amazing!
I watched that documentary, too! I’m trying to lose ~5lbs to get back to my “happy weight” and have never been obese, but it was FASCINATING to see the effects of obesity on the ENTIRE body.
The “Aha!” moment for me was 25yrs ago when MY PARENTS told me I had gotten fat! Around the same time I saw a photo of myself at a wedding (wearing a bright yellow dress - wth was I thinking?!?!) and realized I was a fat *kitten*.3 -
That's amazing progress, congratulations! For me, it was when my dad came over and saw on old picture of me and asked "Who's that?" I had to fight off shock, then tears. Played it off like it was funny but I was so hurt. There is a huge backstory there but the big picture is if my own father didn't recognize me, I have to at least try, yet again.5
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My son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes over a year ago. He began showing symptoms of DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis). We were out to see fireworks on July 3rd and he began to scream in pain. He had been acting strange all day. He started getting violently sick. He was unable to hold even his head up he was so weak, so I had to carry him back to the car. He was 2 years old and weighed maybe 25 lbs. It was about half a mile back to the car. Had it been any longer and I honestly don't think I would have made it. It hit me pretty hard that I couldn't carry my 25lb child half a mile. If we had been somewhere else (hiking trip, mountains, etc) when this happened, he very well could have died.
We all need motivators to get into shape. Unfortunately, we generally wait until something bad happens (heart attack, Type II diagnosis, or sadly my scenario) to do something about it. I just wanted to share what motivates me to help those that are still lacking in motivation to know that you don't have to wait for those things to happen. You need to just keep it in the back of your mind that there are far worse things then getting up early going to the gym for 30 minutes and eating healthy.
I wish everyone luck on their journey. Don't give up!18 -
1st wake up call was a photo of me on my wedding day. I looked huge next to my husband and absolutely hate the pictures of what should have been a happy day. Since then I made small changes (cut down on sodas, eat more vegetables, etc...) But still managed to gain another twenty pounds in three years, so the real turning point is a little more pathetic. I have a jacket, just a light little house coat really, that I bought in New York and my husband has a matching one and I love it. It's my favorite piece of clothing. Well, I noticed that the jacket was starting to get a little snug, especially around the midsection, and I really want to wear this jacket forever so I've got to lose the weight or I'll have to hang the coat up.4
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cwolfman13 wrote: »about 6.5 years ago I went in for my annual physical. My blood work was horrible...my triglycerides were so high that they couldn't determine what my cholesterol was...pre-diabetic...blood pressure through the roof, etc.
My Dr. was pretty upfront with me and told me that if I didn't change things around I would likely be very sick, if not dead in my late 50s or early 60s which wasn't particularly surprising as my dad passed at age 62 because he never took care of himself and I was going down that same path.
At the time I had a 2 year old and a new born, so getting my *kitten* together was a no brainer.
This exact thing happened to me on November 10, 2018. Diagnosed hypertension, and undetectable cholesterol due to my triglycerides, and a B-12 level that hardly existed. Left the office with three scripts for BP, cholesterol and B12, as well as a focus to get back to a healthy body. This scare at age 43 was the trigger I needed to cut out the excuses and crap and return to a healthy lifestyle.
I quit smoking that day, and started back on calorie counting and started my journey back to health. 6 weeks ago after much thought I switched to a whole food plant based diet. Today I am off both medicines for BP and cholesterol and have lost 30 of the 70 pounds I needed.
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I had to weigh my children recently. Realising that my 12 year old weighs less than I need to lose to reach the fabled green BMI zone really kicked me into gear. I couldn't carry them around all day...but that's exactly what I'm doing to my poor body. I'll never be svelte but I can stop carrying an extra 5 stone around and hopefully feel better and healthier.2
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2 cancer scares in a year. This is on top of having early cancer caught and removed in 2013. October 2017. I was told by multiple doctors I had thyroid cancer. It wasn't, thankfully. That started me on taking steps to maintain and change my mindset about food and exercise. A breast cancer scare in December of this year solidified that I need to make a change and lead me to think about how lucky I am that I don't have any issues because of my weight. I want to make sure it stays that way!4
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I went to the sand dunes with my boyfriend's family and everyone ran down the dunes except for me. I was scared of how winded and tired I would be on the climb back up and didn't want to embarrass myself. I realized that my physical condition was preventing me from doing things I wanted to do and I never wanted to feel that way again.
I started running regularly and eating less and the weight came off, but most importantly, I feel ten times better.4 -
A true friend of mine I played football with in college called me after seeing a pic of me on FB. He essentially said three things - you’re not playing football anymore, you don’t have to eat like it’s a union job, and if you don’t get your crap together you’re going to be dead in 10 years. Now mind you there are about three people in the whole world that could have said that to me without risking their lives. He’s one of them. He then turned me on to MFP and the rest is history as they say. I’ve thanked him often for the kick in the seat and the tools he gave me to help save my own life.
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Looking like I'm 9 months pregnant at the age of 50...............YUCK!! Feel free to add me.....but I really do enjoy seeing others diaries to help me with ruts I may be in
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My final straw was 2 weeks ago- I dislocated my shoulder while tubing with my kids at the ski hill. I did not fall off or do anything crazy. I simply landed into the tube wrong. I am 100% confident that my weight played a huge factor in my injury. Nope. No more. Dislocated it on a Sunday met with my doctor 1 week later on a Monday and started taking control again on Tuesday. I am 1 week in. I have tracked every day, and I am down 6 pounds (I know it's water - but it's a start)4
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