My kickstart came as a result of a lot of "little things" coming together.

1. Seeing pictures of myself and feeling disappointed.
2. Being embarrassed that I wear the largest sizes at the stores I like, and how many lovely clothes simply don't fit on my body because of my hips/belly.
3. Picking up a pair of pants that look like an appropriate size for my height, and seeing they are 4 sizes too small for me. Picking up my own pants and recognizing how wide they are.
4. Weighing more than my husband who is 7 inches taller.
5. Being told by my doc that I'm on my way to getting diabetes.
6. Frumpy bathing suits!!!
7. Feeling self concious in the bedroom.
8. Being the winded and tired tag-along during group hiking trips.
9. *Finally* recognizing after years that my whole "eat sensibly and I'll be fine" motto wasn't working.
10. Remembering that I felt overweight and unhappy 20 pounds ago, and wondering how I let it continue.

This has all been building for a while. One day it just became too much to bear, and I found the resolve to do the hard work of change.