After my c-section for my twins, when I was finally able to stand I looked in the mirror and was horrified. Up until that point, (and the entire pregnancy) I had never been big. I was always small. That changes when you have kids, especially twins. I think the second part that was hard for me to accept was that I couldn't fit into my favorite Tripp pants anymore.

When I got on the scale and realized I had hit 150. Which was 10 pounds heavier than I had ever been before, and also I was right in the middle of the "overweight" category - any higher and I would have been closer to obese than a healthy weight. Also, I thought "yikes! If this keeps up I'll be closer to 200 than 100!". Not that I want to be 100 pounds even, that would be too skinny, but thinking of steadily creeping up to 200 scared me.

I've experienced a lot of the things people mentioned... even the really embarrassing one that OP mentioned! But for reasons inexplicable to me, none of that made me try to lose the weight. I mean, REALLY try. The "straw" was my kids - plus the fact that I am in my 40s. When I was in my 20s and 30s I felt indestructible. People that age didn't drop dead. Then it dawned on me that I am no longer a kid... and people DO drop dead in their 40s, especially people like me who were over 400 pounds. I decided that I wanted to live a normal life span and be around for as long as I can for my family. I decided that I wanted to do it while I was still otherwise healthy, and not because I HAD to do it because of diabetes or heard disease. While its nice to look and feel better, and I SHOULD have done it for those reasons too long ago, I didn't.

Before I got back the health train, I rarely weighed myself (like once every 3-4 years). Though I tried to deny it, I knew I was getting bigger. Once I faced up to is, stepped on the scales and saw I was not just 200lbs but over 10lbs above that, I knew I had to change.

I hadn't left the house for ages and it was my 26th birthday. My family pressured me into going out to dinner and when I started getting ready, I realized none of my clothes even came close to fitting. I had to buy a pair of jeans in sweat-pants just to be half-way presentable. They were a size 22 and my last size had been an 18.

It was sort of a realization about everything in my life being wrong. I was just on the worst possible track. I was wasting my life and getting deeper and deeper into the hole I was digging while trying to block out reality. Dieting was just a part of the realization that I had to crawl out of the hole and be part of the world again.

196lbs. That's what broke it. I couldn't even look at my thighs anymore without feeling suicidal.

Honestly? Dyeing my hair!!

I was a blonde my whole life. I finally decided to go dark, and I LOVED it!!

I like to contrast when I dress. With my blonde hair, I tended to go for dark tops. When I had dark hair, I started to try on lots of colored tops, only to find that not a single one looked good :(

For me...somehow, that was it. The realization that I couldn't feel comfortable in a single top except a black one motivated me. I just started to watch what I ate, worked out 5 days a week, and stopped drinking alcohol. That led me to loose 30 lbs in 6 months :)

For me, it was my best friend mentioning that he thought a waitress at a restaurant was pretty, because she was skinny. I've struggled with my weight, and depression, for a long time. He and I are so close because we have a lot of similar issues. He's 6ft tall, and weighs 130lbs but can't gain weight. I'm 5'6", 158 (down from 165), and, until I started my Slim Fast diet, couldn't stop gaining weight.
As the only girl in my group of friends, I tend to have quite a bit of pride about my appearance. And before that, no one had said anything about skinny girls being more attractive. Everyone had always said I looked great.
His opinion matters to me a lot. He's the person I trust most, besides my boyfriend (who has always thought I looked great regardless of my weight).

I broke a wooden chair, yes the boards had been rotten, but still I sat in it and broke it. Everyone was kidding and joking around about it, and I joked back, but man it hurt inside. That was Memorial Day (May 27th) and I joined WW May 30th, and have since lost 8 lbs.

I always wear skirts and dresses...it's my thing, and my husband loves this about me. After a long winter of cool weather and leggings to keep my bare legs warm, I'm faced with the heat of southern california summers. Over the last few months I've felt my bras getting tighter...I know the elastic on my underwear is more taut than usual...but I was not prepared for the bare thigh rub of summer 2013. It's painful. And I've got to do something about this. Some of my girlfriends refer to the chaffing as "crotch rot." It's the pits :/ I also feel myself walking differently, like my gait is compromised by the size of my thighs to afford more room so they don't rub together. I can't change my natural walk to make room for fatter thighs!!!

I'm thinking you could wear pettipants under your dresses and skirts. They would keep your thighs from rubbing together.

I had been feeling "ready" to have a baby and was waiting for my husband to join me in that perspective, and he finally got there only for me to realize that I was so heavy that I'd be putting myself and the baby at risk. I can't believe I let it get to this point...however, I'm not "dieting," because I fail at that repeatedly. I'm doing Weight Watchers and eating whole foods, trying to stay away from processed stuff, and amping up the exercise...

When I was in Fiji for medical reasons I couldn't go into the water, I needed a piggy back ride from this massively muscled Fijian chap who huffed and puffed his was to the shore. I was so humiliated (and worrying about his back the whole time!)

Mine was that my daughter was recently given a Nintendo DSi as a gift. She discovered the camera and loves taking pictures of mommy. I started seeing pictures of me. Like real pictures, the way other people see me. Not the flattering selfies that we all take of ourselves. And WOW. Talk about an eye opener.

.

When I graduated I got a photo album of all these pictures of me through the years, and I remember seeing a picture of my middle school self and being amazed at how skinny I was! In middle school I was so convinced I was fat that I think it became a self fulfilling prophecy, and it made me SO ANGRY to realize that I WASN'T fat then, but I'd let that ruin my self confidence all through high school!

At that point I pretty much decided that I'd missed my chance in high school but there was NO WAY IN **** I was going to make those mistakes in college.

Not being able to wear what I want because of my weight. It's hard enough finding decent plus size clothing as it is, but being in a goth/punk aesthetic is nearly impossible. Plus, any choices there is breaks my bank. I just want to be able to walk in a store, find something that is in my price range, buy it, and wear it without thinking "Oh crap, you can see my stomach rolls" or "this doesn't fit over my chest".

Probably a few things altogether, but the thing that finally pushed me to say that's it, I am so done with this, was I realized I was sick of hiding in crummy, baggy clothes. I seriously lived in hoodies. Cold weather, okay weather, blisteringly hot 100+ degree weather, I was in a hoodie. I'd just suffered through another summer, and a very warm October, where I had another Halloween I didn't feel comfortable enough to dress up for, and that was it.

And then the thing that 10000% cemented it immediately after I said enough, was I stepped on a scale, first time in years, and it said 222 lbs. If my conviction before hadn't been enough, then that definitely made up for it.

Well for me most of my tries were the last straw. I was sick and tired of not being able to wear the clothes I wanted because of my touching thighs or my abdomen. This time around has been actually the longest I've been serious about it. It took seeing some Christmas pictures from a trip I had made with my girlfriend... it saddened me to see the picture and not even recognizing myself and thinking, this doesn't even look like a 25 year old... So after the guilt and shame.. I decided to go to a nutritionist and exercise. Before that, I thought I didn't need the help of an expert in the area. It's been slow but definitely worth it.

There was a slow build for me. Firstly I broke up with my boyfriend and suddenly realised that I didn't actually like my body, I had based any body confidence on him.

Secondly after spending the summer at home with my mothers cooking I jumped on the scales for the first time in years and found out I'm about 3 stone heavier than I believed.

No more denial from here...

hmmmmm....a straw that broke the camel's back? How about STRAWS plural :( ?

1) Having people ask when the baby's due. Actually, the baby was born a year ago, but my belly just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
2) Two words: FLESH APRON.
3) There is nothing distinguishable about my side profile: the breast/belly combo is one big lump.
4) Removing pictures from my Facebook profile in which my friends tagged me in (embarrassed because I have let myself go so much)
5) It is not fun going shopping for fat clothes!!!
6) Not wanting to be in family pictures/being in video camera
7) Realizing that I spend $$$ on fast food each month
8) I'm ready to have my chin and cheekbones back!
9) Realizing that even a good tan will not camouflage cellulite lol
10) Discovering that my knee-high boots are tight in the calves - yikes!

good luck to everyone in your weight loss journeys! I certainly need it! :)

Example to my daughter.
 

I decided a week ago enough is enough, I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant a year and a half ago and I worry that I'll end up with type 2, my legs and back ache every day, I look more pregnant than I did when I was pregnant and I get light headed and I have no motivatation to do anything when I get up in the morning. I also want to have a proud daughter and healthy daughter and not be the fat mum on the playground that no-one talks to. So I need to set a good example for her. I don't wnat her to end up unconfident and depressed about being fat, most her life like I have been so far.

It's been brewing for a while. I have decided this time to take it slowly though and work myself up to fitness fanatic in stages. I used to say to myself, right diet starts monday, keep fit regime starts as well and I will lose a half a stone each week. I lasted half a day max! It was like I was going to climb Everest in my head on monday morning. I realise now that this was unacheivable. So I have started with the keep fit videos, and then I will improve my diet over time, and not completely restrict myself of anything. I will then introduce different keep fit things as time goes on. Just hope it works this time. I think I just need to stop pressurising myself to the point where I give up as it seems impossible

I graduated college at 399lb, brought myself down to 370 and figured "yeah this is great" but then kind of gave up on continuing and stayed stuck there for a while. I'm 23, my life is just beginning. I was borderline diabetic, close to high blood pressure, and more...but i never really took it seriously. I had to shop in stores the rest of my girlfriends walk past without even considering on any of our mall trips.

A best friend of mine moved down to Florida, and set her wedding date for October 25th but when i went to book a plane ticket down, i found out i'd need to buy two seats, i was too fat to fly. The hardest part in facing that was knowing that i never wanted to miss out on big moments in my friends lives, in my life, because of my weight EVER again, so i started on track, and since september I've lost about 52lbs.

Now that i'm almost down below 300, i couldn't be happier with the decision i made.

My straw was my knees. Doing nothing more vigorous than descending stairs too quickly, I severely injured my left knee and mildly injured my right knee. It's taken a year and a half to rehab them to the point where they don't hurt when I walk. 300+ pounds is just too much weight for any 5'3" gal to be able to carry, and not expect knee troubles. For 25 years (since my 30s) I've been happy as a fat woman, but now it's time to change!

This. This is the reason 3FC is so valuable to me. I always see something that really resonates with me that day. Weight loss, diet, and exercise are incredible things I do for myself. And I feel GREAT when I'm doing them. Just an incredible thought for me. Thank you.

I was depressed and I started walking to get away from my problems I guess. I hadn' t weighed myself for a while but I guess kidded myself I was still the same weight as years ago. Hubby had made comments about my weight but thought he was being mean or relating it to his weight loss.
Then I checked my weight...what? I am obese? So that was a shock. I had been walking and then started c25k program and started eating better. Its working so I am going to keep at it.
I am almost 36, been a mum for 14 years and it was time for me honestly. Never tried to lose weight so this is all very new and eye opening.

For me it was to finally put my foot down and say this is it! I have PCOS and want to have children one day. I'm 27 and I'm not getting any younger. In order to get my PCOS in check and make it possible to have kids I need to lose the weight. There for awhile I was all about just love the skin you're in and just didn't care if I was fat or not. But about 2 weeks ago I was like, no this isn't alright. There's nothing wrong with being big if you're healthy and happy. I also have HBP and don't want to be on medication the rest of my life so I'm trying to make food my medicine and eat a clean, whole food diet. I want to feel comfortable in cute clothes and DEFINITELY want to get rid of the giant flesh apron. I wish everyone well in their journies! :)

Pants
 

When I realised that I have a full closet of beautiful clothes and only one pair of pants fit me and that I eat 100g (3.5 ounces) of chocolate every day. :(

When I was at my lowest weight and lowest BF% in graduate school, just last year, I bought myself a few hundred dollars' worth of nice clothes for interviews and work. Currently, none of the pants fit me properly, and some of the shirts and dresses are too tight as well. I want to wear my nice clothes!

Straws & straws
 

When I look at my 79yr old Mom who is in a wheelchair now because of her weight (and the many health problems it led to) -- and I weigh as much as she does now -- and I absolutely KNOW that in 30 years I'm going to be her if I don't do something NOW.
:eek: :( :cry:
Big straw... really big.

I'm turning 30 this year. End of story.

Oh man....I think I finally was just fed up! My nosey old neighbor also told me that I was gaining weight and deep inside i knew it but It took someone actually saying something to get me in gear. I was already over weight and then I gained more weight from being in a relationship (like 10 pounds) but I had to catch it before it got REALLY out of hand. I didn't want to be that person who lets herself go once she finds someone. Also despite being overweight for 7 years I always had a waist but I started to lose it! I was getting bulky and losing my feminine figure:( Also when I started the thin girls in the kitchen I work in told me cutting carbs wasnt going to work and now that they know I lost 35 pounds they kiss my ***:) So I had to show them what was up:) 25 more to go until I'm back to 18 year old weight and under 20 more untill I'm not considered overweight anymore!

^^^^ THIS !!!! I turned 30 last November and I just knew I had to do something about my weight, I spent my entire 20s as a fat girl, I wasn't going to let my 30s be dictated by my weight!!

plus it took a whole stack of straws in my case..
- this lady at work once told me to take some party leftovers home to the kids! I don't have kids, I didn't even have a husband.
- my friends would joke about my weight and I would ignore them like one time we went to this park where everyone was doing adventure sports like climbing and zip lining and my friends told me that I would not be able to do it, I'd just make excuses saying I wasn't up for trying it out anyway.
- This one time at 6 flags where the attendant told me they couldn't let me ride because the belt wouldn't fasten and I had to get out of the ride and my entire group of friends got out with me (I cried like a kid that day)
- the airplane seat belt wouldn't fasten and I would get too embarrassed to ask for an extension so I would just sit and pray for a safe flight (yes I never fastened that seat belt, the entire flight, I hid the belt under my jacket pretending it was clasped

The signs kept coming and I was in such denial about my weight I guess I decided to do something about it when it started threatening the future of my relationship. I got dumped for being overweight once, I didn't want to go through THAT again. No matter how big the ego, sometimes it's for the best to just listen, take charge and do something about it.

Needless to say, 50 lbs later, my colleagues keep complimenting my weight loss and so does everyone else on this super supportive website!! I don't need the extra seat belt in airplanes anymore, I went to 6 flags again and went on ALL the rides, I zip lined TWICE :)

My straws:

STRECH MARKS. I have never had stretch marks in my entire life but they started this summer and are literally EVERYWHERE. Hips, arms, armpits, stomach, breasts, legs, calves, wtfwtfwtfwtfwtf MAKE IT STOP HOLY CRAP.

I am finding it impossible to make eye contact with men I find attractive because I feel like they might laugh at me. Which is insane because the last 3 guys I thought were attractive went *out of their way* to speak to me. But that's my internal thought stream. Gotta quit that.

When I am under stress I get the most acute chest pain. Most of my relatives have died of heart problems. This is terrifying to me.

Seeing that I'd crossed 200lbs on the scale and literally crying for 3 days.

Grimacing as I pass my reflection in the mirror.

Not wanting to be on dating sites because in order to be honest with men I'd need to take totally new photos that reflect my actual size.

...yep, that's my straw(s).

My weight gain was always slow, I barely noticed especially since I've always had a small waist. But suddenly the belly I thought was fat was now REALLY fat and like stretch marks seems to blossom almost over night! That didn't do it though. I was getting married and the dress I borrowed from my aunt was tighter than before. That didn't do it. I had back fat/rolls forming for the first time. That didn't do it. I got Hidradenitis Suppurativa (for those who don't know, that's essentially gross puss lesions like super acne on your boobs and armpits) and doctor said it was weight related. That didn't do it. My husband wanting to be a cop (we were still dating at the time) and pursuing an active life style. I tried working out with him to support him, but hated it. That didn't do it. Getting restless leg syndrome worse and worse keeping me up at night more and more due to weight gain. That didn't do it. Starting to develop lower back pain. That didn't do it either.

My "straw" moment? For me, it came just over a month ago at the end of November, napping on a basement couch before work because I was tired from a bad sleep the night before. I was dressed up for a family dinner, and didn't feel pretty in the dress I was wearing, a dress only a few months old that I LOVED and felt skinny in at the time of pruchase (and I was still fat then. It was the first dress in a year I felt pretty in) I've always felt fat and wanted to lose weight but never tried or did anything. I was in tears, and started looking up cute pictures of animals online. They had one of those side diet adds, the ones I used to roll my eyes at and ignore. This time, I clicked. It was for Garcinia Cambogia. I started looking it up. I wanted it. BAD. I started reading warnings in research, I didn't care. I had an allowance for myself, I could afford it, I was going to buy it. I was at the online check out and just completely and mentally broke down. I asked myself what I was doing? Assuming it magically worked, it was safe and healthy, is that what I wanted to tell people when I asked how I lost the weight? Some pill? And, wouldn't I have to use it forever to keep it off??? Did I want that, forever??? Assuming that it even worked, and was healthy??? What about my young middle school girls I mentor at my church, what was I telling them by getting a magic pill from a an add without any regards to the consequence? What was I telling them by continuing to be unhealthy for that matter??? And my husband who always thought me beautiful and loved me, how was I helping him become a cop??? He wasn't going to the gym, or working out because I made the excuses not to go. So I whiped away a tear, decided I would start calorie counting to limit my portions and started doing real research for healthy weight loss. I found this site not long after, got inspired and started my journey!!! I even started swimming while the hubby did his stength and cardio training in the gym.

Airplane Seatbelt Extender

I don't think that needs a followup. Just the fact that I needed one broke my mind for a while.

I thought the scale at the doctor's office was broken. No way could I be 275. I was 250. Yeah, not so much.

That was the swift kick in the a** I needed to start losing.

Looking back through this thread, any number of these could have been written by me.

The first time I had to ask for a seat belt extender was huniliating. The flight attendant was discrete, but I felt shame for even existing. It was not as bad as the day I couldn't fit into a ride at six flags. Everyone around got to witness the attendants trying to readjust my fat and te harness to stuff me into the seat.

I also hated myself the day I realized I could barely reach to wipe my butt.its even more difficult in a public bathroom stall when you can barely get inside and shut the door in the first place.

The day I had to ask for a table at a diner because I couldn't breath after I squeezed myself into the booth.

Being unable to get through the aisles of a store. That's when I know that a store won't be carrying my size.

The day my "fat" pants were too tight.

Waking in the middle of the night because of a weight on my chest not allowing me to breathe and realizing it was me.

Having to wear deodorant between my legs and between my fat rolls to avoid the sickening smell of sweat.

There are all these things about being fat that made me think, I can't keep living like this. But the moment that broke me, my straw, was the day I had to fill out a profile for online dating. I'm not opposed to people using online dating to find a significant other. I don't think I'm better than online dating. The reason it broke me was because it was when I finally decided that I was resorting to online dating in the hopes that someone would talk in love with my personality before they had to see what I looked like. It was the day I realized I was probably going to be single for te rest of my life if I didn't change something.
It wasn't even about thinking that fat people can't find love. They can and do. It was more that I couldn't ask someone else to love and accept me when I didn't even want to look in a mirror at myself. That was the day I knew I had to lose the weight. So that I could finally fall in love with myself.