What gave you that final push to start this journey?

I was diagnosed with diabetes at 31....sigh. Neither of my parents have it because they've never been morbidly obese, but my grandma does and she's had part of her foot amputated, had cataract surgery, and is now on dialysis. She also hasn't had feeling in her lower legs in 20+ years, I don't want to be like that, nor do I want to be dependent on medication to keep my blood sugars under control, hence the healthy eating and exercising.

Over a period of about 2 weeks I got told FOUR times that it didn't matter that I was bigger, that I was pretty for being bigger and things like that. None of this was meant nastily, it was just people giving THE WORST compliments ever.

When I was done crying (and whinging, and shouting), I realised that I wasn't "bigger", I was obese. And really, if I wanted people to stop making comments like that, I could get off my bum and do something about it! I started the first week of January, so far I'm 30lb down.

The thing that keeps me going is the fact that I can't wait to see peoples faces when they see me again. I've had a few people be shocked at how much I've lost so far, and that is definately spuring me on! Also, my boyfriend has been talking about marriage, and I want to be a toned, happy, healthy bride!

My new rules -
Rule 1 - you can't complain if you're not doing anything to fix it
Rule 2 - No Excuses


LOVE this!!!!

I have a twin sister who has always been thinner than me. I once weighed 30lbs more than her in middles school and 20 lbs more than her in high school. After going away to college I was looking at pictures from the summer. I was SO unhappy with myself. I sat at my computer and cried. I wasn't happy being unhealthy. So right then I went to the gym, and six months of a healthy diet and exercise I lost 20lbs.

Unfortunately that was a year ago and I have since then put back on TEN of the pounds. I am not as energetic as I was when I was lighter. I know I'm not fat (19 year old female, 5'5", 130lbs) but I felt better about myself when I was 120lbs. I had energy to DO things. I felt invincible. Yes losing weight means looking better, but I honestly want to do it to FEEL better.

You only live once. Live with confidence.


I am currently hoping to reach my goal weight of 120 again before summer.

Add me as a friend and we can help each other through our journey to a healthy lifestyle!

Good luck to everyone!

working a full time job i put on a whole heap of weight which i ended up losing in 2010 while volunteering in nepal for 4 months and then backpacking afterwards walking aout 15 km a day and eating healthy will do that to you.... i promised myself i would never let myself get back to the way i was, but one day i just jumped on the scales and realised i was nearly back to my weight before my trip.... i put on somethig like 20kg in 8 months.... im only 5'8 so it really shows.... just couldnt believe it. although my g/f will never say i know she found me more attractive when we first started dating.... so if not for me, its definitely for her!

Everyone said I looked great but the next week I had to buy 38x30 pants for work.
I've always worn 30x30s or 32x30s.

Now i'm looking for 29x30 =D

Also I met a guy who looked like he was in his 50s buying Banquet dinners because they were on sale.
I was buy similar stuff.
Anywho...he was a lot younger than me but because of his weight and the **** he's been eating he looked like he was in his 50s.
That night, Jamie Olivers food revolution came on and something clicked in my head.

Now i'm trying to help people lose weight.
=D

Nothing big made me "get it". Just a bunch of little things. Dad from nursing home to grave, hit 50, shopping with 2 thin daughters and hating what I look like in the mirrors, bad back made me start a weight training class to work with the instructor to not hurt my back, starting drinking more water, added another cardio, started inputting food and woo hoo-5 pounds lost and now I am cutting my food a little bit more!!!!

Good luck

I just didn't feel comfortable in my own skin anymore. I was tired of feeling like I could do so much better. I guess the final straw was when I had to buy a new swimsuit and looked at myself from behind in the mirror in the changing room. I was shocked and just thought, holy flab, Batman! It wasn't me in that mirror. I've lost all the excess weight I put on during my pregnancy and am trying to tone up now

I went for a job interview and didn't realise that my black trousers had a hole in the crotch area. I went to get some new ones on my way and the only ones to fit me were a UK16. I've always been a 10 top and 12 bottom (big hips) and even got down to a 10-12 bottom once. That was the final straw for me.

I always thought, "Oh, I'm OK" because I can hold the weight pretty well but when I weighed myself and was over 13 stone, and borderline obese, I knew I had to change.

I want to go on holiday next year and feel comfortable enough to wear a bikini without looking around and wondering who thinks I'm fat. I want to look, and feel, like a princess when I get married and I want my partner to look at me and think, "Wow, my girl is hot!" Most imporantly, I want to be able to have children (I know I'm not at major risk of infertility but who knows where I could have ended up?!) and be healthy enough to see them grow up and be able to play basketball or tennis or whatever with them!

Edit to add - Also, when I got my Graduation photos back, I was distraught - I looked huge. The same with the photos from my step-brother's wedding. I was absolutely gutted! It's almost as if I didn't realise how big I'd gotten...

I climbed on the scale one day to see a number looking back that would have put me in the morbidly obese range. Granted, it was late in the day and I was weighing myself with clothes and shoes on, but still, that was a number I just couldn't abide by. I began working out the next day and found MFPthe next week. I am really looking forward to the day when my BMI puts me in the overweight range rather than the obese range!

I was the same... first time in a long time I stepped on the scale I thought I could die of shame right there (even though no one else else was in there). Now 3 months later I'm in the overweight range (not proud of it) feeling and looking a lot better and now I can't wait to reach a healthy weight.

When I weighed myself and was 198 :sad: , the highest I've ever been :noway: , I hated avoiding pictures too; always throwing someone in front of me or standing behind the crowd... but I've lost almost 10 pounds since I started & is excited to lose more! have offically hit the 180's phew :bigsmile: I am going to continue till I hit my goal weight; not quite sure where I want to be, all I know it has to be below 150 with a health BMI.

Weight has been sneaking on for years, but after Christmas I hit 98 Kgs and thought I am NOT going to go ANY higher. I did not want to get to 100 kgs. (I am 167cm / 5'6 1/2).

I started using MFP properly (I joined a few months ago but just wasn't motivated) and now very happy that I am learning about managing my weight, and losing and it's not hard.

one day i was in the hospital for a check up and the nurse weighed me and told me i was almost 170 lbs (she said it in kgs first then translated for me!) and started discussing how to lose weight and how massive my BMI was. :noway:
so i vowed that the next time i go there i'll weigh at least 10lbs lighter. i go back on the 16th april and i've lost 9lbs already, so the new goal is 12lbs less. take THAT, skinny nurse. :smokin:

When approaching the option to buy a size 16 pant in 2010. Size 14 is something I'd approached before, not 16. So I cut out fried food and soda. Lost 5-10 pounds, fit back into my 14's again. Then I figured if I really watched what I ate I'd lose even more. I went from 190-165 without even exercising. Now I'm buying 8-10's and it's fun to shop again! Now, I'm a very healthy weight, with a new goal of 157 and killer legs. Let the squats begin...

My push was a week of unfortunate events. I have seven reasons and they are all equally as important

Day 1) My fiance showed me a video of tough mudder and said he wanted us to run the race together. I said, " ewww why would anyone think that looked fun." I did not think that I would be insulting him. After giving it a lot A LOT of thought, I decided I wanted to run the race with him. I NEED to run the race with him. I can't explain why, I just know it is super important. We even have a team set up now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh5HdPM_QuE

Day 2) I realized that I only had one pair of jeans that fir me. I have been living in my fiances work out clothes.

Day 3) I got called the sister with the personality AGAIN. I am so tired of being the "fat and funny" kind of girl.

Day 4) I saw pictures of myself when I was in Paris two years ago. I was about 45 lbs lighter then and looking back, I was really attractive, even though I thought I was super fat. I miss looking like that. ( Also on day 4 I started telling someone how to make something and it started with, " well, you take a stick of butter" and a joke was made about you know you are a big woman when...)

Day 5) I stepped on a scale and realized I have NEVER been this big in my life. NEVER. I started to think that my step mom was right by always berating me about food, and saying I was going to get fat. ( I was a size 12 then and in high school)

Day 6) My mom was who always fit was disabled in 2002 in a car accident. She told me that she wanted me to love myself and take care of myself. I want to be able to help take care of her, and I have to be fit to do that.

Day 7) After having a bad food day I took a shower. When I opened the curtain there was the fat women looking at me. She had stretch marks and a fat face. Her thighs were huge and she looked so miserable. ... I was looking in my mirror. I broke down crying. That COULDN'T be me, that SHOULDN'T be me, but it was. The I remembered my fiance saying, "You are one of the most self conscious people I know, but you don't do anything about it." I realized I had been making excuses for myself and that I had to do something, or I would never be able to run Tough Mudder, be the pretty sister, or take care of my mom. I want to feel good about myself again, so I am going too.

If you have made it this far, thanks for reading. :blushing: :flowerforyou: