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Epiphany

I want to know what your "Epiphany moment" was when you realized you needed to start a healthy lifestyle change and lose weight.

Mine came after my third child was born. He was four months old and I saw an old friend whom I had not seen in about 7 months and my friend made the comment"Oh, I thought you already had the baby. When is he due?" This made me realize that I had been lying to myself to keep from admitting that I had indeed put on quite a bit of weight. I am glad my friend woke me up and made me realize how unhappy and unhealthy I had become. Denial is a powerful thing sometimes it takes something major like an embarrassment or a tragedy to open our eyes.
What opened your eyes?


Thu. Feb 9, 10:59am

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well, since my weight issues have been a life-long struggle, there have been a number of epiphanies over the years...they usually come when I can't fit into my work clothes anymore or i catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and see rolls of fat i had avoided seeing before. or when there is some even i'll attend where i'll see people i hadn't seen in a long time. my latest came when i decided i wanted to have children and realized that if i don't lose weight now, it's going to be that much harder to do it after i have children.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 11:24 AM

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when I had a hard time fitting into a size 16 at Sears. I buy most of my clothes there, and I was not about to start shopping in the plus size section.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 1:28 PM

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my moment was when i was actually with my boyfriend. i was saying stuff about my body and he said that you have a gut now. I had a stand off for an hour in front of the mirror and was thinking whats the point of having to suck it in all of the time and, what was the point of being insecure and trying to cover up when i am naked so for thye next two months i watched my calories and lost 40 ponds i am now 5'9 126 and nice and toned,

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 1:44 PM

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Fed Up!

Mine was more a culmination of being fed up with eveything I hate about being overweight. Fed up with tight jeans, fed up with trying to hide my body, fed up with feeling overstuffed and about to burst after I had overeaten, fed up with the guilt and shame.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 1:49 PM

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Mine was stepping on the scale and seeing 198. I realized that if I didn't do something about it now, I would still have to eventually, but it would be a lot harder to do if I got even heavier. Plus, there was nothing left for me to wear.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 2:11 PM

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Mine was realizing that I had gained weight every single year of my life. I plan on living many more years, and I knew that if it continued for just a few more, I would be FAT. I don't do FAT.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 2:18 PM

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In the past, I've had many excuses that could explain why I have had the eating disorders I've had (feeling "different" in a predominantly white community/school, having the perfect syndrome - trying to please very demanding parents, surviving incest, being away from my family, never having met my biological father, medications, etc...). Today, I'm proud of my heritage, realized nobody's perfect, made peace with my parents and violator, and working on improving my health. The only thing I held onto was to wish my father into my life. When that happened recently (he just found me in January), I told myself I have no other excuses. All the things that challenged me in the past has made me strong today. The weight protected me in the past, but is not needed now! That is my epiphany!!!

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 2:37 PM

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Wow, to the last poster,
Sounds like you had a lot of life downfalls to overcome. Glad to hear that things are better for you now, I'm sure that your self-image has and will continue to improve and that you have come to terms with such issues as incest and "social" isolation. Hopefully, PT and its members will continue to help you towards a path of good health and happiness in the future.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 3:00 PM

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My epiphany came when I went to an amusement park and almost didn't fit on a ride. The guy working the ride had to tug on my seatbelt infront of all the people on the roller coaster. We were in the very front, so everybody could see what was going on. People in the back were screaming for him to hurry up, and they almost wouldn't let me ride because it could have been a safety violation. It was completely humiliating.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 3:06 PM

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Mine was at my yearly physical. My doctor weighed me, then went to record it in my chart, and said "oh! you've gained quite a bit, I see." And I was like "What???" I had gained 20 pounds since my last visit, which was just over a year before. It scared/startled me so much that I stopped gaining immediately, but it took 3 months (and joining PeerTrainer) before I started losing. Now it's been almost a year, and I've taken 10 of those 20 off. I'm still working on it, but it's frustrating that it's so much easier to gain than to lose!

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 3:14 PM

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I saw a picture of myself and I couldn't believe that was me. My arms, my midsection, it didn't even look like me. I knew I never wanted to see a picture like that again.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 4:20 PM

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I've always been big on writing lists of things I want to do in the next week or month or year...to achieve happiness. Lose 15 pounds is always on that list. "Lose 15 pounds by summer" "lose 15 pounds by christmas" "lose 15 pounds by the wedding"... one day I was looking through old journals and realized I'd had one goal for the past 6 years... and it got me thinking about how much and how little control we have in our lives. I knew there were things that I couldnt control, but this one was as simple as just putting down the cookie or NOT ordering the french fries. All of a sudden I realized that if I'd wanted to lose this weight so bad that it had been on my mind for SIX YEARS... I had to push a little harder. Obviously it isnt easy, but I try to keep my thoughts clear: I may not always be able to predict how I will make others feel, I may sometimes accidentally cause pain, But when it comes to me and when it comes to food I know what will make me feel guilt or shame or suffering and I am the only one who can prevent that, and I care enough about my self esteem and about my health to protect myself from that.

Thursday, February 09, 2006, 11:07 PM

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Hit a new high at the Drs office - I don't ever want to see that number again! It's too shocking. I just had it! I just reached a day where I said "This has to change, I can not continue to live like this!"

Friday, February 10, 2006, 6:01 AM

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OP

Thanks for sharing your stories with me. I use my epiphany as my motivation when I don't feel like working out or when that sugar urge hits. I was using my pregnancies as an excuse not to lose weight. I said I was fine because I had had three kids. But I want to be the me I was before my second or even my third pregnancy. I was tired of being the woman who still wore maternity pants a year later. Since that epiphany almost two years ago I have lost 35lbs and I couldn't be happier! I can't wait to lose the next 15. I hope and pray that every one of you reach your goals. You all deserve to be the you that you want to be. Thanks for sharing.

Friday, February 10, 2006, 9:22 AM

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Great idea for a post, by the way :) I often think of my epiphany moment when I'm feeling frustrated, or when I can't remember why I'm refusing to order dessert in a restaurant when it's soooo delicious ;)

I'm a sophomore in college this year. My epiphany moment came this past September, when I started thinking about this year's Spring Break in March. I thought about thinking of who I'd ask to go with me on vacation, and the two girls I wanted to take the trip with are MUCH smaller than me. I didn't want to look awful in the pictures. I didn't want to be the one that the guys on the beach ignored. I didn't want to be huffing and puffing when we were out doing our thing on the beach. So when we booked our flights, I made the decision.

I was at 185... now I'm at 153 :) and still going strong!! And the best thing is that now that I've made progress, it's not going to stop when I go on Spring Break, because who wants to ruin all that hard work I've been doing? Not me!!

Friday, February 10, 2006, 11:43 PM

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OP

I just wanted to share this with you all. I was talking to a friend of mine and I mentioned this thread I had started. She informed me that I was her epiphany. She said that by seeing how much I have accomplished with my weight loss and how happy I have become made her realize she had been in denial about her own weight. She said she is now exercising regularly at home and has already lost 12lbs. I am glad that my example helped someone else. I just wanted to let you all know that you can not only make a difference in your own life but in someone else's also.

Saturday, February 11, 2006, 2:07 PM

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weight loss

Please tell me how you lost 40 lbs in two months!! I am your height and would really like to be your weight.

Link

Saturday, February 11, 2006, 2:33 PM

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I am only 5'5 but I would love to lose weight that fast. Please tell us how to lose that much weight that quickly without losing muscle with the fat.

Monday, February 13, 2006, 2:17 PM

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My epiphany was when it 'hurt' to get out of the car. My knees hurt and then I went and weighed myself and couldn't believe I weiged more than heavy weight champions and linebackers. Never again.

Monday, February 13, 2006, 2:39 PM

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My moment came when pictures at a happy hour with friends was posted on-line and I couldn't see where my chin ended and my neck started! I was mortified by the picture, eventually too embarrassed to see anyone I haven't seen in more than 4 months. The pic now hangs on my fridge to motivate me to never let myself go like that!

Monday, February 13, 2006, 3:01 PM

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Ephiany

I have had two in the last month or so and have ignored them until today. I know that I would feel better about myself if I was thinner. So I sometimes just don't take the time to make myself up when I go shopping. Well one day while dropping off some film to be developed, I go in looking like someone who is about to be 40, and in come someone much younger, thinner and dressed to impressed, ( for going to walmart dressed like that I say get a life!) Anyway I was totally ignored. something similar happened at the gas station. I know I am attractive but my weight makes me feel, think and act differently. I had plan to go to cancun on my 40th birthday but because of financial reasons I'm not going. HOWEVER, My goal is to lose weight so when my birthday does roll around I will be 40 and fabulous!!!

Monday, February 13, 2006, 3:22 PM

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mine came to me while watching a show about how badly being obese can affect your organs. i am a strong supporter of organ donation and don't want to waste mine, so the show pushed me into taking better care of someone else...

Monday, July 31, 2006, 4:57 PM

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my ephipany came when i was severely intoxicated and overheard my friend tell someone else that i was "too heavy" to push over (i was passed out but still heard every word she said). i know that i am slightly overweight but hearing a good friend say this kicked me into gear. at the same time of realizing that i need to lose weight and start living more healthy, i have decided that my drinking needs to get under control as well. i really despise the fact that i do not have sensible control over my actions lately, and i am ready to change that for good.

Monday, July 31, 2006, 6:57 PM

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eating way too fast

I had a real kick in the butt when I watched a video of my son's 2nd birthday. We were all eating cake, but you could see me in the video shoveling it in. I ate it so fast, it looked like the recorder was on fast forward. My husband and I cracked up about it, but it really made me realize that I wasn't being mindful of my eating. If I'm going to have cake or dessert now I try very very hard to take it slow and really enjoy it. I was so embarassed at the way I was eating.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006, 1:38 PM

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