Can’t really get my head around a good post the last couple days. But sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Since I can’t do Wordless Wednesday officially, I’ll just throw a few words into the mix. Of course a few words always becomes quite a few, so please hang with me.
This is a picture from my high school graduation, almost exactly 6 years ago.
I may have posted this picture on the blog before… I honestly can’t remember. Eventually I’m going to round up and scan all my “before” photos from high school and from the past year when I gained the weight back. But this is the only one online anywhere and I always go back to it.
I was so hopeful and excited back then. It was right after that when I started to try to lose weight and live a healthier life. I had finally decided it was time and that I had let enough pass me by in the past four years of high school. I rarely look at pictures from that period. Even though I had friends thanks to being the fat funny girl, I know I missed out on a lot in high school. It sometimes hurts to remember that.
I feel like graduating was the point in my life where I finally decided to take care of myself and make my life better. It was the point where I decided I had enough. It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life and I didn’t want it to be the same as the previous. It pushed me to start exercising and eating better. It pushed me to finally start living my life. I didn’t want to miss out on anything anymore. It’s obviously not been easy since then and I’ve struggled a lot with reversing the damage I did to myself during those years, but I’ve tried. I’ve tried to do more for myself and care more about myself. I think so far it’s left me with a pretty awesome life and made me into a pretty wonderful person.
My high school graduation six years ago was my tipping point in my life. It changed me and set me off on a journey of healthiness.
What was yours?
Ah, the Mid-South Coliseum. Remember when I used to wrestle there on Monday nights as The Masked Marrauder? You’re probably too young, but those were the days…
.-= Jack Sh*t´s last blog ..Few More W.I.D.T.H. Cards… =-.
It’s super ghetto. Six years ago it was terrible for our graduation. Hopefully they don’t hold them there anymore.
Mary Mary! I made it on your blog! Jason sent me this, I feel famous. Though it’s not a very good picture of me either. How we have changed… I’m pretty sure I have other pictures from back then all boxed up if you want some to document your progress I’m sure I could figure out how to scan them and send them to you, and by me I mean Jason :) I’m very proud of you and all you’ve accomplished, and I just want you to know you have never been just the fat funny girl to me, you were always someone who understood things the same way I did. Love you hope you are having fun in Oregon!
You are famous! That would actually be great considering I don’t have a scanner, which is why I have no other pictures.
Ha, I didn’t even know Jason read my blog. The things you learn.
Thanks for commenting! :)
My tipping point was the fall of 2002, I was 30 years old. I was in grad school at the Univ. of GA. It was a hilly campus and I would get winded trying to walk up a hill from my parking area to the building where my classes were located. I decided I was too young to be winded. I didn’t start immediately with the weight loss then, it still took another year before I was truly committed, but that was the realization.
.-= ernise´s last blog ..13.3 miles =-.
My tipping point was one day when I was cleaning my closet, and found an old pair of jeans. It made me realize how much larger I had gotten, without really noticing. I made a vow that I would get healthy, and never buy a larger pair of pants!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Fitblog! =-.
Sarah- Very similar story here…. it was like I woke up one day and went- HOLY COW!!!! What have I done.
I heard something a few days ago on the “Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone” podcast that summed it up for me—– Unintentional living. So true.
Thanks!!! —– and thank you Mary!
.-= Rob Dyess´s last blog ..Gonna drink any more fully leaded coke? =-.
I must have missed that podcast but “unintentional living” is a great (and accurate) phrase for many of us. But it shouldn’t be that way.
I don’t think that I really had a tipping point per say. It was a really long and gradual process for me. I inched into it first with changes to my thinking and then with changes in my behavior.
.-= Kendra´s last blog ..Welcome to Skanky Tuesday! =-.
I think that might be even better than having one point where you get fed up and change. Gradual changes seem to last. :)
Whoa I had to keep going back to that picture cause it just doesn’t look like you.
My tipping point? Turning 40 and realizing I wasn’t going to have to many more opportunities to get it right.
.-= Tara´s last blog ..All Systems Go! =-.
It doesn’t, does it? I have more that aren’t remotely like me. I should have included a “current” pic there too! My before and afters will really be like completely different people. I’m sure no one will believe me. Haha.
Tipping Point = Day I realized I promised myself to be healthy by my 30th birthday and I was already 31 and a half!! What a bummer. It involved crying and sulking, but I knew what I had to do. So now, Ethel is being served!
Cheers,
Missa
LosingEthel
My tipping point was a few months after my 30th birthday (I know–it seems to be a trend with your readers today) when my shins and feet hurt so badly that when I first woke up in the morning, I limped around for an hour. My hypochondriac tendencies and watching too much Discovery Health channel convinced me I was dying. I’m not a prayer, but I made a deal with the big guy/gal in charge that if s/he kept me healthy, I’d try to maintain through the holidays and join Weight Watchers right after the New Year. Sure enough, I was in line at Weight Watchers the first Monday in January. Haven’t looked back since.
.-= Tina´s last blog ..Challenges, training and miscellany =-.
Yeah, the big 3-0 seems to be a tipping point for many people. I think that’s natural though because it’s a significant point in life (artificially I think). I’m hoping to be healthy way in advance of that personally.
Glad the big guy upstairs helped you out and you’ve continued since then.
Off topic, but your highschool looks very futuristic, all spaceship round. Ooh you are writing about your hs graduation six yrs ago.. Im trying to set up my scanner to the new computer so I can scan in and write about my COLLEGE graduation TEN years ago. Anyway, I think that graduations are very hopeful times because you get to leave the old behind and start fresh again. That’s how I felt about both my hs and college graduations and about my moves as well. What set me off to being healthy? Hmm well ive done it in stages. Seeing my friend almost die scared me to get better from my eating disorder. Then later, seeing another friend working out all the time and getting stronger and hotter coupled with the fact that I wanted to move to miami (eventually became SF instead) goaded me into starting to exercise. Having a stable real friend changed me to start eating actual meals every day. And arriving in SF and few months later realizing that drinking to excess all the time was just causing a lot of unneccessary drama and anger and it was time to grow up caused me to stop getting drunk all the time. I don’t know, little other things like that. Mostly through examples of others – good examples and bad, cautionary examples. But every time I think im healthy etc, I realize hey im not and I make myself better. Which is why I only get better as I age. Yay.
.-= merri´s last blog ..Five Star Restaurant: Ana Mandara =-.
Actually that’s not my high school, it’s the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis. That’s where our graduations were held for a while. It might look cool but it was pretty ghetto.
There is always room for improvement. So stages are a good thing!
What has really kicked me in the butt this time is my son turning 1 and me weighing the same as I did when I was 10 weeks pregnant (I had been 15 lbs less last summer). Even though I knew I couldn’t make my goal by 40, ‘Thin by 41’ is my goal. We are done having kids and I have no excuse not to do it now…and my 25 year high school reunion is coming up in 3 years. I really want to go but not unless I weigh with-in 10 lbs of what I weighed back then.
I love the high school reunion reasoning to get healthy. You can do it!
Funny how time files huh? If I had to pick a tipping point I think it would be when we bought a camcorder about 5 years ago. That is when I realized I was really big. I thought it but never knew it until then.
You have so many great things ahead for you!!
Mine was 2 years ago while I was at my brothers wedding. As I was talking to people that I hadn’t seen for years, I imagined them saying to themselves ‘man, she’s gained weight.’ I decided right there that I no longer wanted to be the girl with the round face and double chin. (And of course, the big ol’ boobies.)
.-= Ana´s last blog ..Bike Ride to the Great Salt Lake =-.
My tipping point was when I woke up one night with my heart beating what seemed like 300 beats a minute.
I felt as if I was going to die… that was my tipping point to change things.
That had to be scary Jay. I’m glad that at least you used that experience to change your life!
Wow Mary. Please don’t take this the wrong way…you look much older in this photo. Even though you’re not at your goal weight yet, this pic is proof that healthy living helps you to shine even more beautifully. :)
.-= Yum Yucky´s last blog ..Tasting! Breyer’s Smooth & Dreamy Cookie Dough Sandwich =-.
I don’t take that the wrong way because it’s true. The more weight I have on me the worse I felt AND looked. I definitely didn’t look, feel, or act 18 then and it was all because of the weight. So thanks my love for that comment.
Totally unrelated, but I feel ya on the money thing. It’s hard. I’m not exactly swimming in the dough. I cut a lot of extras out of my life to be able to do what I want and travel and all. If I was older I’d be scared to do that though. So now is my time. :)
Thanks for your support as always!
My tipping point was about a year and a half ago, after watching both of my parents die from cancer. Seeing how their health failed them made me determined to do something about mine. It took another 6 months or so before I actually started, but I’ve been working on things since September of last year and have lost 50 pounds so far.
I’ve been meaning to comment and tell you how excited I am for you about your move to Oregon! I really hope things are going well for you there. :-)
The night I ate so much at a party I threw up on the way home. I always ate enough to make me want to throw up, but that was the first time I had no choice.
Stopped drinking pop and started walking within the month.
Weighed myself sometime after I started (and after I’d dropped a clothing size) and I was around 278. I’m guessing my starting weight was around 285-290?
Have stayed below 230lbs ever since except when pregnant. Always back to sub 230lbs post pregnancy within a few weeks.
But this is a lifetime issue. I was over 100lbs when I was 7 years old.
.-= RunningLarge´s last blog ..Fight to the Finish Week 4 =-.