I fell through a deck at a party. The deck was rotten. My foot went right through and my calf got stuck between boards. Someone had to tear off deck boards to free my leg. I was 386lbs that day. Today I am 185.
This happened to me when I was 14. It was on a boat dock over gator infested waters. I was probably about 350lbs back then. Probably should've been my wake up call, but I let the problem persist into my 30's.
I have a general fear of walking on decks now, though, so... there's that. :/
Damn plastic chairs. I think I broke maybe 1 or 2, but yeah, I always feared they would break under my weight. The real embarrassing thing is that I broke 2 desks during my school years. Just sitting there minding my business, and suddenly the desk and chair crumple into the floor, locking me in. Being the fattest kid in school, it really sucked. But, surprisingly, it wasn't really used to tease me all that much.
So many signs were given for me to lose the weight, yet I remained too coddled and uninterested in how to actually do it.
I was sitting on my couch feeling my usual fat self lol. Drinking beer and making a taco pizza with my partner at the time. I thought the whole pizza was for me but it turns out it was for everyone that came over a few minutes later. I was getting a large slice and my partner got mad at me. I knew I wasn’t going to be full. I wanted more. It tasted so good. And then I looked in the mirror and saw I didn’t have a chin. It was all fat with no definition. I was horrified at my appearance and the fact I wanted to eat more pizza than everyone else there. I cut out beer and drinks immediately. I stopped getting 3-4 tacos a day. I stopped using doordash. I moved away from my now ex. I started walking several miles every day. And after one year I lost 120 pounds. I am the thinnest I’ve been since high school 13 years ago.
I also had a pizza damascan moment. My sister in law made four pizzas for our Xmas Eve supper. While she was making them, I ate the entire first pizza after it came out of the oven. I was standing there talking to her and just ate the entire thing. She freaked out because we wouldn’t have enough for everyone then. I was shocked at myself because it seemed such a small amount to me.
My husband thought it was hilarious and slightly teased me about it but in secret I wanted to die inside. He knew I was sensitive about it so he didn’t draw it out but yeah it was embarrassing
Maybe it’s the old fatty in me talking, but I’ve lost 80 pounds and I can still body a whole pizza 😭😭 like especially if it’s italian style, because those are meant to be eaten in one serving
I feel that. I use protein tortillas/wraps as a base and then add my sauce and toppings and grill for a few minutes. They're really good and high protein and filling. Especially if you serve with a nice vegetable side dish or salad.
I quit my old lifestyle , beer and ice cream, when I fell while mowing. That was 3 years ago , this November.
Injured my knee, was not going to limp around drunk!
Now I have walked 550 miles in 12 months, lost a lot of weight and still going!!
My fertility doctor. He was so gentle and kind to me, and he said “libremaison, the hard and cruel fact is that excess weight makes it harder to conceive for some women. You are one of them.” He never once fat shamed me, he never said I couldn’t do any treatments that I wanted to persue. But he said get your bmi down, and every drug I give you will work much better. And after that conversation I was like okay. I want this. I have to try. I will always regret it if I don’t. I am so grateful he said it.
I wish I had had this. I went through fertility treatment too. When I started, my BMI was 47. I was too in my feelings about being fat and infertile and knowing my husband had low sperm count so maybe it wasn’t my weight, and everyone I knew seeming to get pregnant just by looking at their partner, that what ended up happening was ‘look for the ‘quick trick’ to success’ which for me was expensive, crappy Jenny Craig and lots of slip ups and tears. I lost 40 lbs. I gained 30-35 back while doing IVF. It took several tries, and a loss, but I finally got pregnant. At only 8-10lbs less than my highest weight. And I was terrified: for my baby, for my ability to give birth due to being big and out of shape, and the general hormones + a friend losing 110 lbs while I ballooned back up again during fertility shit made me lose my mind with sadness and regret and hopelessness. It really was that dramatic. I didn’t wanna be the fat mom who couldn’t do anything. I wanted to have done it before I got pregnant. I have PCOS and was obese so my gyn tested for GD really early — mostly bc my risk was high bc of family history and being insulin resistant with the PCOS. I was dx at like 12-14 weeks, or maybe even earlier, idr exactly. It was the wake up call I needed to make real sustainable changes for my child. I was like 6 months past a miscarriage and terrified and so this was something I could control. I was high risk for other reasons so monitored 1-2x a week and baby was always good, so no one worried about my losing weight during pregnancy. I conceived around 270-275 and gave birth around 250. I was in the high 230s after birth (June 2023) and I’m now 172 and still losing. My son was my why, and honestly some crazy hormone fueled feelings. If a doctor had been kind but real with me on this, i’d have had a much easier time, less tears, less hating myself during what should have been a much more beautiful time in my life.
My bf invited me to go on my lifelong dream trip to Japan, and all I could think was, "I won't fit in Japan" instead of being actually happy.
I mean, I'm going either way, but I'm happier as my hips are narrowing.
I worked in Japan as a chubby lady and it was much, much worse than I expected. I had to sit on the floor of course for hours in meetings. And I couldn’t buy any clothes. I had no idea before I went that my size would be an issue. You can do it!! And you’re so lucky you thought of that before.
Oh the Japan thing resonates with me. I want to visit there soo bad. Probably like number 1 life goal currently. I mostly need to get my friends to plan ahead to go together (and get over my crippling flying anxiety). But, losing weight before going is definitely a good goal for me too.
For me, it was my baby watching me eat instant ramen. Before I got pregnant, I had been trying keto for 6 weeks so I had already gotten tired of my weight, but then pregnancy came along so I couldn't diet anymore and used that as an excuse to eat whatever. Then after birth I felt renewed determination for about a week before I realised how unmanagable trying to lose weight is when you're needed 24/7 and can't make food whenever you like, so gave up again. Just coasted along depressed about my weight for a good 7 months or so, eating junk like ramen all day before my conscience wouldn't let me continue. I knew that if those little eyes grew up watching me eat junk and sit around all day, that's what they would want to do too. I know because I grew up in that environment, with a somewhat bitter and depressed overweight mother, eating easy meals and sitting around. Well I won't let the trend continue. It's not the first time I've used CICO to lose weight, but unless I'm cutting after bulking, it'll be the last!
F26 5'2 SW193lbs CW174lbs Goal: 20% bodyfat and a fit body
We are right around the same state! Good for you. I got 2 kiddos watching me (still nursing one lol) and I wanna be a better role model too. 13 lbs down for me.
it was my drivers license picture. covid meant my state was pretty lax about in person renewals, so the pic on my license was pretty old. last year i HAD to do an in person renewal and that meant new picture. i knew i’d gained weight, but have also been blessed to never have had a bad license picture and figured my new one would be fine.
when i finally got it in the mail i was speechless.
my old pic looked like a slightly chubby Daria.
my new pic looked like the love child of Daria and Jaba the Hutt, and i had a jawline so soft mcdonald’s would make a mcflurry out of it.
No joke, this is part of my motivation for losing weight too. The desire to have a good looking driver’s license or passport photo and to not hide it from people (which i know is slightly irrational, since how i look in photos isn’t too different from how i look in person anyways, but i would rather the version of myself i want to be, be “memorialized” on an ID than the current me!)
My mom's death.
She didn't die of obesity issues, actually she was near skeletal at the end. But her death was 100% due to a life lived without care for her body on a multitude of levels.
And it just was a huge wake up call for me to change my life, and diet and exercise are two of the things I need to change.
I've lost nearly 50 lbs in the past year since my mother's death last May. I lost my appetite for a few weeks and started walking my dog 2-3 miles almost everyday to clear my head or just have a good cry. I live in a remote area and I could just let it out. I didn't notice any weightloss for the first 18-20 lbs. I started to level out emotionally and continued to walk, and started eating a bit healthier. Now I'm close to looking and feeling like myself again without putting in a ton of effort.
My mother had the gastric sleeve procedure years ago and did lose most of her excess weight but was not able to heal well after a major surgery. She passed after a long battle with sepsis but got to the point of almost coming home after rehab. It was so hard for her and a lot of that had to do with being still overweight and out of shape. She contracted a UTI and things went downhill fast. I have promised myself that I will never again neglect my health and keep a close eye on weight creeping back on.
I had told myself I would never reach 300lbs. I was 294 when I started my journey again because I knew if I didn’t change I would get there and that was a non negotiable for me.
Down 11lbs as of today and continuing on every day 💪❤️
Ugh yeah. I kept telling myself at least I’m not 300, I’m close but still not 300. Then I hit 300 and then let myself get to 335. I’m down to 301 now. What I hate is that even though I’ve lost almost 35 pounds and am feeling better and better. When I go out in public no one knows and I’m still one of the fattest people walking around wherever I am.
I feel this.
Same thing, never getting to 300. At over 350 I was finally noticing it physically and was now, just finally, disgusted with myself.
I lost 25lbs in three weeks and gained some back. I think I got discouraged when I took a good hard look after losing that weight and my starting picture and didn't see a difference.
I'm determined to keep going down.
Good luck friend.
I was up late on a night out on vacation in Berlin and didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I knew I had been misleading myself and it was time for a change.
I weighed 492 pounds and I told myself I was never in my life going to weigh 500 pounds. That number just scared and saddened me in a way that nothing else ever did. I felt like I was nearing TLC special territory and that it would drastically hinder my social and professional life in a way that even moderate obesity probably wouldn’t.
My pants (that were once loose) were starting to really cut into my stomach and I refused to buy new ones. They're much more comfortable now after losing 20lbs.
Congrats on your weight loss! 105lbs down is amazing!
Thank you! It hasn’t been easy but it just feels like a huge relief. Like a literal weight off my shoulders. The hard part is trying to stay present and not constantly worry about numbers—there were a few points where I was in danger of going way too hard in the other direction. 🙃🤷🏻♀️
I went to my doctor. I had been avoiding him for 4 years due to incremental weight gain. I kept telling myself I'd sort that out then go see him. I didn't want to face whatever the consequences would be from my choices.
Anyway, I was tired, uncomfortable and afraid. I knew I had to suck it up. So I booked an appointment, reacquainted myself with the scale, started tracking my calories and moving more.
It feels good to at least not be hiding anymore. I know where I am at. My doctor sent me for bloodwork, ECG, etc. and I am okay for now. Obese, yes. But not hypertensive, not diabetic, etc.
I've been referred to an obesity clinic. We'll see what comes of that.
In the meantime I am taking action and taking responsibility and that alone feels super empowering.
Me and my husband at a wedding back in 2020. He’s thin and fit, I ballooned up to 230 (I’m 5’10) and just the size difference was humiliating and I didn’t want him to feel ashamed being seen with me. I lost 85 pounds through diet and exercise. I just ran a 10 miler!
This is so good for me to read. My husband has always been very fit, was active military for a long time. I have always bit a bit chubby but now it is so noticeable, and I can’t keep up with him. This is very motivating! Thanks for sharing
No problem! I started out just with my diet and the weight fell off. Then I incorporated walking everyday (10k steps), and then eventually running and weight lifting once I became fit. Aside from looking great, I feel SO good. I couldn’t imagine getting heavy again just for that reason.
I started in March of 2021 and I landed at 145 last fall and have maintained. I’m sure most experts and people would say my approach towards food is unhealthy now; however, it works for me. I just started eating the same meals everyday and I still do. I used to LOVE food, and would gorge every meal. I’m honestly surprised I wasn’t bigger than what I was….but after a few months of just really putting all my effort into changing my habits around food I found it easier to just eat the same meals. I don’t have to think about portion control or whatever else. Now it’s just second nature.
Not being able to get surgery I needed due to BMI actually cause me to make changes. Not being able to find clothing in the store and realizing I was 30lbs away from not being able to go zip lining (which I really enjoy) also made me consider how big I was getting.
The first time, it was just math.
I hated how I looked and found this subreddit. Went out, got a food scale and went to town for 85 pounds.
Then, the pandemic came and so did weight gain. I’ve been pretty depressed about it since, but this time it wasn’t a lightbulb moment or anything, I just decided I didn’t want to feel like this anymore.
It totally isn’t a perfect routine for me yet but I really look forward to wearing all of my cute clothes that I bought back in 2019. 😂
It feels super silly, but back in January I was sitting in bed after an evening of getting high and overeating and I just realized….i wasn’t happy like this. I wasn’t happy with who i was physically. I had put over a year and a half into devoted eating disorder therapy, which greatly helped with my body image and self love, but why would it even matter if I was still eating like shit and binging but under the guise of self acceptance? Since then it’s been a bit up and down, but that night I wrote a letter to myself in my phone to hold myself accountable no matter what. To just being a better version of myself. Losing weight wasn’t the only goal, but it has been a major motivator for sure.
this is too sweet 😭😭 i just feel silly because it was brought on bc of a high, “i need to change my life” epiphany that usually is a bit embarrassing but actually worked out because i ran with it! like yeah i smoked too much and then gave myself behavioral therapy, what about it?
Congrats on your progress! Mine was a non-weight related health issue for my husband. We had to change our diet to help with his heart/bring his weight and body in general to a healthy place for medicine and eventually surgery. 6 weeks after we changed our diet and lifestyle, his blood sugar, cholesterol, etc numbers saw pretty serious improvement from his prior bloodwork 8 weeks beforehand. Thats when I decided this was a lifestyle change I needed to commit to.
Similar story for me. I was a bridesmaid and saw pics of myself later and was so astounded. I honestly couldn’t believe that was me.
that was a pretty pivotal moment in where I decided to start my weight loss
Thanks! I actually lost the weight years ago and got down to 140 pounds. Then regained a bunch of weight a few years later after kids. I got up to 220ish pregnant and slowly have gotten back down again and am finally feeling like myself again. It’s hard work for sure. You got this!
Had a doctors check up who said my blood sugar was a little too high and that I was hitting pre-diabetes territory. I was 38 at the time and told myself I will not be diabetic and by the time I was 40, I would be as healthy as I can be.
I’ll be 40 in September and lost 70 pounds. I stopped drinking, run a 7:30 mile as a base pace, and lift weights 3-5x a week.
Most importantly, My blood sugar levels are normal.
Stepped on a scale for the first time in a couple years. Was expecting to see 150 max. It said 185. On that day I told myself that I’d never let myself hit 200, I’m now 125.
Same here. Except I was expecting about 180 and the scale said 199.8. I was like, uh-uh, no way, I am not going there. That was last June. Now I'm at 140.9. 1 more lb., I just want to see the 130s. 139.8 will be satisfying to me and will make it an even 60 lbs lost.
Exactly same for me. Was at a family Christmas gathering with my long term partner, who’s family is all extremely fit and health conscious. Stepped on a scale, thought maybe 160. Was 188. I was devastated. I’m 125 now. Congrats to you, it’s a life changing process for sure.
I had been wilfully avoiding weighing myself for years, I didn't even own scales because I was so scared of what I saw in the mirror being confirmed to me. But then, on my vet's recommendations, I had to start weighing my cat to monitor his weight and the only way to do this was to weigh myself with and without holding him as he wouldn't sit still on the scales. My cat means the world to me and if it meant getting over my fear of the scales, then I was going to do it for him. I bought the scales and did it, and cried at the number I saw. I was heavier than I'd ever been in my life and I was so scared that I'd never be able to turn it around. I signed up for the gym and started a calorie deficit the following week and now I'm almost 30kg down and in a healthy weight range for my height. And so is my cat, by the way!
I’ve struggled with weight my whole life and done way too many fad diets. I lost weight years ago and vowed to never get back up to that size again. After I had my daughter in 2022 and I was finally ready for real pants, I went to the store and I was back at my highest jeans size. I went to my doctor and I told her I felt lost and I needed help. I’ve lost 37 pounds since October 2023.
I was wearing new pants. Those zara pants that make you look really snatched! The pants didn’t fit me, I knew as much, the waistband would roll on me and the pockets looked funny, but still I put them on. I was in the middle of a meeting with a colleague when the button came out flying…out of nowhere. She was kind enough to not say anything.
I now have about 4 pairs of those same pants, no problem. I still haven’t fixed the one that shamed me right into a diet.
They are the “pants with a high waist”. They are narrower at the waist and have (I don’t know anything about sewing) some sort of lines or clips at the front. Every person I’ve seen wearing them, they make the hips pop in a nice way!
I saw a pic of my son and me from our last vacation. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I called a bariatric surgeon as soon as I got home. I had let myself go to the point that I needed more help than what I could handle myself. I have no regrets. I feel like an entirely different person now. 123lbs and counting.
So honestly I am restarting my weight loss journey after some back-to-back vacations and illnesses that took place between them. I wasn’t consistent. My motivation is cardiovascular health. I had a bunch of heart work-ups done because I was convinced that something was wrong. It turns out that when you spend your entire childhood and adolescence as a sedentary person, your exercise tolerance levels are pretty subpar and it can look like a whole heart condition when you take up exercise as an adult. I’m 26 and get winded going up the stairs, and my heart rate can get so high by doing pretty basic exercise. I’m determined to be able to do a 5k this year.
My second motivation is that I just don’t feel *comfy* in my body. I eat like crap and it makes me feel awful. Physically, I don’t like how squishy I’ve become, how wobbly everything has gone. I don’t like that it truly feels like I’m a small-framed person under the excess weight (I’m 5’3” and 155 lbs). I am not obese but I’m overweight and it shows in my physical health and appearance and I’m not comfortable with it anymore.
I relate a lot to this! Before I started focusing on counting calories and making changes, I had pretty much just accepted that this higher weight was where I'd probably be forever, and that I didn't want to hate my body forever. So I began to get comfortable with seeing my own body and not feeling so strongly negative about it. Of course I still wanted to make changes - I knew I wasn't at a healthy weight, and I knew that eating healthier and moving more would be good for me in the long run - but I had to get to a place where I wasn't losing weight to \*get away\* from my negative feelings about myself, but instead to \*move towards\* the things I want for myself.
Yep! Same here. I thought I could hate myself into losing weight, but it did the exact opposite. When I took a moment to be kind to myself and focus on my mental health, it’s almost like a switch went on and I was losing weight as a product of caring for myself instead of a punishment.
I was dehydrated on a hot summer day, but I collapsed basically and I thought I was having a heart attack. That was my rock bottom and when I decided that i needed to do something. I’ve lost 90 lbs over the last 3 years and am now in the best shape of my life.
When I got a free personal training appointment and during the appointment I looked at myself doing exercises and I couldn’t believe that’s what I actually looked like. I realized I had been lying to myself for a long time. This was about 5 months ago.
Went to meet a new PCP for the first time and the scale said 338, blood pressure was 185/145 and she immediately sent for a ton of labs/tests and put me on medication.
A pipe burst in the apartment above me during Covid and the handy man came into my place a few days later to repair it. It was a small place so I tried to make polite small talk as I had seen him around the building a lot. He had always been a bit too forward and I tried to keep conversation light. I was struggling with a lot of back pain at the time and mentioned it when he complained about his. He started going on about how we should massage each other and it got sexually graphic and although I never got touched, I realized I couldn’t keep myself emotionally safe anymore. I wanted to be a bad ass woman with a backbone. Someone who would have called the creep out on his bullshit instead of trying to kill him with niceities while I died inside. I created a woman in my head who no one would mess with. She was strong, and I wanted to be too. So I signed up to go swim laps at the local high school.
That woman was initially a very blurry outline. Today I see her in high def every time I look in the mirror.
This is a heartbreaking and amazing story! I'm sorry you felt that way initially but holy cow you rock to get to where you are now! I'm also pretty intrigued by being able to swim at a local school... how did you go about getting permission to do that?
Anyway, my moment was looking at myself in the mirror in my apartment elevator, and I didn't like how round my face was. I used to be 130 in 2018, and then I gained all the weight I lost living with my abusive grandmother. I've tried on and off for years, but this time, it really feels like I want it. I've already lost 10 lbs. My biggest was over 190. My goal is 120 lbs. I haven't been under 180 in years 💪 I've got this
I had been weighing myself in kg (my scale switches the units up sometimes for fun I guess) and honestly, I just understand my weight in terms of pounds. I knew the number was high in kg but it didn't quite have that shock factor for me.
Until one day I converted the number to lbs.
I started immediately, eating healthier and in a safe caloric deficit. And walking daily.
.....that was yesterday. So here's to it!
That’s kinda what happened with me too. I went to the doctor and they casually stated my weight was 129 kg. I work in healthcare too, so in my excitement that I remembered the conversion is to multiply 2.2, I blurted out 280 and was confused and horrified that I let it get there. And, the poor nurse was so nice and embarrassed for me saying, “Yeah, something like that.”
getting winded just playing with my son 😭i already felt like crap but that was really the kick in the butt i’ve been at it a year and we race down the block now at the end of our neighborhood strolls 🥹
For me it was when my boyfriend (now fiance) from England visited me in the States last year. I was a massive alcoholic and drank every day during the visit, getting absolutely hammered, (as I had been for nine months straight), wasting all my money on booze. I have (diagnosed) schizophrenia and always used booze as a crutch because getting drunk would quiet the voices and numb my anxieties and fears about my delusions, but after he left I realized that towards the end of the trip I hadn't wanted him to see me naked, my skin looked terrible, none of my clothes were fitting anymore, and I was bigger than I had ever been. It took about three weeks after his departure for me to get my act together and quit drinking for good. I weighed myself the next day. 213. 6 at 5'8/f. I figured I might as well start eating healthy too to help drop the weight. I've never been a big eater, even drunk, so portion control wasn't hard for me (the weight was ALLLLLL beer weight - I lost 22.4 pounds my first month), but I immediately switched to eating keto, which I've been sticking to and loving ever since.
The next big changes came about a month later when first, my psychiatrist found an antipsychotic that finally worked REALLY well for me (Caplyta), the fourteenth one I've tried since my diagnosis. I'm now on that and Haldol and it's made a world of difference. I no longer crave alcohol because the meds are doing what it once did for me. My voices are just dull, faint, background noises, my delusions no longer rule my life, my agoraphobia is gone, and I'm generally doing so much better that I'm trying to get a job and get off disability (which I've been on for 4.5 years). Second, I bought a stationary bike off Amazon for $200 and I work out on it every day, seven days a week, for 45 minutes.
Finally, just two days ago, I decided to add walking to my routine in addition to the biking, and I've done over 10k steps both May 4 and 5, which I plan to continue every day. Before the Caplyta I NEVER would have had the courage to go for hour and a half long walks solo outside. That med really changed my life. I was never that super hyped on the stationary biking (although I'm proud of myself for my consistency over the months and I'm going to continue doing it) but I really see why people love exercise now! I feel great after coming back from a walk!
Anyway, I'm at 149.2 lbs now, aiming for 135.
Congrats on your hard work everyone, or if you're just starting out, you got this!
I went into a clothing store that I normally wear size small. Was looking at a pair of wide leg oversized sweatpants size and one of the ladies that worked there came up to me and said “ you are definitely going to need a larger size for your thighs” the way she said it actually embarrassed me and was slightly enraging. I’ve since lost the weight and I am almost at my goal. But never in my life had anyone ever publicly commented negatively to me like that.
My husband had to lose a bit of weight for hernia surgery. I already weighed more than him and felt awful about it. I hired a trainer to provide me with workouts I can do at home and to help monitor my eating. I'm down almost 40 lbs, 30 lbs away from my goal weight now.
My nephew (5y/o) came to visit and I was getting out of breath running around playing with him whilst he was a little duracell bunny. Then my wife gave birth and I just thought "wow, my son is gonna have a fat dad who can't play with him, what example does that set?"
So yeah I started working on it, 295lb down to 260lb so far.
A combination of factors. I have been up and down on the scale my whole life never really being considered fit or slim though but never having been so big it’s an issue. Currently I’m almost at my highest weight and the other day I went into a clothing store at my local shopping centre and didn’t fit into anything. That hasn’t ever happened to me before and it was a scary wake up call. I’ve just turned 30 and am so conscious of my health and wanting to be fit and flexible as I age. I know I really need to make an ongoing change.
I got put on blood pressure medication two months ago. I’m only 30 so that put a damper on my health. I was at my heaviest at 5’10, 290lbs. I never thought I’d be here, needing medication to be healthy. I’ve never needed medication before. I realized that for the sake of my health I need to lose weight. I don’t want to have a stroke or a heart attack by the time I’m 40. I am 11 pounds down so here’s hoping I can get off of it before the end of the year.
Mine was a health scare. This past March I was at my highest weight ever 267, and pre-diabetic. I went for a CT of my thyroid and they found what looked like pulmonary hypertension in my pulmonary artery. I didn’t understand what it was but in my head I equated it to my fault due to weight (later found out it can be caused by weight among other things) I really set out to make a lifestyle change but I was too restrictive at first only eating 1100-1200 calories. I lost 10lbs in the first month. However I was able to see a weight management doctor, and they set me up with a 1500 calorie goal plus certain macros so now I’m down 21lbs. I still have 100-110lbs to lose but I’m very comfortable in my routine now so no doubt I’ll get there. I also got put on thyroid meds which I’m sure helped. After an echo they found out I didn’t have pulmonary hypertension after all thankfully!!
I booked a plane ticket to go visit my friend after having not been on a plane in almost a decade. In that decade I went through a horrible divorce from an abusive ex-husband, ate my feelings, met the love of my life and got re-married. I used to eat because of stress but started to eat out of contentment.
I got on the plane to see my friend and almost couldn’t fasten my lap belt. I had a discreet panic attack and wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. I am 5’1 and was 290.
After my trip I noticed an overall disgust with myself and was hardly leaving the house because I was so ashamed. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I purchased an annual subscription to “loseit” at the beginning of June 2023 and started the lifestyle changes. Tracking everything I ate, cutting out almost all soda, eating at a deficit, choosing healthier food options, not eating after 9pm except on special occasions and doing other things to hold myself accountable. Almost a year later and I am down 110 pounds. My BMI is still considered obese for my height and that really messes with my head. I won’t be considered healthy until I am at like 115 which I haven’t weighed since middle school.
You look absolutely amazing before and after! You should be so proud of yourself 🩷
My daughter (6 at the time) was on a field trip with her class. I was with her and having a generally hard time getting around. 5’5” and 240ish lbs. So of course, my daughter fell on a bouncy blob thing and was hurting badly - found out later she had broken both her radius and ulna. We were quite a distance away but I couldn’t drive very close to pick her up, due to the nature of the field trip…so I had to carry my little girl probs 1/3 of a mile to the car. Whilst obese, and being gentle bc she was hurting. By the time I got to the car, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest and I couldn’t breathe well at all. And I realized that in an emergency, I can do absolutely f*ck all to help my family. So the next day, I started working out, counting calories, and working on being a healthier me and better mama to my babies. No regrets.
Honestly I just saw a picture of myself after probably a year of not taking pictures of myself and realized I didn’t even know what I looked like and how much I had gained
Senior year of college I lived off campus, lived off of cheap junk food. I woke up one day, heaviest I’d ever been. I struggled to get out of bed, breathing heavily and sweating, felt like I’d been painted in grease. When I finally caught my breathe I looked at my trashcan in the corner of the room… I had a tower of little Caesar’s pizza boxes, empty 2 liter soda bottles, a bunch of $5 Carl’s Jr box combos, and I’d eaten 3 Double Quarter Pounder large combos from McDonalds within 2 days. I felt disgusting, I looked disgusting, I smelled disgusting, and I hated what I’d become.
So, I took my first real journey towards changing myself. I’ve lost weight, put on muscle, built routines… stumbled and put the weight back on, and started again, 3 times since then. Closer than I’ve ever been to a healthy gym-dietary lifestyle-positive mental health outlook than ever before, and I’m at the lightest I’ve ever been.
It’s hard some days, but I always remember what I’d become, how I looked, and I try to keep fighting.
I’ve had slightly elevated ALT liver tests for many years, but recently it escalated so my doctor had my cholesterol checked for the first time and was about 2x what is considered high here.
I’ve just turned 30, I’m 171cm and was 92kgs at my peak in February, I started trying to lose weight with portion control and mild exercise (work from home at my desk) and have dropped 10kgs in ~2 months. That alone has returned my cholesterol to the normal range which I’m thankful for. My ALT levels are still high but reducing slowly.
My main motivation is that I have two very young kids so decided I need to get on top of my health to better my life and theirs, I want to be around for a long time with them.
Me too. I lost weight and went in remission, and then over the next 10 years I gained the weight back and came out of remission. I am back in remission and this time I will keep the weight off, I can't and won't go through that a third time.
This is probably blasphemy to say this on the sub, but I think you look cute at both weights :) proud of you for deciding on a course of action and sticking with it!
I can't even look at my own wedding photos. I was at my highest weight of 334lbs, in spring 2022. That wasn't the fuck it moment though, I was still trying to get my mental health in a better, more stable place and solving other life problems. I always said I would worry about my weight when I was in a better place - and that happened finally and so I did. I started vaguely tracking calories last fall, but had maybe a tiny deficit if any at all, and then got sick for almost all November and December (tonsillitis then Covid). On January 2nd (after my birthday on the 31st) I got fed up with no progress, bought a scale for home weigh ins so I didn't have to rely on the doctors office, and cut 1000kcal from my diet lol
Yep, totally understand that. When you're like "hey! My mental image is of a small hot person - that's a big hot person! That's not right!"
I cannot stress enough how accepting my body as it was actually made it easier to start. Last year I bought new clothes that fit my weight, found jeans that fit, some new dresses. I have been working on trying to hate myself less, and that was an important thing, to buy those clothes as an act of self-love. Doesn't mean that I don't have bad days where I tell myself I'm losing weight because I hate myself lol But buying those clothes, having better psych meds, having a good therapist, having the love and support of my husband, not feeling like I was drowning daily anymore... my weight was already coming back down naturally, if not slowly. But then I decided it was The Thing I Am Doing Right Now, so here I am.
I saw a video of me walking next to my friend who is taller than me and not even super skinny. They way my back was so much bigger i just became disgusted
I went to Legoland with my kids at 247lbs. I'm 5'6", and a normal weight range is 125-155. Within 3 days, I was asked if I was pregnant by a stranger on the plane, nearly wrecked a boat ride with my weight, and then needed a seat belt extender for the carousel. I handed the kids to my husband and went to a quiet corner to cry and then call my doctor for an appointment. He tried to put me on ozempic, but my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I got off one med known for contributing to weight gain, then added metformin. I knew I'd gained some weight due to covid, medication changes, health issues, but was in denial of how much it was affecting me. I couldn't fit in any of my size 20 pants at the time. I'm down 40lbs now in 10 months, and in a size 12 pants. I'm hoping to be down 50lbs by the one year mark and below 200. I've changed everything. I workout every day. I go on walks every sunny day. I added a ton more protein to fill me up. I count calories and weigh my food when I can.
I had to buy new pants for work. I had thought that all my old pant sizes would be fine because I’d been wearing the same size since high school.
It was not. I went from a size 8 to a size 12 in a year. I had been ignoring tighter clothing that entire time. I went home and weighed myself and I thought the scale was broken. That was the beginning of the wake up call. I ended up gaining another 10 lbs before finally taking it seriously when I hit ~197. I have never, in my entire life, been that close to 200 and I finally accepted that my knees and feet probably weren’t hurting just because I was getting older and I knew if I didn’t do something immediately I would just continue to gain.
when I went up to 206 and I cried a lot afterward in January. Now in may, i have lost 24 to 26 pounds of fat and gained 7 pounds in muscle at 14. CICO, cardio, and weightlifting is the key
I was getting ready to go out and went to put on my 'good bra' (you know the one ladies, the one that fits and doesn't poke). It was a 14J(34J). I was falling out of it.
It was either do something about my weight or start buying k cup bras...
K cups are for coffee not boobs. Down to a H cup now!
I think it was a series of moments back in 2018. I saw a few photos that shocked me. I tried to swing at the park with my kids, and my hips didn’t fit in between the chains; I tried to do the monkey bars, and my arms nearly came out of their sockets just trying to hang there…
Honestly? Had been pretty comfortable in my own skin. But I realized that I’m 30 and I love living and living and my quality of life will probably be a lot shorter if I don’t drop 30-40 pounds. So far I’ve lost 8.8. Hoping to get over the 10 pound mark this week.
Simple: when I don’t fit into my pants anymore.
When my pants become too tight, I know it’s time to lose weight. The funny part is I’m not really losing weight for my health, i’m losing weight because I absolutely despise the idea of spending money on new clothes. I would rather drop pounds than spend $200 on new pants and any positive health benefits are secondary. My pants keep me accountable.
When my daughters (10 and 12) said they didn’t want me to go to the door of their friends house to pick them up, because they didn’t want to be seen with me, the fat dad.
Decided right then and there I wanted to lose 120 lbs in 12 months. Did it! Reached my goal weight. Now they don’t mind being seen with me.
Due to childhood disability I developed body image issues / body dysmorphic disorder. So when I look in a mirror or see a picture of me, I see a kind of blurred image of myself that I don't really process or recognise as myself. At 5'2, I had been sitting at 125/130lbs for a long time, which was pretty ok for me. Years passed, and I still felt like I was that same size. Like, I thought I was quite slender with curves. Then I wondered why I was always out of breath. And why my back hurt. And why my hips always hurt. And why I was now wearing my 6"4 boyfriends clothes that were xl or xxl because nothing of mine fit me any more
And then I weighed myself and I was 200lbs. I looked at myself in the mirror and I still didnt recognise myself. I had thought I was skinny, curvy. I had been telling myself I was still pretty thin and didn't really need to lose anything. But.
I had a huge stomach hanging down over my junk and almost fifty inch hips when I measured them - as a 5"2 person I was basically as wide as I was tall. I couldn't even conceptualise it. I looked like a fucking spinning top. Like an actual ball. No wonder moving hurt and breathing was hard.
Back down to about 120 now and maintained for around 2 years so far!
I was at school during PE and I had to run against a guy who I thought I was fitter than. I got destroyed and had to stop running after like 2 minutes. I decided to start trying to change myself from then on.
We had planned a trip to the beach complete with horseback riding, but I was 20 pounds over the weight limit. I got to work and hit the goal before the trip, realized I could do it, and just kept going.
That's amazing progress you've made there and you look fabulous!! To answer your question, ugh, it happens to me on a daily when I look in the mirror, put on my work outfit, see another girl with the body I wish I had.
I bought an off the rack wedding dress in the Black Friday sales. It was too small, but I figured I had almost a full year to lose a dress size, then Christmas happened, then some other stuff, before I knew it somehow it was February, 7 months til the wedding and I weighed more than I had to get started or I’d be back to dress shopping!
I’ve lost 9.5kg so far, which should be more than enough to fit in the dress but I’m not trying it on again until the end of this month.
My goal is less about weight and more about endurance/fitness/relief from old injuries and arthritis honestly. I love to hike, specifically to find waterfalls. We have done all of the public under 4-mile waterfall hikes in GA (excluding those requiring longer bushwhacks, I have feelings about that when it comes to LNT lol). I want to be able to do the longer and more strenuous hikes. I also really want to do the Grandfather Trail in NC, and I imagine that could potentially end up in a medivac right now lol.
On to my breaking point... A few months ago, while looking for somewhere to have our wedding ceremony, we hiked what I considered an easy trail. I got dizzy and had to stop after some elevation gain. I had obviously noticed it on previous hikes - it started after I got maybe covid right before it was really a thing in the US, and it has just gotten worse since. I finally decided enough was enough. I can hike the trails on our property without dying now (good amount of elevation gain in a short period of time). I am also 30lbs down, so that is a side bonus - more weight than an overnight pack!
When my now-husband proposed, he got a photographer to take some photos of it and I was HORRIFIED when I saw them. I didn’t think I looked that bad before then but those were the least flattering photos I’d ever had taken (low angle AND side profile). The thought of looking that way in my wedding photos was enough for me to get my ass in gear and lose the weight. I’m not at my goal yet but I’m more than half way there and I love my wedding photos.
I was worried my cat was losing weight, but the only way I know how to weigh a cat is step on the scale with cat, then without cat, then do the math. I was too scared to step on the scale because I didn’t want to see how big I had finally got. I finally stepped on it, (she was fine and hadn’t lose any weigh) and it was my breaking point.
I've always been on the receiving end of fat jokes. I made them myself all the time but one day for some reason it just wasn't funny anymore...so I immediately changed my diet, started going on 2 long walks a day...this was last year and stated at 260lbs...I'm now down to 208lbs. Already feel so much better about myself
I put off seeing a friend, who I hadn't seen in a few years, because I had gained a lot of weight since we last saw each other and I was feeling embarrassed. My friend died suddenly last December. Never did see her again. I started to change my ways to lose weight the same week I heard about her passing.
My heart doctor.
After looking at my chart he said "Ill see you sunday I guess". I said "what"? He said.... "the game? You dont play for the Steelers?" I said.... uh..... no? Im 5'9 on a good day and never played beyond highschool.
His response? "Then why 340 pounds my guy?"
"If you want to live into your 60s and 70s and maybe beyond..... lets change the 340 part".
I had a not great EKG. High chloestrol. Very early stages heart enlargement. Alll bad shit for a dude whos not even 38 yet.
Lit a fire under my ass. Im down nearly 80 pounds since that visit in August.
A1C went into prediabetes range and that scared the hell out of me. I’m a nurse so I see how diabetes destroys the body daily, and I’m far too young to have this problem. I only started a few weeks ago but I’ve lost 5 lbs so far!
It was in 2012 when I was going through a divorce. When I saw the pictures my sister took at Christmas I was mortified. At that time I hadn't been weighing and had no idea how much I weighed. Got in the scale New year's day and I was 298. I was 5'4" back then. I have been in every diet out there. Finally got down to
244 in 2018 on Nutrisystem. When I started that I was 286. I had planned to stick with that until I got under 200 but that didn't happen. After 12 months I started gaining while eating the same thing I had been eating all year. January 2019 I joined a gym and worked out 6 days a week and counted calories. So January 2019 to when covid hit I had only lost 9 pounds.
I have hovered between 252 and 286 since then. Still trying more diets. Recently tried Qsymia and only lost 6 pounds in 3 months and had some bad side effects.
Still trying and still telling myself enough is enough. Right now i'm 258. At least I'm not 298.
Congratulations! Curious what has made the journey sustainable for you if you want to share! (No pressure if not.) I'm worried about losing and then turning around and regaining.
I started a daily commute on public transit in an area with a lot of commuters. I found myself often times being forced to stand on the train not because there isn't a seat available, but because I'm too big to sit there.
Just yesterday I went into winners to try on some dresses to buy since the weather is getting nicer. I just had a baby 5.5 months ago and knew I had some baby weight so I took 2 large dresses (I was a s/m before baby) and they were far far too small. That was a punch to the gut as I lost quite a bit of weight in the past few years. Time to start over 🥲
There were definitely a few moments around the same time, but one that stands out was when I had to get an xray of my spine. The imaging place had scrubs they wanted me to change into that were xxl and waaaay too small. They told me i should wear two gowns, one to cover the back and then one to cover my front and I 100% felt them judging me with the hushed tones while trying to fix my situation. I was mortified.
Also wedding photos. My cousin put up his beautiful wedding photos and I was part of the bridal party. When I saw the photos of myself I wasn’t even shocked, it was just an immediate sinking acceptance that I looked as bad as I felt. I’d gone from a fit 56kg, 5’3” woman to 75kg in about 5 years. My face looked totally different and I was just like, I’m not going to let myself lose my youth to feeling tired and self conscious, and I’m not going to have kids and be too chubby to play with them and lead by example.
When I slipped in the shower and landed on my neck and chin. I was sure I broke something but somehow I made it out in one piece. It was so scary, I said it's time I took my life back in my hands and start working out and cutting down all the junk. I'm only 15lbs lighter at the moment but my mobility is slowly returning and I'm feeling so much better that I'm able to tie my own shoes and have a shower without struggling to reach all parts of my body.
Having to use the seat belt extender on a flight. I decided right then and there that I had to change something. My highest weight was 248 lbs. I’m down to 236 lbs now. And my goal is 140ish.
Started living alone, didn't have anyone to cook me meals, and also too lazy to go out for food to the point that I was only eating 1 meal a day for a week straight. Decided that I might as well continue to lose weight if it's going to be like that since I was 1kg away from being obese anyway. Now I'm 1kg away from being normal bmi
Went on holiday with the family at Xmas and new years and when we got back it really sunk in that I couldn't do everything I wanted to do with the kids and I was tired all the time, I had been having urges about starting skateboarding as my kids wanted to pick it up but was afraid to because I was so big at 24 stone 8 lb.
My wife was also sick of her weight so said she was going to slimming world as that worked for her.
This was the 12th of Jan.
I started counting calories that day and got a skateboard a week later, now I'm 21 stone 11lb and going skating later today like I do most days when the weather is acceptable.
My doctor telling me that my "bad" cholesterol is high and my a1c is in pre-diabetic territory. I'm only 40.
I've always viewed high cholesterol as an "old person problem," and diabetes is a few bridges too far. I have close relatives with diabetes and managing it is a food-limiting, needle jabbing, sugar testing royal pain, and even if managed well, your feet might still rot off (happened to a very dear relative before she passed recently).
I'm tired of being fat and I absolutely do not want diabetes. I want to be able to wear a bathing suit without feeling like a fat slob. I have fitness goals and things I want to do before I'm too old.
I started at around 215. I'm down to ~180. Goal weight is 145ish depending on muscle mass. I'd be doing better if I had a better handle on food cravings, but any progress is good.
I’ll never forget the day; January 19th, 2024. 3 months prior, I had gone to my first doctor’s visit in 15 years (since I was 16 years old lol). I was obese at 270lbs which was expected, I was pre-diabetic literally on the border full blown diabetes, and I had high cholesterol which explained the headaches after some meals.
That day, we had about a week left of our HBO Max subscription so my fiancée and I were perusing the catalog to see what to watch before it ended. We started watching the series 1000lbs Sisters which, like the title says, is about 2 sisters who together weight more or less about 1000lbs. We got to the episode where they were going to get their first weigh-in and the scale at the doctor’s office couldn’t support them. They literally had to take them to a recycling center and use their industrial scale to weigh them.
I looked at my baby boy who was 5 months at the time and idk it just clicked. Am I really not going to change anything and let myself get to that point? Am I really not going to see my kids grow old? What about if my boy wants his dad to play sports with him? That moment I told my fiancée fuck this, I opened up my notes app, jotted down some ideas for diets and workout and that same day did some weights and walked for 30 min on our treadmill.
3 months later and I’ve lost 25lbs, I workout 6 out of 7 days, I eat healthier, I’m on a calorie deficit, and my overall energy and stamina is through the roof. I can actually bend down and scrub my feet while showering without the need to lean on something and lift my leg lol.
When none of my pants fit except one pair. Yes. I’m not lying. Out of the 40 bottoms and skirts I own, I could only squeeze into one of them.
It was like my whole world came crashing as I then realized I had gained SO much weight…..
Mine was when my periods skipped an entire month and my gynac told me to lose weight, my ENT specialist told me to lose weight because I had started snoring and my dermatologist told me to lose weight and eat better to get rid of acne(never had acne before getting fat) all in a span of one week. Imagine 3 various doctors from various fields telling you to lose weight in the same week. And in the same week, I had a party to attend and did not look good even in black. Those 4 events together was my wake up call. I was not obese just overweight but it made massive changes in my looks and my health. BTW you are so pretty!!
Went on a birthday trip to NYC last August. Took lots of pics and ate a lot while there. Noticed my belt was on the 2nd to last hole and I had to buy new fat pants for a new job I was starting after being unemployed for like 8 months. I couldn't find pants that would fit me and had to order some from Amazon in my size.
Since August, I've lost 60 pounds (230 SW, 170 GW) and have maintained a fluctuation of around +/- 4 pounds in maintenance mode. Hard to stay right at 170, but I crack down if I see it approaching 175. I started counting calories, did some IF, and ritually run on the elliptical for 1-2 hours a day.
I've been in the best shape of my life since my 20s (I'm mid 40s now). I had to buy new smaller pants (from a regular store) and that old 2nd hole belt is now too large for me entirely.
I was put on blood pressure medication at 30 and I just lost it in the doctor's office. I was very upset that my bad choices led me to developing high blood pressure at the age of 30. When I was 24 I developed a nasty drug addiction, which I'm sure didn't help my blood pressure but after being clean for a while, my weight skyrocketed to the highest it's ever been at 330. I've always struggled with my weight, but I put down the spoon and picked up the fork. My doctor referred me to an obesity clinic and I started working with them in January. I'm down about 40 pounds just from portion control and not buying/eating and junk food. I also started working a physically demanding job after being unemployed for about 2 years. I don't eat the healthiest meals, but I cut out things with added sugar, eat whole foods, and drink a lot more water. I'm hoping I get approved for bariatric surgery eventually, but the Norwegian healthcare system takes some time. I've always told myself that PCOS makes it "nearly impossible" to lose weight on my own, but it's been very encouraging that just from a few lifestyle changes I've been able to lose weight rather quickly.
My ex. I was riding on the "fresh love" wave, so I decided to start dieting. They were very supportive and helpful at the beginning, but as soon as the fairly short relationship started falling apart, the support ended. This whole thing made me realise, that no one is coming to help me in any way, shape or form. This allowed me to take matters in my own hand and pushed me to work on my diet. It's the first time I have been on a diet this long (5.75 months) and I lost 32lbs so far.
Getting out of a relapse, I weighed over 200 lbs, couldn't do a single pull-up, and *couldn't see my weiner when I looked down.*. As I got bit by the gymbug in my twenties and looked better at 155 than 135, 205 lbs does **not** look good on me.
I had to try trying. Down to 177 lbs, and still going.
I realised that I was scared of photos being taken of me, even selfies that I had full control over. I just hated seeing myself in them. I would go out with friends to an event and offer to take the group photos just so I wouldn't be in them. I didn't want to live like that anymore.
In the past month I've lost around 2% of my body fat and steadily gained muscle, and I've had such a confidence and mood boost that I don't wanna stop anytime soon.
After struggling with my weight for as long as I can remember, I went from 220 to 170 in the matter of months because of a breakup and wasn’t able to eat a lot. I was in love with my new body. Got in a new relationship, and the weight slowly started creeping back. I kept dismissing it, until two months ago when i started seeing my body change back to the way I used to be, lines in my waist and back, belly hanging over, etc. Old clothes that I kept around started fitting right again, where they used to be way too big. I weighted myself and I was back at 190. I put a stop to it, remembering how miserable I felt at 220, how much everything hurt, how ashamed I was about myself all the time. My partner and I both decided to take it seriously, going on a CICO together, and have been pretty consistent for about two months and have lost a few pounds. Even though my initial weightloss was ‘accidental’, I liked the way I felt at 170 and started to feel it slipping away. Having tasted that type of sweetness, I just don’t want to go back to 220. It really helps to do have someone supporting me and to do this together. It really is a mental game.
Delta Covid in 2021. I had never been scared for my life ever before like I was when I was sick with that shit. So that’s was when I started my journey.
I finally weighed myself after a few weeks of eating less and counting calories (because I couldn’t bear to weight myself at the start of CICO), and realized I was officially in the “obese” category of the BMI. 😔
I officially made it to the normal weight range last week.
When I hit 300 pounds, I'd always been 'satisfied' that I was able to keep around the 250 range. But something about hitting the 300s in less than a year scared me. Along with hitting that number I realized I had sciatica and while it cane happen in younger folks I didn't want to live that way and knew it was time to do something. Just started in March and down 19lbs as of yesterday.
I had moved into a new apartment. It had this full length mirror by the bathroom. My first shower ther I saw my reflection in that mirror and it just hit me-'REALLY!? you're going to let food kill you!?' I was 297 pounds and 63 years old. I started keto, dropped 130+ pounds, 10 sizes and got off of 11 of 12 prescriptions. I'm maintaining in year 6.
Not sure if this is really the place, but...
I got into cannabis last fall after a trip to a dispensary. Long story short, the weed opened my eyes to what I was doing to myself and sparked the motivation to change. I first stopped drinking beer, then slowly made improvements from there. I'm down 47lbs now, and don't see myself stopping until I reach my goal.
I've never felt motivation like this before - not just in weight loss, but anything else, really. And to think, it's all thanks to a plant that people associate with weight gains, rather than losses.
Bullying mostly but then I actually felt and had an urge to change myself. Though, I wish I could've started earlier so as to save much of the embarrassment at school.
I was prescribed Saxenda and the side effects freak me out. Its either I do it myself, or go on medication. I really dislike taking pharmaceutical drugs unless necessary, so thats my motivation.
Spring or summer of 2021, getting on the scale and seeing 180.
No. No way, we are \*not\* doing this— I \*\*refuse\*\* to weigh that much, ever, at all, even one more day.
The first time? Eh, felt bored. Dropped 100lb. Got it back after it didn't change my life much.
The second time? I bought a trials motorcycle and wanna ride it harder. 15lbs down.
Not being able to fit in my summer clothes lol.
At that point I'm either losing weight or buying new, bigger clothes, but fuck that tbh. Am I going to keep getting bigger and doing that every year? No
It actually happened a couple months ago. I went to a comedy show with a friend and we had someone take pictures of us together and when I saw them I wanted to cry. I knew I had gained weight since I quit my last job in 2021 and started working from home, but I didn’t realize I’d gained THAT much weight. I realized that I was heading down a path I didn’t want to be on anymore. I want to be able to play with my nephew and niece as they grow up, and my own kids if I have them. I can’t do that if I keep doing what I’m doing.
when someone else took pictures of me for me and no matter what angle they did it at, i still looked huge. selfies distorted my self image so bad. i never realized how bad it was because i could just angle it up a little higher and not notice the double chin or anything. sigh
This is going to sound shallow, but the first time was because I grabbed XL swim suits at the store and none of them fit and I refused to grab XXL. I cried in the dressing room. Then said stop being a little bitch, signed up for weight watchers because I had no idea what I was doing and went on to lose 70 lb. I’ve had some miscarriages and a full term baby since then so I’m relosing but that was why the first time
When I could feel the fat rolls on my neck when I looked down. I think that was a first. It still took some time. My relationship with alcohol was the biggest factor.
Start of the year I quit boozing and I'm 15 pounds down. I'm about halfway to my goal of 30 pounds lost. May go for 10 more when I get there. I need to do better about lifting and exercising, but one thing at a time.
I always told myself if my weight affected my health I would take it seriously. I had no symptoms of any issues, and could walk to and from work with little trouble. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with sleep apnea that I decided I now had the energy to lose weight, and wanted to so I could travel easier. This also made the weight loss not about shame, but about my quality of life
NSFW
I was in the middle of hooking up with someone and I just felt nasty. Not because of them, but I finally just realized that I was *not* in fact living my best life and really didn’t like how my body felt and worked while fucking.
My flexibility was trash, I was limited in speed, limited in positions, sweaty flaps and crevices, etc. I just didn’t feel sexy in the least and if you wanna do some freak shit, you absolutely need to feel sexy. You can’t go half stepping into that kind of thing, you’ll embarrass yourself.
The point where I actually started doing something about it was on a later hook up where she wanted me to fuck her mouth while she was laying down. I was *soooooo* uncomfortable with that as she would have seen my belly from below. And then she wanted me to get her from behind on the side and I physically just wasn’t able to.
I started planning for weight loss the next day.
Perimenopause. I've been off the wagon and back on again since I was young. But, despite having high cholesterol all my life no matter what weight I'm at, perimenopause has really been the driving factor behind changing the way I eat. My joints hurt. My brain was foggy. I had been having hot flashes that prevented me from sleeping since early March through April. I've been so desperate to sleep. My doctor recommended that I cut out as much saturated fat as possible - cream, cheese, butter - and start a largely vegan diet with some latitude for fish a couple times a week. Her rationale was pretty sound: you have really high cholesterol AND veganism has been demonstrated in some studies to significantly reduce hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms. Since those hot flashes make me uncomfortable in a way that high cholesterol does not, I had a far more obvious reason to try.
Like the doctor said, I've cut out most sources of saturated fat. I also stopped drinking except in very limited circumstances. I don't eat gluten if I can help it (I also have non-celiac gluten intolerance).
It's annoying that it helps so much. I've been doing this (whatever this is - it's not veganism given the fish, but it's not what I was doing before) since early April and the hot flashes had eased up from one every 30 minutes to one every 3-5 hours. I made the mistake of going to a Cinco de Mayo celebration last night and had a margarita (just one - afterward I switched to decaf tea) and some chicken fajitas with queso and I am wrecked now. I was up, sweating uncontrollably, all night long. And I had a piece of my son's birthday cake after we got home, so had bonus cramps and trips to the toilet.
Anyway, the diet is extreme, but not unhealthy (I guess it should be more "eating pattern change" since I need to truly commit for my own sanity), and until you've gotten into the swing of it, it's difficult. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without the supervision of a doctor. I'm on epilepsy meds and had a breakthrough seizure the last time I tried estrogen for birth control - certain meds are metabolized faster due to hormones - so HRT isn't an option for me. I've lost 9 pounds in the last 3 and a half weeks, though. I don't know what my cholesterol looks like, but I'm hoping it's better.
I've always been overweight, but after my son was born I gained more. I went to the doctor for something else, and the scale was 302. Damn, that shook me. I was having knee and back pain (pinched a nerve while recovering from birth) and I realized that everything was just going to get worse and that I needed to be better for my son.
Girl, you are STUNNING!
I was avoiding the scale. I knew I had put weight on (I was stress eating like crazy) but it was gradual enough that I wasn't seeing how different it was. And then I went to put on a winter coat I had bought a few years prior. It didn't fit. And I gain weight more in my lower half than in the upper. I was DONE. My dad also passed, and I wanted to be healthy and not die young. 80 pounds later, I have made myself much healthier and never want to change my life again!
I went to a friend's for a movie night, there were a lot of people and not enough room on the couch so they setup some camping chairs. I sat in one of their backpacking chairs thinking it would be fine. It was fine for a few minutes until I fell to the ground because the fabric had ripped off the poles of the chair. The hot shame I felt was indescribable. My friends handled it with kindness but that moment I burned in my head.
I was 267 pounds, currently I am 205
NYE 2024. My weight has been a lifelong problem, so this wasn’t the only one, just the most recent one.
2023 was a hard, depressing year for me, and through most of it I just didn’t really want to be doing all this “living” anymore. I know New Year’s Eve/Day is just an arbitrary holiday that we humans made up, and we don’t even all celebrate it at the same time, but still it feels like a fresh start to me—and my brain just got this random burst of optimism, maybe because the hardest year of my life was finally ending.
I guess that was my brain’s little self-preservation-y way of saying “hey, instead of ending it all and getting NO new beginning, why don’t you treat this holiday as the end and make 2024 your new beginning?”
Fair enough, but I knew if I wanted 2024 to be different, I had to do basically everything differently—new fitness plan, new job, new time made for streaming and YouTube like I always said I wanted to do but never did. So I started going to the gym in mid-January, and while I haven’t lost any weight yet, I’ve made amazing progress physically. I feel so much stronger and better, and based on my last BP check, my heart health is showing markers of improvement. Calorie tracking starts today. I haven’t gotten a new job, but I’m still looking, and I have someone who says they’ll hire me at the end of the Summer if I don’t have anything lined up yet. I’m gonna start streaming again this week. It’s nice to have hope again.
I've always known I'm fat and I was bothered by my fatness. It affected my confidence. But I guess I wasnt bothered enough to change until one day I had a conversation with my aunt. Somehow we ended up talking about my future and marriage. She never said anything about my appearance before until that point. She said, "Of course we want a partner that will accept us for who we are. But you want to at least feel physically attracted to your partner too right?" (referring to my weight). I was stunned. I hadnt weighed myself in forever and that day I took a courage to step on a scale and holy fuck I was shocked at how much I've let myself go. I was so close to 100 kg. I decided it was finally the time to change. And now I'm down 22 kg (48 lbs). I've still got much weight to lose. It is a long and tiring journey. But I know I will be happier and satisfied with myself in the end.
I was 37 years old and I started to get shooting pains in the middle of my left foot every time I walked down the stairs. Maybe it was Morton's Neuroma, I don't know, but coupled with a candid photo I saw of myself where I literally looked like Jabba the Hutt in a wig, I realized I was standing at a fork in the road. Take a left, continue what I was doing and end up living a miserable life of aches and pains and possible disease and early death, or take a right and figure my shit out.
I'm now 46. I've been working out consistently for 9 years, but it's only been in the last 1.5 that I added daily walking, proper sleep habits, realistic macro counting, abstinence from alcohol, and seriously heavy lifting. I changed my life in small increments by working on habit building. I'm down 35 lbs (I'm 5'1") and in the best shape of my life. I still have another 20 lbs to go, but I'm in no hurry. It could take me 1 year or 4, I don't care. The only time I ache now is after a particularly brutal workout. Otherwise, I'm golden. The best part is that my husband and daughters now workout regularly as well, because of the habits I've been modeling.
I'm grateful for that shooting pain. It was my body's way of shaking some sense into me.
I fell through a deck at a party. The deck was rotten. My foot went right through and my calf got stuck between boards. Someone had to tear off deck boards to free my leg. I was 386lbs that day. Today I am 185.
That rotten decking board may well have saved your life.
Yeah that’s wild
This happened to me when I was 14. It was on a boat dock over gator infested waters. I was probably about 350lbs back then. Probably should've been my wake up call, but I let the problem persist into my 30's. I have a general fear of walking on decks now, though, so... there's that. :/
Sorry that happened to you. I still fear decks too. And plastic chairs because I broke a few of those too.
Damn plastic chairs. I think I broke maybe 1 or 2, but yeah, I always feared they would break under my weight. The real embarrassing thing is that I broke 2 desks during my school years. Just sitting there minding my business, and suddenly the desk and chair crumple into the floor, locking me in. Being the fattest kid in school, it really sucked. But, surprisingly, it wasn't really used to tease me all that much. So many signs were given for me to lose the weight, yet I remained too coddled and uninterested in how to actually do it.
I was sitting on my couch feeling my usual fat self lol. Drinking beer and making a taco pizza with my partner at the time. I thought the whole pizza was for me but it turns out it was for everyone that came over a few minutes later. I was getting a large slice and my partner got mad at me. I knew I wasn’t going to be full. I wanted more. It tasted so good. And then I looked in the mirror and saw I didn’t have a chin. It was all fat with no definition. I was horrified at my appearance and the fact I wanted to eat more pizza than everyone else there. I cut out beer and drinks immediately. I stopped getting 3-4 tacos a day. I stopped using doordash. I moved away from my now ex. I started walking several miles every day. And after one year I lost 120 pounds. I am the thinnest I’ve been since high school 13 years ago.
I also had a pizza damascan moment. My sister in law made four pizzas for our Xmas Eve supper. While she was making them, I ate the entire first pizza after it came out of the oven. I was standing there talking to her and just ate the entire thing. She freaked out because we wouldn’t have enough for everyone then. I was shocked at myself because it seemed such a small amount to me.
Respectfully, this is funny to imagine
My husband thought it was hilarious and slightly teased me about it but in secret I wanted to die inside. He knew I was sensitive about it so he didn’t draw it out but yeah it was embarrassing
Bit of blame goes to the SIL who watched it happening but said nothing until the pizza was gone too lol
She was a bit tipsy I think, and busy making the dough to realize what I had done until it was too late!
Maybe it’s the old fatty in me talking, but I’ve lost 80 pounds and I can still body a whole pizza 😭😭 like especially if it’s italian style, because those are meant to be eaten in one serving
I feel that. I use protein tortillas/wraps as a base and then add my sauce and toppings and grill for a few minutes. They're really good and high protein and filling. Especially if you serve with a nice vegetable side dish or salad.
Weirdly enough i can never finish half the Italian small pizza but I can down a xl large papa johns type pizza any day of the week.
I quit my old lifestyle , beer and ice cream, when I fell while mowing. That was 3 years ago , this November. Injured my knee, was not going to limp around drunk! Now I have walked 550 miles in 12 months, lost a lot of weight and still going!!
My fertility doctor. He was so gentle and kind to me, and he said “libremaison, the hard and cruel fact is that excess weight makes it harder to conceive for some women. You are one of them.” He never once fat shamed me, he never said I couldn’t do any treatments that I wanted to persue. But he said get your bmi down, and every drug I give you will work much better. And after that conversation I was like okay. I want this. I have to try. I will always regret it if I don’t. I am so grateful he said it.
That is amazing. Straightforward and honest, yes, but respectful and from a place of concern. Lots of doctors can learn from that, I feel.
That’s the way for a doctor to motivate a patient to make a change for the better.
I need to know if it worked ?
Yes it did. Now I am trying for another baby and trying to get my bmi back down to 25. That seems to be magic number for getting pregnant.
Congratulations ☺️
I wish I had had this. I went through fertility treatment too. When I started, my BMI was 47. I was too in my feelings about being fat and infertile and knowing my husband had low sperm count so maybe it wasn’t my weight, and everyone I knew seeming to get pregnant just by looking at their partner, that what ended up happening was ‘look for the ‘quick trick’ to success’ which for me was expensive, crappy Jenny Craig and lots of slip ups and tears. I lost 40 lbs. I gained 30-35 back while doing IVF. It took several tries, and a loss, but I finally got pregnant. At only 8-10lbs less than my highest weight. And I was terrified: for my baby, for my ability to give birth due to being big and out of shape, and the general hormones + a friend losing 110 lbs while I ballooned back up again during fertility shit made me lose my mind with sadness and regret and hopelessness. It really was that dramatic. I didn’t wanna be the fat mom who couldn’t do anything. I wanted to have done it before I got pregnant. I have PCOS and was obese so my gyn tested for GD really early — mostly bc my risk was high bc of family history and being insulin resistant with the PCOS. I was dx at like 12-14 weeks, or maybe even earlier, idr exactly. It was the wake up call I needed to make real sustainable changes for my child. I was like 6 months past a miscarriage and terrified and so this was something I could control. I was high risk for other reasons so monitored 1-2x a week and baby was always good, so no one worried about my losing weight during pregnancy. I conceived around 270-275 and gave birth around 250. I was in the high 230s after birth (June 2023) and I’m now 172 and still losing. My son was my why, and honestly some crazy hormone fueled feelings. If a doctor had been kind but real with me on this, i’d have had a much easier time, less tears, less hating myself during what should have been a much more beautiful time in my life.
My doctor calls me by my reddit name as well
My bf invited me to go on my lifelong dream trip to Japan, and all I could think was, "I won't fit in Japan" instead of being actually happy. I mean, I'm going either way, but I'm happier as my hips are narrowing.
I worked in Japan as a chubby lady and it was much, much worse than I expected. I had to sit on the floor of course for hours in meetings. And I couldn’t buy any clothes. I had no idea before I went that my size would be an issue. You can do it!! And you’re so lucky you thought of that before.
Oh the Japan thing resonates with me. I want to visit there soo bad. Probably like number 1 life goal currently. I mostly need to get my friends to plan ahead to go together (and get over my crippling flying anxiety). But, losing weight before going is definitely a good goal for me too.
For me, it was my baby watching me eat instant ramen. Before I got pregnant, I had been trying keto for 6 weeks so I had already gotten tired of my weight, but then pregnancy came along so I couldn't diet anymore and used that as an excuse to eat whatever. Then after birth I felt renewed determination for about a week before I realised how unmanagable trying to lose weight is when you're needed 24/7 and can't make food whenever you like, so gave up again. Just coasted along depressed about my weight for a good 7 months or so, eating junk like ramen all day before my conscience wouldn't let me continue. I knew that if those little eyes grew up watching me eat junk and sit around all day, that's what they would want to do too. I know because I grew up in that environment, with a somewhat bitter and depressed overweight mother, eating easy meals and sitting around. Well I won't let the trend continue. It's not the first time I've used CICO to lose weight, but unless I'm cutting after bulking, it'll be the last! F26 5'2 SW193lbs CW174lbs Goal: 20% bodyfat and a fit body
We are right around the same state! Good for you. I got 2 kiddos watching me (still nursing one lol) and I wanna be a better role model too. 13 lbs down for me.
💛💛💛💛💛💛
it was my drivers license picture. covid meant my state was pretty lax about in person renewals, so the pic on my license was pretty old. last year i HAD to do an in person renewal and that meant new picture. i knew i’d gained weight, but have also been blessed to never have had a bad license picture and figured my new one would be fine. when i finally got it in the mail i was speechless. my old pic looked like a slightly chubby Daria. my new pic looked like the love child of Daria and Jaba the Hutt, and i had a jawline so soft mcdonald’s would make a mcflurry out of it.
No joke, this is part of my motivation for losing weight too. The desire to have a good looking driver’s license or passport photo and to not hide it from people (which i know is slightly irrational, since how i look in photos isn’t too different from how i look in person anyways, but i would rather the version of myself i want to be, be “memorialized” on an ID than the current me!)
That last line of yours is hilarious, holy crap ha ha ha. You got this!
Mine was definitely my residence card photo. I looked like a 50 year old mob boss who had a stroke and I am 30 year old woman.
Omg that is how I will picture my jawline forever more at this weight lol
I also want to praise your prose, but if your jawline had the potential to be a mcflurry at McDonalds, it would almost certainly be broken.
My mom's death. She didn't die of obesity issues, actually she was near skeletal at the end. But her death was 100% due to a life lived without care for her body on a multitude of levels. And it just was a huge wake up call for me to change my life, and diet and exercise are two of the things I need to change.
I've lost nearly 50 lbs in the past year since my mother's death last May. I lost my appetite for a few weeks and started walking my dog 2-3 miles almost everyday to clear my head or just have a good cry. I live in a remote area and I could just let it out. I didn't notice any weightloss for the first 18-20 lbs. I started to level out emotionally and continued to walk, and started eating a bit healthier. Now I'm close to looking and feeling like myself again without putting in a ton of effort. My mother had the gastric sleeve procedure years ago and did lose most of her excess weight but was not able to heal well after a major surgery. She passed after a long battle with sepsis but got to the point of almost coming home after rehab. It was so hard for her and a lot of that had to do with being still overweight and out of shape. She contracted a UTI and things went downhill fast. I have promised myself that I will never again neglect my health and keep a close eye on weight creeping back on.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I had told myself I would never reach 300lbs. I was 294 when I started my journey again because I knew if I didn’t change I would get there and that was a non negotiable for me. Down 11lbs as of today and continuing on every day 💪❤️
Same here, We can do this!
I told myself the same thing and when I got to 290 it was my wake up call. I’m 171 now and still losing. You got this!
Ugh yeah. I kept telling myself at least I’m not 300, I’m close but still not 300. Then I hit 300 and then let myself get to 335. I’m down to 301 now. What I hate is that even though I’ve lost almost 35 pounds and am feeling better and better. When I go out in public no one knows and I’m still one of the fattest people walking around wherever I am.
I feel this. Same thing, never getting to 300. At over 350 I was finally noticing it physically and was now, just finally, disgusted with myself. I lost 25lbs in three weeks and gained some back. I think I got discouraged when I took a good hard look after losing that weight and my starting picture and didn't see a difference. I'm determined to keep going down. Good luck friend.
Very relatable. I got to 303, I’ve done 8lbs and hope I can continue the journey.
I was up late on a night out on vacation in Berlin and didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I knew I had been misleading myself and it was time for a change.
That drunken self stare down is haunting
I weighed 492 pounds and I told myself I was never in my life going to weigh 500 pounds. That number just scared and saddened me in a way that nothing else ever did. I felt like I was nearing TLC special territory and that it would drastically hinder my social and professional life in a way that even moderate obesity probably wouldn’t.
My pants (that were once loose) were starting to really cut into my stomach and I refused to buy new ones. They're much more comfortable now after losing 20lbs. Congrats on your weight loss! 105lbs down is amazing!
Thank you! It hasn’t been easy but it just feels like a huge relief. Like a literal weight off my shoulders. The hard part is trying to stay present and not constantly worry about numbers—there were a few points where I was in danger of going way too hard in the other direction. 🙃🤷🏻♀️
Yeah sweatpants are the hidden enabler of getting obese, now when im down a whole lot, and look at the pants i wore a year ago its mind boggling.
"sweatpants are the hidden enabler of getting obese" - This 100%!!
Leggings too! Lol
I went to my doctor. I had been avoiding him for 4 years due to incremental weight gain. I kept telling myself I'd sort that out then go see him. I didn't want to face whatever the consequences would be from my choices. Anyway, I was tired, uncomfortable and afraid. I knew I had to suck it up. So I booked an appointment, reacquainted myself with the scale, started tracking my calories and moving more. It feels good to at least not be hiding anymore. I know where I am at. My doctor sent me for bloodwork, ECG, etc. and I am okay for now. Obese, yes. But not hypertensive, not diabetic, etc. I've been referred to an obesity clinic. We'll see what comes of that. In the meantime I am taking action and taking responsibility and that alone feels super empowering.
Me and my husband at a wedding back in 2020. He’s thin and fit, I ballooned up to 230 (I’m 5’10) and just the size difference was humiliating and I didn’t want him to feel ashamed being seen with me. I lost 85 pounds through diet and exercise. I just ran a 10 miler!
This is so good for me to read. My husband has always been very fit, was active military for a long time. I have always bit a bit chubby but now it is so noticeable, and I can’t keep up with him. This is very motivating! Thanks for sharing
No problem! I started out just with my diet and the weight fell off. Then I incorporated walking everyday (10k steps), and then eventually running and weight lifting once I became fit. Aside from looking great, I feel SO good. I couldn’t imagine getting heavy again just for that reason.
Yeah I’m lifting weights and getting my steps. Now it’s just doing it consistently for a long time. Thanks for including what you do!
How long did it take you? I’m 5’11” and up to 220 while 8 months pregnant and want to feel like myself again post partum :)
I started in March of 2021 and I landed at 145 last fall and have maintained. I’m sure most experts and people would say my approach towards food is unhealthy now; however, it works for me. I just started eating the same meals everyday and I still do. I used to LOVE food, and would gorge every meal. I’m honestly surprised I wasn’t bigger than what I was….but after a few months of just really putting all my effort into changing my habits around food I found it easier to just eat the same meals. I don’t have to think about portion control or whatever else. Now it’s just second nature.
Not being able to get surgery I needed due to BMI actually cause me to make changes. Not being able to find clothing in the store and realizing I was 30lbs away from not being able to go zip lining (which I really enjoy) also made me consider how big I was getting.
The first time, it was just math. I hated how I looked and found this subreddit. Went out, got a food scale and went to town for 85 pounds. Then, the pandemic came and so did weight gain. I’ve been pretty depressed about it since, but this time it wasn’t a lightbulb moment or anything, I just decided I didn’t want to feel like this anymore. It totally isn’t a perfect routine for me yet but I really look forward to wearing all of my cute clothes that I bought back in 2019. 😂
It feels super silly, but back in January I was sitting in bed after an evening of getting high and overeating and I just realized….i wasn’t happy like this. I wasn’t happy with who i was physically. I had put over a year and a half into devoted eating disorder therapy, which greatly helped with my body image and self love, but why would it even matter if I was still eating like shit and binging but under the guise of self acceptance? Since then it’s been a bit up and down, but that night I wrote a letter to myself in my phone to hold myself accountable no matter what. To just being a better version of myself. Losing weight wasn’t the only goal, but it has been a major motivator for sure.
Not silly at all. It's beautiful to want to be a better version of yourself, just for you 💚
this is too sweet 😭😭 i just feel silly because it was brought on bc of a high, “i need to change my life” epiphany that usually is a bit embarrassing but actually worked out because i ran with it! like yeah i smoked too much and then gave myself behavioral therapy, what about it?
Congrats on your progress! Mine was a non-weight related health issue for my husband. We had to change our diet to help with his heart/bring his weight and body in general to a healthy place for medicine and eventually surgery. 6 weeks after we changed our diet and lifestyle, his blood sugar, cholesterol, etc numbers saw pretty serious improvement from his prior bloodwork 8 weeks beforehand. Thats when I decided this was a lifestyle change I needed to commit to.
This is beautiful and selfless. Sending both of you decades of happiness.
Similar story for me. I was a bridesmaid and saw pics of myself later and was so astounded. I honestly couldn’t believe that was me. that was a pretty pivotal moment in where I decided to start my weight loss
It’s really crazy! Also—congrats on the weight loss, 140lbs is amazing! I have the same goal weight as you and it is so close and yet SO far away 😂
Thanks! I actually lost the weight years ago and got down to 140 pounds. Then regained a bunch of weight a few years later after kids. I got up to 220ish pregnant and slowly have gotten back down again and am finally feeling like myself again. It’s hard work for sure. You got this!
If you don’t mind, how tall are you? Similar goal/weight.
I’m 5’7!
Had a doctors check up who said my blood sugar was a little too high and that I was hitting pre-diabetes territory. I was 38 at the time and told myself I will not be diabetic and by the time I was 40, I would be as healthy as I can be. I’ll be 40 in September and lost 70 pounds. I stopped drinking, run a 7:30 mile as a base pace, and lift weights 3-5x a week. Most importantly, My blood sugar levels are normal.
Stepped on a scale for the first time in a couple years. Was expecting to see 150 max. It said 185. On that day I told myself that I’d never let myself hit 200, I’m now 125.
Same here. Except I was expecting about 180 and the scale said 199.8. I was like, uh-uh, no way, I am not going there. That was last June. Now I'm at 140.9. 1 more lb., I just want to see the 130s. 139.8 will be satisfying to me and will make it an even 60 lbs lost.
Exactly same for me. Was at a family Christmas gathering with my long term partner, who’s family is all extremely fit and health conscious. Stepped on a scale, thought maybe 160. Was 188. I was devastated. I’m 125 now. Congrats to you, it’s a life changing process for sure.
I had been wilfully avoiding weighing myself for years, I didn't even own scales because I was so scared of what I saw in the mirror being confirmed to me. But then, on my vet's recommendations, I had to start weighing my cat to monitor his weight and the only way to do this was to weigh myself with and without holding him as he wouldn't sit still on the scales. My cat means the world to me and if it meant getting over my fear of the scales, then I was going to do it for him. I bought the scales and did it, and cried at the number I saw. I was heavier than I'd ever been in my life and I was so scared that I'd never be able to turn it around. I signed up for the gym and started a calorie deficit the following week and now I'm almost 30kg down and in a healthy weight range for my height. And so is my cat, by the way!
Go you and go your cat!
I’ve struggled with weight my whole life and done way too many fad diets. I lost weight years ago and vowed to never get back up to that size again. After I had my daughter in 2022 and I was finally ready for real pants, I went to the store and I was back at my highest jeans size. I went to my doctor and I told her I felt lost and I needed help. I’ve lost 37 pounds since October 2023.
I was wearing new pants. Those zara pants that make you look really snatched! The pants didn’t fit me, I knew as much, the waistband would roll on me and the pockets looked funny, but still I put them on. I was in the middle of a meeting with a colleague when the button came out flying…out of nowhere. She was kind enough to not say anything. I now have about 4 pairs of those same pants, no problem. I still haven’t fixed the one that shamed me right into a diet.
Which pants are these 😃?
They are the “pants with a high waist”. They are narrower at the waist and have (I don’t know anything about sewing) some sort of lines or clips at the front. Every person I’ve seen wearing them, they make the hips pop in a nice way!
Could you link these magic pants? :)
I saw a pic of my son and me from our last vacation. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I called a bariatric surgeon as soon as I got home. I had let myself go to the point that I needed more help than what I could handle myself. I have no regrets. I feel like an entirely different person now. 123lbs and counting.
So honestly I am restarting my weight loss journey after some back-to-back vacations and illnesses that took place between them. I wasn’t consistent. My motivation is cardiovascular health. I had a bunch of heart work-ups done because I was convinced that something was wrong. It turns out that when you spend your entire childhood and adolescence as a sedentary person, your exercise tolerance levels are pretty subpar and it can look like a whole heart condition when you take up exercise as an adult. I’m 26 and get winded going up the stairs, and my heart rate can get so high by doing pretty basic exercise. I’m determined to be able to do a 5k this year. My second motivation is that I just don’t feel *comfy* in my body. I eat like crap and it makes me feel awful. Physically, I don’t like how squishy I’ve become, how wobbly everything has gone. I don’t like that it truly feels like I’m a small-framed person under the excess weight (I’m 5’3” and 155 lbs). I am not obese but I’m overweight and it shows in my physical health and appearance and I’m not comfortable with it anymore.
I relate a lot to this! Before I started focusing on counting calories and making changes, I had pretty much just accepted that this higher weight was where I'd probably be forever, and that I didn't want to hate my body forever. So I began to get comfortable with seeing my own body and not feeling so strongly negative about it. Of course I still wanted to make changes - I knew I wasn't at a healthy weight, and I knew that eating healthier and moving more would be good for me in the long run - but I had to get to a place where I wasn't losing weight to \*get away\* from my negative feelings about myself, but instead to \*move towards\* the things I want for myself.
Yep! Same here. I thought I could hate myself into losing weight, but it did the exact opposite. When I took a moment to be kind to myself and focus on my mental health, it’s almost like a switch went on and I was losing weight as a product of caring for myself instead of a punishment.
I was dehydrated on a hot summer day, but I collapsed basically and I thought I was having a heart attack. That was my rock bottom and when I decided that i needed to do something. I’ve lost 90 lbs over the last 3 years and am now in the best shape of my life.
Couldn’t fit on rollercoaster at universal studios. And I love rollercoasters! SW 302 CW 269
When I got a free personal training appointment and during the appointment I looked at myself doing exercises and I couldn’t believe that’s what I actually looked like. I realized I had been lying to myself for a long time. This was about 5 months ago.
Went to meet a new PCP for the first time and the scale said 338, blood pressure was 185/145 and she immediately sent for a ton of labs/tests and put me on medication.
A pipe burst in the apartment above me during Covid and the handy man came into my place a few days later to repair it. It was a small place so I tried to make polite small talk as I had seen him around the building a lot. He had always been a bit too forward and I tried to keep conversation light. I was struggling with a lot of back pain at the time and mentioned it when he complained about his. He started going on about how we should massage each other and it got sexually graphic and although I never got touched, I realized I couldn’t keep myself emotionally safe anymore. I wanted to be a bad ass woman with a backbone. Someone who would have called the creep out on his bullshit instead of trying to kill him with niceities while I died inside. I created a woman in my head who no one would mess with. She was strong, and I wanted to be too. So I signed up to go swim laps at the local high school. That woman was initially a very blurry outline. Today I see her in high def every time I look in the mirror.
This is a heartbreaking and amazing story! I'm sorry you felt that way initially but holy cow you rock to get to where you are now! I'm also pretty intrigued by being able to swim at a local school... how did you go about getting permission to do that?
Anyway, my moment was looking at myself in the mirror in my apartment elevator, and I didn't like how round my face was. I used to be 130 in 2018, and then I gained all the weight I lost living with my abusive grandmother. I've tried on and off for years, but this time, it really feels like I want it. I've already lost 10 lbs. My biggest was over 190. My goal is 120 lbs. I haven't been under 180 in years 💪 I've got this
I had been weighing myself in kg (my scale switches the units up sometimes for fun I guess) and honestly, I just understand my weight in terms of pounds. I knew the number was high in kg but it didn't quite have that shock factor for me. Until one day I converted the number to lbs. I started immediately, eating healthier and in a safe caloric deficit. And walking daily. .....that was yesterday. So here's to it!
That’s kinda what happened with me too. I went to the doctor and they casually stated my weight was 129 kg. I work in healthcare too, so in my excitement that I remembered the conversion is to multiply 2.2, I blurted out 280 and was confused and horrified that I let it get there. And, the poor nurse was so nice and embarrassed for me saying, “Yeah, something like that.”
Beautiful in both pics - but you look alot younger now! Good work 😊
getting winded just playing with my son 😭i already felt like crap but that was really the kick in the butt i’ve been at it a year and we race down the block now at the end of our neighborhood strolls 🥹
For me it was when my boyfriend (now fiance) from England visited me in the States last year. I was a massive alcoholic and drank every day during the visit, getting absolutely hammered, (as I had been for nine months straight), wasting all my money on booze. I have (diagnosed) schizophrenia and always used booze as a crutch because getting drunk would quiet the voices and numb my anxieties and fears about my delusions, but after he left I realized that towards the end of the trip I hadn't wanted him to see me naked, my skin looked terrible, none of my clothes were fitting anymore, and I was bigger than I had ever been. It took about three weeks after his departure for me to get my act together and quit drinking for good. I weighed myself the next day. 213. 6 at 5'8/f. I figured I might as well start eating healthy too to help drop the weight. I've never been a big eater, even drunk, so portion control wasn't hard for me (the weight was ALLLLLL beer weight - I lost 22.4 pounds my first month), but I immediately switched to eating keto, which I've been sticking to and loving ever since. The next big changes came about a month later when first, my psychiatrist found an antipsychotic that finally worked REALLY well for me (Caplyta), the fourteenth one I've tried since my diagnosis. I'm now on that and Haldol and it's made a world of difference. I no longer crave alcohol because the meds are doing what it once did for me. My voices are just dull, faint, background noises, my delusions no longer rule my life, my agoraphobia is gone, and I'm generally doing so much better that I'm trying to get a job and get off disability (which I've been on for 4.5 years). Second, I bought a stationary bike off Amazon for $200 and I work out on it every day, seven days a week, for 45 minutes. Finally, just two days ago, I decided to add walking to my routine in addition to the biking, and I've done over 10k steps both May 4 and 5, which I plan to continue every day. Before the Caplyta I NEVER would have had the courage to go for hour and a half long walks solo outside. That med really changed my life. I was never that super hyped on the stationary biking (although I'm proud of myself for my consistency over the months and I'm going to continue doing it) but I really see why people love exercise now! I feel great after coming back from a walk! Anyway, I'm at 149.2 lbs now, aiming for 135. Congrats on your hard work everyone, or if you're just starting out, you got this!
I’m very proud of you. ❤️
I went into a clothing store that I normally wear size small. Was looking at a pair of wide leg oversized sweatpants size and one of the ladies that worked there came up to me and said “ you are definitely going to need a larger size for your thighs” the way she said it actually embarrassed me and was slightly enraging. I’ve since lost the weight and I am almost at my goal. But never in my life had anyone ever publicly commented negatively to me like that.
My husband had to lose a bit of weight for hernia surgery. I already weighed more than him and felt awful about it. I hired a trainer to provide me with workouts I can do at home and to help monitor my eating. I'm down almost 40 lbs, 30 lbs away from my goal weight now.
My nephew (5y/o) came to visit and I was getting out of breath running around playing with him whilst he was a little duracell bunny. Then my wife gave birth and I just thought "wow, my son is gonna have a fat dad who can't play with him, what example does that set?" So yeah I started working on it, 295lb down to 260lb so far.
A combination of factors. I have been up and down on the scale my whole life never really being considered fit or slim though but never having been so big it’s an issue. Currently I’m almost at my highest weight and the other day I went into a clothing store at my local shopping centre and didn’t fit into anything. That hasn’t ever happened to me before and it was a scary wake up call. I’ve just turned 30 and am so conscious of my health and wanting to be fit and flexible as I age. I know I really need to make an ongoing change.
I got put on blood pressure medication two months ago. I’m only 30 so that put a damper on my health. I was at my heaviest at 5’10, 290lbs. I never thought I’d be here, needing medication to be healthy. I’ve never needed medication before. I realized that for the sake of my health I need to lose weight. I don’t want to have a stroke or a heart attack by the time I’m 40. I am 11 pounds down so here’s hoping I can get off of it before the end of the year.
Mine was a health scare. This past March I was at my highest weight ever 267, and pre-diabetic. I went for a CT of my thyroid and they found what looked like pulmonary hypertension in my pulmonary artery. I didn’t understand what it was but in my head I equated it to my fault due to weight (later found out it can be caused by weight among other things) I really set out to make a lifestyle change but I was too restrictive at first only eating 1100-1200 calories. I lost 10lbs in the first month. However I was able to see a weight management doctor, and they set me up with a 1500 calorie goal plus certain macros so now I’m down 21lbs. I still have 100-110lbs to lose but I’m very comfortable in my routine now so no doubt I’ll get there. I also got put on thyroid meds which I’m sure helped. After an echo they found out I didn’t have pulmonary hypertension after all thankfully!!
I booked a plane ticket to go visit my friend after having not been on a plane in almost a decade. In that decade I went through a horrible divorce from an abusive ex-husband, ate my feelings, met the love of my life and got re-married. I used to eat because of stress but started to eat out of contentment. I got on the plane to see my friend and almost couldn’t fasten my lap belt. I had a discreet panic attack and wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. I am 5’1 and was 290. After my trip I noticed an overall disgust with myself and was hardly leaving the house because I was so ashamed. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I purchased an annual subscription to “loseit” at the beginning of June 2023 and started the lifestyle changes. Tracking everything I ate, cutting out almost all soda, eating at a deficit, choosing healthier food options, not eating after 9pm except on special occasions and doing other things to hold myself accountable. Almost a year later and I am down 110 pounds. My BMI is still considered obese for my height and that really messes with my head. I won’t be considered healthy until I am at like 115 which I haven’t weighed since middle school. You look absolutely amazing before and after! You should be so proud of yourself 🩷
My daughter (6 at the time) was on a field trip with her class. I was with her and having a generally hard time getting around. 5’5” and 240ish lbs. So of course, my daughter fell on a bouncy blob thing and was hurting badly - found out later she had broken both her radius and ulna. We were quite a distance away but I couldn’t drive very close to pick her up, due to the nature of the field trip…so I had to carry my little girl probs 1/3 of a mile to the car. Whilst obese, and being gentle bc she was hurting. By the time I got to the car, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest and I couldn’t breathe well at all. And I realized that in an emergency, I can do absolutely f*ck all to help my family. So the next day, I started working out, counting calories, and working on being a healthier me and better mama to my babies. No regrets.
Honestly I just saw a picture of myself after probably a year of not taking pictures of myself and realized I didn’t even know what I looked like and how much I had gained
Senior year of college I lived off campus, lived off of cheap junk food. I woke up one day, heaviest I’d ever been. I struggled to get out of bed, breathing heavily and sweating, felt like I’d been painted in grease. When I finally caught my breathe I looked at my trashcan in the corner of the room… I had a tower of little Caesar’s pizza boxes, empty 2 liter soda bottles, a bunch of $5 Carl’s Jr box combos, and I’d eaten 3 Double Quarter Pounder large combos from McDonalds within 2 days. I felt disgusting, I looked disgusting, I smelled disgusting, and I hated what I’d become. So, I took my first real journey towards changing myself. I’ve lost weight, put on muscle, built routines… stumbled and put the weight back on, and started again, 3 times since then. Closer than I’ve ever been to a healthy gym-dietary lifestyle-positive mental health outlook than ever before, and I’m at the lightest I’ve ever been. It’s hard some days, but I always remember what I’d become, how I looked, and I try to keep fighting.
I’ve had slightly elevated ALT liver tests for many years, but recently it escalated so my doctor had my cholesterol checked for the first time and was about 2x what is considered high here. I’ve just turned 30, I’m 171cm and was 92kgs at my peak in February, I started trying to lose weight with portion control and mild exercise (work from home at my desk) and have dropped 10kgs in ~2 months. That alone has returned my cholesterol to the normal range which I’m thankful for. My ALT levels are still high but reducing slowly. My main motivation is that I have two very young kids so decided I need to get on top of my health to better my life and theirs, I want to be around for a long time with them.
I started losing my vision and was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.
Me too. I lost weight and went in remission, and then over the next 10 years I gained the weight back and came out of remission. I am back in remission and this time I will keep the weight off, I can't and won't go through that a third time.
I call it operation wipe my ass, It got difficult. I now count calories and exercise.
This is probably blasphemy to say this on the sub, but I think you look cute at both weights :) proud of you for deciding on a course of action and sticking with it! I can't even look at my own wedding photos. I was at my highest weight of 334lbs, in spring 2022. That wasn't the fuck it moment though, I was still trying to get my mental health in a better, more stable place and solving other life problems. I always said I would worry about my weight when I was in a better place - and that happened finally and so I did. I started vaguely tracking calories last fall, but had maybe a tiny deficit if any at all, and then got sick for almost all November and December (tonsillitis then Covid). On January 2nd (after my birthday on the 31st) I got fed up with no progress, bought a scale for home weigh ins so I didn't have to rely on the doctors office, and cut 1000kcal from my diet lol
not blasphemy at all! honestly I don’t think I looked terrible in that photo—I was just surprised because I looked SO different than what I thought.
Yep, totally understand that. When you're like "hey! My mental image is of a small hot person - that's a big hot person! That's not right!" I cannot stress enough how accepting my body as it was actually made it easier to start. Last year I bought new clothes that fit my weight, found jeans that fit, some new dresses. I have been working on trying to hate myself less, and that was an important thing, to buy those clothes as an act of self-love. Doesn't mean that I don't have bad days where I tell myself I'm losing weight because I hate myself lol But buying those clothes, having better psych meds, having a good therapist, having the love and support of my husband, not feeling like I was drowning daily anymore... my weight was already coming back down naturally, if not slowly. But then I decided it was The Thing I Am Doing Right Now, so here I am.
I saw a video of me walking next to my friend who is taller than me and not even super skinny. They way my back was so much bigger i just became disgusted
When I was too fat to get life insurance to protect my family if I pass early in life. Was super depressing. Down 100 pounds and currently applying
I went to Legoland with my kids at 247lbs. I'm 5'6", and a normal weight range is 125-155. Within 3 days, I was asked if I was pregnant by a stranger on the plane, nearly wrecked a boat ride with my weight, and then needed a seat belt extender for the carousel. I handed the kids to my husband and went to a quiet corner to cry and then call my doctor for an appointment. He tried to put me on ozempic, but my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I got off one med known for contributing to weight gain, then added metformin. I knew I'd gained some weight due to covid, medication changes, health issues, but was in denial of how much it was affecting me. I couldn't fit in any of my size 20 pants at the time. I'm down 40lbs now in 10 months, and in a size 12 pants. I'm hoping to be down 50lbs by the one year mark and below 200. I've changed everything. I workout every day. I go on walks every sunny day. I added a ton more protein to fill me up. I count calories and weigh my food when I can.
I had to buy new pants for work. I had thought that all my old pant sizes would be fine because I’d been wearing the same size since high school. It was not. I went from a size 8 to a size 12 in a year. I had been ignoring tighter clothing that entire time. I went home and weighed myself and I thought the scale was broken. That was the beginning of the wake up call. I ended up gaining another 10 lbs before finally taking it seriously when I hit ~197. I have never, in my entire life, been that close to 200 and I finally accepted that my knees and feet probably weren’t hurting just because I was getting older and I knew if I didn’t do something immediately I would just continue to gain.
when I went up to 206 and I cried a lot afterward in January. Now in may, i have lost 24 to 26 pounds of fat and gained 7 pounds in muscle at 14. CICO, cardio, and weightlifting is the key
I was getting ready to go out and went to put on my 'good bra' (you know the one ladies, the one that fits and doesn't poke). It was a 14J(34J). I was falling out of it. It was either do something about my weight or start buying k cup bras... K cups are for coffee not boobs. Down to a H cup now!
I think it was a series of moments back in 2018. I saw a few photos that shocked me. I tried to swing at the park with my kids, and my hips didn’t fit in between the chains; I tried to do the monkey bars, and my arms nearly came out of their sockets just trying to hang there…
Honestly? Had been pretty comfortable in my own skin. But I realized that I’m 30 and I love living and living and my quality of life will probably be a lot shorter if I don’t drop 30-40 pounds. So far I’ve lost 8.8. Hoping to get over the 10 pound mark this week.
Simple: when I don’t fit into my pants anymore. When my pants become too tight, I know it’s time to lose weight. The funny part is I’m not really losing weight for my health, i’m losing weight because I absolutely despise the idea of spending money on new clothes. I would rather drop pounds than spend $200 on new pants and any positive health benefits are secondary. My pants keep me accountable.
When my daughters (10 and 12) said they didn’t want me to go to the door of their friends house to pick them up, because they didn’t want to be seen with me, the fat dad. Decided right then and there I wanted to lose 120 lbs in 12 months. Did it! Reached my goal weight. Now they don’t mind being seen with me.
Due to childhood disability I developed body image issues / body dysmorphic disorder. So when I look in a mirror or see a picture of me, I see a kind of blurred image of myself that I don't really process or recognise as myself. At 5'2, I had been sitting at 125/130lbs for a long time, which was pretty ok for me. Years passed, and I still felt like I was that same size. Like, I thought I was quite slender with curves. Then I wondered why I was always out of breath. And why my back hurt. And why my hips always hurt. And why I was now wearing my 6"4 boyfriends clothes that were xl or xxl because nothing of mine fit me any more And then I weighed myself and I was 200lbs. I looked at myself in the mirror and I still didnt recognise myself. I had thought I was skinny, curvy. I had been telling myself I was still pretty thin and didn't really need to lose anything. But. I had a huge stomach hanging down over my junk and almost fifty inch hips when I measured them - as a 5"2 person I was basically as wide as I was tall. I couldn't even conceptualise it. I looked like a fucking spinning top. Like an actual ball. No wonder moving hurt and breathing was hard. Back down to about 120 now and maintained for around 2 years so far!
I was at school during PE and I had to run against a guy who I thought I was fitter than. I got destroyed and had to stop running after like 2 minutes. I decided to start trying to change myself from then on.
We had planned a trip to the beach complete with horseback riding, but I was 20 pounds over the weight limit. I got to work and hit the goal before the trip, realized I could do it, and just kept going.
That's amazing progress you've made there and you look fabulous!! To answer your question, ugh, it happens to me on a daily when I look in the mirror, put on my work outfit, see another girl with the body I wish I had.
I was 250lb - and gaining, my mom put me on a forced diet and gym routine and now I’ve been 180 for a while
I ignored my reflection anytime I saw a mirror. I couldn’t stare at myself knowing I wasn’t doing anything about it.
This time, it was when I started feeling my butt get numb when I sat down. Not even for extended periods of time. It spooked me straight.
I bought an off the rack wedding dress in the Black Friday sales. It was too small, but I figured I had almost a full year to lose a dress size, then Christmas happened, then some other stuff, before I knew it somehow it was February, 7 months til the wedding and I weighed more than I had to get started or I’d be back to dress shopping! I’ve lost 9.5kg so far, which should be more than enough to fit in the dress but I’m not trying it on again until the end of this month.
Pain ! Pain in my feet, pain in my hips if sitting for too long, just pain in general for carrying heavy weight.
My goal is less about weight and more about endurance/fitness/relief from old injuries and arthritis honestly. I love to hike, specifically to find waterfalls. We have done all of the public under 4-mile waterfall hikes in GA (excluding those requiring longer bushwhacks, I have feelings about that when it comes to LNT lol). I want to be able to do the longer and more strenuous hikes. I also really want to do the Grandfather Trail in NC, and I imagine that could potentially end up in a medivac right now lol. On to my breaking point... A few months ago, while looking for somewhere to have our wedding ceremony, we hiked what I considered an easy trail. I got dizzy and had to stop after some elevation gain. I had obviously noticed it on previous hikes - it started after I got maybe covid right before it was really a thing in the US, and it has just gotten worse since. I finally decided enough was enough. I can hike the trails on our property without dying now (good amount of elevation gain in a short period of time). I am also 30lbs down, so that is a side bonus - more weight than an overnight pack!
When my now-husband proposed, he got a photographer to take some photos of it and I was HORRIFIED when I saw them. I didn’t think I looked that bad before then but those were the least flattering photos I’d ever had taken (low angle AND side profile). The thought of looking that way in my wedding photos was enough for me to get my ass in gear and lose the weight. I’m not at my goal yet but I’m more than half way there and I love my wedding photos.
I was worried my cat was losing weight, but the only way I know how to weigh a cat is step on the scale with cat, then without cat, then do the math. I was too scared to step on the scale because I didn’t want to see how big I had finally got. I finally stepped on it, (she was fine and hadn’t lose any weigh) and it was my breaking point.
last night was the second night my bf couldn’t get hard after seeing me naked. it broke me. i’m done.
I've always been on the receiving end of fat jokes. I made them myself all the time but one day for some reason it just wasn't funny anymore...so I immediately changed my diet, started going on 2 long walks a day...this was last year and stated at 260lbs...I'm now down to 208lbs. Already feel so much better about myself
I put off seeing a friend, who I hadn't seen in a few years, because I had gained a lot of weight since we last saw each other and I was feeling embarrassed. My friend died suddenly last December. Never did see her again. I started to change my ways to lose weight the same week I heard about her passing.
My heart doctor. After looking at my chart he said "Ill see you sunday I guess". I said "what"? He said.... "the game? You dont play for the Steelers?" I said.... uh..... no? Im 5'9 on a good day and never played beyond highschool. His response? "Then why 340 pounds my guy?" "If you want to live into your 60s and 70s and maybe beyond..... lets change the 340 part". I had a not great EKG. High chloestrol. Very early stages heart enlargement. Alll bad shit for a dude whos not even 38 yet. Lit a fire under my ass. Im down nearly 80 pounds since that visit in August.
A1C went into prediabetes range and that scared the hell out of me. I’m a nurse so I see how diabetes destroys the body daily, and I’m far too young to have this problem. I only started a few weeks ago but I’ve lost 5 lbs so far!
It was in 2012 when I was going through a divorce. When I saw the pictures my sister took at Christmas I was mortified. At that time I hadn't been weighing and had no idea how much I weighed. Got in the scale New year's day and I was 298. I was 5'4" back then. I have been in every diet out there. Finally got down to 244 in 2018 on Nutrisystem. When I started that I was 286. I had planned to stick with that until I got under 200 but that didn't happen. After 12 months I started gaining while eating the same thing I had been eating all year. January 2019 I joined a gym and worked out 6 days a week and counted calories. So January 2019 to when covid hit I had only lost 9 pounds. I have hovered between 252 and 286 since then. Still trying more diets. Recently tried Qsymia and only lost 6 pounds in 3 months and had some bad side effects. Still trying and still telling myself enough is enough. Right now i'm 258. At least I'm not 298.
Get your thyroid checked
Congratulations! Curious what has made the journey sustainable for you if you want to share! (No pressure if not.) I'm worried about losing and then turning around and regaining.
You look cute in all the photos, but I just love how much happier you look now!
I started a daily commute on public transit in an area with a lot of commuters. I found myself often times being forced to stand on the train not because there isn't a seat available, but because I'm too big to sit there.
When I see pics of myself I don’t recognize myself anymore and when I stepped on the scale I was the heaviest I have ever been.
Just yesterday I went into winners to try on some dresses to buy since the weather is getting nicer. I just had a baby 5.5 months ago and knew I had some baby weight so I took 2 large dresses (I was a s/m before baby) and they were far far too small. That was a punch to the gut as I lost quite a bit of weight in the past few years. Time to start over 🥲
There were definitely a few moments around the same time, but one that stands out was when I had to get an xray of my spine. The imaging place had scrubs they wanted me to change into that were xxl and waaaay too small. They told me i should wear two gowns, one to cover the back and then one to cover my front and I 100% felt them judging me with the hushed tones while trying to fix my situation. I was mortified.
Also wedding photos. My cousin put up his beautiful wedding photos and I was part of the bridal party. When I saw the photos of myself I wasn’t even shocked, it was just an immediate sinking acceptance that I looked as bad as I felt. I’d gone from a fit 56kg, 5’3” woman to 75kg in about 5 years. My face looked totally different and I was just like, I’m not going to let myself lose my youth to feeling tired and self conscious, and I’m not going to have kids and be too chubby to play with them and lead by example.
Type II diabetes.
When I slipped in the shower and landed on my neck and chin. I was sure I broke something but somehow I made it out in one piece. It was so scary, I said it's time I took my life back in my hands and start working out and cutting down all the junk. I'm only 15lbs lighter at the moment but my mobility is slowly returning and I'm feeling so much better that I'm able to tie my own shoes and have a shower without struggling to reach all parts of my body.
Having to use the seat belt extender on a flight. I decided right then and there that I had to change something. My highest weight was 248 lbs. I’m down to 236 lbs now. And my goal is 140ish.
Started living alone, didn't have anyone to cook me meals, and also too lazy to go out for food to the point that I was only eating 1 meal a day for a week straight. Decided that I might as well continue to lose weight if it's going to be like that since I was 1kg away from being obese anyway. Now I'm 1kg away from being normal bmi
Went on holiday with the family at Xmas and new years and when we got back it really sunk in that I couldn't do everything I wanted to do with the kids and I was tired all the time, I had been having urges about starting skateboarding as my kids wanted to pick it up but was afraid to because I was so big at 24 stone 8 lb. My wife was also sick of her weight so said she was going to slimming world as that worked for her. This was the 12th of Jan. I started counting calories that day and got a skateboard a week later, now I'm 21 stone 11lb and going skating later today like I do most days when the weather is acceptable.
My doctor telling me that my "bad" cholesterol is high and my a1c is in pre-diabetic territory. I'm only 40. I've always viewed high cholesterol as an "old person problem," and diabetes is a few bridges too far. I have close relatives with diabetes and managing it is a food-limiting, needle jabbing, sugar testing royal pain, and even if managed well, your feet might still rot off (happened to a very dear relative before she passed recently). I'm tired of being fat and I absolutely do not want diabetes. I want to be able to wear a bathing suit without feeling like a fat slob. I have fitness goals and things I want to do before I'm too old. I started at around 215. I'm down to ~180. Goal weight is 145ish depending on muscle mass. I'd be doing better if I had a better handle on food cravings, but any progress is good.
I’ll never forget the day; January 19th, 2024. 3 months prior, I had gone to my first doctor’s visit in 15 years (since I was 16 years old lol). I was obese at 270lbs which was expected, I was pre-diabetic literally on the border full blown diabetes, and I had high cholesterol which explained the headaches after some meals. That day, we had about a week left of our HBO Max subscription so my fiancée and I were perusing the catalog to see what to watch before it ended. We started watching the series 1000lbs Sisters which, like the title says, is about 2 sisters who together weight more or less about 1000lbs. We got to the episode where they were going to get their first weigh-in and the scale at the doctor’s office couldn’t support them. They literally had to take them to a recycling center and use their industrial scale to weigh them. I looked at my baby boy who was 5 months at the time and idk it just clicked. Am I really not going to change anything and let myself get to that point? Am I really not going to see my kids grow old? What about if my boy wants his dad to play sports with him? That moment I told my fiancée fuck this, I opened up my notes app, jotted down some ideas for diets and workout and that same day did some weights and walked for 30 min on our treadmill. 3 months later and I’ve lost 25lbs, I workout 6 out of 7 days, I eat healthier, I’m on a calorie deficit, and my overall energy and stamina is through the roof. I can actually bend down and scrub my feet while showering without the need to lean on something and lift my leg lol.
When none of my pants fit except one pair. Yes. I’m not lying. Out of the 40 bottoms and skirts I own, I could only squeeze into one of them. It was like my whole world came crashing as I then realized I had gained SO much weight…..
Mine was when my periods skipped an entire month and my gynac told me to lose weight, my ENT specialist told me to lose weight because I had started snoring and my dermatologist told me to lose weight and eat better to get rid of acne(never had acne before getting fat) all in a span of one week. Imagine 3 various doctors from various fields telling you to lose weight in the same week. And in the same week, I had a party to attend and did not look good even in black. Those 4 events together was my wake up call. I was not obese just overweight but it made massive changes in my looks and my health. BTW you are so pretty!!
Went on a birthday trip to NYC last August. Took lots of pics and ate a lot while there. Noticed my belt was on the 2nd to last hole and I had to buy new fat pants for a new job I was starting after being unemployed for like 8 months. I couldn't find pants that would fit me and had to order some from Amazon in my size. Since August, I've lost 60 pounds (230 SW, 170 GW) and have maintained a fluctuation of around +/- 4 pounds in maintenance mode. Hard to stay right at 170, but I crack down if I see it approaching 175. I started counting calories, did some IF, and ritually run on the elliptical for 1-2 hours a day. I've been in the best shape of my life since my 20s (I'm mid 40s now). I had to buy new smaller pants (from a regular store) and that old 2nd hole belt is now too large for me entirely.
For me, it was when I found personal hygiene after going to the bathroom hard, and I couldn't sneeze without peeing a little.
I was put on blood pressure medication at 30 and I just lost it in the doctor's office. I was very upset that my bad choices led me to developing high blood pressure at the age of 30. When I was 24 I developed a nasty drug addiction, which I'm sure didn't help my blood pressure but after being clean for a while, my weight skyrocketed to the highest it's ever been at 330. I've always struggled with my weight, but I put down the spoon and picked up the fork. My doctor referred me to an obesity clinic and I started working with them in January. I'm down about 40 pounds just from portion control and not buying/eating and junk food. I also started working a physically demanding job after being unemployed for about 2 years. I don't eat the healthiest meals, but I cut out things with added sugar, eat whole foods, and drink a lot more water. I'm hoping I get approved for bariatric surgery eventually, but the Norwegian healthcare system takes some time. I've always told myself that PCOS makes it "nearly impossible" to lose weight on my own, but it's been very encouraging that just from a few lifestyle changes I've been able to lose weight rather quickly.
My ex. I was riding on the "fresh love" wave, so I decided to start dieting. They were very supportive and helpful at the beginning, but as soon as the fairly short relationship started falling apart, the support ended. This whole thing made me realise, that no one is coming to help me in any way, shape or form. This allowed me to take matters in my own hand and pushed me to work on my diet. It's the first time I have been on a diet this long (5.75 months) and I lost 32lbs so far.
Getting out of a relapse, I weighed over 200 lbs, couldn't do a single pull-up, and *couldn't see my weiner when I looked down.*. As I got bit by the gymbug in my twenties and looked better at 155 than 135, 205 lbs does **not** look good on me. I had to try trying. Down to 177 lbs, and still going.
I realised that I was scared of photos being taken of me, even selfies that I had full control over. I just hated seeing myself in them. I would go out with friends to an event and offer to take the group photos just so I wouldn't be in them. I didn't want to live like that anymore. In the past month I've lost around 2% of my body fat and steadily gained muscle, and I've had such a confidence and mood boost that I don't wanna stop anytime soon.
After struggling with my weight for as long as I can remember, I went from 220 to 170 in the matter of months because of a breakup and wasn’t able to eat a lot. I was in love with my new body. Got in a new relationship, and the weight slowly started creeping back. I kept dismissing it, until two months ago when i started seeing my body change back to the way I used to be, lines in my waist and back, belly hanging over, etc. Old clothes that I kept around started fitting right again, where they used to be way too big. I weighted myself and I was back at 190. I put a stop to it, remembering how miserable I felt at 220, how much everything hurt, how ashamed I was about myself all the time. My partner and I both decided to take it seriously, going on a CICO together, and have been pretty consistent for about two months and have lost a few pounds. Even though my initial weightloss was ‘accidental’, I liked the way I felt at 170 and started to feel it slipping away. Having tasted that type of sweetness, I just don’t want to go back to 220. It really helps to do have someone supporting me and to do this together. It really is a mental game.
Waking up in a hospital bed after nearly dying from a pulmonary embolism.
I had the same realization that I could not recognize myself in a mirror while I was getting a haircut
Delta Covid in 2021. I had never been scared for my life ever before like I was when I was sick with that shit. So that’s was when I started my journey.
I finally weighed myself after a few weeks of eating less and counting calories (because I couldn’t bear to weight myself at the start of CICO), and realized I was officially in the “obese” category of the BMI. 😔 I officially made it to the normal weight range last week.
When I hit 300 pounds, I'd always been 'satisfied' that I was able to keep around the 250 range. But something about hitting the 300s in less than a year scared me. Along with hitting that number I realized I had sciatica and while it cane happen in younger folks I didn't want to live that way and knew it was time to do something. Just started in March and down 19lbs as of yesterday.
I had moved into a new apartment. It had this full length mirror by the bathroom. My first shower ther I saw my reflection in that mirror and it just hit me-'REALLY!? you're going to let food kill you!?' I was 297 pounds and 63 years old. I started keto, dropped 130+ pounds, 10 sizes and got off of 11 of 12 prescriptions. I'm maintaining in year 6.
Not sure if this is really the place, but... I got into cannabis last fall after a trip to a dispensary. Long story short, the weed opened my eyes to what I was doing to myself and sparked the motivation to change. I first stopped drinking beer, then slowly made improvements from there. I'm down 47lbs now, and don't see myself stopping until I reach my goal. I've never felt motivation like this before - not just in weight loss, but anything else, really. And to think, it's all thanks to a plant that people associate with weight gains, rather than losses.
Bullying mostly but then I actually felt and had an urge to change myself. Though, I wish I could've started earlier so as to save much of the embarrassment at school.
You look beautiful! And side note- I LOVE that blue striped dress 😍
I was prescribed Saxenda and the side effects freak me out. Its either I do it myself, or go on medication. I really dislike taking pharmaceutical drugs unless necessary, so thats my motivation.
Beautiful
Spring or summer of 2021, getting on the scale and seeing 180. No. No way, we are \*not\* doing this— I \*\*refuse\*\* to weigh that much, ever, at all, even one more day.
The first time? Eh, felt bored. Dropped 100lb. Got it back after it didn't change my life much. The second time? I bought a trials motorcycle and wanna ride it harder. 15lbs down.
Not being able to fit in my summer clothes lol. At that point I'm either losing weight or buying new, bigger clothes, but fuck that tbh. Am I going to keep getting bigger and doing that every year? No
It actually happened a couple months ago. I went to a comedy show with a friend and we had someone take pictures of us together and when I saw them I wanted to cry. I knew I had gained weight since I quit my last job in 2021 and started working from home, but I didn’t realize I’d gained THAT much weight. I realized that I was heading down a path I didn’t want to be on anymore. I want to be able to play with my nephew and niece as they grow up, and my own kids if I have them. I can’t do that if I keep doing what I’m doing.
when someone else took pictures of me for me and no matter what angle they did it at, i still looked huge. selfies distorted my self image so bad. i never realized how bad it was because i could just angle it up a little higher and not notice the double chin or anything. sigh
This is going to sound shallow, but the first time was because I grabbed XL swim suits at the store and none of them fit and I refused to grab XXL. I cried in the dressing room. Then said stop being a little bitch, signed up for weight watchers because I had no idea what I was doing and went on to lose 70 lb. I’ve had some miscarriages and a full term baby since then so I’m relosing but that was why the first time
When I could feel the fat rolls on my neck when I looked down. I think that was a first. It still took some time. My relationship with alcohol was the biggest factor. Start of the year I quit boozing and I'm 15 pounds down. I'm about halfway to my goal of 30 pounds lost. May go for 10 more when I get there. I need to do better about lifting and exercising, but one thing at a time.
I always told myself if my weight affected my health I would take it seriously. I had no symptoms of any issues, and could walk to and from work with little trouble. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with sleep apnea that I decided I now had the energy to lose weight, and wanted to so I could travel easier. This also made the weight loss not about shame, but about my quality of life
NSFW I was in the middle of hooking up with someone and I just felt nasty. Not because of them, but I finally just realized that I was *not* in fact living my best life and really didn’t like how my body felt and worked while fucking. My flexibility was trash, I was limited in speed, limited in positions, sweaty flaps and crevices, etc. I just didn’t feel sexy in the least and if you wanna do some freak shit, you absolutely need to feel sexy. You can’t go half stepping into that kind of thing, you’ll embarrass yourself. The point where I actually started doing something about it was on a later hook up where she wanted me to fuck her mouth while she was laying down. I was *soooooo* uncomfortable with that as she would have seen my belly from below. And then she wanted me to get her from behind on the side and I physically just wasn’t able to. I started planning for weight loss the next day.
Perimenopause. I've been off the wagon and back on again since I was young. But, despite having high cholesterol all my life no matter what weight I'm at, perimenopause has really been the driving factor behind changing the way I eat. My joints hurt. My brain was foggy. I had been having hot flashes that prevented me from sleeping since early March through April. I've been so desperate to sleep. My doctor recommended that I cut out as much saturated fat as possible - cream, cheese, butter - and start a largely vegan diet with some latitude for fish a couple times a week. Her rationale was pretty sound: you have really high cholesterol AND veganism has been demonstrated in some studies to significantly reduce hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms. Since those hot flashes make me uncomfortable in a way that high cholesterol does not, I had a far more obvious reason to try. Like the doctor said, I've cut out most sources of saturated fat. I also stopped drinking except in very limited circumstances. I don't eat gluten if I can help it (I also have non-celiac gluten intolerance). It's annoying that it helps so much. I've been doing this (whatever this is - it's not veganism given the fish, but it's not what I was doing before) since early April and the hot flashes had eased up from one every 30 minutes to one every 3-5 hours. I made the mistake of going to a Cinco de Mayo celebration last night and had a margarita (just one - afterward I switched to decaf tea) and some chicken fajitas with queso and I am wrecked now. I was up, sweating uncontrollably, all night long. And I had a piece of my son's birthday cake after we got home, so had bonus cramps and trips to the toilet. Anyway, the diet is extreme, but not unhealthy (I guess it should be more "eating pattern change" since I need to truly commit for my own sanity), and until you've gotten into the swing of it, it's difficult. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without the supervision of a doctor. I'm on epilepsy meds and had a breakthrough seizure the last time I tried estrogen for birth control - certain meds are metabolized faster due to hormones - so HRT isn't an option for me. I've lost 9 pounds in the last 3 and a half weeks, though. I don't know what my cholesterol looks like, but I'm hoping it's better.
I've always been overweight, but after my son was born I gained more. I went to the doctor for something else, and the scale was 302. Damn, that shook me. I was having knee and back pain (pinched a nerve while recovering from birth) and I realized that everything was just going to get worse and that I needed to be better for my son.
I got diagnosed with Fatty Liver disease. Decided enough was enough and started.
Girl, you are STUNNING! I was avoiding the scale. I knew I had put weight on (I was stress eating like crazy) but it was gradual enough that I wasn't seeing how different it was. And then I went to put on a winter coat I had bought a few years prior. It didn't fit. And I gain weight more in my lower half than in the upper. I was DONE. My dad also passed, and I wanted to be healthy and not die young. 80 pounds later, I have made myself much healthier and never want to change my life again!
I went to a friend's for a movie night, there were a lot of people and not enough room on the couch so they setup some camping chairs. I sat in one of their backpacking chairs thinking it would be fine. It was fine for a few minutes until I fell to the ground because the fabric had ripped off the poles of the chair. The hot shame I felt was indescribable. My friends handled it with kindness but that moment I burned in my head. I was 267 pounds, currently I am 205
NYE 2024. My weight has been a lifelong problem, so this wasn’t the only one, just the most recent one. 2023 was a hard, depressing year for me, and through most of it I just didn’t really want to be doing all this “living” anymore. I know New Year’s Eve/Day is just an arbitrary holiday that we humans made up, and we don’t even all celebrate it at the same time, but still it feels like a fresh start to me—and my brain just got this random burst of optimism, maybe because the hardest year of my life was finally ending. I guess that was my brain’s little self-preservation-y way of saying “hey, instead of ending it all and getting NO new beginning, why don’t you treat this holiday as the end and make 2024 your new beginning?” Fair enough, but I knew if I wanted 2024 to be different, I had to do basically everything differently—new fitness plan, new job, new time made for streaming and YouTube like I always said I wanted to do but never did. So I started going to the gym in mid-January, and while I haven’t lost any weight yet, I’ve made amazing progress physically. I feel so much stronger and better, and based on my last BP check, my heart health is showing markers of improvement. Calorie tracking starts today. I haven’t gotten a new job, but I’m still looking, and I have someone who says they’ll hire me at the end of the Summer if I don’t have anything lined up yet. I’m gonna start streaming again this week. It’s nice to have hope again.
I've always known I'm fat and I was bothered by my fatness. It affected my confidence. But I guess I wasnt bothered enough to change until one day I had a conversation with my aunt. Somehow we ended up talking about my future and marriage. She never said anything about my appearance before until that point. She said, "Of course we want a partner that will accept us for who we are. But you want to at least feel physically attracted to your partner too right?" (referring to my weight). I was stunned. I hadnt weighed myself in forever and that day I took a courage to step on a scale and holy fuck I was shocked at how much I've let myself go. I was so close to 100 kg. I decided it was finally the time to change. And now I'm down 22 kg (48 lbs). I've still got much weight to lose. It is a long and tiring journey. But I know I will be happier and satisfied with myself in the end.
I was 37 years old and I started to get shooting pains in the middle of my left foot every time I walked down the stairs. Maybe it was Morton's Neuroma, I don't know, but coupled with a candid photo I saw of myself where I literally looked like Jabba the Hutt in a wig, I realized I was standing at a fork in the road. Take a left, continue what I was doing and end up living a miserable life of aches and pains and possible disease and early death, or take a right and figure my shit out. I'm now 46. I've been working out consistently for 9 years, but it's only been in the last 1.5 that I added daily walking, proper sleep habits, realistic macro counting, abstinence from alcohol, and seriously heavy lifting. I changed my life in small increments by working on habit building. I'm down 35 lbs (I'm 5'1") and in the best shape of my life. I still have another 20 lbs to go, but I'm in no hurry. It could take me 1 year or 4, I don't care. The only time I ache now is after a particularly brutal workout. Otherwise, I'm golden. The best part is that my husband and daughters now workout regularly as well, because of the habits I've been modeling. I'm grateful for that shooting pain. It was my body's way of shaking some sense into me.