[TapasLover]

July 12, 2009: my parents have finally come to visit me in Los Angeles, though I had moved across the country to California 6 months before. Excited to pick them up from the airport, I stand beaming to greet them as they get off the plane. They almost walk right past me in the waiting area-- not because of large crowds, but because I had put on almost 40 pounds since they had last seen me. Though they reacted kindly and out of love and concern, they correctly identified areas of unhappiness in my life that had led me to eat, and eat and eat.
Pictures from that weekend (which also involved my cousin's wedding, in which I was the maid of honor) still horrify me. Lavender, shimmering sleeveless bridesmaid dresses taken from unflattering angles. WHAT a nightmare. I should submit them to some bridesmaid dress disaster website. Surrounded by an extensive Polynesian themed buffet, I felt fat, out of shape and miserable. Add to that video taken of my "official toast" and you have a picture of a "rock bottom" that is documented, moment by moment, in our family archives.

Though the memories of a fun time surrounded by family were ultimately positive, I vowed to make a change.

[angeluv]

I don't remember the date, i think it was in september. I was trying to find something to wear and was trying on my jeans..and realized that not ONE of my jeans fit me anymore. I almost started crying. I remember having to wear belts with my jeans because they were too big around my jeans and now not one of them of buttoned. I had gained 20lbs over the course of a year..the last ten over the course of 3 months, hence the jeans no longer fitting. Thats when I decided something had to change.

[MiZTaCCen]

My horrible relationship and the way I felt about myself was my breaking point. I knew my weight was crappy and I needed to change something in my life because I was always down and negative. So once the new year started and my relatiohship was going down the toliet I began doing things that would keep me busy and help me lose some weight. I began walking to and from work in the winter time. (More of a lets see if it pushes his buttons for me to do that, because he would freak out at me going for a run at 8 at night even if it was completely sunny out.) Then once the relationship completely failed, I moved back across the country home...I had not dropped any weight at all, but everyone who knew me couldn't believe how much weight I had gain. I was told I was fat, and constantly ridiculed on how I could become "that" big...That was my final straw, (I knew it myself but to hear it constantly just made me want to lose weight and show them up) I made my mom become my chubby buddy (she's stick thin but due to other issues shes had I think it's helped her out alot to become physically active.) The weight started coming off quickly and I began to feel more confident plus I was loving the compliments from people at work. I also got a few other people to join me into weight loss (we wouldn't work out together but we were eachother's motivations and always talked about working out and different foods to eat and stuff.) Now I've moved back to (where I left...) and I've been maintaining my weight pretty good, but once I'm on my own at the end of the month I'm going to get back into working out (because then I don't have to worry about extra money to feed two other people.)

[kerielaine]

It was at the end of December in 2009. I was miserable. My legs were so fat that my right foot was starting to turn outwards when I walked. I looked down one day and noticed I was walking funny. I asked my (then) husband if I always walked that way. He said yes. I asked him why didn't he tell me. And he said that he thought that it was just the way I walked. I went to the doctor's to get on birth control and the doctor didn't want to put me on it because my blood pressure was 151/91. My weight was around 335 at the time. My highest weight being 340 a few weeks before that.

I also noticed that I couldn't turn over in bed anymore with it being very slow, difficult and painful.

My size 26 pants didn't fit anymore but I squeezed myself into them.

I just knew that I was going to die if I didn't do something. I decided that 2010 was a special year. A year for change. Since then I have:

-Lost 62lbs.
-Got divorced.
-Went back to school.
-Gained some hobbies.

I'm a new woman.

[MiZTaCCen]

Originally Posted by kerielaine

I just knew that I was going to die if I didn't do something. I decided that 2010 was a special year. A year for change. Since then I have:

-Lost 62lbs.
-Got divorced.
-Went back to school.
-Gained some hobbies.

I'm a new woman.

You're my ideal! You've accomplished so much within a year! You just gave me inspiration! Thank you.

[Focused Lani]

My rock bottom was when I had to quit a job I loved due to my weight. I developed heel and hip problems and couldn't stand for 7 hours a day anymore (I'm only 26!!!) The worst part is everyone was confused and upset about my leaving, including my boss, my co-workers and my husband. I couldn't tell any of them the real reason because I was just so ashamed, so I blamed stress. So then I was at home all day with my toddler, becoming increasingly isolated and depressed and I found that I could hardly fit into my old clothes anymore! And with my leaving my job our finances died so it was not like I could afford to buy anymore. I've always loved working but I wont even apply for jobs because I've lost all confidence in my abilities to do a decent work day, plus I think no-one in their right mind would give my a job because of my size. It had put a lot of pressure on my relationship and I think my husband is pretty much just fed up! So I HAD to do something.

[green5]

My rock bottom is now. I'm 2 years post partum and my scale hasn't budged even though I've tried numerous times to lose weight. I'm finally seriously interested in someone and I realize now that I don't want him to see me in anything less than bundled up in a coat hah. I'm not losing it for him but because I realize now that whenever that opportunity comes up, its going to be the same. I also realize that a lot of my being single has a lot to do with my weight and I really just don't want to be unhappy and alone for the rest of my life. The extra weight I have on now is what I deem my "bad relationship" weight so maybe if I can finally get rid of that then I can finally move on.

I feel really different this time though so I have 100% faith that this is the time!

[Fit4Lyfe]

I don't have a rock bottom, but I do have a sad love story: So in 2008, while in undergrad I met the man who I consider to be the love of my life and then I moved away to transfer to a cheaper school and we continued to communicate and we fell in love and then I looked in a mirror one day and realized I did NOT want him to see me this way, so I purposely distanced myself from him and I abandoned him. And all because oh this damn weight. It pisses me off that I let my size get in the way of true love and I will regret it for the rest of my life.