What was your wake-up call to lose weight?

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Replies

  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    My wake up call was looking at pictures of myself from this year and comparing them to pictures from 5 years ago. A gain of 5-8 lbs a year doesn't sound like a lot until you ignore them for 5 years. And wake up 1 day to realize the impact those 5-8 lbs is really having on your body and your life.
    Plus I am approaching 40 (a little too fast for my liking) and I want to be healthy and strong for the next 40.

    A lot of my weight gain happened as I went through perimenopause over the past decade. I quit paying attention and just as you said, those few pounds really added up.
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    Being told by a doctor I had moderately high blood pressure and should see my doctor immediately.

    It was a false alarm, was nerves rather than high blood pressure, however the feeling I had when he told me that made me think "right, I never want to feel that again"

    Plus for the last 20 years I have always pulled a silly face in pictures, I think it's to 'take away' attention from my size. I want to be serious in pictures for once.

    My blood pressure is always high at the doctor's office because I'm nervous there. At home it is better, but still could be lower so it helps motivate me.
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    Being asked how far along I was, my wedding pictures :brokenheart: I hate looking at them, and finally the terrible selection of plus size clothes.

    I look forward to shopping in the "regular" size department in stores.
  • CaitlinMyers428
    CaitlinMyers428 Posts: 151 Member
    Not being able to wear my clothes I had before I got pregnant and my boyfriends ex called me fat. Plus, I want to be healthy and set a good example of eating right for my daughter.

    Well, ignore the comment from the boyfriend's ex because her opinion doesn't matter, but getting into your clothes and setting an example for your sweet daughter are great reasons to lose weight.

    I agree. :) And you're doing a great job on your weight loss!
  • Kerry0785
    Kerry0785 Posts: 31 Member
    Not being able to fit into any of my jeans anymore.
  • nickblackburn080882
    nickblackburn080882 Posts: 11
    im 29 and hitting over 300lbs with 4 young children the thought of not being there to see them grow up absolutely horrifies me
    ive been at it about 2 month and im already down to 285

    oh and to not be able to put the fear of god into their boyfriends which they fetch home from high school lol
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    im 29 and hitting over 300lbs with 4 young children the thought of not being there to see them grow up absolutely horrifies me
    ive been at it about 2 month and im already down to 285

    oh and to not be able to put the fear of god into their boyfriends which they fetch home from high school lol

    You're doing great! Yes, being there for your kids is why you need to keep it up.
  • babycoconut249
    babycoconut249 Posts: 12 Member
    The big things that made me care more about my body were that I was always feeling sluggish and tired. I didnt want to hang out with my friends because I was just so tired. I also felt self conscious. At that point I realized I didnt want to spend the rest of my life at home!

    Another was that my clothes were fitting tighter and tighter and it did not look nice. My parents kept making comments on how much weight I gained after not seeing me for a while.

    Also my dad is very athletic. He is in his 70's and jogs everyday. It did not feel right that my 70 yr old dad was in better shape then me.

    I was in the pre stage of high blood pressure as well.
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    Not being able to fit into any of my jeans anymore.

    There's just something about jeans....lol! I feel the same way.
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    The big things that made me care more about my body were that I was always feeling sluggish and tired. I didnt want to hang out with my friends because I was just so tired. I also felt self conscious. At that point I realized I didnt want to spend the rest of my life at home!

    Another was that my clothes were fitting tighter and tighter and it did not look nice. My parents kept making comments on how much weight I gained after not seeing me for a while.

    Also my dad is very athletic. He is in his 70's and jogs everyday. It did not feel right that my 70 yr old dad was in better shape then me.

    I was in the pre stage of high blood pressure as well.

    No pressure with your dad jogging at age 70! Wanting to have fun with friends is a good reason too.
  • momcindy
    momcindy Posts: 194 Member
    Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. It's so good to see that I'm not alone in the struggle. I enjoyed responding to the comments but now I have some housework to do. Maybe if I do it aerobically I can count it toward my exercise for the day...
  • duqtape
    duqtape Posts: 121 Member
    My boyfriend and I got into a fight last winter about I don't even remember.
    But at one point, in anger, he said that his Mom would have lived so much longer if she wasn't obese. (She passed away from leukemia in 2009 - 1 year almost to the day from diagnosis to death)

    He said he never wanted that for me. I didn't do anything about it until I took off my winter clothes and saw that I had chubbed up quite a bit and wasn't working out at all. So I joined MFP earlier this month. I'm looking forward to joining a challenge. I just set up mini-goals today, and it actually made it seem much more manageable. Like I can do more then 10 lbs just to gain it back in the winter this time.
  • samhradh
    samhradh Posts: 297 Member
    Thanks for asking,
    It was a phone conversation with my father in law.
    He commented on his daughters 21lb weight loss, and described her as " looking like a clown ballon that someone had stuck a pin in to deflate with her head on top".
    now dont get him wrong he is very proud of her achivement, and said that she is loking great.
    But his description frightened the life out of my. i mean what was he saying about my weight gain????
    well i started with MFP the next day.
  • appleshells
    appleshells Posts: 165
    I love roller coasters. I live close to an amusement park and there were two rides I was to big to fit on. I was determined to get on them and I did. Also it was embarassing when riding with my 4 year old and I was afraid I couldnt get the belt on. No fears now, I slip right into the seats and the belts go on easily.
  • suzieb1971
    suzieb1971 Posts: 312 Member
    my wedding pictures from this time last year. i seriously nearly died. i couldnt believe i had let myself go so badly without really noticing. shame i couldnt have seen it before, but it was the kick up the backside i needed, and it certainly did the trick!
  • llaurall
    llaurall Posts: 32
    Looking at myself in the mirror and feeling terrible, on the verge of tears!
  • Wilmingtonbelle
    Wilmingtonbelle Posts: 255 Member
    I went to my 25 year class reunion and a male classmate kept staring at me. Finally he came up and asked who I was. When I told him, he had a look of horror and said "No way, it's not you!" He recoverd trying to make it seem like it was my hair color. Later I heard him telling someone it was really sad how I had let myself go so much because I had been so thin in high school. It was a brutal but on target wake up call.
  • Zombella
    Zombella Posts: 491 Member
    My real wake up call was when I went to the doctor for the first time in 4 years (didn't have insurance). I knew that I gained some weight, but the scale read 252 lbs and I couldn't believe it. Also, the doctor told me that my blood pressure was high (a problem in my family) and that I really should lose weight.
  • suzyqs4
    suzyqs4 Posts: 20 Member
    My wake-up call was - I was sick of being fat and tired. My husband and I bought a home in Florida last year with a pool so when we visit (and plan to move there) I don't want to look like a whale when I swim. We also have a handicapped son that lives at home and I want to be here for a long time to take care of him. When we do move I plan to volunteer at a handicapped horseback riding program close to our home in Florida. Recently more motivation: my niece is getting married next summer and I want to look awesome for any photos I might be in.
  • JeannieFo
    JeannieFo Posts: 35 Member
    When I realized that my sister who is 8 inches taller than me weighed less than me when she was 5 months pregnant! Yikes!
  • horizonte22
    horizonte22 Posts: 14
    My wake-up call was two weeks ago when my mom offered me a surgery to reduce my breasts and a tummy tuck to fix my huge belly after pregnancy (10 years ago!) I thought if she is offering me such gift is because I am huge and need to change. I realized that I want to change too, because like everybody else here said, I'm not happy with pictures, I am always tired, and I feel old and ugly. So I decided to start gym with my 10 years old daughter, and dieting. This is for me, my daughter and my diabetic husband. I want us to be healthy, happy and beautiful, inside and out. This is a great site and we should keep talking with each other. It's not everybody that understands what we're going through. Keep going! We are all going to reach our goals!
  • bethanyranes
    bethanyranes Posts: 44 Member
    When I started fearing cameras again. And when we were at a friend's house looking at old pictures, when a picture of skinny me popped up, no one recognized who it was :-(
  • OooLadyLove
    OooLadyLove Posts: 1
    My wake-up call was when one of my best friends who had always been "plus size" with me began to lose weight. I give her props because she looks awesome. Then it finally hit me....all of the people I had known throughout the years who were hefty had become smaller. I found it frustrating that I was the only one getting bigger. So I've decided to eat healthier, be more active, and just make all around better choices with my life.
  • duqtape
    duqtape Posts: 121 Member
    I went to my 25 year class reunion and a male classmate kept staring at me. Finally he came up and asked who I was. When I told him, he had a look of horror and said "No way, it's not you!" He recoverd trying to make it seem like it was my hair color. Later I heard him telling someone it was really sad how I had let myself go so much because I had been so thin in high school. It was a brutal but on target wake up call.

    Harsh. But I'm glad you're now on track!
  • ladycomix
    ladycomix Posts: 104
    I locked my keys in the house...had to go over to the neighbor's and ask if I could climb from his balcony over to mine. (I've a 2nd story apartment) He very nervously asked me if I wanted him to do it. I declined and started climbing. Had a few bad minutes when I didn't think I'd be able to haul my body weight over the railing separating the two balconies.

    After getting my breath back and courage from the dizzy moment I thought I'd fall off the side of the building I stepped on a scale. I was horrified to find out I'd gained 20 lbs since 1 Jan. I took Sunday to mope and feel sorry for myself, and started on MFP the next day.
  • WWH_AJ
    WWH_AJ Posts: 419 Member
    weighing myself the morning of January 1st, 2011 and realizing I was 210 pounds and not happy about it. Also seeing TERRIBLE pictures of myself. Now that I'm 170, I never want to go back there!

    Wow that's almost like me! I weighed 207 at the beginning of the year and now I'm 171 and I never want to see 200 ever again! I also looked at all the pics I had taken last year and then came across some old high school pics and noticed how Mich healthier and smaller I looked back then.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
    I knew roughly how much I weighed, and it didn't bother me before. I thought I looked okay; not terribly sexy, but not monstrous either. I didn't think being overweight by 50-60lbs was a big deal for someone my height (5' 1.5"). When I looked at photos of myself, I noticed I looked much bigger in photos than I do in the mirror... I figured it was just a bad angle. Didn't think I looked as bad in real life.

    Oh, how wrong I was.

    A few months ago, I met a 6 year old who weighed around 55lbs. I was carrying her on me 24/7 !!! (actually, her AND her infant sister...) I tried to visualize her body mass being subtracted from my body. Looking in the mirror, it seemed impossible, but the scale said it wasn't. Slowly I began to realize that I was significantly bigger than I thought I was. It was time to let the 6 year old off my back!
  • calibri
    calibri Posts: 439 Member
    My uncle's trashy wife exclaimed I had gained a lot of weight when I saw her on Labour Day last year. I was horrified and super embarrassed I just went home and cried, especially considering I've always been considered the "skinny one". I've never been told anything remotely like that before, so it was an unpleasant surprise. Also, the presence of stretch marks on my thighs, and I'm not even 30 and have never had children.
  • sinclare
    sinclare Posts: 369 Member
    i had a job in a womens clothing store and was aghast how many women hate the way they look in the mirror. 1/2 of my customers would complain, or apologize to me (ie, I am starting my diet monday) as If I had anything to say about their appearance... I just was trying to help them find dresses that fit!

    I decided I didn't want to be like that, spending the rest of my life embarrassed because of my weight.

    Then my husband found pictures of when we first met. One of them was just a headshot of me, smiling, and he said: "You were so Skinny then!"
  • girard5
    girard5 Posts: 109 Member
    Seeing pictures of myself and feeling disgusting about how I fealt and looked!
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