What was your 'lightbulb' moment?

[OctopusSting]

I saw on the weight maintenance thread that someone had had a lightbulb moment in seeing that their food intake was WAY higher than most posting. They had taken their diet to be 'normal' which was in fact excessive.

Mine was actually after i had lost 4 stone and saw a documentary on some inuit people. After hiking across frozen wastes for hours, their dinner was a few slices of frozen whalemeat.
It just put into perspective how much excess food we have made available to us ALL the time. And that consuming it constantly has become the 'norm'.

Anyone else care to share?

My consultant wouldn't sterilise me because of my weight rather than the fact that I was childless and under 30.

When I went for a personal shopping experience, and having told the lady I was a 14/16 she came back with an 18 dress!! and it fitted!!!!

Ive just lost 2 stone on Dukan, and am wearing my first pair of size 12 jeans for 10 years

Reading 'The Secrets of Skinny Chicks' and realising that women with great bodies have them for a reason. I used to do it naturally, but now I need to do it consciously.

When my DH told me he didn't fancy me because I was fat and that he didn't like bigger women. Also around that time I realized I was the biggest woman I knew including my relatives and friends who had gone onto have 3 babies since my youngest was born.
still it did the trick as went from 13 and a half stone to 8 stone 13 pounds and a small size 10.

The whole company was asked to attend an urgent meeting in the conference centre where they had rows of emergency chairs laid out (you know the one's - small, low backed bendy affairs)
I sat down and the next lady to join the row asked me what chair I was sitting on!! My arse spilled over two of the chairs, I was mortified :(

Oh bless you Gilbert . Was it a successful strategy?

Well done on the loss Fluffy although sorry DH was a tad mean!

Excellent work Bird.

I was quite pleased with my 'lightbulb' as it is actually one which is helping me maintain, knowing that my body is using far fewer calories than has become the societal norm. I actually prefer smaller portions now and large platefuls look excessive (which i guess they are!)

pictures of holding my beautiful new nephew, I should have been thrilled looking back at them but all I could see were dinner lady arms..

nearly 10 kilos down and somebody who have only met since then asked me the other day how I stayed so slim....I beamed and shared that I have been slim for approximately 10 minutes!

I have lightbulb moments every day even now. I

Did the light go out Dorever?

Forever!

I was going to say I had one yesterday on a train from Liverpool to London, a fat man sitting near me ate continuously for 2.5 hours. Pork pies, biscuits, cake, chocolate (family sized bag), crisps (family sized), whole bag boiled sweets, coke.

At same time was trying to persuade 6 year old to eat more - little boy already had one sandwich and was insisting he was full.

I am going to confess I was quite judgeypants, eg 4 year old with dummy in mouth and adults telling children to "shut up their faces" roughly once a minute whenever they asked a question or spoke.

I thought - he can't possibly still be hungry - must be eating out of habit. And it must be hard to work (and expensive!) to maintain being that overweight. And if the little boy has that much pressure to eat all the time, he'll end up overweight too. Plus very little nutrition in any of the food.

I saw some photos of myself last summer....in an A Line skirt and vest top....FAT! I was as I have always been a ten to twelves but 2 kids and then a DH who had to work away for ten months conspired to depress me and I ate a lot of rubbish...when DH came home we both comfort ate together as we only wanted to stay in alone.

I am back to a twelve from a 16. Bit more to go.

I know what you mean about the portion sizes, OP. I have lost nearly 5st so far (still a way to go though), and I 'cooked' a pack of that ready-meal style tortellini the other day for our tea. We had one pack between me and DH and two small DDs, with some veg. It was plenty. I realised that 6mo ago I would have served TWO packs- far too much food!

I just saw myself in MIL. She's 30 years older than me and always doing one more diet. It never works. I knew that'd be me me so I got a Gastric Band fitted.

Drastic but oh so final.

Mine was when i went to my school reunion last year. I was one of the biggest there. There was one upside though. Most of the other women there said i had hardly aged at all.

My wedding photos. :(

Another thing besides portion sizes is what (what exact foodstuffs) you eat.
Sitting in a cafe I look at other people - the fat ones are usually eating fattening foodstuffs. Rarely eating salad. I must admit I do love people-watching.

I have had a small lightbulb moment but nothing that has actually got me losing more than 1/2 a stone. I do that okay and then get stuck.

We had a works function about 3 years ago. I was possibly at my heaviest at 15.5 stone and looked huge!! Also my nurse looked me in the eye and said the sciatica was due to me being fat. (yes she did use those words!) and if I lost a little it will not be so painful. I hated her at the time for saying it, but that advice coupled with the dodgy photo at the works do has helped me lose 4.5 stone and I am determined to keep it off!

The nurse hardly recognised me when I went in for the routine 3 year howsya father check!!