What clicked with you?

framingthewheels

I'm on the other end of a success story. I'm currently my highest weight, wondering what it's like to climb my way down and trying to find the motivation. (Believe me, I know this is all me: I don't blame anyone else for where I am.)

But for those of you who are inclined to share: What motivated you to make your past a "before," so to speak? How did you make the climb when every day felt uphill?

theawill519

Honestly, I have no idea. I just woke up one day and it clicked. I knew I could do it. I felt motivated and strong and everyday it got easier and easier.

I had been wanting to lose weight for quite some time to have a baby and because my thirties are creeping up on me, so those were definitely motivating factors. But the actual "clicking" was just something in my head out of nowhere telling me "now is the time, you CAN do it." Good luck!

mday2107

Here is how my brain was working when the "aha" happened....

When I realized I was going into my annual doctors visit/lady check-up HOPING she was going to tell me they found something wrong when they did a blood panel on me... I was HOPING my weight was due to something being wrong... How crazy is that? HOPING I had something wrong with me... Who does that...? Blood work was great, blood pressure- great, thyroid-perfect, diabetes-nope, vitamin levels-awesome, cholesterol-again, perfect... oh wait... Heart murmur... sure, lets have that looked at.... Nope my HEART BEATS PERFECT!! That was the slight murmur they were hearing.... ok upper GI for the heartburn.... NOPE, nothing wrong there, just a "hyperactive esophagus" nothing but some weight loss and lifestyle changes to help that......

WTF!!!! What do you mean I'm the reason I'm fat... What do you mean I did this to myself... if I lose some weight some of my other "health concerns" should clear themselves up.!.?..!.?. In those moments (three doctors visits in a matter of a week) I wanted to call them all *kitten* holes like they were playing some joke on me... Then... It clicked...

Oh, I did do this to my self. I AM the reason I'm overweight... and I CAN and WILL make a change. I CAN and WILL do this. I WILL NOT give up this time. because there is no one else and nothing else to blame.... but myself. There is no reason I cant wear the clothes I want, feel confident in my own skin... I just have to believe in myself.. and allow myself to make the changes necessary... All my life I have failed at literally almost everything I've ever tried to do... THIS.... This will not be one of those things. I WILL SUCCEED. I succeeded at getting to this weight... my choices did this... so why cant my choices change this...?

Its time to make a change and stop hoping its someone or something else's fault.

Since these revelations started (about a month ago) I'm already down a little over 2lbs... and I know I can be working harder at this... Every day is one step at a time. Like a previous poster said... I forgive myself on the days I don't do it so well, or don't really try that hard, or allow myself to say "not today". But every day is a new day. A brand new opportunity to make myself proud of ME. and prove that I can and I am doing this.

**Now, am I perfect every day. Nope. Do I have some full weeks of just saying F'It still, you bet! But my days of doing good and working towards my goals are more then the days I don't now. I have lost a little over 10lbs in about two months. Let life get in the way and have stalled again. But, every day is a new day to make myself proud. And so long as I try today, that's all that matters. I cant keep myself down because yesterday my lunch was well over 1000 cals. All I can is focus on today and keep moving forward...

And of course some extra motivation is my life long best friend is getting married in the Caribbean and I'm the maid of honor... better get beach ready

I hope you have you find your motivation. Its in there, you just might need to dig deep.

FitRoberta

My weight had been climbing steadily for a couple years, and I kept graduating into bigger jeans sizes. 8, 10, 12... and promising myself I'd get back in shape "tomorrow." When I had to buy size 14 jeans, I told myself that I wouldn't get any bigger than that, I would lose the weight! I saw a picture of myself at a friend's wedding shower, and I didn't recognize myself because of my size.

Well, fast forward a bit -- I didn't change my habits, and one day I could barely fit into my size 14 jeans. They were uncomfortably tight, with a muffin top that just wouldn't quit. That was it. I knew I had to either a) get serious about changing my lifestyle, or b) buy size 16 jeans. I started moving more and eating fewer calories. I don't go hungry, I just make better choices.

I'm in my size 12 jeans now, and dropping.

Good luck!

JohnBarth

As has been mentioned, I'd just had enough. Having a new Fitbit (now Garmin) definitely helped get me started. Finding MFP was truly a Godsend. I'm a statistical person by nature, so once I got on the roll of logging food and exercise, it motivates me to this day to continue my streaks and reach new goals.

sandralovelady

I told myself "I ain't wearing no damn granny underware" Thats what did it for me.

2bfit_2015

I had almost always been 130-160 lbs and I was athletic. Exercise was a huge part of my life but eating right was not. I managed to keep in shape due to my exercises. After getting married, moving, family, stress, the lack of exercise and enjoying food with my husband was what got me to the 230lbs. 70 lbs gained in less than 1 year. Yes, ONE YEAR!
My motivation to be healthy didn't happen over night because I had tried during the last two years to lose weight multiple times always starting and stopping and then restarting again.
The thing that made everything click for me was getting on the scale one day and seeing 230+ lbs on the scale. That day not only did I cry because I had reached double the weight I had been just two summer ago before that but I realized that I was destroying my health and my relationship with MYSELF. I hadn't even realized it but I had stopped loving myself and starting hating myself. I got on the treadmill and I started exercising. 30 min to 1 hour from 1 hour to 1.5 and up to 2.5 hours of exercise a day. Walking, running, jogging, stretching doesn't matter what kind of exercise, I just make sure I stay active 2.5 hours a day at least 4-5 days a week. I have a white board as a calendar and everyday I put my current weight, my progress, how much I ate, how many calories I burned, how much water I drank, if I cheated etc and I pinned it on my wall across from my bed so I can see it when I wake up and go to sleep everyday. I've managed to lose 45 lbs in 4.5 months I still want to lose another 50-55 lbs to be where I want so I'm hoping to reach my goal by my sons birthday December 24th of this year

bibimazoon

Lifetime yo yo dieter with a highest weight 278 pounds 2 years ago. I'm 54 yo and in constant pain with arthritis and crumbling joints. Foot reconstruction 2013. Both my knees replaced 2015. I have NO other health issues! It's just stupid to do this to myself. I also no longer recognized my face in pics

Diana_GettingFit

When the doctor wanted to put me on a second diabetes medication because my A1C was 7.2 in December, I decided enough was enough. I started exercising. At first just walking, then graduating to running. Around that time I found this site and started logging my food. In about two months, between counting calories and running I lost over 20 lbs. The best thing is now I'm not on any meds at all! In June I went back to the doctor and my A1C was 5.8, which is in the normal range.

draekin13

I realized that I needed to do it for myself not for anyone else. I didn't care if anyone else was on board with it or not anymore. I wanted to be around to be able to enjoy playing with my kids, being around long enough to retire and enjoy life.

LAT1963

There were things I wanted to do that I could not because of my weight. For example, most riding stables won't let you ride unless you weigh 225 lbs or less fully-outfitted. I found there were some yoga stretches I couldn't do because fat was in the way, not because my muscles were tight. My back and feet hurt. I felt limited in Aikido because at my weight I developed too much momentum during falls. I had to shop in the fat-section of department stores or in fat-dedicated stores like Hot Topic, which limited my clothing options.

MFP currently shows me as having lost 2 lbs. Before joining MFP last year I lost 20 lbs on an Atkins diet and kept it off for about 3 years. After joining MFP I lost 20 via calorie restriction with an anti-carb bias, but compressed a nerve in my foot and couldn't exercise effectively from November to June, so I gained back ~30. Since resuming MFP July 1 I have lost ~11 lbs, which puts me 2 lbs below where I was when I signed up for MFP last year. So I have more success with lifestyle-change-based weight loss than might be suggested by my current "lbs lost" figure.

The cause of my initial weight gain was unrecognized thyroid disease--how I got to be obese in the first place. I'm treated now though, so I can finally improve my situation.

impromark

I became a hubby and dad in the same year.

The day my girl was born, I realized that I absolutely HAD to change my fitness for the better, so I could keep up with her and my wife in the years to come. I'm so glad it clicked for me then, and when I falter, all I need to do is remember the two most important girls in my life, and I'm back.

Mark

KANGOOJUMPS

I just like to look hot. plain and simple, and stay that way.

maggieobc

I am a few weeks in and feeling positive... don't think I can say what my "click" is (or if I've got it) but I'd be happy to be MFP friends and keep an eye on each other! Feel free to add me. I'm 5'4 30 F 185 lbs goal weight 140 (aka my drivers license weight).

mimieon

The "click" came in stages for me. I've been overweight all my life. The first click was finding out that I could actually lose a substantial amount of weight. Before then I figured I was just meant to be fat and feel horrible about it. I found out I could lose weight fast (and gain it back fast) at a parttime job lifting all kinds of heavy boxes from one place to the other.

After that I bought an elliptical machine and started working out seriously and eating less. This wasn't really working however, even though I worked hard on working out, because I didn't know what I was doing foodwise. I would be starving and then eating too much, etc, and nothing really seemed to be happening, which was really demotivating. I also didn't have a scale so I couldn't see if I was making progress.

A stressful time started and exercise went to the background again and I gradually gained more weight. However, I did figure out that what wasn't working for me is that I didn't have control over this process - I didn't know what I weighed, I couldn't track any progress, and I didn't know what and how much I should be eating to lose weight, and I didn;t know what kind of weight loss I should be expecting anyway. So I did some research and got interested in counting calories. In the course of the next few years I first bought a digital scale which saves progress. Inside I eventually vowed to myself that when I got a smartphone I'd get some kind of calorie counting app and start counting.

When I was at my highest weight (90 kg) and at the lowest point in my mental and physical health it was finally time for a new phone when my mobile phone subscription had run out. The day I got my phone I installed a couple of calorie counting apps. I liked mfp best. I invested in making a plan with mfp that day, and adjusted throughout the monts using the common sense advice on here, kept going. It's now about 2.5 years later and the weight is still off (currently working to lose a bit more fat).

Sometimes I feel I can't fathom why this time I just "did it" when I got the phone. But really this was the result of years of mental preparation - first knowing it was possible for me, then taking the effort of collecting GOOD information (not random fad diets) and learning that I could take control of this, and being tired of feeling like crap.

Pinnacle_IAO

Somebody took a picture of me that is my "BEFORE".
I saw that, and something inside clicked...

Debmal77

sandralovelady wrote: »

I told myself "I ain't wearing no damn granny underware" Thats what did it for me.

threw out my Bridget Jones panties.... lol

trina1049

Yeah, size 16 scared me -- at 5'2.5" I was way too heavy. I'd just kept gaining weight then losing, then gaining again. Size 16 and looming health issues were the impetus for me to get my bum in gear.

That was almost 2 years ago. and I'm down 49lbs and at a healthy BMI and weight for 6 months now. Yay, MFP. I'm now a size 4/6 petite (US).

CSARdiver

I read an article about a professional athlete who had a thyroidectomy and came back to the game stronger than ever. I realized I used my condition as an excuse and stopped making excuses.

What really got it to click was accepting a role as Den Leader with my son's Tiger Scout Den. I wanted to set a good example for the boys (and my own children) and made a change that day.

lucstone

At the beginning of 2013 a medical issue did it for me. It lead to losing my medical insurance so I felt that I could only get better by eating healthy. I went vegan the 1st 5 months and lost most of the 50 pounds I'm down now but better yet, I was quickly off the new meds I was given and the meds I was on for 30+ years and I FEEL better too. It was about health for me.

Nightnurse33

When I went to meet my "New" doctor she opened the door looked around and then at me and back around at the empty room. She looked at the chart in her hand and said are YOU "TED"? I said yup and went in to meet her. She said sorry I was looking for a pt about 70 years old, You have A Lot of meds for your age. She said she would not refill my medication except for a 12 week supply because she wanted me to either lose the weight or go for a weight loss surgery. I am not going to be cut on so here I am now. 6 weeks in and 22 pounds lost! it so easy with My fitness pal. Just works for me. 55 more pounds to go!

SuggaD

My competitive nature took over and I hated that a friend was losing weight and approaching my weight. So basically I just decided to lose weight for real and did it. But I'm a very strong-willed person and I recognize that not everyone is the same.

metcastillon

June 2014, my husband and I went to Hawaii for a family reunion. We stayed there for ten days and one of the activities we wanted to do was ziplining across the beautiful Maui mountains. Well, when we went to the little ziplining place, we were each told to get on a scale because they had a strict weight restriction. Anyone over 250 lbs couldn't go. So, there I was, being weighed in front of a room of strangers and I came in at 245. Only five pounds away from the maximum! Luckily, I was still able to go and have the ziplining experience. But seeing that number on the scale, especially in front of all these fit people, made me ask myself, "What are you doing to your body?" I realized I was heading towards a lifestyle of regret and unhealthiness. That moment is what made me realize I needed to change.

arditarose

I think it was the knee cellulite. And being a pear, I started to get a big heavy belly for the first time, even though I had always been overweight. Once I understood CICO, saw how it worked, I was sold. I also found weight lifting which helped transform my body. I don't understand how anyone could quit once they start seeing results. Our bodies are amazing.

leeyuhsee

I came back from a year living abroad, weighed myself for the first time in nine months, and weighed 20 pounds more than I thought I was. I was shocked, and started on mfp the same day. That was almost two months ago, and I'm down around ten pounds! I no longer see my weight loss goals as impossible: they're inevitable. I know I'm going get down to where I need to be. That's not to say that I assume it'll be easy. It is, and has been, hard. And it'll take a while. But I know I can do it.
40 more pounds to go

rushfive

I just kept going up in clothes sizes... 6,8,10.12... 12 was the last straw, I was telling myself I deserved to gain a few pounds, I raised 3 boys, worked hard... I could handle a few extra pounds. It was just getting out of control, then I took a good look in the mirror and didn't recognize myself... I was always normal weight, never had to think about diet.... till late 40's. It was getting hard to bend over to reach my shoes, none of my coats fit, my arm fat was in the way, the belly fat was in the way... what was I doing to myself!!!!
Never having to follow a diet before I had a lot to learn, so it was very slow going for me, but my motivation was my sons wedding. I did not hit the weight loss I wanted to for it and had to buy a bigger dress size than I wanted to but now I am 5 pds from goal weight.

Some days are easier than others. Motivation was looking in the mirror, joining weight loss challenges. I got a fitbit and love the challenges on there. goal size clothes to wear helped me also. You will find your motivation !!! Good Luck to you!

vixtris

Something clicked in my head one night. Ironically it was around new years. Every year I said I wanted to lose weight, because thats what everyone says at new years lol. This time I was like, you know what, I'm going to actually do it, I'm tired of being fat!! I knew what I had to do somewhat. I had a MFP account already and planned to track my food and exercise. I've learned a lot from this site, just from browsing around on the forums. I also have learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. In the beginning I took it kind of easy. I didn't workout as hard as I do now, or watch what I eat as closely, which has made a world of difference in the rate of my loss. If you want some motivation, just keep in mind everyday what you are working towards. Imagine yourself being there. Ask yourself if the choices you make will get you there. I'm not an after yet but I have come a long way, and even though I still have a road ahead of me, I feel a billion times better than I did when I started.

pootle1972

I went for a passport photo. .and cried when I saw it.....two months later on Dec 30th 2014 I woke up and said *kitten* it ..and went and joined a diet group.....three months later I left to do it on my own.....52lb and 4 dress sizes later I'm still plodding on.....and I need to update my photo as I don't look anything like the old sad moon faced me.

tkphotogirl

I'd been maintaining a healthy weight for a while after a previous 60+lbs loss, then had a medical setback, and over 30lbs crept on over two years while I was eating the way I'd been eating when I was very active, whilst being unable to exercise the way I had before. The problems were fixed surgically, but I held on to the weight for 20 months, then I had two realisations the same weekend - first, that I was scared to lose the weight again because getting to a healthy weight had coincided with the beginning of the health problems that took me downhill, so in my head healthy weight = something else going wrong with my body (that looks even more ridiculous written down!). Second, I caught myself doing some very negative self-talk when looking at a friend's Tough Mudder pics (along the lines of 'your fat lazy @ss would never be able to do that'). Once I got out of my own head for a second and realised that the issue was simply the stories I'd been telling myself, it clicked.

AshleyMFitness16

Any of your friends looking to lose weight? I would have never started if it weren't for my sister getting married. One day she said she wanted to lose weight for the wedding, and I said yeah I could lose some weight too, let's start going to the gym together. If I didn't have a partner, I don't think I ever would have started.
And the sad part is I don't think I realized how big I actually was. Until I looked at old pictures once I'd lost some weight...I was shocked that I looked like that.
However, I gained weight after smoking this year and was being careless and my sister stopped going to the gym at the same time as me so I had nobody to keep me accountable. Once I realized none of my new clothes were fitting, I realized I had to get my *kitten* back in gear...

TamLam99

All the excuses I was making started to get ridiculous. I was fat, unhealthy, and cranky all the time.

I just woke up one morning and decided to take my life back, out of pure aggravation. I went into it with a different mindset, not the all or nothing rational that made me give up a hundred other times. I'm happy with a downward trend. I don't have a set amount of weight that I must lose every week and it's ok to have a bad day. It hasn't been easy and I struggle most days to not overeat but I will not give up. 20 pounds gone so far.