You know how folks talk about having their “come to Jesus” moment?
Here, I blog about having your “come to fitness” moment.
It’s the point where I gave up the pills, gave up the diets, gave up the “cheating,” the junky food, the emotional eating, the stress, the struggle, the self-defeatist mantras… I gave it all away, put my nose down and got to work.
I don’t think everyone’s “come to fitness” moment is the same. I was 330lbs – I had a lot of things I needed to realize before I understood that the way I lived would, without question, determine the efficiency [and, for me, the appearance] of my body. Others might just realize that if they’re going to keep that pooch at bay, they’re going to have to cut something they love orrrrrr run an extra few miles each week. Both are equally important, and equally okay. The important part is that we all realize there’s no shortcutting or cheating your way into better health.
Much like how your Grandma probably told you to “give it over to God,” you gotta give this thing over to fitness. Nothing else is as sustainable as lacing up your kicks and heading out the front door.
I remember mine: it was right after I’d moved all my things into my new place in Miami. I’d been working out for 6 months, and not lost much weight at all. I’d let three months lapse since I’d last worked out, and sure enough… I’d gained 10lbs back that I’d originally lost.
What the hell was I doing wrong?
Never mind the fact that I’d stopped working out. That mattered, but it didn’t matter as much as the fact that however I was living, I was living in a way that made me gain ten pounds in three months… and I couldn’t identify it.
That evening, I’d went to the store and came back with a 3-liter of pineapple pop (it’s pop. this is not up for discussion.), a buy-one-get-one for goldfish crackers, and a bag of verona cookies. None of those had anything to do with anything. I just wanted ’em.
The verona cookies were gone that night. In fact, I think I polished off the bag while I was putting the groceries away. The pop, I drank up during the entire next day… with the goldfish.
…and I had the nerve to wonder about ten pounds in 3 months. If I was actually going to the store on a regular basis, I might’ve gained even more.
Food was my source of happiness. I didn’t really go anywhere, and I didn’t really do anything. I just sat at home and ate. Folded up with my daughter. That’s it.
The breaking point, for me, was the moment I threw the goldfish bag in the trash… right on top of the 3-liter and the empty cookie bag. That was hard to see. I didn’t know why I was doing it at the time, but I knew it was wrong. I vowed to change from that point forward, but it was incredibly difficult and I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand why I wanted to do this, but my body couldn’t cooperate. Wouldn’t cooperate.
It wouldn’t be until a few months later that I’d finally get it.
A series of… unfortunate events would happen to me, back-to-back-to-back. And, on the night of the final foolish event, I just so happened to be baking muffins with Mini-me. While receiving the devastating news, I walked over to the stove, yanked the muffins out of the oven and put them in the refrigerator… half done. I didn’t cry. I didn’t sob. Really, I didn’t do anything. I just folded up into a ball on my bed and laid there. Of course, Mini-me came over and laid with me, but bedtime was coming. She couldn’t stay there forever.
That night, I didn’t get much sleep. I didn’t get any sleep. I thought about those muffins all night. Thought about. Didn’t eat them. Really, I didn’t eat anything. I talked to my dear friend Mally, who worried about me having the energy to keep up with the baby. I told her I didn’t have an appetite, that I just felt too broken to eat. She begged me to go to the store and at least get some veggies to eat – something light on my stomach – and I obliged her.
I went to the store, bought some frozen veggies – I didn’t have knives to chop up anything major, so I considered the pre-chopping a benefit – and some chicken. I even remember calling a friend to ask her how to cook it. Most of my early meals were variations of the same combinations – veggies, pasta and chicken.
Before I knew it, 50, 60, 70, 80lbs were gone.
My come-to-fitness moment was a series of points in my life where I simply realized that I couldn’t live the way I was living anymore. I couldn’t be happy through food – my happiness would come from actually leaving the damn house. Chasing my kid around. Things that I couldn’t do in the state my health was in. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t dance. I couldn’t, as I’ve said before, even stand myself up without having to grab something to help pull me up. It wasn’t even about getting skinny – I wanted to live, and I couldn’t do it as the un-fit me.
And a damn pill, cleanse, diet or detox wasn’t going to get me there.
So, tell me: when did you have your “come-to-fitness” moment?
(And, please, don’t feel bad if yours isn’t 900 words. You don’t even have to feel bad if it’s 1,900 words. Share, and share alike. 🙂
64 comments
It was about two years ago around this time. It was one of the first warm days of the year and I couldn’t fit anything in my closet. Like absolutely nothing. I stood in front of my mirror crying because I couldn’t fasten my pants. I laugh now that I look back on it. When I saw myself in the mirror, pants open, tears running down my face, I got annoyed. It hit me that crying wasn’t going to make my pants fit. Only I could do the work needed to make my pants and everything else in my closet fit. So that’s what I did. I did the work and my pants fit.
My come to fitness moment came when I rejoined WW and I keep losing and gaining the same two pounds. I also have plantar fasciitis in my feet first it was just one foot now it’s both so I know I can’t continue to carry the weight that I am.
After I finished UMD. During that time I would just snack for no reason and became a size 9 in juniors. During the summer I decided to eat healthier. This meant no more large meals. Then I started a fitness routine. This first started with Jillian Micheals to Jeanette Jenkins dvd’s but after a while its gets boring. Now I rather go to the gym and do a variety of classes. After gaining some weight again I have decided to change my lifestyle no more deep fried foods, white flour and processed foods.Hopefully this will work.
Late last was the final straw for me. From September on, my periods were increasingly heavy. (About 18 months ago I was diagnosed hypothyroid). In September my period was heavy for 10 days. Previously, it was more like 3 or 4. The next month it was about 12 days of heavy. The following month was 15 days of completely heavy periods. December was 18 days. It was awful. My energy levels were much lower than ever. I wasn’t sleeping well or enough, and I gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks of not enough sleep.
I talked to my doctor, and we came up with a couple of solutions, and I am trying them all: upping the dose on my thyroid medicine, birth control pills, and losing weight. I had gained around 25 pounds since I started seeing her in 2.5 years. The weight gain came with job changes, and I started working at home.
I have always been overweight, but I decided to make a goal for being my fittest by the time I turn 35. I have an 18 month timeline. I am a little over 6 months in, and I am about halfway to my goal weight. I have around 45 more pounds to go.
For me, I needed to focus on portion control and regular exercise. And getting my thyroid levels back on track. My diet has been pretty clean for a while, so that wasn’t going to be my biggest part of the challenge. I had to rethink my breakfast to concentrate on getting more protein. I eat a few processed foods, but they are pretty limited to grains, occasional crackers and dairy. I stopped buying most desserts and stuff, so I have to go out if I want cookies or something. I do tend to keep a few chocolate bars at home, but they aren’t a trigger for me. They last for weeks at a time in the pantry.
I’ve been keeping track of calories and exercising about 4 days a week. I am making progress, like everyone I wish it was faster, but I am tracking about 6 pounds a month right now. And that’s really good. Even though I wish that number was 10. Hope to get to goal weight/body fat percentage before the end of the year.
I have hypothyroidism too, and Rheumatoid arthritis. I am really struggling with my weight, between the up and down appetite, stress in my life, and constant no. Existent. metabolism and energy level I am becoming really discourage, but at the same time I want SO badly to get this weight off of me by the time I turn 30. I am 28 now
For me, it was a year ago. I’d been eating better but not working out hardly ever. I was seeing results, it was taking a while of course since I didn’t put forth the extra effort to see the results and feel healthier altogether. Of course I started to give up after a while. I’m the only person in this house that is trying to be more conscious of what I consume on a daily basis. I have a stepdad that constantly buys junk food after he gets off work at 11pm and a mother that doesn’t pay me much, in her home daycare so I can’t always afford to buy healthier food for myself. Working part time and not having access to a gym discouraged me. After a few months, I decided to try again. So I bought a couple Jillian Michaels’ dvds and a yoga mat and got to it. It was super hard. After a while it got easier, I’m even a part of a couple motivational fitness groups on Facebook for women. That helps me a lot on a day to day basis. So I got serious about my health January 2012 and so far I’ve lost about 10 pounds, not sure yet because I haven’t weighed myself in a while. My arms are smaller, my thighs are more toned, I can do more push ups than I used to. My waist is smaller and I can fit into certain pants and dresses that I couldn’t last year. I feel great!
I lost my grandmother at 97 years old in December 2011. She was always in good health and just gradually wound down. I always thought that I’d be like her side of the family, many of whom lived well into their 90s, and be a sassy old lady with a gaggle of grandkids. But, it occurred to me that at the rate I was going, I didn’t stand a chance of making it to 97, maybe not even 50. My physical health was deteriorating before my eyes. I’d had a cold for months that I couldn’t shake. I was constantly moody and groggy. Keeping my blood pressure down was a constant struggle. I began to realize that the fast food, the lack of exercise, the sugar, the salt… all of it was killing me. And not even slowly. I started by starting by denouncing fast food. I started tracking my calories and holding myself accountable for bad habits. Next I bought an elliptical machine and joined a gym. It’s been slow, its been hard. But since January I have lost 30 lbs, and I’m still going. My blood pressure is down. I feel so much better, I have so much energy. I feel more confident than ever that I’ll make it to 97.
Mine was when I was trying to get pregnant. For 3 years there was no baby and could not figure out why. My doctor said i needed to lose weight but never told me how. Other overweight women had kids and got pregnant all of the time so why not me? I started acupuncture in an attempt to help with my fertility and the acupuncturist told me to change how I eat. She looked at my food logs and identified everything that had to go. Not ony that, she explained WHY and that made all of the difference for me. I had no idea that processed foods were affecting my hormones and that all those times I would feel tired, weak and faint had everything to do with what I was putting in my body. That was it for me. One year later and I am healthier, lighter and…finally pregnant.
What a blessing! Congratulations, Annette! =)
I haven’t hit that moment yet. I am having a daily struggle with making the right choices. Going to the gym, being active, not filling my body with crap. Reading your blog helps me make those right decisions a larger percentage of the time. This posting in particular has really hit a nerve. Thanks for putting it all out there.
This is such a personal and heart-felt post and I think a lot of readers can relate to this. I can’t tell you how many times I started the journey only to give up or throw in the towel early. I’ve had many “moments” but nothing that stuck. It took me a while to wrap my head around my issues and grow from them..
Congratulations and keep inspiring people 🙂
My come to fitness moment was when my cousin in her early fifties died and within a year another cousin in her fifties had a toe cut off. Both could have been avoided through proper diet and exercise. My health background on my father’s side is a ticking time bomb. Diabetes (including my father), hypertension, heart disease, lung cancer… you name it, it’s there! I am in my early forties. I didn’t need a map to know where I was headed at 346 pounds. Thus far I have pulled off 33 of those suckers. I just have to keep telling myself that I didn’t put on over 300 pounds overnight so I won’t get them off overnight.
My come to fitness moment came after I buried both my parents. I was so tired of being in such a negative space that I literally could not take it anymore. Just seemed like bad things just kept happening one after another. While I was depressed and blaming everyone including myself for well…everything, people were actually moving on, living their lives and being happy! I mean how dare they when I was in so much pain! I was that bitter.
After stuffing myself silly with pizza [my drug of choice] I was literally sick to my stomach and totally sick of myself. Sick of the pity party I kept throwing for me every day. Tired of feeling hopeless and stuck. Then I decided I did not want to end up like my parents. I have kids to take care of, and I for damn sure don’t want them going through this mess.
Finally got off my behind and started walking, feeling lighter body wise and emotionally. Once I started feeling good, the foods I use to eat no longer appealed to me, I mean they did not taste the same. I also eliminated foods that made me tired and lazy, because for me, exercising is my free therapy. It’s the time I use to build my faith, think things through, cool off, cry, laugh etc. Whatever emotion I feel, I use that me time to allow myself to feel those things. It also became the way I realized that some things are out of my control and some things are in my control. And that life still goes on and we can still be happy in spite of. No more spectating life. I wanna live the best life I can live, and feel the greatest I can before I leave this earth. All the while teaching my kids to do the same. Besides…I survived and I ROCK!! lol
Erika I love and need this website…keep up the excellent work! Thanks for sharing and allowing us to share.
My moment has been coming for years. I’ve gain/lost and just up until 3 years ago I was in better shape than I have been In a long time. I signed up for Gunnar Petersons challenge and not thinking I would win didnt bother but I did win. I was excitied and nervous. 3 and a half weeks later 2 lbs down. I’m starting to realize that exercise is a 24 hr thing. I watch what I eat and take every opportunity to be active. I get off the train/bus a few stops before my actual stop and walk or I just walk it. I am always moving and since I love to snack I have healthier choices around. I don’t want to be like my mother who is obese and never did anything about it. Ladies we need to take care of ourselves and realize food is fuel and what we put in we are going to get out. I mean this is going to be a struggle but I honestly want to take this on. I went to lookpe for jeans last month and sorry I walked out empty handed. I took one look at myself and I was angry, disappointed, and confused. I also track what I eat via my phone which is very very important because you can always underestimate what you eat. This is a struggle I see more people out there that are younger than me and heavier than I will ever be. Hopefully they will get their “moment”
My “Come to Fitness” moment came last year while I was in the dressing room at Old Navy. I was trying on some pants and realized that my normal size 14’s wouldn’t go past my knees!! I literally cried!! I never & I mean NEVER leave the mall without buying something… but that day I did. My son kept asking of something was wrong. I began walking 3-6 miles per day, eating healthier and drinking only water. I quickly lost 30 lbs in 3.5 months!! I got relaxed with my new found body and slacked off…. gained 8 lbs back. But I’m back in the game for GOOD this time!
My “Come to fitness moment” came last year when I was diagnosed with a rare disease that caused me to have to be on steroids. I was already a size 14 I didn’t like but I ended up a size 16 women’s and they were tight. When I stepped on the scale at my doctors office and it said 199, I knew something had to be done. I didn’t want to get to 200 and then some. I am down to 177 and work out 4 days a week, even when tired after working both my jobs. Want to get to 130 before November…..pray with me ya’ll!
Sitting in my doctor’s office after my second miscarriage and talking about how improving my health might get me to my baby goal. It hasn’t yet, but I have lost 35 lbs and gained the realization that this is a better way to live, baby or not.
Be encouraged, God has great things in store for you. Keep the faith and keep up the good work!
“(it’s pop. this is not up for discussion.)”
That statement cracks…me…up! I agree. I’m from the Midwest and, yes, it’s definitely “pop”. =)
My “come to fitness” moment was when I weighed myself and realized I’d gained about thirty pounds without noticing. It’s been a battle ever since. I’m determined to eventually win.
Mine was a series..See I’ve always been skinny (or had always been). I used to eat anything and everything and not gain a pound. I never weighed myself and didn’t excercise a lick. I was skinny but I couldn’t run to the stop sign if you paid me.
First thing I noticed was every time I went to get new work clothes I was going up a size 8, 10, 12, 14, and finally a 16! Now for a person who only stands 5’5, its not healthy for my body. Then I noticed that I couldn’t find clothes in my favorite stores IN my size. They would tell me they didn’t carry 14 or either to order it online.
Second I noticed I was always tired. I came straight home from work and went to sleep, daily. It was my routine. Im talking about a full out nap from 4-7, everyday.
Third was when I went to the doctor and stepped on a scale and it read 205. Now for some that may seem low but for me I never thought I would hit a pound of 200. It actually catapulted me in the obese range. That was jolt, it got me to thinking about losing weight, but it still didn’t register until…
Final straw is when I was sent straight to the ER from a doctor’s appt after my blood sugar read 500 with a diagnosis of onset type 2 diabetes.
On Valentine’s Day, I gifted myself with a gym membership and started exercising 3 times a week. I have lost 15 pounds and I am proud to notice the change in the way my clothes fit. Now I will admit I haven’t been that consistent and I am having trouble breaking from soda and McD’s (the devil) but I am slowly changing my diet. I am drinking 3 bottles a water a day and exercising 3-4 times a week. My blood sugar is down to normal and I look and feel good!
I wear a uniform daily to work. One week I had training so for that week only I got to wear my regular casual clothes to work. I ate out everyday that week. When I got back to work the following week my uniform was so horribly tight. I felt like an overstuffed sausage. I looked bad, and I felt bad. That was the point that I decided to become vegan…..this was 9/2011, now I am a raw vegan and 50 pounds lighter. I love to exercise now. I work out everday and I eat as much as I want now, seeing that I am a raw foodist. I prayed to God to show me the way to help me lose weight and become healthy. Ask.Believe. Recieve. Raw food is SO much more that carrot sticks and apple slices. I eat pizzas, burger, smoothies, nachos, the list goes on and on. I went from a 280 to 230. I have 40 more pounds to go. God is good.
My come to fitness moment happened about a year ago, when my 4 year relationship ended. And I thought that way to get him back was to lose 50 lbs. At the time I was 309 (and I am 5’1′, not a good match). I was devastated so I stopped eating and that then turned into noticing my weight starting to drop. Then I thought if I cut out junk and ate fresh fruits, vegetables and mainly fish my weight would move more. Once I got the eating under control, I started going to the gym and walking on the treadmill. I became obessed with exercising and eating right, it was my new project. Needless to say, the man has not come back, but I lost 92lbs. Now I know that I have to exercise, I don’t have a choice. Th eating part is easier for me to get under control, but exercise is tougher for me. I don’t like it,but I look at it like a necessary evil. Something I have to do, because I don’t want to be 309lbs again ever, if I can help it.
I love reading “come to fitness” moments!
January after I graduated from college I was 5’4″ and around 200 lbs. I was sitting on the couch crying because of depression and a persistent pain in my knees. After walking to the kitchen for more food, I realized that knees didn’t hurt so much when I was walking, so I started walking in place. After 10 minutes, I was EXAUSTED but my knees hurt less, I wasn’t craving food and most importantly, I wasn’t sad for those 10 minutes. I was hooked.
When I realized that the physical activity I was using to ease my depression was making me lose weight I thought about what could happen if I actually paid attention to what I ate. The frozen pizzas and honey-batter chicken nuggets from my freezer went in the trash and I started introducing all those fruits and veggies that I thought I hated back into my diet.
I plataued at 150 lbs. This is when I started to research what was actually healthy for me and realized my platau came from not eating enough during the day. After I added breakfast and lunch, I dropped to 135. It took 2 years of trial and error but I lost 65 lbs and have maintained the weight loss for 10 years and am now training for my first marathon.
can i say my ‘come to fitness’ moment is still on the horizon. I read this post and tears are rolling down my face. I went to school to become a health counselor, I also became a certified personal chef, and yet I am not working in any of those fields, I am an ITspecialist who is over weight, I am a single parent who is considering taking back the ex who still is probably not right for me but is my son’s father and most importantly has alreadyseen me naked, I am the person who is over 50 and still standing on the verge.I have begun by realizing I’m not in this alone, I have the gym membership at work but fail to use it and I want a life I love. But Erika, you and your readers are a constant reminder that it’s not only me and that only hard work will get me there. Yeah, it’s on the horizon, but I have to get up off my couch and walk to it.
Well it happened when I couldn’t breath, constantly caught a cold. Just no energy. I want to feel strong, and energetic. I ate my veges and a good dinner but I snacked. I loved, Doritos, oatmeal cookies, black and white cookies, carrot cake, pizza, Popeyes. I overdid it and sat at my desk most of the day cause I was in a sugar fog.
Just hated the feeling sluggish. Then my body started to reject certain foods. I went to a new make it from scratch soul food place on 34th street. It was right across from a movie theater I would never forget half way through the meal I threw it up. Then I couldn’t keep anything down.
High blood pressure, high cholesteral, not breathing and feeling well did it for me. It was gradual a switch from whole wheat bread to no flour but 4:9 grain bread. Brown Rice Pasta. Quinoa, Collard green but not cooked the way I use to do it. More broccoli, squash, baked sweet potato wedges with spike. More fruits, oatmeal with milled flax seeds, fish, chicken, beans, tofu. I started to experiment with different oil, like coconut oil, sesame oil, wraps. Now I have so many recipes and things I make up.
Yet no matter how I educate myself I have to be mindful of my emotional overeating. To watch and realize when I am under stress and just take a minute to just breath and stop the unconscious eating.
That’s crazy. I think that’s the issue that I’m having. For the most part I eat decent although I snack at my desk at work. I don’t eat pork and I try to make healthy choices, but I can’t keep food down sometimes. Like red meat. I’m 5’7″ and 156lbs give or take. I’m thinking of starting a fast and exercising. My Daddy is a vegan, maybe I can get some suggestions.
My come to fitness moment came when I was diagnosed with a fibroid the size of a grapefruit in my uterus and early stages of lupus last summer. Talk about a double whammy! When i was first diagnosed, I immediately changed my diet. I began to eat cleaner and I gave up my birth control pills. I didnt want the mix of artificial hormones from food and bc pills in my body, making my fibroid grow any larger. I started to workout more consistently, but it was difficult to do, as I was having surgery every 35 days to try and remove the fibroid. My fibroid could not be removed by laser surgery due to its location in the uterus.
In December 2011, after 5 surgeries in 6 months, I told my doctor I needed a break from the surgeries. Since December, I’ve lost 40lbs!!, although I have lots more to go. My focus is to make my body as strong as possible to help fight lupus. I take piloga, spin, zumba, walk, run, weigh lift, anything to keep me active. I rarely buy prepackaged food, thanks to Erica, I make my own tortilla chips!! Thank you Erica for this wonderful site!!
Realizing I’ll be 50 in a few weeks and do NOT want to be a burden to my girls as I gracefully age. I’ve been walking and tracking, it’s been a success. I will eventually start a dance exercise class once a week.
I went to a family wedding, and my aunt was legitimately, genuinely, overwhelmingly excited to see that I was pregnant, even though no one told her.
I wasn’t pregnant. I’d gained 50 pounds in 6 months. Her excitement at what she thought was certain hurt way more than any catty response ever could have.
I switched to a mostly paleo, always gluten-free diet, shortly after that and have lost 25 pounds since then. The other 25 are more stubborn, and will require exercise. But I look at photos from that day, and now I see what my aunt saw – a face so bloated as to distort my features, as if I was pregnant. That will never happen to me again.
Randomly came across your blog and I LOVE IT!!
Now…my come to fitness moment…. hmmm…
Jan of 2010. There is no one defining moment but a series of realizations: I never knew what it felt like to shop in a regular store, I’d still be eating when all my slimmy slim friends had long finished, being winded after a flight of stairs, wearing layers in the summer to hide the…layers (iChuckle). I knew that I didn’t want to be fat anymore. I had tried the lemonade diet, WW, pills- everything but changing what I was putting in my body and my physical activity. I made a promise to myself that I would NOT carry this weight into my 30s. I felt like I wasted so much life commiserating about my fatness but never making any real steps towards changing. Today, I’m 100lbs down (ok, 96 but I’ll be at 100 soon! 🙂 ) It wasn’t easy and surprisingly the exercising wasn’t the hardest change. It was learning to not have a defeatist attitude when I slipped up. It was learning to love me every step of the way. The journey has been far more mental than physical. But, I had to come to fitness to get here!
My “Come to Fitness” moment was just this past January. I realized that if I kept going on the way of eating whatever, whenever, however and NOT exercising; I would eventually become 200 lbs. which on a 5′ barely 1″ frame is no bueno! I was tired of being tired, tired of passing that lady in the mirror and not recognizing her! Hypertension runs in my family. I’m already taking medication for it, and I want to get off of it. I want to live a longer life than my mother who died at 67yo. I don’t want to suffer from all kinds of health problems. I realized that it is a lifestyle change, there is no magic cure for fitness, you have to make the time, make the commitment to yourself. No one else can do it for you. I’ve lost 20lbs. since January, and joined the Y. This is my life from now on. I gave up the chips and cookies, (my trigger foods) and make time to exercise at least 5 days a week. It’s the only way for me. 🙂
My “Come to Fitness Moment” came when I was given an all clear after battling breast cancer. My thought was God has delivered me from this disease and I will honor his deliverence by getting the temple he blessed me with healthy and fit.
This is the moment I am yearning for. I am improving my eating habits/lifestyle. Fitness for me is the most difficult part of my journey……
it wasn’t one moment but more a series of events. last year i was out for my birthday and had on a maxi dress. i felt good! my daughter took a picture of me and i just couldn’t because i looked 6 to 7 months pregnant. i retook the picture from the chest up but keep the other as a reminder. later that year after xmas i was getting a manicure, i looked up in the mirror at myself and good lord, there was a double, working on triple chin. the scale said 206!!!!! I am 5’1 and 206 lbs crosses the line from thick to just plain fat. none of my clothes fit. i was in denial of needing a size 18 wearing size 16 (just not cute). that was it. it was not what i wanted. i wanted a healthier me. i wanted a life i could enjoy. so here i am 6 months later and i’ve lost 14 pounds but 3 inches off of my waist. inches off my thighs, legs, chest and arms. i exercise 4-6 days a week. weight training, a personal trainer, cardio mixes of step or spin and i walk on the weekend. i completed my first half marathon EVAH in April. my eating has changed dramatically. i make conscious choices about what and how much i eat. i feel fit. i feel strong. i feel healthy. i feel good. this blog has been a HUGE part. and today, for the first time in my life, i saw core definition. …. my journey is not done but mostly because this is not a lose weight thing, this is a lifestyle change. it’s become a part of me.
I love reading this blog- it has helped me stay strong when I’ve needed it most. Reading these stories has resonated in a deep way with me. I had a come to fitness moment and didn’t really realize that what it was until I read Erika’s post. One day I had just decided I was “done” and didn’t want to eat anything that wasn’t healthy, un-processed and excess portions. I just…stopped.
Of course, the lead up was there. I, like many posters here, have never been thin. I remember trying to shop at the Limited in high school (anyone remember the Outback Red collection?) and not being able to wear the clothes my classmates wore. Since that day, I have lived with constant depression and low self-esteem. This led to a cycle of eating to comfort my sadness and hovering between 250-270 pounds my adult life. I’ve never had a real boyfriend, just flings here and there, because I couldn’t reconcile my weight with being attractive. I would cringe when some man, offering a compliment, would smile and say he “loved the big girls.” I realized I didn’t like these men because I didn’t like myself. I didn’t want to be a “big girl” and have to settle. My choices were limited because of what I looked like- not how smart I was, how funny, how adventurous, how successful I was in my work- but how I LOOKED. The reality was the men I liked, didn’t like me. It was a huge societal slap in the face. Now were these men shallow, perhaps, but not all of them were. I could look at my hanging belly, dimply thighs and swollen arms and appreciate that it was not cute. At all.
Yup, I have high blood pressure, I am at risk for diabetes, PCOS, you name it but my come to fitness moment was initiated by vanity. And for that, I don’t feel bad. (Sidebar- I am with Erika in that I also want to be ready to run in the case of a Zombie attack. Hey, I get it. Don’t leave me behind!) I will be 40 in 2 years and I want my dating/marriage prospects to be much more of a choice. So, there came the day earlier this year where I just stopped. I stopped crying in Lane Bryant. I stopped crying when my size 16s turned into 18s. I stopped lying to myself and saying I was “just fine” when I really wasn’t. It has not been easy and I have a long road ahead. But I will walk it- for myself, for the zombies and for the opportunity to find my Mr. Right.
Working On It,
Your post tugged at my heart. You were able to articulate the challenge of dating while (eeek) fat in a way that I’ve never been able to.
“I would cringe when some man, offering a compliment, would smile and say he “loved the big girls.” I realized I didn’t like these men because I didn’t like myself. I didn’t want to be a “big girl” and have to settle. My choices were limited because of what I looked like- not how smart I was, how funny, how adventurous, how successful I was in my work- but how I LOOKED. The reality was the men I liked, didn’t like me.”
^^^ That right there is also a part of my come to fitness. While I am smaller and get attention that I never got before the deeper issue is not how we feel about our physical but about how we feel about ourselves, period. I spent so much time thinking that men weren’t attracted to me because of my size when in actuality it was me who wasn’t attracted to me. My feelings about my weight affected my attitude, my sense of self, the way I interacted with people etc. My weight loss journey has been so much greater than changing my physical… I had lost myself under all those pounds…
You just made me shed tears. Your shared story is almost exactly like mine. Thanks for sharing!
My come to fitness moment was 3 weeks ago when I realized I have everything I need to succeed-except my great personality needed a bangin’ body. I’m not trying to get too small cause for someone my height and build (6’0) I think I’d look funny. But for me there were so many great men that I come across and they would not give me a second look because I was morbidly overweight (my height has NEVER been an issue, thank GOD!). And yes there are great men that will date you regardless of your size but forgive me for not wanting to settle for any one of them just because they’d accept my larger size. I am beautiful and smart, and I can conquer any obstacle so why is this weight thing so hard?
I keep my ‘before’ picture on my phone’s home screen and on my fridge to remind me that this is NOT the person I am or want to continue to be. My kids have already lost a parent to cancer, they don’t need to lose another to complications from obesity. I saw my PCP and was told I have metabolic syndrome-which is a precursor to diabetes. I should know better, I’m a nurse!
So to keep myself motivated (although it is vain) I use some of these sayings:
My feet are so pretty, if I get diabetes and they have to cut one of my toes off I won’t be able to wear cute sandals and be confident anymore.
My legs are so long, scars from knee replacements and the possibility of impaired circulation and losing the whole leg is not an option.
I have beautiful almond shaped eyes, how is someone gonna look into them and know what I’m feeling if I get macular degeneration from diabetes and go blind?
You all have been such an inspiration to me and I hope that we all can encourage one another to continue on our journeys to have happy healthy fit lives. I thank God for ALL of you everyday!
Good luck in your journeys!
Mine….Thursday, June 20th, 2012 @ 10:35am – Duke University Clinic.
I have already done the gym thing lost 29lbs, got another cancer scare…quit the gym to have a pity party…gained all those 29lbs back.
Dr. told me point blank – even though all vitals (something I took great pride in) were excellent – my weight (back at 325lbs) crushing my bones. Both my knees need to be replace, and my spine and ankles all have several fractures (31 to be exact). I just turned 33 on the 15th of June and I am now facing living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Dr.’s solution: I have one choice – weight loss surgery. Yeah! Haven’t gotten over the whole day yet, but I knew then – Change is today!
, Wow, up until I had my first child at 26, i was always considered the smallest female in my family. My weight was always in between 135-150. During my first pregnancy I went from 135 to 200, I was able to lose 15lbs but had another child 16mos later. I have not been able to get back down to my original size of 135 or even 145. My brothers passed away in 2001, 2009, and 2010, and I told myself that I needed to get fit and that was mainly because I was eating to be happy and drown out the depression. My come to fitness moment was on May 29, 2012, I had gone to Veterans hiring fair here in Atlanta, and the way the employers where interacting with me was not the same as with smaller people in general. I came home and I told my fiance i need to get fit, we need to get fit and that employers will think I am a liability because I’m over weight. I put it off and put it off until my friend said she would work out with me. Tomorrow is the day that I start my new workout plan. I want to get down to 155 by my birthday in Feb, so I will be working hard to get the weight off. I want to be here for my kids, and they have never seen me skinny before, only in pictures, I want to be here for them and I know I need to make that change and make it now. I cried reading everyone’s posts because I saw characteristics of myself in all of the posts. GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was April 2010. I had returned home from visiting family for my grandfather’s funeral. There was a picture of me with my cousin, taken straight on, and it mortiphied me. I was queen of the one handed pic, with that angle that could make me look amazing, but I had noticed lately even that “made me look fat.” Anyway, I looked at that picture of my cousin and I and was appalled that she was like 1/3 my size. How had I gotten here?
This undesired reflection time had me thinking about the grandfather I had just lost. He and I were very close, so the passing was not easy for me. I looked at the picture and thought about conversations we had had about my beauty, intellect, loving spirit, and how when I was ready I would put those things together in a way that would allow me to finally find that special someone. And then it hit me, I had battled with my fitness for so long without results, I had made it so that my grandfather could never see me reach the dreams I had shared with him so many times. So, I decided then that my fitness would become my priority.
It is not a finished journey by any means. But as final gesture to my grandfather’s life, it has changed my life. I’ve gone from a size 28ish to a 20. I am knocking on the door of size 18, with a plan to keep on trimming down and becoming more fit.
For the first time my drive has lasted longer than a summer, or few months at resolution time. I make time for my fitness. Food habits have changed. And it’s become habit.
I’m just discovering this blog today and I rarely ever comment on any boards. Reading everyone’s stories really gave me a boost. Since March I’ve been saying to myself I want to get healthier.
I’ve started but keep taking steps backward. I lost 12 lbs. in 2.5 months and in the last month of not/sporadic exercising and indulging in junk food (sweets are my vice) I’ve gained back 6. Stress and other factors have played a part in this last month. It’s discouraging that half that work has gone down the drain.
I’m trying to shake off the discouragement and I think that discovering this blog today was that last bit of motivation I needed. Thanks everyone!!
I will be a regular reader and possibly a regular commentator.
I have had SEVERAL COME TO FITNESS moments, but lack the motivation, inspiration or energy to continue….REAL TALK…
But after reading other’s comments, I realize I do have motivation and inspiration. Reading other’s honest input has helped me to stop denying my opportunity to healthier living…In order to succeed I must utilize resources such as this website for support. And stop pretending that I can do it alone….Thank-you sisters!!
I was 205 lbs and 5 foot 4 inches tall. Wow. I couldn’t run 1/3 of a mile without getting asthma and I had trouble sleeping and working. And I was addicted to bad food eating habits…..you know the drill.
I would sit all night doing nothing, except thinking about eating those chips and dip on my counter….or thinking about making a fast food run at 9:00 at night. Why? I would be completely paralyzed until I stuffed my face and felt better, but it became so difficult to think myself out of the box. I did some research of all the ingredients in the food that was controlling me and I really believe that there are addictive qualities to all these foods that make it impossible to stop. It is not 100% your fault, the food is manufactured with addictive ingredients and I am not talking about flavor. Once you get off the bad food, stay off – and eat healthy food without those additives.
It wasn’t until my second child was born when I said I have to get rid of this stomach.I have never struggled with weight. I am the person everyone hated because I could eat anything I want and not gain.I was working out hard and making small changes but I was still eating was still pretty much the same.
I end up pregnant again after my child turned 2 months and then that was when I knew my eating had to change because I needed all of my energy to care for a toddler and an infant all while pregnant and in graduate school and having no help because of my fiance’s work schedule. I knew that if I kept eating terrible I would be too tired to do my schoolwork and to keep up with my busy boys.
With the pregnancy I only gained 10lbs (40 with my other 2) and I am 2 months postpartum and already lost 15lbs and 5 inches. The eating played a big part of it. I told myself before I left the hospital that I am not letting myself go. From that moment on I have been way more serious about eating better. Working out and being active was always fun to me so it has never been a problem.
Everyone else waits until the doctor or when the weight is out of control. I told myself I am changing it now!
My Pastor was preaching a certain about Joshua. He talked about how Caleb was still just as strong and alert as he was when he was a younger man. Then he veered into being healthier. But what stuck with me and still sticks with me was this, “You would hate to get to your promised land and die before you could enjoy it.” Right then and there I started going back to the gym.
I was 19. One day I looked in the mirror and noticed how big my butt and thighs were. I’m 5’2″ and at that time I was 169 lbs. I’ve been over 160 lbs since I was 15 and my mom stopped cooking and I got my own food. I got scared and said, if I don’t have a healthy plan I’ll be 200 lbs before I knew it. So I hit the gym and cut the crap and been healthy ever since (with a couple of slip ups over the years (lol))
My ” Come to fitness moment” was a wake up call about the same time filed for divorced in 2009. I was 225 lbs and not happy with how I looked, how I had gained 60lbs over the last 12 years( since my senior year in high school), and realized that I had low self esteem and needed to change my perception of me first. I started off with changing my diet little by little.. cutting the crap and upping the real food. I started to use my apartment’s fitness center( might as well… I definitely was paying for it) and stop making excuses for myself… my weight was a product of my bad choices and not due to the fact that people in my family tended to be heavier.. so i was doomed. I was lucky enough to be able to move in with one of my best friends during my divorce.. a power lifter. I was able to learn how to have a healthy life style because in that house their was no other choice. There was no … I am too tired to get to the gym… there were no excesses; this helped me when I didn’t always have the motivation to do it on my own.
So three years later I am a size 6/8, which is 4 sizes smaller than I was at my high school graduation. I have a healthy lifestyle. I strive to eat cleanly, while allowing myself sometime foods… sometimes. I find that my sometime treats have change; if I am going to eat a cup cake I am going to my favorite bakery and getting me a cup cake that was made with real ingredients. I spend money on my sometime foods because I want the best of the best. Also I have experimented over the years and found low fat.. low calorie versions of some of my favorite treats.
If I had to some up my coming to fitness moment.. it would be” The day I decided that I wanted to change my lifestyle for life”.
My come to fitness moment was over three years ago. I remember the exact day, Saturday, May 9 2009. I’d just finished up a 60 day trial gym membership, when the dreaded sales pitch came. He wanted to know how I’d liked the gym, and whether I wanted to sign up, but it was a limited time only…
At that moment, I was riding with my sister and brother in law, on our way to a florist, after just leaving the funeral home. My dad had died the previous day, and I realized just how much I wanted to live. While my dad’s death wasn’t because of lifestyle choices, I knew that mine would be, if I didn’t change. So I said yes, I’d overpay for this amazing gym, where I’d force myself to get my money’s worth.
I’ve lost ~90 pounds at this point, but have been struggling with a pretty long plateau (playing with the same 5-10 pounds for a year and a half). Now I just need to have that ‘Come to Healthy eating consistently’ Moment. It’s amazing how far I’ve come, yet still much more to learn and grow in my journey.
My come to fitness moment is….today.
My ‘come to fitness moment’ occurred after an out-of-town performance. I saw pictures and was utterly disgusted at what I saw. Hadn’t even realised that I had gained weight. I have digestive problems, so I assumed I was just slighty bloated from that. Turns out I wasn’t. I was just getting fat. I spent that next week cleaning out my fridge and pantry. I also renewed my gym membership and weight watchers plan. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m glad I finally came to my senses
For me, it was when I got engaged May 2012. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been struggling with my weight for the past 20 years and it’s been gnawing at me daily for the past two, but that wasn’t enough. That discomfort of being the only big girl, or not being able to breathe during simple activities like walking up a flight of stairs; wasn’t enough.
The trigger for me was seeing all of our proposal pictures and wondering where I was in this fat girl. Then came everyone’s requests for me to try on dresses and prance around when I didn’t look or feel like a princess on my own.
I couldn’t take the thought of being just that fat girl on what is supposed to be the best day of my life. And I certainly want to be healthy enough to give him children. So, I’ve cut out the sweets and am headed to the gym. My future life, and my future family are depending on it.
My moment came calling when my Dr. told me that if I did not lose at least 10lbs my high blood pressure would kill me sooner than later…I was 234lbs (my heaviest) and came to realize that 10lbs was not going to cut it. I needed to make a change fast if I wanted to be around to enjoy my family and for my family to enjoy me. So the journey started as I began walking and changing the way I ate. Before I knew it I had surpassed 10lbs in under a month. That was it I finally got it! Once I figured out the “magic” equation I could not be stopped. Who knew that in order to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle, I had to burn more calories than I took in.
Well that journey has been going strong for over a year and a half and I am now on my way to becoming a Personal Trainer and Health and Fitness Coach. I cherish these days as I say “That was me then and this is me now”
You mean my stutter moment or my “real” moment because for the last 4 years I have been kidding myself with a-ha moments of I need to lose weight only to continue to sit on my arse and do nothing. Then I went to the doc this past week and the dang scale read 255. No frappucino way. I am done.
I have had so many of these moments, but the one where I got serious was at the doctor on my 30th birthday. I always get a physical on by birthday to help me remember to do so annually. So on September 6, 2010 I stepped on the doctor’s scale and weighed in at 331lbs. I knew it wasn’t going to be good news since I had long since stopped being able to weigh myself on our home scale which maxed out at 300 lbs. But that number…331…as in >10x my age! Unacceptable.
By then I had learned a new way to live with intention. By focusing on personal development, I was achieving success in practically every other area of my life –in my relationships, on my job, in my travels, etc. It was time for me to apply what I knew was working to my body. Once I did, the resources and support I needed showed up. So did commitment. I started working a plan, tracking my food, moving my body, listening to my body and responding with love instead of contempt and dissatisfaction. Two years and -110 lbs later, my efforts are paying off in more ways than one. I’m not always perfect, but I celebrate every success–my own and others. I’m sharing my story and helping others now through life coaching. It all started with a number–331. But it continues with my knowing that I’m so much more than the number on the scale or my clothes tags. I appreciate everything my body does for me, and I am showing that by doing more for it and continuing the journey to make my body DREAM come true.
Thanks for letting me share here! I love your blog. 🙂 -KL
My “come to fitness” moment happened in my doctor’s office in the spring of 2009. I was having a set of “unrelated” health issues so I went to see her. It had been a while since I was in so she asked me if anything new was happening in my life. I told her with great excitement that I was about to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
Instead of being excited she sat back in her chair and said, “Hmm. That’s a high stress profession.” I was a little taken aback by that statement but that was nothing compared to what she said next.
“I’ve been meaning to have this talk with you for a while and I think now is the time.” She took a deep breath and said, “You are now over 50 years old. You have a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure. Your blood pressure has been steadily rising over the last three years as has your weight. You are going into a high stress profession. You don’t exercise and you are more than 100 pounds above your recommended weight. You are obese. You must make some changes and you must make them now or I cannot predict a long and healthy career for you.”
She went on to tell me that the health issues that I thought were unrelated were actually all related. They were all either a consequence of my weight or would be greatly diminished if I did something about my weight. I walked out of that office in a state of shock. I was actually scared. By the time I had reached home after that visit I had resolved to make a change. That Saturday I was sitting in my first Weight Watchers meeting and my life has never been the same.
This “come to fitness” moment was brought to you by me and my doctor.
I want my come to fitness moment…it seems to allude me. I get on but fall back off. I haven’t been on in a while and I want to know how to get started the right way, to get on and stay on. What should I do first? How do I stay motivated? How do I stay committed? How do I find the time? Oh and My budget is very lacking I cannot cook 2 different meals for my family. Luckily they are hardly picky just hungry, like all the time.
My aunt died almost 3 years ago and I sank into a state of depression where I almost lost myself and died along with her. I had my son 2 weeks before she died so along with all of the pregnancy and post pregnancy things I had her death to seal with as well. She had diabetes and a heart problem caused by it. She died alone in her apartment and was not for several days. My husband deployed shortly there after and it wasn’t until I realized that I was dying that I had my coming to fitness moment. It took me another year or so after all of that to realize it was a coming to a better life style moment because I started a fitness reg but my eating was horrible. I have made the official life style change 3 months ago and it is becoming easier to eat with small cheats and I go to the gym mon-fri with a home workout on the weekend. My coming to fitness moment was when I realized I could have easily been her, alone with failing health and not even know it.
My moment came during a conversation with my BFF, who was helping me through a bad breakup. We were talking about how to gain self worth and she said: “self worth starts with keeping all of the promises you’ve made to yourself.” That really resonated with me. I quipped that I had been promising myself a flat stomach since 2002, which was a joke to lighten the tone of the conversation (which I always do), but was also the truth. Since high school, I have been carrying around about 15 extra lbs (sometimes 20, 30, and once even 50, which is a lot if you’re under 5’5), and I’d been promising myself a change but never doing a dern thing about it. I think that was a turning point for me. I realized that, all while I was angry about the way some man had been treating me, I hadn’t been being all that kind to myself, in both health- and non-health related ways. I had to let go of the belief that I was hopelessly addicted (and immune) to sugar and that I come from a line of heavy women and so I would always carry a little extra. I started exercising consistently and seriously clean eating . Ironically, I haven’t been on the scale in a while (just looking at and assessing my own body and using clothing to gauge how far I’ve come), but I’ve finally started reshaping my body and being healthy. I’ve got some work left to do, but I like the way I look and I’m proud that I now understand and honor the fact that, when I don’t work out, when I eat crazily, I am only hurting myself–the only person who has the power to help me achieve my goals.
Yesterday was my “come to fitness” moment. I downloaded an app that will help me work up to running for 30 minutes and did 30 mins of walk/run intervals. That is where I’m starting. Nutritional changes will come but I knew I had to start somewhere.
What lead up to this – realizing I have NO waistline, difficulty in climbing stairs, bulging out of my size 20’s, realizing that the next size up will not be available at the stores where I currently shop, inability to focus at work, horrible mood swings – at work, at church – and with whomever crossed my path, being he biggest person in recent pictures, realizing that “appear skinny, sideways pose” doesn’t work anymore, having feet that hurt whenever I stand to walk, especially getting out of the bed in the morning, mother with diabetes type 2 and severe diabetic retinopathy, father with blocked artery, heart problems and recovering from stroke.
Thank you for your internet site, in particular this “come to fitness” post. After reading comments on yesterday I realized (which I knew) that I’m not alone and that it can be done. Overall, I need to lose 100 lbs to be within my suggest BMI index. And I will do it 1 lb at a time.
Finally coming to the realization that I was the only one standing in my way.
It was a snowball effect. I was on vacation and my little boy got away from me. As I was chasing him, people were stopping and staring at me as I huffed trying to catch him. That same week I went to the doctor for a checkup and my nurse weighed me. I had gained 30 pounds in less than 2 months. My period was gone and I was a mess. That night I vowed to never give up and to change my lifestyle.
In July 2010, I began writing a blog detailing the events of my weight loss efforts. One of the first entries described exactly when I realized I was a fat chick and couldn’t avoid the reality anymore. Here’s a portion of what I wrote:
“It was, however, one thing in particular that pushed me into the realization that I was yes indeed fat: My Wrists. One day…and several days after that, I noticed that when I bent my wrists back the line that formed in the skin remained, even when my wrist was in the normal position again. Yes. That’s fatness, girl. And I kept looking. And checking. And noticing. Finally I said, “Wow. You really are fat.” Soon there after, I began a diet plan. So far (ten days in) I’m about 7 pounds down. Can I still see the line? Sad to say, yes, I can. Stay tuned…it’s bound to disappear sooner or later!”
Update, it’s now February 2014 and I’m happy to report that after what ended up being years of not quite committing… i did the thing that needed to be done in my weight loss effort: I gave up sugar. And lost about 40 pounds. Yeah I did :). I feel fantastic, and look pretty darn good. Need to buff up a bit ‘cuz a sistah lost her butt :). I’m 43 and weigh a nice 140 at 5’4″. and, my writsts? No Line. That’s a moment!
This past Sunday night 2/16/14–I finally admitted my weight gain to myself. I’ve been there before but never this much! I resolved to take back control of my body. Im tired of living like this! Tired of staring longingly at my closet and wishing to go three years back, when everything fit like a glove–2 days in, and im sooo motivated, so help me God! This time its for keeps!!! Thanks for the outlet! I totally NEEDED IT!!!
My “come to fitness” moment was after I finally discovered this website a few months ago and figured out how to REALLY lose weight and be healthy. I realized that I had been trying to lose weight and get fit since I was 14 (I was always a chubby kid, doc said I was 30lbs overweight at age 12!), I am 26. That was 12 freakn years ago for crying out loud!! Thank GOD for you Erika, like FORREAL. This site explains it all.
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