I was there. I woke up one morning and rolled off the bed into a sitting position to put on my shoes. As I bent over to tie them, I found I couldn’t breathe. I had to hold my breath to tie my shoes. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me and my weight. Something had to happen.

Of course, one strand of straw won’t break a camel’s back. There has to be a lot of other blades before that happens. For me, it was the discomfort of being heavy. The health issues were beginning to pop us; all of them weight related. The discomfort of sitting in an airline chair and being unable to open the tray table to put food onto. The discomfort of telling a hostess at a restaurant that I can’t sit in the booth because I don’t fit. The embarrassment of being unable to buy a t-shirt at a concert because they only go up to 2XL (and that was too small). The discomfort of being out of breath after going up the flight of stairs in our house to talk to my kids in their bedrooms. Being unable to take part in just about any physical activity without getting winded and my heart feeling like it was going to pump out of my chest. All these things and more added to the impetus for changing my life.

As they say, the first step is admitting that you have a problem. My problem was my weight and the behaviors I engaged in to get me to that dangerous position. I ate too much. I ate because I liked to eat. I ate because it was entertaining and it made me feel good, so there was probably an emotional element to it as well. I ate foods that were high in sugar. I ate if I was bored. If I was eating, there was a good chance that I was planning my next meal already. After a snack, of course.

I was fortunate in that I was able to recognize that I had a problem. Only after years of discomfort, embarrassment, and pain did I finally reach that point. Before then? There was no way I could give up my favorite foods. God forbid I exercise. There was no way I was going to do any of that. Until I broke.

When you break, you will recognize it. It marks a fundamental shift in your priorities and how you see your life and what you want out of it. Like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. I was told time and time again what I needed to do to change my situation, but I never thought any of it was tenable. Until Whole30 and Paleo.

I don’t care what you do as long as it’s healthy. So, I’ll forego the Paleo talk here. The important part is that when you get to that point where you want to make a serious change in your life, do it. Make that change. Do the research and then commit to it like you would to breathing after being underwater for 30 seconds.