So I was always "overweight" - I was never below a size 12 until recently -but became obese after college - stupid desk job and not being able to walk miles across campus each day. I kind of ignored it for a while - I never weighed myself - and then I went to the doctor's for a physical and my liver enzymes, cholesterol and thyroid were waaaay elevated (not to mention I was 223 lbs) I was kind of like oooh crap...

I have a family history of liver disease, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I figure my older relatives didn't know what we know today, and it was pretty foolish of me to just live my life as unhealthy as I was - I was setting myself up for what had come before. So now, a year and a half (and 44 lbs later) my blood work is all normal and I'm working on getting myself at least into the "overweight" category. I made a deal with my doctor - I'll get down to 160 and then we'll re-assess.

Like a lot of people here, I've been overweight my whole life, but when I was visiting family last year they had a scale in the bathroom, and I weighed myself out of curiosity and found out I had just tipped from "overweight" to "obese". That was the kick in the pants I needed- I pretty much started dieting that hour.

Not only did that scare me, but watching my parents continually struggle with their weight makes me want to do something now so that I'm not like them when I'm old.

Finally, I'm starting school in the fall, and not only do I not want to be known as the fat girl when everyone meets me for the first time, but I also want to be in control enough not to gain the 15-30 pounds everyone says I will my first year.

A few things acted together to finally wake me up.

- Stretch marks on my thighs. At first I kept trying to pretend that those really couldn't be stretch marks. They had to be bruises, veins, skin discolorations, etc, etc. No, they're stretch marks because I got fat.

- I was either going to either lose weight so because I have a closet full of jeans I can no longer fit into, or resign myself to living in old navy yoga pants for the rest of my life.

- I went on vacation last summer and the pictures were... not flattering.

- Finally accepting that THE SCALE IS NOT WRONG.

This was one of mine too!

BUT.... My MAIN one:

Finally meeting my best online friend of 3 years (he was a friend of my real life EX boyfriend from several years ago, who was from a different country) and being interested in a very real life relationship with him. I knew there was no way in H-E-L-L I was willing to meet him at 235+lbs.... so I went on the first official diet of my life (and last!) after a lifetime of weight and health problems.

Nearly 50lbs later... we finally met and spent all of last month together.... and even though I'm now back home ().... we're going stronger than ever and he loves the way I look! And what's better... I finally love the way I look! And feel! And it's only up from here! No matter what happens with our relationship, I'll always be glad that he came along to snap me out of the funk of denial that had possessed me my whole life and that he lit that fire under my butt to take control of my weight and my health. I haven't been this happy with myself since I was 19 (and that was only for a year!).