hahahaha! thats ssoooooo me! pjs and trash food! :)

I can totally relate to all of you. My "realization" was more of a series of events. I had to buy a size 24 (european, but still!) wedding gown and now I am having a hard time dealing with our wedding photos - I have back fat and boob fat and pretty much fat anywhere you can spot it! I've always had a large chest but even my bras weren't fitting anymore. I was hiding the things I ate from my then-fiance (now husband). Worst of all, I hit the "magic number" 200 lbs after we got back from our honeymoon.

Just this past weekend, I went shopping with my best friend who has always, always weighed more than me. Call me a meanie, but I had quietly used that excuse of "well I don't weigh as much as so-and-so, so I'm fine," for so long. Well, she has lost a lot of weight in the past year and here I was, buying a size 16 and she was buying size 8's. It has been the other way around for so long that I couldn't believe we'd switched roles. :(

When I was e-mailing a friend and I wrote the numbers 200 and I looked up and saw that, when I really looked at it I was like WHAT? That is when I realized that I had lost control and I wanted it back. That's when I really realized that I needed to do something.

It was a slow day at work so we decided to have a little impromptu "potato sack race" (don't ask!). Anyways, I lost so badly because I just had too much weight to carry. It seems so stupid, but I was so uncomfortable moving in my own skin--so humiliated by how slow and winded I was at only 23, that I knew I had to do something or I'd only get worse.

My big moment of revelation was when I had bought tons of awesome clothes for interviews and for work last year. And when I actually had to interview--*none of them fit*. It was horrifying, especially since I don't have the money to go out and buy more interview quality suits! Also, my body image really tanked this year, as did my confidence level. It's my senior year, and I want to feel hot and sexy!

LOL Electro, I remember my undergrad college weight gains too -- declaring myself the four-time victim of freshman fifteen, sophomore sixteen, junior jigglies & senior seventeen (let alone grad school greasiness), all leading up to my own shocker moment (posted earlier in this thread). Well, I'm bent on reversing all of that now!

October I went with my sorority sisters to our annual Fright Fest trip. We went on this roller coaster and I had finally convinced my "big sister" to go on and not to worry, I'd be holding her hand the entire time. We get on the ride and wow, if the seat belt was just an inch longer (or I was an inch smaller), it would have fit. So I had to "fake a freakout" infront of my already-terrifed sister so they would let me off the ride. I had to lie, I couldn't go "oops too fat!" and hop off.

Over the summer I was working as a cashier at Kohl's and this woman in her 30s came to my register with tons of clothes.. as I was scanning her items she looked at me and with a smile said "Oh! When are you due?"... I was mortified.. I just kinda stared at her for a minute.. and was like "I'm not...".. she went on to say she was sorry but she kind of made it worse.. lol.. She had so many items that I had to deal with her standing there while I was scanning them all >_< some of the things she said after that were "I was SURE".. and "Oh my god dont develop a complex or anything".. I cant believe she would be SURE I was pregnant lol.. I'm 5'8 and was 185 at the time.. >_> That and when I saw 190 on my scale and realized that it's only 10 pounds away from 200

Mine's a lot like yours Rab...I knew I was gaining for awhile but I didn't think it was that bad. I was bartending one day and I had on one of those tank tops with the empire waist (I thought they were covering the tummy roll well) A semi-regular customer came in that hadn't been in awhile and said "Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you in forever, are you pregnant?". I about fell over. I went home and weighed myself...which I try not to do....and I was pushing 170. I haven't weighed over 155 my entire life. Don't you just love people??:D

Well the final shocker happened last weekend when I finally got the nerve to buy a scale...that brought me back to this site.

But the what got me working out again was last summer when I took a camping trip with a bunch of my friends. To get to the beach you had to hike 3 miles up a mountain and back down. I used to love hiking but this time I was huffing and puffing 10 minutes in. I hadn't realized how out of shape I had let myself become. It was so embarrasing - one of my friends had to carry my backpack and everyone had to keep waiting for me to catch up. That next week I re-joined the gym.

i went out to eat at A&W with my kids and my mother in law. Cheeseburger with bacon, onion rings and a large coke. I just finished eating and stood up to get a cloth to wipe my kids faces and a guy sitting next to us started talking to us
Him: "Ohhh your kids are so cute"
Me: "Thank you"
Him: "Oh how old are they?"
Me: "3 years old and 11 months old"
Him: "Oh wow, your brave having number three already!"
Me: "Pardon me?"
Him: points down to stomach "Having number three, BRAVE!"
Me: "Ummmm nope, just the two"
Him: "Oh"

I was so embarassed. I started driving home and had to pull over on the side of the road because I couldn't see through my tears. I kept hearing my 3 year old asking me why I was so sad. It was horrible. I was 179 lbs, 5'7, size 18 pants, XL shirts.

I've been trying for a while to lose weight, ever since I got depressed and gained a whole bunch. I remember while I was gaining my weight, that I would be around 195 lbs, and I would say to myself "No! I WON'T go over 200 lbs!!!" Then, I'd go over 200 lbs, and say to myself, "215 is IT, I will NOT go over 215"

It went on and on like that until I got to 234 lbs, my boyfriend left me (for non-weight related reasons) and I felt so sick to my stomach that I just couldn't eat.

That basically jump started my weight loss, I lost about 10 lbs in a week from not eating, and even though I knew that it wasn't REAL weight lost... it still felt good to see that lower number on the scale and I decided that I had nothing left to lose and to just give it a try, so I did... and here I am.

(BTW... I've got my lovely boyfriend back :) )

i posted a million years ago, i said i wanted to stop and start over , eat right , be active, be healthy finally. and ive done nothing but gain more and more since i posted this. i feel like im constatly on the verge of crying about how i feel and look.

...I'm very, very glad that I have never had someone ask me if I'm preggers. For their sake, not mine. Because anyone who said that kind of thing to me would be DEAD MEAT. Not in the "slap across the face" sort of way, the "jump on them and pound their head against the floor" kind of way. Speaking as someone who has had an unwanted pregnancy at one point, I think someone reminding me of it again would just spark off a blind rage.

It's fascinating to read about all the things that triggered us in our own ways. The "I'll never pass that point!" moments, and the cruel comments, and the objectivity of the camera...well. Here's hoping those "OMG!" moments give us lasting motivation!

Hey FreegeeGirl,
This bit right now, the decision to really go for it is the hardest part. It is so easy to think, well I'm already overweight so I may as well keep eating xxx etc etc, yeah that is easy, but it'll mean more weight to lose when you do get the motivation to lose it.

Keep your chin up, decide when and how you are going to start and stick to it. Its natural to be overwhelmed by the journey ahead, but as soon as you commit to really going for it, and as soon as those pounds start to fall away, you'll be so glad you did!

I had always been slim, then went travelling, partying, studying in Italy (um, pizza, hello!?)...
Arrived in the UK after 6-8 months away, had put on about over 45lbs in that short space of time (!!) and somehow with having so much fun I'd hardly noticed...
THEN I went shopping for some work clothes, having been running around in elastic waisted skirts etc for months, and discovered I had to go into the plus sized areas of stores!

But, what I want to say is... it took couple of weeks or so after that for it to sink in enough and for me to get off my (much larger) butt and do something about it... those weeks I was so upset, I just kept eating like crazy because confronting the truth about my weight hurt a lot and eating was how I dealt with it. That happens.

Finally dragged myself (full of fear) down to my local weight watchers meeting and was so surprised that i wasn't even the biggest there!
Lost really well, especially first stone (14lbs, in first 4 weeks!) but have to admit that as soon as i could fit into clothes in 'normal' stores it's been harder to stay on track! But that is because I'd gotten to a place where I didn't hate myself and my body. Working on it still though (some years later, but oh so happy!).

I hope you can go for it... Yeah so you're body will see the benefits, but more than that you'll be happy and feel good about yourself and more in control!
So much luck.

My moment was last February, almost a year to the date. We had taken a family trip to Walt Disney World and I was a gluttenous hog. I ate anything and everything.. buffets, funnel cakes at the parks, doughnuts back at the room.. it was terrible. When I got back I was so disgusted with myself. I was just shy of 180 pounds which is alot to carry around on my 5'2 frame. I was huffing and puffing going up stairs and forget about clothes shopping. Whenever I'd go out with my friends or out in public in general I always felt like people were judging me, especially when I went out to eat. My then 5 year old son would come up and grab my belly.. he even sang a little song "Big Belly, Fat Belly, I love my mama's belly". I couldn't get mad at him though.. it was an honest observation.. lol. Anyway.. those were a few of my shocker moments when I knew I had to get serious about my health. I'm only 28 and this is the only body I'll ever have.. might as well take care of it!

Triggers are interesting...I have to work with my food triggers this week ;)

An ex of mine, certainly lacking in tact, told me I looked pregnant once....I was about 130 lbs and wearing an empire waist shirt, so it puffed out. It sent me on a crash diet.

Wow. Tactless indeed! That's actually why I've never worn empire waist shirts/dresses/etc. I hope you smacked him for it! ;)

im at 182!!!! im so excited , its not much but its something. i wanted this thread to keep on going i love reading everyones storys . i feel like were all in this together!!!!!!!!!!! LETS ROCK & ROLL

I had been watching what I ate and exercising where I could for several months. When I was able to start going to the gym again, I was happy because I had "maintained my weight"...after about a month, I was shocked to realize that I had been reading the scale wrong. Instead of being 166 -- a weight I had been for 5+ years -- I was 186. I had packed on 20 lb even though I had thought I was taking such good care of myself! That was a real slap in the face, and I realized that things had to change, or else I was just going to keep gaining. To be honest, I'm glad I got that wake-up call before things really got out of control...but it was still hard on the ego.

Mine was not being allowed to go skydiving when on holidays as I was too fat. I had a good cry that day (and topped it off by going quad biking and having it fall on me!)

I went sandboarding the next day and the walk almost killed me. Everyone else went four to five times, I only did it twice because I couldn't walk up. I'm trying to positive think, so they'll make great 'before' shots!

I weighed 265 at my heaviest, I wasn't allowed on a rollar coaster once.. which seems to be a theme here.. the funny thing is that I've NEVER told that story to anyone-- Boyfriend, Mom.. the only ones who know that happened were the people that were there with me... you dont know the relief to hear that's happened to other people!!

My big one was when my insurance premium raised due to my BMI.. ouch.

My "oh no" moment happened last fall. I was talking to a male friend of mine who was having all sorts of problems with his (ridiculous and manipulative) girlfriend. He mentioned something about how we had so much in common but he wasn't into heavier women. I'm not interested in him and never have been, but it made me think about what other opportunities I might be missing out on because of my weight. It was shallow, I know, but it started the gears in my brain turning and they haven't stopped yet.

The next kick in the pants came last month. I'm looking for a job, and was talking to my dad about how frustrated I was that I couldn't seem to find anyone who wanted to hire me. He said that there was a very real chance I was being discriminated against because of my weight (especially since I'm looking to be a waitress again). People seem to equate being fat with being lazy, and who wants to hire a lazy person? It kinda hurt my feelings, but when I realized he hadn't said it to hurt me I started to agree. I realize these are not the greatest reasons but they appear to be working.

There were a lot of early indicators and warning signs that I ignored at first. They would spark me for a little bit but then I'd give up my diet days later.

My breaking point was probably when I was pulled out of my basketball practice (I play college basketball) by my coach because I was lagging in our running drills and was told that I shouldn't even be a college athlete and that I was unhealthy due to my weight gain from my freshman year. I had gained a lot of weight since college started I was in denial and thought no one could notice, even when some of my clothes didn't fit me anymore. But when my coach talked to me it really hit home- people could notice and it was beginning to adversely affect my health and athletic performance, two things I care greatly about.

I did a lot of crying but also a lot of thinking that night. It took me a while to start this program from that day, but it was definetly my lowest point. And that is what fuels me to lose weight now- to be the best I can be.

My brother got married in 2004 and I needed some slacks for the rehearsal dinner. I knew I had gained some weight, but thought that I was just an 18.

So I went to the mall and it was obvious when I hit the first department store that an 18 was wayyy too small for me. The only place I could find a pair of pants that fit was at Lane Bryant. That was a shocker because I never thought I would get so big that my only clothing options would be at a plus-sized store. :faint:

So while I certainly wasn't in denial anymore, it still took until Febuary of 2005 to actually get started.

you would not fricken believe it i went to 191 wtf is wrong with me i cant get enought moments to get it through my head that im just going to keep growing . .. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

For me, the big thing was being at a Peace Corps information session at my school and being so excited because I KNEW that's what I wanted to do. Someone asked about medical clearance and the Peace Corps guy said that obese people are generally not given clearance and it is much more difficult for an overweight person. He also said that in the general interview, that might be seen as a negative thing. That was a huge wake up call for me. It's 2 years away before I have to start the application and I want to be within the "normal" range by then, which for me is 149.

Also, I'm going abroad for a full year next year to Europe and/or Latin America. I don't want to be shy and concerned about my weight the entire time!

I always knew I was big, but I had thought for years that I weighed 255 (averaged out over fluctuations). When the scale at school and at my parent's house agreed that I was 294, I was shocked. Then more things happened... I started not fitting at booths in restaurants, and couldn't make it through a rotary entrance at a grocery store. That made me ready to look past all other obstacles and just lose weight.

hmm..well i knew i had gained weight from abroad, and i wanted to lose it..but when it really hurt was two days ago, a woman who was one my supervisors for my internship in china last summer said i got a lot fatter. in chinese culture, it's common to say things like that. lol. ouch.

2 years ago. And then a few days ago.

the last couple of days when i was in the hospital, i saw 3 doctors and had 4 nurses taking care of me. every single one of them asked me about diabetes, and then put me on a low sodium diet and gave me food my dogs wouldnt eat. oh well atleast i'm finally out of the hospital.

The reason why I am losing the weight this time is just b/c of my pregnancy.


But I lost the same amount of weight last year before I ever got pregnant. I made my decision in December 2005...I looked at myself in all of the Christmas pictures and I was just not happy with myself...I also hadn't gotten on the scale in a long time..so when I finally weight myself and saw that I weighed 175..I was shocked because that was the most I have ever weighed. So it motivated me to lose 35 pounds...

So I just hope I can get back down to that weight..because I look at the pictures of me right before my pregnancy and that is definitely my motivation...

My big shocker was about a week ago when I stepped on the scale and it read 300Lbs... About 6 months ago I was 260....I moaned and groaned for 5 days and then found this website.. I started my diet on the 6th and have lost 3Lbs so far... but let me tell you... My poor Boyfriend had to stay up with me after I got off this scale. I cried and cired and he sat there and said something I will never forget.
"Karlie, you know that I will love you at 100Lbs, 200Lbs, 300Lbs, and 400Lbs. That is not the issue here. You need to love you."

Which made me cry even more.. and now here I am. Fightin' the goof fight

That happened to me about a couple months ago. I stepped on a scale that said I weighed 180, and I just denied it. I thought, "There's NO WAY I could POSSIBLY weigh 180!!" Then, after several scales told me I weighed 180, I freaked out and thought, "Crap...I REALLY DO weigh that much!! That's how much my DAD WEIGHS! NO NO! I don't wanna be as big as my DAD!!!" I STILL honestly don't know how I could weigh as much as I do (at 175 now) - I'm not incredibly large... I've taken full body pics and videotaped myself and am always surprised at how *not* fat I look, considering what I weigh. I'm also only a size 10-12, which certainly isn't small, but yeah... I just don't get how I weigh so much. It baffles me to no end. Maybe I just "carry it well" too - most people guess 140-155 for me. I've been told I look "normal sized" and "not overweight" many times, BUT the fact I AM twenty pounds overweight will eat away at my ego until I fix it... not to mention I'm a hypochondriac and afraid that it's unhealthy.

I feel you there... that happened to me the last couple weeks. I was doing well with the dieting bit, then I gave in and ate junk. I worked out for at least an hour every day though... I didn't gain any weight, but I didn't lose any, either... and I look a tiny bit smaller, but I want that stupid number to go down SO BADLY!

I guess my shocker didn't really have to do with how much I actually weighed. I've been around 270-280 for around 2 years, but I never cared enough to do something about it. Well one day my best friend and I decided we would go for a walk up a mountain near my house. There are a lot of quad trails and such that take you to the top and the grade isn't too bad. At the beginning of college when I was in reasonably good shape (but still a bit heavy at 210), walking up this mountain would have been no problem. But oh man, I could hardly breathe after ten minutes of walking! I had to keep stopping for rests the whole way up. That, along with some other factors (I was always feeling tired and depressed, my self-esteem was at an all-time low, etc), made me decide to start doing something.

Karlie! That is the sweetest thing that he said! Good luck! Let us know how you are doing!!:D

I've been overweight my whole life. To this day, I remember thinking, "How ironic," when I was 12 and wore a size 12. All through high school, there was always someone bigger...so I felt ok. I wasn't the biggest. Well, then I got married and lazy Now everywhere I go (granted we're stationed in Japan), I AM the biggest. Talk about an eye opener.

We went home for Christmas this last year and I had to ask for a seat belt extension. So embarassing. Not to mention an international flight crammed in the itty bitty coach seat (unable to raise the armrest) next to someone you don't know. None of these fazed me. I came home and kept on being lazy, eating what I wanted when I wanted it. One day I saw a picture of me. I looked like my mom. The one thing I always promised myself I'd never do is let myself go and be a big as my mom. Here I am able to share clothes with her and I thought, "No...no more."

Even those weren't enough to motivate me. Finding 3FC is honestly and truly what did it. I spent hours and hours looking at posts, seeing beautiful before & after pictures, reading posts other people had typed that were my words and feelings...verbatim. I thought, if these guys can do it, so can I!