What made you finally realize it is time to lose weight? Did you hit rock bottom?

No, there was no great event. I just woke up one day and was tiired of being fat.

I am not body concious. I am comfortable with how I looked, but I was not comfortable with how I felt. The feeling of my overweight body got to me and being self concious whenever I was touched.

My health was starting to decline. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, a week later (by fluke of me playing with my glucose meter) my husband was diagnosed as diabetic. I knew he would be far less inclined to fix his health, and someone has to be around for our girls (aged 5 and 7). To top that off, my left knee has developed "significant osteo-arthritis" from carrying around my weight.

Chest Pains. Failed Stress Test. My Doctor.

It wasn't one big eye-opening moment. There was no straw that broke the camel's back.

For me it was a slow realization. Feet & ankles swollen. Winded walking up a few stairs. Knees aching. Trouble breathing when laying down. Uncomfortable in my clothes. Eating food that only tasted good for a bite and then shoveling it in without thinking. And much more.

One day I was thinking over all these things and I came to understand that there was something I could do about it. And so I started doing something.

I'd told myself last time I did this that I'd never let myself get over 200 lbs again. When 200 came and went I was upset and figured I needed to cut back, but the scale kept creeping up again.

The day I saw 216 I decided I was sick of myself, sick of the numbers going up, sick of feeling fat and tired all the time, sick of my clothes not fitting.

Mine is etched in my brain for ever! One warm afternoon I was at my office and was wearing a pair of very tight size 14 jeans. I stood up from my seat,but quickly sat back down to do something and heard a "RIIIP!!" I felt an odd breeze of cool air conditioned air on my backside. Yep, you guessed it! I split those puppies from the waist band to the crotch. Mortified I motioned a co worker over and explained my situation. I called my hubby who thank goodness was home at the time. He quickly drove to my office with one of my light jackets and my friend met him in the parking lot and brought it to me. I casually tied it around my waist and left shortly after for the day.

I went to a Saints game at the Superdome and had trouble getting to my cheap seat up in the rafters...all those steps, all that walking. I watched heavily pregnant women and old men negotiate that trek better than I did. Something in me just snapped and I thought, "I don't want my life to get smaller and smaller; I want my freedom."

Now I'm reclaiming that freedom. The next time I go to a Saints game, I won't have to damned near kill myself to make it to my seat. I don't want to just watch those athletes, I want to be just a teeny tiny bit more like them (although at my height and age and gender, I would make a crappy running back ).

My newsflash was my clothes were too tight and I had to go buy new ones and I was going to have to buy a size 22/24. Then I went to my Doctor and I weighed in at 265 lbs. I couldn't even make it up the stairs to my doctors office without huffing and puffing. I told her that day...."I don't care what we do but we've gotta do something, I've never been this fat in my life!" And that is when it all began.

It was almost a year ago. I felt gross and uncomfortable in my body, my thighs were rubbing up against each other, and I barely had any clothes that fit (I had hid in big sweaters all winter, but in May sweaters seemed ridiculous.) I was incredibly jealous of my thinner, fitter friends. I was just sick of being like that.

I started thinking about this in March'11, but I guess that 'cause the winter clothes still fit and were good at "hiding" me, so I did commit much to this. Now, summer is coming and the thought of walking around the beach in my trikini or any other kind of bathing suit just scares/grosses the **** out of me. So I decided I was really going to lose weight this time.. Besides, I can't wear winter clothes anymore, it's too hot for those already!

I am 66 years old. My cardiologist told me "Look around Larry, you won't see any old fat men" I looked around and he was right.

I was so discouraged I found my self talking about gastric bypass with my family doctor. This was an operation I never wanted to have. I did not have the surgery, I decided to diet and exercise instead and here I am 78 pounds lighter and dropping.

Larry

When i turned 26 was the most "sad" time in my life so far. And i though that definetely something is wrong. I m 26 not 86! And i realised that age wasnt my problem, the fact that i was only 26 and never actually felt inner happiness, things i wanted but never did, risks that my heart was willing to take but never took, and i realised how many things i was missing from my life, just because for the past 6 years i was so depressed about my weight i didnt actually lived.

When I was quite slim my whole life, and then one day in college realized that I couldn't shop in a regular store anymore, only a plus size one. I had ignored it happening for SO long.