What was the moment when you really decided that losing weight was no long an option, it was something you HAD to do? I thought I had hit this moment many times before but nothing really and I mean REALLY motivated me to lose weight until now.

Last week I posted about how I was starting this new exercise program but I wasn't going to be doing the running as it would be too hard on my knees. I've tried jogging/running before and my knees can't take it. Well I did the exercise for the one day which was 40 mins of biking. I love biking, I really enjoy sitting on my exercise bike and listening to tunes. I haven't done 40 minutes worth in a really long time but I didn't think it would be a problem. Oh boy was I wrong. A few hours after my knees really started hurting and they really haven't stopped aching since. I did a real number on my poor knees and they are telling me all about it. It really floored me that 40 minutes of biking would do this. I had no idea that I was so out of shape. I guess you get this vision in your head of what you look like or what kind of shape your are in and this has now been completely shattered. For a really long time I was still able to do all the athletics I wanted to do even though I was overweight. I was somewhat of a jock or at least fancied myself as being physically fit when I was in high school. I played field hockey, loved gym class and even beat a lot of the jocks when it came to running the mile. I jogged at home and rode my bike a lot.

I have been disgusted by my weight, embarrassed and angry but this is the first time I have been frightened by what might happen if I don't start losing some weight. I have posted many times about how I see fat, elderly people at the hospital and how hard it is on them. I don't think I ever really once thought that I would be in those shoes. I'm like so many others that thought that I had time to lose weight and that it would be easy once I really put my mind to it.

I think I can say without a shred of doubt or hesitation that I have finally found the motivation to get my rear in gear and start losing weight! Any other stories out there?

Mine was a combination of things. 1. My mom became diabetic bring a total of 7 of the 9 siblings in her family to be diabetic and i knew that i would end up that way if things didnt change and at 27 i had been on blood pressure meds since i was 21! 2. I saw my family picture we had taken and thought i went in looking really nice, boy was i awakened when we got them back! 3. I didnt want my kids to get teased at school about how fat there mom was or to be embarrased for me to come to school functions with them. Now i know i never want to go back there and while i will never be super model thin nor would i want to be but i am now at a weight were i dont stand out at how big i am.

Mine wasn't one defining moment, but the fact that I was turning 50 and didn't want to spend my 50s fat. I also have high cholesterol (which hasn't changed, dang it!), and I had this vision of paramedics grunting and groaning trying to move this fat woman on a stretcher--not a pretty sight.

my moment was last nov. 24. the dr. told me i had type 2 diabetes. i am the only person in my family with diabetes. it scared me to death or better yet to life. i did a complete food overhaul as well as exercise. going from no exercise to 4 - 5 days a week at the gym.
i went to the dr. today for my 3 month check up and he was very pleased. he did blood work and my numbers are great. i am down 38 lbs. with my meds, food, and exercise i now have my diabetes under control. if i can do it anyone can. i just hope it doesn't take something as defistating as that to get them on the right track for life.

Wow, what a great thread Jen.

Well, like I posted in an earlier post, you have to be ready. I thought I was ready, but I wasn't. I have a couple of motivating factors that seem to be a reoccuring theme in the previous posts. 1) I was diagnosed having an eating disorder, of compulsive overeating/binge eating last summer. 2) I just went through a battery of blood work, and ultrasounds to rule out a metabolic disorder called PCOS(recently got back my results back...I do not have it!) 3) Eventually, I would like another baby....and I refuse, I mean refuse to do this a third time as a plus sized momma! Too hard on me physically and emotionally. 4) I don't want my kids to be embarrassed of me...as they are gonna be starting school with in a few years. 5) I am turning 28 next month....and that means I am closer to my thirties.....so, I spent almost all of my 20's over weight.... am determined to be healthy and at goal weight for my thirties. 5) Family History is bad...horrible genes on both sides....so....I am already at risk by just being born. I do not want to make those risks higher by being obese. 6) For the first time ever....I can actually "see" myself loosing the weight. When I would frequent these boards before, I could not even begin to imagine how people could loose 30, 40, 80 + pounds...when I was having trouble loosing 5 pounds. My mind set and attitude changed....and I surreder!!!

I've been given signals, warnings I know what to do and what to do. The diabetes first showed during a pregnancy 27 yrs ago and resurfaced about 10 yrs ago. It's been up and down since. But this yr it's been bad and the difference is I'm really feeling it. My mom died at 49
a wonderful woman who also ignored the disease as I have been doing for yrs. All of a sudden, the fact that she was so young just hit me I'm 44 So this of a disease can't win. I have too much to see and too many to love and who love me. Mom left me behind. The blueprint is the same. I have to change the plans. I have to.

I was browsing the forums and I found this from a while ago... hope it is ok to bring it way back up.

My moment was when I was watching tv, and there was something on about the next day...June 21 being the first day of summer... time to get out the shorts and bathing suits.

I realized that this year would be another year with me wearing jeans and black t-shirts. Not going to the beach while my dh jet- skied. Being hot and uncomfortable, so I decided that starting on the 1st day of summer I would start losing weight, and next summer would be better.

Now it is almost the first day of fall... Florida doesn't know that, we don't even lose the leaves on our trees for a few more months, but I have stayed on plan almost the whole time. I have lost about 30 lbs.

I've had a couple of epiphanies. The first one was when the largest size pant in Lane Bryant (size 28) became too tight for me to wear. That was at my highest weight about 5 years ago. This past year I had an epiphany when someone told me they couldn't stand my low self esteem. That is when I figured I had to do something about my self esteem, so I made myself feel better about myself. The exercise/eating better was an extension of me feeling better about myself because I wanted to improve my health and fitness level as well as get rid of the fat.

Mine was I MISSED THE OLD ME...and decided to get her back.

My partner and I were in Provincetown for a weekend getaway, and we went into this gift shop; I picked up this cool little metal paperweight thing that said, "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" and my first thought was "lose weight." And that's when I realized that the reason I hadn't tried was fear of failure (big revelation -- how clueless was I?? ) I didn't go into it at the time, just said, "Wow, I LOVE this!!!" Unbeknownst to me, she bought it and surprised me with it when we got home. I did some more thinking about how crazy it was for fear to keep me from even trying, talked myself through it, and just started the next Monday to live on plan. I didn't tell her a thing about it until I was a few days into it, when I'd proven to myself that I had some resolve. I've never looked back. Sometimes it's hearing (or seeing) the right thing at the right time.....you have to be ready. I thank God I was.

I look at that thing every morning now. Great question, that.

Mine was when I got weighted at the doctors office and the nurse said anything else hurt besides the weight? She had hit the nail on the head I had put on 40 lbs!! I had some health problems that helpped. I knew had to do something. My doctor took me off the meds since they were doing more harm than good. I started WW Pure Points ... so far so good. Sarah I'd like to put the saying on your metal paperweight on my profile. It so true I'm terrified right now on what ifs.... The saying touched me deeply....
Mez

Sarah--My fear of failure also kept me from even trying as well.
I knew I had to lose weight if I wanted to keep up with 2 under 2. I even asked for Dr. Phil's book for Christmas even though I was pregnant. Well I had the baby in Feb. and told myself after my 6 (or 8 week depending on what the doc decided since it was a c-section) week post-partum visit, I would do something. That came and went and I still ignored my health. So one day I decided to get outside and just walk. It was a beautiful spring evening. I told myself I would do 5 laps in the yard. Those 5 felt so good I did 5 more and then more and more. The more I walked, the more I thought and that's when I realized that I was afraid of failing. I knew that if I didn't make this a lifestyle change that yeah I would probably lose the weight but then I would gain it all back and that would do me no good. That was Mar. 23 of this year and I haven't looked back since. Of course I've done some re-evaluations, stalled, plateaued and all that other fun stuff but I haven't stopped trying and I plan to make it to goal (It just may not be by my 3rd anniversary next summer. )

i'm afraid too. afraid of failure which is why i quit doing the challenges because i knew if i made myself a challenge i woudln't make it. but i'm also afraid of what might happen once i lose the weight (my step mom thinks its relationships and i think that might be partly right). but i think now that i have acknowledged that fear its not so bad. i'm still moving forward with no plans to return to where i was.

My epiphany was at the doctor's office when I weighed in at 286 and I was thinking..."No Way could I possibly weigh that much". I did not see myself that big. I also thought if I were to die I would not want people to be like "Oh, what did Serena die from?" and someone would answer..."she died because she was overweight and smoked". So I quit smoking (5 months) and I lost so far 16 pounds!

My "AHA moment" was seeing a picture of myself that my son's preschool teacher took last year. It's like, I knew I was fat, but I didnt think i looked as big as I do, because looking down on myself (clothed anyways) I dont feel much bigger than I was when I was in high school. but that picture really woke me up.