What was the final straw?

[kathysue2]

For me, I just wanted to dance and play again!!! No more huffing up the stairs, no more elastic waistbands, no more fat-face pics..Im also short..5'2'' and its really noticeable on us short folks I think.

My family has the tendency as well. Moms side puts all the weight in the middle, and dads side are all built like Bluto! The men, including my oldest son and me, are built like v's. Only Im more like a V with a bubble :yikes

So Im ready to get where I havent been since a teen...the 120s. And I WILL!!

[iwillbethin]

I went to the nail salon and the lady there told me I had gained alot of weight. I was 180 or so after my baby which was 4 years ago. I was diabetic while pregnant with her...i just saw myself becoming a diabetic full fledge. My monther has diabetes and so does my dad. I just need to be healthy and fit for myself and be around so i can pester my husband and play with my daughter!

[dulaney22]

Lying in bed for about the tenth day in a row, bloated, thinking, good God I've turned into a fat a$$.

[easttexasdaisy]

I decided to get on board and try Atkins for a lot of reasons. Nothing I tried was working and I was just getting bigger. My husband told me he would take some pictures of us as a family because I had avoided pictures for the first 5 years of my son's life. I have lots of pictures of them and a very few of me. I really dislike those pictures.
Also, my son asked why I was so much bigger than some of his friend's moms. Honesty huh? Very disheartening.
Sleep apnea too, I would sleep 10 hours a night, wake up exhausted, and nap in the day. I would wake my husband up because I would stop breathing at night.
My heart would act up. It would start racing and continue to do so for long periods of time. Get to the hospital and it would stop. EKG's showed nothing, but my doctor (an older gentleman) said he felt the extra weight was adding pressure to my heart and causing the problems.
My dad is diabetic, my husband is as well as both of his parents. It is in the cards for my son unless I choose to turn our eating around when he is young. So he eats the same veggies I do as well as meats. He gets more of a maintance style diet (for his own good) while I leave off the higher rungs. He gets lots of fresh fruits, fresh veggies, whole grains, etc. So trying to shape his eating habits for the better as well.
So as you can see it is in my best intrest to get rid of this excess weight. I do want to stay around and see my son grow up and be healthy in the process. And I do want to grow old with my husband and be as healthy as I can.

[nikegirl]

For me - my nieces shoved me off the boat. I've been making excuses forever about being fat. Then one day my 7 yr old niece made a comment about me being fat. Her dad disciplined her for making the comment. I felt really bad about her getting in trouble for something that wasn't really her fault. She was pointing out the obvious. Then just last week I was playing with my 3 yr old niece/godchild. I told her she was a silly girl and my niece said, No, you are the silly girl with the fat butt. Well that embarrasses a person in a hurry. From the mouths of babes - always honest

So I figured I better change for the better...and so that they will still want to hang out with me as they get older :joy

Plus this fall I am taking two trips that I need to travel by plane (one for 17 hrs). I'm about 60# heavier than the last time I flew and I was uncomfortable then...I can't imagine how uncomfortable I would be this time without trying to lose some weight. Somehow that 17" wide seat just doesn't cut it.

Life will just be all that better if I am healthy and a smaller body person :icondance

[shashee]

Every time my Asthma bothers me, I can only imagine how much better I will breathe with this weight off me.

Walking up the Steps, I just want to be able to walk up the steps one day without being out of breath half way up :anger

Each morning when I look in the Mirror, I want to see beautiful person starring back at me.

I guess after doing these things every day for the past 10 years , I finally cracked.

I just want to be ME again.

In time, it's gonna happen :joy :joy :joy :joy :joy :joy

[debi1746]

When I decided to quit smoking..

When I decided to quit smoking after 30 years, I decided that I needed to get healthy in all areas of my life..So I bought an exercise bicycle and started checking out diet plans..I wanted to quit smoking and take off the weight I had put on over the holidays, and loose some extra pounds I had let creep on a little at a time...I know myself when I am at my goal weight I feel so much better..And I have so much more energy.. :joy

[kaye]

My health and seeing a picture of myself. Like some others have said, I didn't think I looked that big.

[vikski]

It was when my kids said that I was fat (6 years old and 4). My daughter is 9 years old and in 4th grade. I noticed that all the moms and thin and I was the heaviest out of the moms. I didn't want my kids to ever be embarassed by me. I also saw a picture of me when we went down to Huntington Beach last 4th of July. I looked so fat. So, I went on Atkins. Loved it, felt better than ever and now i'm 32 lbs. down. I have more to go though but this has been the best for me. I'm never hungry!

[Arias]

For me, there are several reasons that made me determined to lose weight. Like, not fitting into my clothes and only having my nasty polyester pants "known as my fat pants" to wear, my boyfriends parents noting that i have gained weight, falling asleep during the day, feeling bloated and sick in the mornings, my sister being diagnosed with diabetes. ...
etc... But the creme de la creme was when i went out one evening. I felt so uncomfortable with myself, I literally was covered from head to toe to try to hide my weight. .. I felt ugly and it made me self concious which withdrew me from being open and myself. I knew then that enough was enough.

[ditien]

Love the post!!

Where to start?............................................ .... Well i agree with some of your comments my dad last year was diagnosed with having diabetes. And he was like 10 kilos over my weight.

I was always the fat kid never have i been at a normal weight ITS ABOUT TIME I AM!!! Plus i kept thinking if im already overweight now what will happen after i have children wont i just gain more weight?

Hate not finding nice clothes. My final straw came summer 2003 i went to montreal Canada for the summer. Its a lovely city, but each time i would walk down the streets with my two friends they would get flyers given to them about some certain club or clothes sale flyers going on. I cant remember even getting one for the 3 months i was there. You have to understand montreal is made of descendants of french immigrants so they tend to be very small and petite. So one day went into chapters read all the diet books they had and settled on atkins and ive no regrets.

Plus i was 21 i didnt feel sexy, hip, young neither did i look it i felt old.

So here i am. Its a lovely journey im down in total after restarting 66.6lbs Wonderful aint it. My current weight is the least weight i have EVER been.

[tiki]

I guess I just felt the need to take control. At 40, 5'2 and 265 lbs, walking up a flight of stairs was torture. I would lay in bed at night and try to will away the way my heart was skipping and hurting, and then take Benedryl to try to calm it down. :sadblinky . I had been dabbling with the low carb diet for years (It was actually an American Medical Assn diet, years before Dr A reintroduced it in his name), but this time I had to do something, my size 26 pants and mens XXXL shirts were getting snug. So I started in April 2003 and by August 2003 had lost 85lbs and was wearing a size 16 pants! :joy . I flaked out and gained a little back, just the wake up call I needed to get me going again. I went back on the ANA on 2/23/2005 and will make it my way of life from now on. I had forgotten how much better you feel, I wont forget again.

[cagirl1]

For me it was so many things. I realized I was in denial about my weight. Can you believe at 300 lbs I thought I still looked good.

1. I hated not being able to wear the clothes I want and shop anywhere.
2. Avoiding my friends because they are all super skinny and beautiful.
3. My mom is overweight along with 2 of my sisters, I realized being at is not the way to live and hope I can inspire them to get healthy.
4. I want to be healthy...to run, jump, and know I can do anything.
5. Not using my amusement park pass because I'm too worried about getting in the seats.
***Being engaged..because I don't want to be a fat bride and I want to be healty for my man who is a stud muffin and future kids..

Is that enough reason??

[Desertthorn]

So, when did the moment come that you decided that this was it, you'd had it? And how does it feel to take control?

270 pounds

[Atkin]

For Me I guess it was a lot of things. People telling me," My god you gained a lot of weight." Also, it was just feeling like crap but what did it for me was when my doctor said you're midly diabetic. That's when I knew I had to change my life not a diet but a life style.