OK I know this sounds sick, but I hit 300 about 4-5 months ago (prob sooner - dont weigh myself very often!) I was actually relieved!

I was looming so close for so long that when the scale hit 300, I didn't have to think about "when" anymore.

The only thing is, that NOW I feel overwhelmed by it. I looked into weightloss surgery - not gonna happen. Insurance doesn't cover it, at all, period. I'm over that, probably wasn't meant to be... and scary!

I want to play with my kids. and watch them grow up. I want to fit into a plane seat, and not knock things over with my big butt.

So WHY can't I end my pity party, and get my self going?

I just hope it doesn't take some medical disaster to strike to make me get serious.

Anyone have any epiphany moments to share?

I have also thought about WLS and ruled it out. My program is going well so far, but have started and stopped so many times I lost hope for many years prior to this attempt. I hope the same resolve I am feeling now will find its way to you.

I've read that most people, and especially women, don't have one epiphany moment. It's usually many small epiphanies strung together that eventually help clear the way to a readiness for real change. But, it takes more than epiphanies. That is just one factor in the equation.

Battleax -- the "many little epiphanies" was my experience. And you're right, it DOES take something more than that to do it.

For me, I was finally in a position where I wanted it enough to commit to making the changes I needed to make, and to think about it longterm. I still had to take "baby steps" however...I couldn't make all the changes at once.

I wish I could bottle how that happened, so I could give it to others...

My epiphany was a bit odd really. I've always been fat. Always. When I married my DS I was probably 240 or so and we both love to eat and I just merrily ate my way up the scale. I gained about 15 lbs a year and really didn't think anything of it. I hit 314 at some point and just stayed there. I was there for a couple years - I used to say that the human body can only get so fat and I'd hit my limit. Then one day I went to the obgyn for my annual and the scale said 328. Not 314 - 328. I'd somehow managed to gain another 14 pounds with no idea how I did it and I FREAKED! Why those last 14 lbs did something the prior 314 hadn't is beyond me - but I knew I HAD to do something. Turned out DH had a doctors appt the very next day and when he came home he said he was 10 lbs heavier than he thought he was. We just looked at each other and said "This has to STOP!" That same night I dug out my old 1990's Weight Watcher's materials and we started figuring our points.

I had an epiphany moment. I will say that I was working up to it for some time (I felt awful, was in pain all the time, could barely get up the stairs, etc.), but it was a revelation that pushed me over the edge and made me realize I could lose weight.

I was sitting in the library working on a report I was finishing for a class. I was finishing my accounting degree at night while working full time. I had worked all day at a stressful and demanding job, gone to class for 3 hours and then was sitting in the library until late at night finishing a project. I had done this the night before and would probably need to do the same the next day.

I wasn’t a traditional student and I didn’t go to college out of high school. I was about to finish my degree finally – after TEN YEARS. I went nights and weekends while I worked full time and I took 2 years off while I was living out of the country. I thought about how long it had taken me and how I didn’t know if I would have started if I had known. But persevering I had done it.

Those two things together hit me like a whammy.
#1 – I knew that I had the strength and determination to stick to something that was important to me and get it done. If I could find time in my life to go to class for 3 hours and then study for several hours more, I could find the time to exercise and learn to eat healthier.
#2 – I knew that it didn’t matter how long it took me to get there as long as I did. The important thing is to just start plugging away at it because that is the only way to tackle a big goal. Enroll for the next semester, finish that paper, take that test. Join a gym, pack my lunch, plan for that party, get myself to the gym. The actions are different but the dedication is similar.

It will take a long time. I have been at this for over a year and a half and just been on about a 6 month “maintenance break” dealing with a big breakup. Now I am back at it. While I regret the fact that my weight loss hasn’t moved faster, it really doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as I stick with it. I really hope it won’t take 10 years like my degree did, but if so, then I am still better off in 10 years doing the small actions now than I would be if I decided it was too big a mountain to climb.

Hi, all--
I had my own form of epiphany when I realized that I was becoming that little old lady who can barely walk without a walker. And I'm 51!

I've been a walker all my life, but my legs and knees were really acting up this year. Duh! Wonder why? Look at the scale! Since then, I'm determined to NOT become that little old lady. I've created a goal, and I'm determined to chip away at it. And that's what it's all about, step by step, mile by mile, pound by pound.

I've been intimidated by the amount of weight I have to lose, not to mention all the dire warnings that it will never come off, blah, blah. Well, I, for one, am SO not interested in other people's opinions. I know what I have to do to lose weight, get healthy, and avoid the walker and the cane. It WILL take time, it has taken time, but I am there, working it, and keeping my chin up.

You should too!

I haven't had an epiphany, really. I've tried off and on to lose weight. Somewhere along the line--mostly through 3FC and the wonderful people here, people like Heather and Nancy who keep on telling me the things I need to hear--I've realized that if I don't make weight loss my priority, it won't happen. And I'll never be able to do all the things I've thought for years "Oh, someday if I were thin, I could.... run ... fit into an airplane seat ... take a dance class and not pass out ... you name it." So I just keep reminding myself of that. If this isn't my priority, it won't happen. It certainly won't happen on its own, and it won't happen if it's one of 20 projects. It has to be at the top. Yeah, I have to get my work done, meet my classes, etc., because if I lose my job that would be bad... but I have to consider everything I do for weight loss JUST LIKE MY JOB. Has to be done. No choice. Gotta do it.

Don't know if that helps, but that's where my head is these days.

For me it was a haircut. I got a great new haircut and nobody noticed. People just don't look at fat people in general, fat women in particular. I felt so sad that i could be soo big and so invisible.

Then I bought a new scale and found out I was not the 280 I thought, it said I was 303. After that I found out that the new scale was not that accurate close to 300 (other of the same make are, this one was just flaky) and it broke anyway, so I got yet another scale and found out that I probably started out around 310. That was really scary, to see the actual number. Like you I had avoided it for a long time.

For me taking a diet medication proved motivational. This particular one has very nasty side effects if you eat bad foods. I don't take it anymore, just for the first month when I was getting started. Death wasn't enough of a motivation to keep me away from the food, apparently I needed something much more humiliating to keep me from cheating on my diet.

Now my motivation comes from feeling a lot better. I don't see a huge amount of difference, except in my feet, but that's another thread. Still I feel sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo much better. I think the improved diet has made my hair shiner too, but that may just be a good attitude and great conditioner.

I don't worry about the end result too much. I'm taking this journey one baby step at a time. The whole thing would be a bit too overwhelming.

Boy, does that sum it up!

You know what I've realized since I started this journey? I'm lazy in many areas of my life. A procrastinator too Seriously, I don't do much housecleaning unless someone is visiting. And I work hard, but I get done what HAS to be done and then move to the next thing.

Simply put, I put my short term comfort and pleasure over the long term. I would rather sit and surf on the internet NOW, even though in the long run, I might encounter more stress because I'm not doing something else I should be doing.

So, even though -- for YEARS -- I knew I SHOULD lose weight, I didn't. I was lazy. It simply wasn't something I was willing to prioritize. Once I was willing to that, I swear it was more than half the battle... It's still not easy, but because it is important to me I tend to do what I need to do a lot of the time.

Hitting that number was a huge motivator for me too I've only seen it once before last summer, and I lost 40lbs but I had a really bad winter and gained it all back. Seeing that number again really sucked but was an eye opener. I know for me at 5'5 this is about weight where I really start to feel myself slowing down. Walking slower then my husband etc. I was only on the verge of having weight related issues so far very minor ones (heartburn, asthma) but I knew I was spinning a wheel and soon it was going to hit upon more serious issues.

So yeah I guess seeing that number has helped me in a way and even though I was barely over I feel like I can relate to people here who know what a struggle it is.

I spent most of my adult life around 250. You wouldn't think 50 more was THAT bad when your already 250, but Oh **** yes it sucks 10 times worse!

I noticed that I was slowing down a lot too. I was 260 for a long time,but this past year when I put on the extra 50 I really slowed down with the activities I was able to do. I just couldn't keep up any longer. I also noticed that the less I did the weaker I got. Makes sense, but that's a circle that's was going to get harder and harder to end.

For a long time I managed to remain pretty healthy even though I was obese. I stayed around 250-270 for almost 10 years. Now that I've crept up to 300 I'm feeling it in a big way! Lower back pain, I've had problems with my knees and feet for a long time, but now its ALOT worse. I also was recently diagnosed with Hypertension, and sleep apnea.

You'd think that would get me going, go figure.

I to am immediate gratification girl!! I know I'm the only one that has the power to change things in my life. I'm struggling with a couple of other major issues in my life right now besides my weight - I'm sure that's part of the reason that I'm having such a hard thing getting started. Eating has always been my way of coping with stress.

I'm trying to convince myself that loosing weigh will help me to conquer all the other issues.

Oh I can sooo relate! Its a process finding other ways to deal with stress.

I don't know that losing the weight will make it easier to deal with other problems, but I know when I was at my starting weight I barely had the energy to get up and *live* let alone conquering any challenges. So, I think if you are physically feeling better, you might take on other challenges as opposed to avoiding them. I hope that makes sense!

There were a couple of things that happened to make me realize I needed to stop procrastinating and start making changes for my health. First off, I had a doctor visit where my (normally very sweet) doctor got a little harsh with me about my weight. She told me that it's even difficult to treat an obese person in an emergency situation because of the layers of fat make it hard to get to vital organs. She told me that if I didn't start losing weight, I may wind up with diabetes, etc. For some reason, that really hit home for me.

The second thing was shopping for a step stool. After looking at Wal-Mart and Home Depot, I realized that I exceeded the weight limits for all of the step stools and small ladders. I noticed that I even exceeded the weight limits for some scales and most exercise equipment. I couldn't even use my folding chairs anymore, for fear they would break when I sat down.