What was your moment?

 

Reading the various posts on CC I've come to the conclusion that most of us had "tried" dieting many times before.  But for most of us there was one incident, one photo of yourself, or one realization that made you DECIDE to do this for real!!

1 For me, it was seeing two tiny purple stretch marks forming on my lower stomach.  I am proud to say I'm doing this for real and I have lost 12 lbs.

2 I am looking forward to going back to school in September as a new me... and enjoying myself at the beach again

 

1 What was your turning-point moment??

2 And what new moments are you looking forward to??

 

:) THANKS GUYS

My husband is a Marine, he is very fit, he actually works with overweight Marines to get them back in shape. i made a comment about how we are at our new duty station (we arrived in Japan in Feb) and i wanted a new me. i wanted to loose some weight for real, he said he could PT (physical training - basically exercise) with me, and i know he meant no harm but he added, it would be several months of hardcore work before you were fit to be a Marine. this devastated me, temporarily. until i realized he was right, i wasnt that far gone from what i was when i met him, but when i met him i was thick. i needed to change. i've had a really slow start but i've lost 8 pounds since he said that to me in. 3 of the last pounds have been lost this month! 

Last night on tv there was a show about Mohammed Ali.  It was about the first time he won the world heavyweight championship.  He was talking to the cameras after he won the fight, and he kept saying "I'm only 22 years old."  I'm already 23 years old, and I felt kind of disappointed that I haven't done my best to be in my best shape.

 

Looking forward to... going back to America and hopefully surprising everyone with how much I have changed (currently overseas for about a year)

My moment for me was, another fat picture of myself. I will never forget the day it was taken, and I just uploaded the thing a little while ago. I wanted people to really see how far I've came on CC. I was thinking.. Every picture I've uploaded was the new me, and I need to show what I looked like before.

Sometimes, you get so sick of seeing reminders of how fat you are.

That had became my life time reminder. Not only that. I hated when people would pinch my cheeks.. My boyfriend had that bad, and mirrors.. Oh! I hated those dressing room mirrors, you get the full view of yourself. Every roll- every pound.. Every drop of flab... Just hanging there in full eye view. I hated that.

Turning point.

I got off my butt and started to move. 14 months ago.. I was 226, and now look at me. 159, and loving it.

My moment was when I was at the nail salon getting a pedicure and the lady next to me asked me if I was pregnant.  :(  That was a horrible awakening.

Moments I'm looking forward to- fitting into my favorite pair of size 8 jeans, wearing a bathing suit without feeling the least bit self conscious, running for 90 minutes straight, beginning the fall semester with lots of positive comments from people I haven't seen all summer

Before L.S. I had a job at a Law Firm and we had a Christmas party.. When I left the house I thought I looked fine... Then there was a photographer there... and he took a picture, and boy was I HORRIFIED when we got them back...  I didn't even look like myself anymore.. that was almost three years ago, and since then I have lost 40 pounds!  I was 165 ant 5'2 now I am 125, and I can't believe that I was carrying around 40 extra pounds! 

I have 5 more to go, but I enjoy feeling like myself... Like I am supposed to feel! 

Original Post by dove2424:

Before L.S. I had a job at a Law Firm and we had a Christmas party.. When I left the house I thought I looked fine... Then there was a photographer there... and he took a picture, and boy was I HORRIFIED when we got them back...  I didn't even look like myself anymore.. that was almost three years ago, and since then I have lost 40 pounds!  I was 165 ant 5'2 now I am 125, and I can't believe that I was carrying around 40 extra pounds! 

I have 5 more to go, but I enjoy feeling like myself... Like I am supposed to feel! 

 What a success story behind your moment!

 

My sisters and  I have a tradition.  When the one that lives in New Mexico comes out for a visit we go shopping.  I hadn't been buying much on our trips for a few years because none of the stores we went into had anything I could fit in.  My clothes were starting to look pretty bad since I didn't shop alone much either.  Well, one trip they grabbed me and dragged me into Lane Bryant.  They grabbed all kinds of clothes and made me try them on.  I ended up with some rather nice stuff, but the pants were size 20.  They were big in the waist, but the 18s were small in the hips. 

I was horrified.  I had no idea I was that big.  I swore to myself that I would never buy something that size again.  I started trying to diet and joined a Woman's Boot Camp program.  I have been at it for a little over six months now.  I have lost almost 20 pounds and now wear size 14 pants.  I have been on a plateau for a while, but I can't quit.  I know I can be a reasonable size again and I know I can be a healthy weight.  I will keep at until I reach my goal no matter how long it takes.

thanks guys keep 'em coming!  inspiring.

My dr thought I had breast cancer but thought I was too young to order a mammogram or anything like that - so she told me to cut out sodas and see if my symptoms went away.

The removal of soda dropped weight off me immediately, so I started researching and learned about calorie counting. Since then I've lost 35lbs and am healthier than ever. =)

i went to buy a gown for a black tie event. first, there were just a few dresses in the store that were plus sized. once i finally found a few, i tried them on and looked at myself in the mirror. they were all too tight, my body looked disgusting, and i couldn't believe what i'd done to myself. i put all the dresses back and cried the entire drive home. i was 320 lbs then. i never thought i'd see 300-anything pounds. so far i've lost about 75 pounds, and still going.

I saw my exboyfriend back in February. He is very skinny and muscular. When he gave me a hug I felt like a whale. It was awful. That was my wake up call. I could not believe that I had gained so much weight. I was 160lbs and now I'm 147lbs. I still want to lose 22lbs.

I went through a pretty nasty divorce.  I completely lost my appetite, I remember one day forcing myself to eat a piece of fried chicken at 9 PM because I just realized that I hadn't eaten anything that day, and for most of the day before.

2 months and 2 pants sizes later I decided, hell I had just lost 40 lbs, I might as well keep going. 

Not very inspiring I know.  But it worked for me.  I've been maintaining for 6 months now.

Growing up, my older sister always weighed less than me; she has a fast metabolism and was always very thin.  Since she had her baby, the fam would tease her about her weight because it didn't magically come off as she/I thought it would.  To encourage her to lose weight, I suggested we do a challenge and we would bet on who can lose the most weight (in a healthy way of course) in 2 months.  When we got on the scale, I was 8 pounds heavier than her!  That was my wake up call.  That was end of March.  Since then I have lost some 18 pounds, won the challenge and weigh less than her *sigh*.  I am only half way to my goal weight, but I feel so much healthier, happier and lighter.  

Here's to living the life**

my "moment" was rotating my clothes from winter to spring/ summer & finding that the only spring/ summer pants that fit were the ones w/ a tie or elastic in the waist.  I have 2 or 3 other pants from fall/winter that fit , but an entire wardrobe of what were very expensive/ stylish pants/ shorts/ skirts that I can't zip or button.

I wasn't going to buy anything new for myself until I got at least into 2-3 pair of my other pants (some are closer to fitting than others) but I had to break down & buy 3 pair of size 10 shorts for summer- none of my shorts fit me.  I know there are people who would love to be a size 10, but I had been a 6 or 8 for the last 20 yrs- then BOOM... I expanded.

I knew I had to get out of my funk & get back to exercising, and that was the motivating factor.  I already eat fairly well- I just have been watching it a bit more-- and controlling portions better.

 

For me, it was a friend's wedding...I had such a hell of a time finding something to wear to it. And then I found a dress that I thought was pretty cute and that I looked good in. And then I saw the pictures. I didn't even recognize myself. I didn't look good at all.

At about the same time, I was watching an episode of Californication, and there were all these gorgeous half-naked women, and I had an "aha!" moment. I thought..."wait a minute...I'm a woman, too...and look like a different species than these people do." AHA!

 

 

My husband,  our closest friends and I went to Vegas in June '06.  I had reached 164 lbs (5'4") that previous December and I knew that the hot weather in Vegas meant shorts and bathing suits so I started working out.  I worked out like crazy! I did spinning classes 3 times a week and a strength class 2 days.    I lost 2 lbs in the 6 mo.s.   When we got back from Vegas I looked at the pictures we took and cried. I maintained 162 lbs for a year, then last September I decided to start an excel spreadsheet to log my daily calories/daily carbs.  It is amazing what a difference it makes when you realize exactly how many calories you are consuming!   Since then I have lost 20 lbs and I am still going! We are headed to Vegas in a week and I feel so much better about myself this time.  Now I just need to up the daily exercise and I should be gtg.

My moment came in my OBGYN's office years ago...I had a question about sudden spotting that month, which had never happened to me before and scared me a little.  She told me it was due to my BC pills being less effective now that I was OBESE.  WHAT?!  I felt like I'd been slapped.  I knew I'd put on some weight in the 2 years since college, but my "crowd" was pretty much my size (I wore a size 12) and I felt good with no health problems.  She offered me a new, higher hormone prescription and I nearly bawled then and there.

I didn't own a scale, but I went right out and bought one...I was pushing 210 lbs.  I must have known on some level (they do weigh you at the Dr.'s office after all), but it didn't register for real until I saw the numbers on my brand new scale.  I began studing about healthy weight loss the very next day, and one year later I proudly marched into my Dr.'s office 60lbs lighter and announced that she had been the mirror that helped me change my life!  Now it's over 3 years later and despite saboteurs, stress, and life changes I'm still dedicated to health and fitness for my OWN sake. 

The moment:  I pulled out my climbing gear and it was dusty, and I put on my harness and did not have the required 3 inch tail, I couldn't even buckle it.  I was sick, this was one of the things I loved to do.  I managed to loose enough to be safe in my harness but the thought of going to the climbing gym looking like I did was unbearable.  I was sitting at my computer once again and realized the computer spread was not going to get any smaller just sitting there.  I got up, put on some shorts and a tee shirt and headed over to the climbing gym.  Fortunately, for me, the people at this gym are encouraging, kind and friendly.  I took a class to brush up on my skills and have been working to make that tail on my harness grow.  As a woman climber, and no longer young, it was a shock to my body.  I have to admit that after tweaking muscles I didn't know I had, I had to back up and think this out. I just don't remember it hurting quite this much before....

I've hit a wall (pardon the pun) and had to stop for two weeks after really doing a number on a muscle (right after one of my best climbs to date-arrrhhhggg).  I'm not giving up, but any encouragement would be appreciated, because I eat if I'm not climbing the walls-literally.

Being told I had cancer and I only had 6 months to live.  After feeling sorry for my self, I decided to try and get as healthy as possible, to make the most of the time I had left.  Biggest bonus was when they told me that they had removed the tumor with clear margins, and it had not metastized.  I suddenly had a new life.  I tell my 'Light-bulb' moment story in one of my journals.

18 months later I have now lost 55lb, and 35 inches from all over my body, and PET scans are all clear! (scans which can tell if the cancer has reoccurred).

Excellent topic Relis!

I've been overweight for as long as I can remember. But I was at 180-ish lbs. for 4 years. Then I gained 50 lbs. in a few months. I felt horrible, hated the way I looked, and didn't fit into any of my clothes that I love. But I could never do anything about it because I lived at home and my mom wouldn't buy healthier food.

I just moved in with my boyfriend, so we are trying to lose weight together. It's a lot easier this way because we don't buy junk food so there's not as much temptation.

And I'm looking forward to fitting into my clothes again (that is my first big goal). But after that, I will be thinner and in better shape than I've been in my entire life.