I carried an extra 50 pounds on my body for four years of college and three years after. When I get asked now what the catalyst was, I usually say it was Mary Beth’s wedding in Aruba.

Not that this isn’t true, but it’s the easy answer, and having a deadline turned it from a dream into a goal. August 1, 2009. Go.

Yesterday, I was scrolling through Twitter and saw Matt post this image:

And I realized I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about the final catalyst that got me to where I am.

For my 26th birthday, I went to Mexican Radio with some friends and followed it up with a late, late, late night at Pravda.

I kept celebrating my birthday all weekend long. Monday, we had off from work, and my friend Amy and I went to Old Town Bar for beer and hot dogs.

At the beginning of that year, I’d said I wanted to get my shit together and lose weight, and I had started working out a bit more, but it was all fairly half-hearted untill then.

That night that Amy and I went to Old Town, I decided enough was enough. I felt gross, and I just didn’t want to feel like that any more. So I ordered my hot dog…and a salad…and I never looked back.

So, yeah. A hot dog changed my life.

What was the catalyst for you to make a big change? Or…tell me about your favorite hot dog?