Why did you come to the conclusion to lose weight?

jsconway5656

jsconway5656

Had an emergency stent put in the widow maker (left ascending coronary artery or LAD) on my daughter’s 15th birthday on January 21, 2015 at age 38. Fast forward four years later to January 31,2019 and I was undergoing bypass surgery for that same artery at 300 lbs and 42 years of age. I am a fairly active high school public safety instructor, school resource officer and paramedic and up until last year was a coach as well. I decided I was too young for this crap and that I can’t very well do my job on the ambulance being overweight and out of shape while trying to tell my patients to quit smoking, get active, and try to cut back on junk food so they can get to a healthier weight. True enough I don’t smoke, but realized I was being hypocritical by being fat and short winded myself. I need to get my own crap together. I’m too young for this mess. So, losing weight, trying to run and eating healthier.

KimberlyCapone

jsconway5656 wrote: »

Had an emergency stent put in the widow maker (left ascending coronary artery or LAD) on my daughter’s 15th birthday on January 21, 2015 at age 38. Fast forward four years later to January 31,2019 and I was undergoing bypass surgery for that same artery at 300 lbs and 42 years of age. I am a fairly active high school public safety instructor, school resource officer and paramedic and up until last year was a coach as well. I decided I was too young for this crap and that I can’t very well do my job on the ambulance being overweight and out of shape while trying to tell my patients to quit smoking, get active, and try to cut back on junk food so they can get to a healthier weight. True enough I don’t smoke, but realized I was being hypocritical by being fat and short winded myself. I need to get my own crap together. I’m too young for this mess. So, losing weight, trying to run and eating healthier.

You look WAY too young to be having all those issues! Stick with it, your body and family will thank you!

slade51

I was at a crowded party, and turned sideways to pass a table when my belly knocked over some glasses.
My darling wife, seeing this said I’d be less wide if I didn’t turn. For those who’ve seen the movie “Rounders”, she went on to say, “if you can’t find the fat person in the room, then you are the fat person in the room”.

This and trying to get myself off cholesterol and blood pressure medication.

jsconway5656

Oh I am. Luckily I have not had a heart attack yet and mine was caught both ones before it got to that point. That is the second time I’ve taken myself to the cardiologist and knew something was amiss. In 2015, I didn’t even have a cardiologist, I just went there and told them something was going on and to check me. I am trying to make sure there isn’t a third time for next 40 or 50 years!

jsconway5656

slade51 wrote: »

I was at a crowded party, and turned sideways to pass a table when my belly knocked over some glasses.
My darling wife, seeing this said I’d be less wide if I didn’t turn. For those who’ve seen the movie “Rounders”, she went on to say, “if you can’t find the fat person in the room, then you are the fat person in the room”.

This and trying to get myself off cholesterol and blood pressure medication.

Good luck friend! That’s what I’m trying to do too! I don’t have a wife to be concerned with but I do have 3 children I’m trying to raise and see grown! I’ve already gotten off of a few of my medicines already.

poisonesse

I started to suffer extreme angina at age 60. Had a stent put in my heart on 2-16-12. My weight was 206, and my cardiologist said I was lucky, no heart attack, but he wanted me to drop 20 pounds. By that December I had gained another 7 pounds! Two days after Christmas I said "enough is enough" and I went on my healthy life style change. I'm now at a healthy weight (mid range), have a normal BMI, my cholesterol meds were lowered from 40 MG to 5 MG (if I stop taking them my cholesterol is in the healthy range for someone who HASN'T needed a stent, but it's at the high end of the healthy range, so 5 MG keeps me in the low range)... and there's no going back to the way it was, THIS is the way it should always have been. 😉

babystar324

Want to look
Good and feel good simply put

Annie42019

Went on a cruise and realized 1) the heavy restaurant manager who was a delight ( correctly) viewed us as the same size... I’d been in denial 2) if I didn’t do something I’d eventually be like the many people people who were so heavy they had to use a scooter to get around. I actually started my diet on the cruise by eating half of my plate. Back home I gravitated to MFP. I lost 73 pounds in 10 months to get into a healthy mid-range for me.

TarynF226

I've been debating on and off the last few years about going to a recruitment center for the Canadian Armed Forces, joining army specifically. I looked up a lot of the exercise test requirements online going "I can do that with some work" -- except I'm significantly heavier than what they recommend for accepted weight for women of my height. That put me off even considering going because I didn't want to be turned down flat.
Even if I don't join up in the future, I want it to be my choice rather than not having the option so I'm here to try.

durhammfp

Watching a close relative die of Alzheimer's disease, and realizing that he, as well as a little over half my close relatives, were/are diabetics. There is a real link between AD and insulin resistance. If you are a T2 diabetic, your chances of getting AD double. So I lost weight to get my blood sugar down, and hopefully I will be able to avoid insulin resistance, T2D, and everything in the cascade that comes after.

ETA: after I lost 35 lbs my fasting glucose went from 103 to 77 and has stayed there.

Allgaun

I moved
Simple as that, I now live in a condo where there are a lot of activities. I decided to go to an exercise class, now going 3 times a week! Exercise alone isn't going to do it so I came back to MFP to begin logging again 3 years ago I dropped 30 lbs but gained 20 back. Now I am committed

asthesoapturns

I've had arthritis since I was three. Misdiagnosed for years, confirmed at nineteen. Saw 210lb on the scale and decided that was enough of that. At thirty four my knees are getting bad and the only thing I can really do is get myself to a healthier weight so I put less strain on them. Since I had my epiphany or whatever you want to call it in Sept I've lost 15lb, 10 in the last month.

nasr25

I have always been overweight always hovered around 205-220 pounds. One year i got really devoted to losing weight went down to 182 pounds and was really enjoying my life. Unfortunately my little brother passed away and really hit me hard. Now I am 280 pounds and just want my life back. I would rather be 220 then what I am now. I am not sad about where I am now just really eager to get back where I was.

PinkKiwi56

My health problems are getting worse because of being morbidly obese, including severe shoulder and back pain. Also, I was so embarrassed last summer when I couldn't walk up a hill, and just being in my swim suit. I'm just tired of being so big.

JaneAero

I've always been lazy about modifying what I eat, I'm overweight.
My husband has just been diagnosed with Parkinson disease.
As I'm going to be his carer, I need to be slim and nimble, not fat and unfit.
I'm feeling very sad it took this to motivate me.
He will need lots of support and a healthy wife to look after him.
If I can't do it for me, I'm doing it for him.
Lost 6lb this week, zero will power needed.
I Know what needs to be done, no excuses.

brittanystebbins95

Honestly...stretch marks.
I had known that I was slowly and steadily gaining weight. I was kind of putting in a half effort to lose it, but the scale kept going up.
One day, my upper arms were absolutely burning all day at work. Like, my skin was on fire. My stomach area, too. I got home and took my clothes off and saw brand new, red and inflamed stretch marks.
I sat on the floor and cried for a good thirty minutes.
I started taking it seriously then. I lost a good 10-20 lbs but kept regaining it and losing it again.

Then my ex boyfriend of 6 years cheated on me with my best friend of 10 years and left me for her. (Her loss, my gain.)
She was overweight, too, and we had always tried to lose weight together. So, being the petty, spiteful soul that I am, I got hot while she packed on another 30 lbs or so. My ex, too, has gained quite a bit of weight.

About 27 lbs into my weightloss journey, I met my wonderful husband. He quickly became my best friend and my strongest support system. He encouraged me every step of the way to lose the remaining 30 lbs (though he has made it known from the start that he thought I was beautiful when he met me, bless his heart) and he even got me into weight lifting.

ActionRZ

Realized I was getting older and didn’t want to feel or look that way. Also want to enjoy life more by having the energy to hike long hours in nature and visit as many places as possible. Now physically I feel and look several years younger for the most part and have much more energy.

bugsinahole

For me it was advise from the hospital to cut out a lot of things and to be more carful otherwise my lifestyle wouldn't be much of a style or that of a life really. It was a huge wake up call so i am here trying to use all the meathods and means to hand.