When did you know it was time to start losing weight?

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Replies

  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    When I stepped on the scale at the doctor's and it said 270 and my doctor diagnosed a 21 year old (me a year ago) with Hypertension and possibly high cholesterol. I fiddled with the idea of being okay with having these health problems at such an early age, and that maybe I was just supposed to be large... Then I finally said "If I was supposed to be large why was I able to lose weight for my wedding?" So I jumped on the calorie countin' train and here I am! :-D
  • caylre
    caylre Posts: 17 Member
    When my doctor diagnosed me with fatty liver disease and I had to have my gall bladder removed. I wasn't happy with myself before then, at 258 pounds, but that definitely scared me straight.
  • Regmama
    Regmama Posts: 399 Member
    This whole summer of celebrations:
    I took my daughter to an amusement park, just the two of us, and I barely (I had to angle my hips and stretch the belt all the way) fit into the seat next to my daughter on the roller coaster. With that came the flashback of all the people I had seen growing up who weren't able to fit on the rides at the same park and I realized, wow, I'm almost one of them.
    I had many family parties that I attended and after looking at the pictures I was SHOCKED!!! How did I get so large?
    But, the final kicker, the professional photos from my nephew's wedding (why didn't the photographer delete it from the roll?) where my husband is hugging me on the dance floor. In it, my husband accidentally knocked off my glasses and a combination of that and my big doubly curved hips (looked like I had two hips) completely disgusted me. Literally, I was disgusted with myself. That got me to not eating as much and about two weeks after that photo, I found MFP, and decided that I would never get to be that size again.
    I told my husband that I will continue to breastfeed and tta (we're use nfp) until I get down to a weight where if I gain 25 pounds during pregnancy that I won't be in the obese category with those extra pounds.
  • TheCats_Meow
    TheCats_Meow Posts: 438 Member
    It hasn't really been one defining moment. It's been more of an accumulation over the years of little things that finally clicked in my head. Plus, I really don't want to be single and overweight when my 30th birthday rolls around. There's just something sadly pathetic about that (for me! please, no one else take offense) Not so much the single part, I'm enjoying that, but being overweight....that's no one's fault but my own.

    * The thought of being single and overweight when I turned 30 was unbearable. Single status, not my control. Weight, definitely!
    * Just bought a new car and I have to lift my hip up a bit to buckle the seat belt. Sad.
    * Never, ever shopping for clothes because I hate the selection in the Plus sizes.
    * The fact that I have to shop in the plus sizes to begin with!
    * Always, always, always being so self conscious about my looks & weight. I used to be a really confident, maybe a tad bit vain, girl, but now that I've put on weight....I'm just disgusted with myself.
    * Going to the Dr. a few years back and being diagnosed with moderately high cholesterol. at 26?!?!?! Jeez!
    * Seeing full body shot pictures of myself and thinking "omg, when you sit down, it all just spreads out like butter and I look awful!!!"

    There are so many more that I could go on for days, but I'll stop there :)
  • Luandanielle1979
    Luandanielle1979 Posts: 747 Member
    Deffo sick of not looking good in anything. My mum constantly at me to lose weight in complete denial of just how big I had got. Never will I let myself feel so horrible. Its wasnt just the way I looked its the way I felt aswell tired all the time and no motivation. Horrid feeling that I never want to have ever again. Im not in a huge rush for the weight to suddenly drop off. I know how little changes make a big difference. I didnt even look like me anymore. My face was hidden under big fat cheeks. I have been at a normal weight before and know how good it felt to be healthy. Just sorry it has taken me so long to get back on track :O)
  • ColleenH28
    ColleenH28 Posts: 10 Member
    when i look at pics of myself. lol, and i think "GROSS!"
  • Cosmic_Unicorn
    Cosmic_Unicorn Posts: 150 Member
    I realized that my backfat had congealed into rolls. I could no longer claim to have a nice shape despite being obese.

    Now my back is hot. No rolls anywhere.
  • mrimike
    mrimike Posts: 139
    I had a series of events that all triggered a wake up all for me. Both of my parents were diagnosed as diabetic followed by my sister. Then my wife was diagnosed with cancer, weeks after our youngest turned 1,and I think I ate myself into obesity out of depression. My cholesterol was through the roof and my Dr said I was ordeline diabetic! Plus I couldnt stand to see pictures of myself, that made me want to eat too! I was unable to play with my kids because I was too out of breath to keep up with toddlers!!! That was then................now my wife is in remission and my health is coming around:), and I love to play anything and everything I can with my kids:)
  • Nachos88
    Nachos88 Posts: 47 Member
    When I weighed 190 lbs and my calves looked like Ham. I needed to do something b4 I turned into a hog...really.
  • astovey
    astovey Posts: 578 Member
    When I went to a Drs apt and they told me I needed to lose weight. I was 16 and 225. I went to a differnt Dr a few days later and was diagnosed with PCOS and they told me I would have problems having children if I didn't lose weight.

    More recently....when I couldn't fit in my wedding dress 8 months after getting married :noway:
  • astovey
    astovey Posts: 578 Member
    Whoops
  • mavers1
    mavers1 Posts: 39 Member
    When I could hold up the water in the bathtub behind my hips and when I realized that my insecurity stemming form my being overweight would eventually push my boyfriend away.

    Also, so my mother would quit her *****in'.
  • The disappointment in my son's eyes when I couldn't chase after him in the backyard, will forever be burned in my brain. From that day on I vowed to never see that again - and I haven't!
  • mrimike
    mrimike Posts: 139
    I've seen that look before too. It scars you for life.............but maybe in a good way.
  • JenCM
    JenCM Posts: 195
    There's so many things...
    *I was tired of not being able to fit in a booth at a restaurant and having to always get a table...and then I was always scared of breaking the chairs because at over 350 lbs, a chair def gives a squeak when you sit down!!
    *I literally couldn't hardly buckle my seatbelt in the car any longer...too fat.
    *I got winded taking a shower or bath, and drying off. I actually had to get half dressed and sit down and take a break. How sad is that?!! =/
    *Even Lane Bryant, didn't have clothes in the store that were my size because they only went to a 28.
    *Having random heart palpitations while I was laying in bed, doing nothing...started to scare the $&*% out of me.
    *It was hard to roll over in bed...I had to like, lift myself and move.... =(
    *If a chair had arms - there was no way my butt would fit in it. NO WAY.
    *I promised my Dad before he passed away that I'd get healthy, and I finally wanted to stop mourning and do what I promised him I'd do....I realized in my pain, I'd done the opposite of what he asked...and instead of getting healthy, I was killing myself.
  • my best friends wedding in key west.know how many fat people are in key west in march? none.

    it took me 3 months of looking at the terrible pictures to get the nerve to start.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I knew it was time when I saw the Christmas photos. I started about a month later after my husband had a health scare.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Mostly pictures... I could brush off and deny being out of breath, sneaking food, having to buy bigger clothes, etc. But when I saw pictures of myself in a few different settings in 2009 when I got to my heaviest, I was just floored. Even then it took a little time for it to sink in and hit me that it was finally time to quit the BS and get healthy once and for all but by the end of that year I'd made up my mind and planned to join WW Jan 2010.
    The rest, as they say, is history! :)
  • when I could not go up one flight of stairs without being so winded that I had to literally stop, collect myself, and than answer my roommate's question. I was mortified.

    Also, when I was starting not to fit into my size 20 work pants and I told myself I'll be damned if I go out and spend money on size 22's.

    And, when the scaled showed 255 and i remember vividly thinking "you are officially closer to 300 lbs than to 200 lbs... 300 freaking pounds".
  • After I saw myself in many recent pics.. I always take face shots so when my sister posted quite a few full body shots of me on her fb page.. I needed to do something about it.
  • Apazman
    Apazman Posts: 494 Member
    It was when I look in the mirror and got pissed, angry frustrated to the point I smashed my fist into the tile counter and elled "come on". All of the Being fat things just surfaced all at once ..
    - Not being able to sit comfortably in ANY chair, without the arms digging into my hips.
    - being able to not worry about if the new restuarant will seat a fat person.
    - The humilation of asking your friends to move from the booth to a table.
    - subtle way people look at you, They won't say anything negative .. but you sense what they are thinking.
    - knowing that no matter unbelieveably awesome you are, You will never get that girl who is a 10 in your mind because she just can't see what is past fat.
    - realizing that fat people aren't mad at the world, they are just depressed and angry at themselves.
    - Having trouble with seatbelts in small cars
    - Friends making plans going hiking and camping without you and rightfully so
    - Theatre seats
    - amusement park rides
    - shopping at regular stores getting stylish clothes
    - skinny people saying " oh man I am so fat .. I need to lose like 3 lbs to fit in my dress"
    - worrying your parents or family memebers
    - being considered to work at places like Nike
    - Feeling like a second class citizen
    - Feeling trapped in my own body
    - Feeling like society doesn't accept me and staying home most of the time.

    ALl of this hit has been pretty easy to anage but one day it all hit me .. and that's why I will keep trying until I make it happen and all these burdens can be lifted and can feel free.


    ummm excuse me sir please get out of my head and give me my thought back... these points being mad ... i have felt alot of them...

    I thought the same thing!

    Its kind of crazy AMAZING that we all smile though we have all these worries that other people don't even have to imagine.
  • PrincessEliNa
    PrincessEliNa Posts: 524 Member
    Just finished reading this whole thread, a lot of inspiring stories, and I'm glad you are all working to get healthier/feel great about yourselves.

    For me, the heaviest I got was 150, and at 5.5" tall, I definitely wanted to lose weight. I started taking it "seriously" after this past summer. This is a bit more personal, but when I was young, I was sexually abused, and during my middle school and high school years, I didn't want people to "see" me. It's not that I wanted to be ugly, but I definitely didn't want to be desired. I went to therapy, got over those issues, and am on my way to have the body I've really always wanted to have!
  • Apazman
    Apazman Posts: 494 Member
    Just finished reading this whole thread, a lot of inspiring stories, and I'm glad you are all working to get healthier/feel great about yourselves.

    For me, the heaviest I got was 150, and at 5.5" tall, I definitely wanted to lose weight. I started taking it "seriously" after this past summer. This is a bit more personal, but when I was young, I was sexually abused, and during my middle school and high school years, I didn't want people to "see" me. It's not that I wanted to be ugly, but I definitely didn't want to be desired. I went to therapy, got over those issues, and am on my way to have the body I've really always wanted to have!

    Much Love! Keep up the great work!
  • PrincessEliNa
    PrincessEliNa Posts: 524 Member
    Just finished reading this whole thread, a lot of inspiring stories, and I'm glad you are all working to get healthier/feel great about yourselves.

    For me, the heaviest I got was 150, and at 5.5" tall, I definitely wanted to lose weight. I started taking it "seriously" after this past summer. This is a bit more personal, but when I was young, I was sexually abused, and during my middle school and high school years, I didn't want people to "see" me. It's not that I wanted to be ugly, but I definitely didn't want to be desired. I went to therapy, got over those issues, and am on my way to have the body I've really always wanted to have!

    Much Love! Keep up the great work!

    <3 Thanks! You too ;)
  • Teliooo
    Teliooo Posts: 725 Member
    I had tried so many times to lose then would lose some but then when off the "diet" i would gain it all back n then some. I soon resided that I would always be big so what was the point... better to stay at one weight? right? My the lies one tells themselves.

    In January of 2009 I went to emerge with pain in my hernia.... mind you I always stayed away from doctors...so to go to emerg it was bad. I have a rather large hernia, with an exray it revealed that my gut was fully outside my abdominal wall. A surgeon consulted n said it was not good, told me where i stood with my hernia, and in fact my diabetes (was on 90u in the am and 80u in the pm) and being overweight that my health was at risk. if i were to have a perforation of the bowel, they would not be able to close me up in the OR... elective surgery would be a must and weight would have to come off before. he sent out a referal to a specialist. When i went home i went back onto my diabetic diet...for about a month. The place i worked at had gone bankrupt so i was off on EI. when inqiring about my referral at my docs office i received alot of grief like I was bothering them... so exasperated i blew at them, got an answer that they would call the specialist and see about my refferral, then call me back. weeks passed... but no one called, so I gave up and returned to eating as i had before.

    Mindlessly I ate and gained up to the point where life on Sept 25th 2009 suddenly made me face my own health. What happened you might ask? Well my husband of 25 years was rushed into emerg, was diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and penile cancer. Had an immediate amputation. Here my own health was shot and had to pull it together to take care of my husband. So in helping him, I helped myself. It was the beginning of a rollercoaster of a ride. In January he has a lyphadenectomy..3 weeks later went into cardiac arrest where they had to paddle him back weeks later a heart stent put in. that day we found his pathology come back neg. we were so happy.

    we started to walk together and continue out journey to health. but things took a turn and his cancer returned and on July 14th 2010, 10 months after diagnosis he passed away. Watching his fight for every last breath, I can not give up my own journey to healthiness... how can I? Health is far to important as is the preciousness of life.

    So I went to the doctor after he died ( i had stayed away from docs as much as possible) and it was then she put me on synthroid and blood pressure pills. My insulin had decreased some and my bloodsugars remaned good. I had to go check with her every 3 months. she also referred me to a surgeon. he then referred me to a specialist... i thought wow here we go again lol.

    Well Feb 25th2011, I seen the specialist. i was 430.1 lbs that day... i had 120lbs off so far. he said to lose 30 lbs and he would do wls to get me down to 250 to do my hernia repair. he would put me into their weight loss program (they approve you for wls), well I had my info session with them in june....i follow their program diets and advice walking etc etc...and my one on one with them is not until next month on nov 8th. usually it's two to three weeks after that you see the sugeon. LOL by that time I WILL be at 250 and he can fix my hernia.... can't help if their program's a lil slow lol.

    n oh btw...i no longer take blood pressure meds , they ended one month after walking and as of today I am on NO insulin :)

    Inspirational!
  • I got on the scale and it said 298lbs. I just couldn't believe that I was almost 300. I started extremely slow ( I could barely walk without getting winded) and have lost almost 70lbs. I still have a long way to go but I have changed my lifestyle and absolutely love the fact I am closer to 200 than 300.

    You should be very proud of yourself. Reading stuff like this when my motivation is low gives me that little bit I need to stick with it. Congratulations to you, and thanks!

    Oh, and as for when I knew it was time to lose. . .when I couldn't fit into a restaurant booth anymore, and I saw the looks of pity and discomfort from my sisters who love me, because they knew it was really embarrassing for me.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    There have been several times I thought it was time to start losing weight...and I would do something at those times (one time, in 2005, I was even super successful at it until complacency hit and I never recovered, gained the weight back, ...).

    Anyway, for the instant journey, it was sometime in November 2010. I finally took a good look at myself in the mirror. There was no more room for excuses. I wasn't just pudgy or meaty or chubby...I was fat. I thought about how 2011 was my age 40 year and I thought about the diabetes that runs in my extended family. I thought about all of the lame excuses I would make for why I was short of breath. I thought about my wife and kids...about how I not only wanted to be there for them, but also enjoy life with them. I thought about other things along these lines at that time. I decided I had to make a change and because I didn't want to set myself up for failure by starting around the holiday season, I decided that January was was going to be the start of my new life. I decided also that as opposed to past efforts to lose weight, I was going to do more research this time...I was going to have a better understanding of my options and possible road blocks. I was going to figure out how to succeed long term.

    That's how this current journey started for me.
  • :love: I married the love of my life in February of this year and my defining moment was only about 5 weeks after our wedding when we would lay in bed and it would make me cringe when he would cuddle in to me! I felt so uncomfortable and disgusting that I couldn't handle him touching me!

    I knew this wasn't right as newly weds! I HAD to do somthing! So along came MFP and just at the right time, a new gym opened close to home and here I am 33lbs lighter!! Still got about 20lbs to go but I feel great and have no problem with my husband touching me anymore!!! :wink:

    Only downside is I look at my wedding photos and for as much as it was the happiest day of my life and I still think I look good....I just wish I looked as good as I do now, or as good as I WILL look in months to come!! But, hubby is from Barbados and we plan on having a blessing over there at some point so bring on the hotness for that!!! :laugh: :love:

    I

    I'll bet those two photos will be very inspiring when you put them side by side! Good job, and good luck!
  • kpxfiles
    kpxfiles Posts: 56 Member
    I'm 25 next month and I realized I never have worn a bikini. I talked to a Life Coach and realized that I used my weight to protect me from men. Oddly at the same time, I was being mentally abused by men. Now that I started transforming my life and stop acting like a helpless victim, I am happier and the weight is coming off. I don't need my weight to protect and hinder me anymore. I know I'll be in a bikini next summer. :) I choose to be happy today.
  • One day I looked in the mirror and just felt horrible about the way my body looked. I wanna feel good in whatever I wear. Also, I'm tired of feeling tired all the time.
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