The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back....

Getting winded playing flag football with the kids. I wasn't required to run because I was the quarterback. I was getting winded just standing there... It's been almost a year since then and I've been active ever since.

A full week of no longer being able to control my blood sugar levels with diet. The last day my level spiked at 240, I was barely able to form a complete thought, my speech was slurred and I couldn't stay awake. That was the end.

well I'm taller, 6 ft 2 so I have always been able to "hide" my extra weight well. I weighed about 160 when I graduated high school. then over the course of the next several years my weight ballooned up to 200, 240, 260 and ultimately 285. at this point my Dr put me on blood pressure meds and said I had hypertension and was at risk for all kinds of heart disease.

my Grandad died in his early 60's from a heart attack. my dad had quadruple bypass heart surgery 12 years ago and is thankfully still alive. I got mad at myself like wtf am I doing. I was eating out all the time. smoking, drinking, never exercising.

I began making changes about 2 years ago. This morning I weighed in at 224. I'm by no means the picture of health lol. but I remind myself to just slowly substitute out the bad habits for healthy ones. I've had great success but at times it's so easy to feel discouraged. I promised myself I will never revert back to my old ways. I guess to answer your question, I had enough of being destructive

I told myself for awhile before joining MFP that I was going to eat better, get healthy, and lose weight. So of course my boyfriend knew "I was trying" but nothing was happening. Not going to the gym or eating right.

While driving to my parents house for Sunday dinner (do this every Sunday) he asked me if I would start wearing sexy clothes again once I lost weight. I was pissed and sad. Mostly at myself. I was literally 20lbs lighter when we started dating.

I found MFP and have lost 10lbs so far. 10 more till Im back at the weight I was when we started dating. And 40 more till Im at goal.

for me it took me losing my dad to the 9/11 cancer and then a few years later having a breast cancer scare my self on top of that testing positive for the breast cancer gene because of my family history... that was it for me.. I have this beyond amazing hubby of 13 years, we have two beautiful angels that are 7 and 2 and I knew I had to stop screwing around and put the cheeseburgers down and start on the salads so to speak

So, I am sitting in my office one day. Dilligently working at my desk job (as usual). Our office is one of those very quiet, professional offices. No music in the background or anything like that. An older client comes in and couldn't remember my name. He was hard of hearing so he talked MUCH louder than he needed to, you all know what I am talking about.

So to ask for me, since he didn't remember my name, he starts yelling that he "wants to talk to the really fat girl in the office. You know the one! She is really, really fat!"

I knew that I could have been doing more to improve my health and my looks, but that was a real eye opener for me. My clients describe me as the "really, really fat one!"

TIme for a change...

Seeing myself on video after my second child was born. The baby is irrelevant but seeing myself on video, yeah, that got me.

Besides missing some events due to embarrassment at my size, I'd say when I went to my sister's 50th birthday party. It was at a restaurant. Everyone else in my family is in the "normal" weight range.

The restaurant had a huge buffet table for seating, and they had folding chairs for us. I sat in my chair and felt it bend. It felt like my chair was going to break I was mortified. No one noticed. The chair was fine, but it made me feel so sad.

I just started back yesterday. Today I walked 25 minutes at a brisk pace. I used a road that was like a roller coaster with many steep hills. I came back winded, sweating (even though it was only 55 degrees outside), but I did it. I did it......

Went in for a check up at the doc and when I got on the scale I couldn't believe how high I'd let my weight get.

In my case some of the weight gain was adjustment due to all the medication I'd been on, surgery recoveries, lack of ability to be physical and overall mental health (wasn't good) but I'd gained 25 lbs without even realizing it. Don't get me wrong, I knew my pants were getting tight, but getting on that scale was a huge eyeopener for me and I knew I needed to do something as soon as I got a clean bill of health.

I found MFP 2 days later and have been changing my lifestyle since. The weight is slowly coming off and I'm feeling better in all aspects of my life, eventually I hope to be back to my pre-surgical nightmare weight.

I always tried to lose weight due, primarily to vanity. I just really wanted to see a better-looking person in the mirror. That, however, was not what "flipped" that switch in my head to actively apply myself. I also told myself that I needed to be healthier. No success. It wasn't until I got some blood work results and the doctor had the diabetes talk with me that I finally buckled down and made "real" changes. As my user name implies, I fly. Being diabetic is a disqualifier for a pilot's license. Now, my bad habits were about to take away something that I love to do.

Of course, getting the sugar inline appealed to my vain side, as well.

I've always been and off and on "workout" type. I love to lift weights and it makes me feel sexy. Hell, I always feel sexy. My husband loves me and makes me feel beautiful.
I'd seen the TF video commercials and decided to order. I also got ChaLean Extreme.
Who needs pics? Who needs measurements? I'd lost 10lbs and knew that being 5'2 and UNDER 150 was "ok." Size 9/10 pants AREN'T really that big...right?
If I wear this shirt under this shirt my tummy doesn't look as poochy...
I did a few days of TF and hated it. Then I decided I would do ChaLean. AND i thought, "may as well do pictures."

HOLY COW! that was a slap in the face. In my head I was as sexy as I had ever been. But in the pictures? That couldn't be me.

So that day, Feb 16 (2012) was the day I decided never again.

My cousin is on MFP and I decided maybe it could help me too.

I know I'm not finished, but I definately feel even sexier now than ever. Look at these biceps!!

Back in March of this year my 33 y.o. husband had his annual physical. His blood pressure at that appointment was 139/80 (which is high-normal and considered prehypertensive). His doctor told him he needed to lose 10 lbs, quit smoking and drinking so much Dr. Pepper and get his blood pressure under control or else they'd have to put him on meds in a year or less. My own personal family has a strong history of diabetes and high blood pressure as well, so I did what I do best and looked for ways to lower his BP w/o meds. I found the DASH (Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension) diet and we hopped on the wagon as a family.

Initially we made the lifestyle change for my husband's health (who coincidentally isn't participating in the change!). But after the first few weeks (and a hard fall off the wagon) I realized how much better I felt with the changes. I wasn't as cranky or grouchy with the kids, I had more energy...I felt alive again. I started exercising 2 weeks ago on a whim and haven't stopped since.

I realized after I finally figured out that I had stopped feeling any emotion and I was no longer living for myself. I was living for someone else. I knew then that on the inside I was broken and I had to fix that. The only way to fix what was broken on the inside was to find who I was...or maybe who I never was able to become. When I was happy with the outside I knew that eventually I could find myself on the inside.

Not being able to slip on my size 8 jeans, never being able to slip into a bikini, looking at old pics and regretting how much I actually let myself go

I was unhappy. Unhappy for a lot of reasons - people in life letting me down and so forth. But then I realized I can't rely on other things or people for my core happiness. I have to be happy with myself, first. Everything else should be icing on the cake, so to speak. But happiness with myself is the true secret to being really happy, deep down. And I knew that the root of most of the negative feelings I have about myself start with my weight.

I decided that I want to be happy.