what was your "a-ha" moment?

When I was lacking energy while my mother was being hospitalized for a month -- it was excruciating, the late nights, and overseeing her medical care - hospital are dangerous - but that is when realized I needed to become more alert, sharper and to defy the aging process, by becoming more fit, and healthier.

When I was talking to 2 fat co-workers of mine and one of them said something about "people like us" and I was mortified to realize I had gotten fat. I hired a personal trainer the next day.

When this happened.



Get it...a-ha moment...

When my jeans became to tight...and I didn't have the money to replace them.

When I realized everyone around was losing weight the wrong way and bragging about it /
I want to lose weight and get in shape the right way...

I wish I could say I just decided one day to be the best me I could be, but unfortunately, it took a bit of a health scare to make me realize what's at stake. I'd been off and on diets my whole life (even as a kid) and nothing ever seemed to work or seemed to stick. The weight would always come back, plus some. I reach my heaviest just a few weeks ago at 217. I started getting really thirsty all the time and began to think I might be developing diabetes. I started to think about all the other problems that come with being obese and I knew I just couldn't keep treating my body this way anymore. It was crying out for exercise, for better eating. My body was asking for me to start caring about it and I knew I had to listen. I recently visited the doctor, and we're waiting on an insulin resistance test related to another disorder I have. Seems like everything that's wrong with me has contributed to my weight gain, and my doctor keeps looking for a medical explanation. That's when I knew I couldn't count on him to help me out. I know what the problem is- I've been sedentary and eating crap for the last two years! If anything's going to change, it's got to be me making the changes. No one else will do it for me or tell me I have to do it. No one's going to tell me what to eat and not eat, or to exercise. I've got to do it myself. And for the first time, I want to do it for myself. Before, it was always for other people- my parents telling me I need to lost weight, or thinking that I'll only be valuable to society if I'm thin. But now, it's for me. I'm doing this so I don't feel so tired all the time, so I have energy and that glow you always see in people who are fit and healthy. I want to live a good long life, and number one: I don't want to develop diabetes or any other disease that comes with being overweight or obese. I want to change things for the long haul. This isn't a diet, this isn't losing weight, this isn't conforming to societal standards- this is me living my life the way I should, and treating my body the way it deserves to be treated. It certainly deserves a lot better than what I was giving it before.

I have the same problem with my shoulders... a result of being a swimmer for so many years! I know my shoulders will always be big, but my goal is to mitigate the width by losing some inches in my arms and around my chest. Then maybe I'll have shoulders, arms, and a back to be proud to show off!

Mine was when I weighed myself and I was the same weight I was when I was delivering my son, 265 and I wasn't pregnant. How depressing to be the same weight as I was when I was 9 months pregnant. I did not anticipate becoming pregnant again and DID not want to gain a whole bunch of weight this time around so with the consent of my OB and family Dr I started eating healthier and am happy to say I've LOST 20 lbs in the past 2 months....I plan on continuing this journey to be able to chase my kids and not get winded and think I'm gonna die...

Getting way too close to 300 lbs for comfort, and having high blood pressure at a clinic when I got sick over christmas. They didn't help, by the way, and cost too much. My cough (bronchitis) still lasted just as long as it always does. I hate doctors.