OK - this is just me thinking outloud. I see many people one this forum saying that some number on the scale like 150 lbs was their 'breaking point' to make changes in their life. Others have gone way higher before they decided to act - like 300 or even 400.
I personally saw 200 lbs as a place I did not want to be. Others mention a dress size or pant size as a breaking point. I wish I had used 150 lbs as my breaking point instead of 200 - how much easier my life could have been. How do you think people find their point of action and what affects it?

It all depends on how a person feels about themself, I really dont think I look too bad right now, yet others think I am fat...........I'm kind of tired of the "thin" sterotype and that we all need to look like that, yet nowadays, that is what "sexy" is........I guess my breaking point was seeing a photo of myself at my daughters wedding, that was 20 lbs ago or more.....I never weighed myself then.

Nearly reaching 2 bills was it for me. I was tired of being fat, unattractive even to myself, tired, and winded. I wouldn't shop because I hated not being able to wear my old skinny girl wardrobe or even new clothes in a smaller single digit size. I never take pictures, but my mother snapped one of me with my godson and that was enough to solidify my plan.

I'm 5'3 and I still look chubby nude at 125, I can hide it well with clothes. Damn my big thighs and fat rolls. When I hit 160 that was the final straw. I didn't want to make it to 175 or 200. I was broke and had to spend birthday money on size 15 pants. Yes, I was a size 15/16 at only 160lbs. I felt like I didn't want to waste anymore money on new fat clothes since I had a whole wardrobe full of cute clothes that didn't fit. Plus, since I live in a very rural area, most clothing stores don't go very much higher than a 16, except wal-mart. Comparing myself to others who weighed around 175 and thinking I would look so much bigger at that weight also helped give me a wake up call.

My first major low point was when I weighed and thought I was 300..later realized that the scale only went to 250 and I was actually about 270. That did not "take" though. What really got me started was having a "jean" occassion to got to and even the size 22 jeans would not fit..not even laying on the bed and sucking in to zip. I could not find ANY jeans that fit, just those awful black stretchy pants. I had been able to hide from the truth by wearing loose drop waisted dresses, but that day the hiding ended. It was so discouraging to face how much I actually had to lose, but the diet started the next day. I was at a low point in my life, because of some work things and an injured ankle that precluded walking, but July 1, 2003 I started eating low carb and have not waivered since. I am SO glad that I made the decision to finally do something about this lifelong struggle. I turned 40 that August and while I was still fat, at least I was well on the way to doing something aout it.

For me it was a medical test that was literally off the scale. My MD acted like I should have already dropped dead- and of course recommended an even LOWER fat (like Pritikin) diet. At that point I rebelled and said if it ain't working- do something different. I researched LC, found CALP, and the rest is history!
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For me its jeans.. I refuse to buy size 26. and the other factor in my life was the birth of my granddaughter.. I want to be around for the long haul.

Somewhere else on the forum, someone posted an excerpt from an old but interesting diet book that talked about your "breaking point" weight as being like pain tolerance. Some people can put up with an awful lot of pain before they'll do something about it. Others can't stand even the slightest pain. I wish I could remember who posted it, or what the book was called.

Using this analogy, I have an extremely low pain (weight) tolerance. My breaking point was starting to grow out of my stretchy "fat" clothes. At 170-ish pounds, I didn't look that bad. I "carried it well." But I hated it with such a passion, nothing would have stopped me from losing it. I'd have starved if I had to. Thank goodness I didn't have to, because I discovered the "cure" to the problem.

240 lbs and my BEFORE
picture as seen on my profile page.

When the scale said 240 I cried I had got there so fast I didn't even realize. I wasn't even that big when I was pregnant. I sat in the bathroom for a few minutes and thought about how I would be 300 lbs in no time if I didn't do something.

I have a history of bulimia, so I never considered my weightloss a success, more of as a side effect and gained most of it back.

I was around 187 when I was walking into a supermarket and a young cute couple, my age, were making fun of me. It was terrible, because I was trying to look my best, even at 187, buying cute clothes, wearing make-up, and I had no idea others percieved me as ugly. I mean, I had an idea, but seeing complete strangers make fun of me made me want to die.

So I started dieting, and eating less, and less, and working out. I looked great below 140 pounds. Then my bulimic monster reared it's ugly head, and the old self-conscience ME became engrossed in diet and food binges. Now I'm trying to regain control of my life, to accept that I will never be a petite 120, but it didn't mean that I looked bad at about 135-140, I looked great, but I never saw myself like that. Others did, but I still thought I had to lose more. In the end, I put 20 plus pounds on fighting bulimic episodes. For me, low-carbing is about controlling my bulimia, I'm trying not to focus on weightloss, though I have been losing that ugly 20 pounds that came, consequentially from bingeing despite throwing up. No offense to anyone who was at my high weight, I just didn't look good at it, being only 5 '5, and a young girl who was missing out on the activities that make up a teenager's life. Starving may have temporarily led to weightloss, but it didn't make me healthier for it. And I was in no position to be giving anyone tips on healthy eating. But I look forward to a success story where I can tell people I'm recovered and in good health!

I didn't think of it this way but this is a good analogy! Using this analogy, I would say it describes a lot of aspects of me regarding how much pain I endure before I fly off the handle. For me as well in the health/weight/fitness arena, the pain tolerance is LOW. Once I hit 125lbs at 5'1", I could not stand it anymore and just HAD to do something about it. It was for my sanity that I make positive changes asap.

Wow, this website and everyone's posts have been a revelation to me in alot of ways. It's nice to know I'm not alone in how I feel and what I've been dealing with for all these years!

You hit the nail on the head, when you said I didn't think I looked good at anything other than the idealistic "goal" weight. I'm dealing with that now. I'm at 140 and my goal weight is 125 (at least). About 8 years ago I was 130, which was my lowest weight as an adult and I was pretty small, but now I want to be even better. The new and improved me. :LOL But some people keep telling me, "You know you're not a kid anymore, you might not be able to get down to 130/size 5, etc." I don't know if I can live with myself not reaching my goal. I don't accept defeat! I look at women who are older than me, say Madonna who's 45 and remade their bodies through diet and exercise and if she or anyone else can do it, so can I! Right?

do you really believe madonna did it just though diet and exercise? Im really skeptical