What's your motivation?
LowCarbInScotland
Posts: 1,027 Member
I know we all have those days when things get tough. I thought it might be nice to have a thread to remind ourselves why we're making an effort to eat the right foods for our body.
So, what's your motivation or inspiration for improving your health?
Mobility has been my biggest motivation. I moved to Scotland two years ago and have missed out on so much exploration because my mobility was impacted by my weight. If you couldn't get there by car, I've missed out.
One of the things I've wanted to do is walk up The Royal Mile to get to Edinburgh Castle. 60+ lbs down, I'm ready to give it a shot soon.
So, what's your motivation or inspiration for improving your health?
Mobility has been my biggest motivation. I moved to Scotland two years ago and have missed out on so much exploration because my mobility was impacted by my weight. If you couldn't get there by car, I've missed out.
One of the things I've wanted to do is walk up The Royal Mile to get to Edinburgh Castle. 60+ lbs down, I'm ready to give it a shot soon.
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My daughter.
I have PCOS and would like to have another one (well more than one, but don't tell my hubby) so I have to get it under control.
I'd also like to go out with bare legs, I have worn tights and skirts for years and years, one day I hope my legs will be "good enough" to be shown to the world (they are very pale though so I'll probably need some fake tan first!)9 -
My health. I was so fatigued after work that I was sleeping or having to push myself to go out n socialise. I also often slept most of Saturday. I can't explore Europe and enjoy life nearly as easily if my body is constantly wanting to sleep!
Candida gut imbalance sorted. Allergens slowly being identified. Since Jan my weight is fluctuating but relatvely stable at 20% less than I was last September. Working on managing stress and chosing foods that help my body feel alive.
@PaleoInScotland have a fab trip up Royal Mile. Hope you really enjoy it. With all the summer tourists you can take your time and maybe have energy for the castle ramparts. Some ambitious future goals could be The Santa run/walk which is fun (starts at garden below the castle) and/or a hike up to Arthur's seat. Plenty of Munroe's to bag, or even short river walks and highland games to see too.7 -
Well mine is quite vain in comparison, 1. I hate my belly, 2. I used to be a good athlete and nowadays I'm pretty rubbish, so I'd like to lose to improve but also so that I'm not putting my body through quite so much stress.7
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Well, to be perfectly, 100% bluntly honest, I've watched my mom make every excuse in the book and yo-yo for my entire life; the only time I've ever seen her thin is in pictures. And I R.E.F.U.S.E to be like her in that respect.
Editing to clarify: She's a great lady and I love her dearly. She has a lot of qualities I would be honored to possess and I strive to be like her in some areas. Just not this one!11 -
Quit smoking 9 years ago. Gained 50 pounds. Never lost it. Male 60 @ 238 pounds.
Now I have high BP, and arthritic knees. Always short of breath.
Every doctor I see tells me to lose 60 pounds.
Wish it was that easy....4 -
Midnightgypsy0 wrote: »Quit smoking 9 years ago. Gained 50 pounds. Never lost it. Male 60 @ 238 pounds.
Now I have high BP, and arthritic knees. Always short of breath.
Every doctor I see tells me to lose 60 pounds.
Wish it was that easy....
Have a look at Keto diets, see what you think.
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I was completely addicted to sugar. I had candy hidden in the house and my car and I would sneak off to eat it where no one could see.
I wanted to stop but the cravings were so intense I couldn't control myself.
Then my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. During chemo and radiation he needed to eat and he needed to try to get out of bed and not just sit and dwell on feeling bad all the time. I tried so hard to be encouraging to him but right in the beginning he was resisting. Then he said he knew I right and that he had to just do it. He forced himself to eat at least a little of every meal and to get out of bed and sit in a chair at least an hour a day. It was so hard for him to do, but he did.
Then my niece was released from prison. She was a drug addict that was arrested breaking into vacant a home for the copper. She served 4 years as her daughter grew from 3 to 7 years old without her. She detoxed in prison with no help from any drugs to ease the symptoms. To hear her talk about the mistakes she made, how she was glad that she had to detox the hard way and her hopes for the future are very inspiring.
One day I had a big craving for candy and I was fighting it off and feeling like I was having such a hard time. Then I remembered them and suddenly felt embarrassed for myself. I felt ridiculous that sugar cravings were such a difficult battle for me in comparison to what they were going through.
I had already been reading about Keto because I found it fascinating. I stumbled across the term nutritional ketosis while researching diabetic Ketoacidosis because my daughter had been hospitalized several times with it due to poor care of her Type 1 Diabetes. Her struggle to deal with that as a young adult, dwindling down to less than 100 pounds on her 5'5" frame was another source of inspiration.
My inability to simply not binge on sugar started to piss me off to be honest. I was mad at myself for being so weak and yet expecting so much from the people I care about.
Once I had that realization, there was no going back. It's been a year and I've not had a single candy or real sugar food item at all. I've even almost completely eliminated artificial sweetener and don't make sugar free desserts except for special occasions either. I know it's a thing of the past because I could never go back to feeling like something had any ability to control my actions like sugar did. I know many people don't believe in sugar addiction, but when a person doesn't want to eat it but at the same cannot think of doing anything else... I don't know what else to call that.25 -
My grandmother died of diabetes complications after having first one foot and then one leg amputated. When I was diagnosed diabetic, having seen what my grandmother went through was motivation enough to search for alternatives. Keeping my BG under control and avoiding related problems was my initial motivation.
I wasn't counting on so many fringe benefits. The weight lost, the mobility gained, the energy, the mental stability, the sheer joy of being alive, all that is my motivation now. I have lost more (45kg /99lbs) than what I still have to lose (±35kg/77lbs) and I'm daring to hope that one day I may have a normal BMI. I'm going to the gym and I'm daring to hope that one day I'll have some muscle definition. I'm actually daring to hope that one day my legs lymphoedema swelling will recede enough so that I may wear a skirt for the first time in twenty years.
I found MFP on September 2014. Since then I've had plateaus, I've had times that my weight has been going up and down the same 2kg/4lbs. BUT at the end of every single month I've weighed less than at the end of the previous. That alone is a miracle and a continued motivation.
And, of course, all the people that share their experience, their struggles and their victories and freely give away their hard earned knowledge have been the greatest of motivations since day 1. When I stumbled upon this forum, recently diagnosed and overwhelmed by the idea of a very bleak future of amputation, blindness and kidney failure, it meant the world to have support from people who really knew what I was going through. I remember vividly seeing tickers saying "40lbs lost", "80lbs lost", "130lbs lost" and thinking maybe I can do it too. Even when I was feeling very low and not participating in any way, I still came here every day, gathering hope and support from the posts.
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Like @andysport, I feel like my main motivation is more superficial. I want to look healthy and fit when naked or near naked.
My mom died of Alzheimer's complications and my uncle has Alzheimer's now. I want to prevent it. Keto and reduced insulin may help and I'm pretty sure I'm insulin resistant.5 -
SunnyBunny - it is so nice to hear somebody else understand sugar addiction! I've had similar thoughts like why can't I kick this addiction, when alcoholics & drug addicts kick theirs? And so many other tough things people push through...resisting M&Ms is NOTHING compared to other people's trials!!!
My motivation is much like SunnyBunny's as far as the sugar goes. Sometimes I would literally feel depressed after coming down from my sugar high. I spent way too much time in front of the t.v. at night because I didn't want to do anything else. I now see that it wasn't just sugar affecting me, but unhealthy carbs in general.
One other thing that motivates me is kind of general, but I want to be able to do outdoor activities without injuring myself or pooping out quickly. I want to hike, ride my bike, walk, run, kayak, SUP, and other things. I am already seeing the benefits after losing 15 lbs, exercising regularly, and following a lower-carb diet. Going kayaking in a few weeks w/ my new boyfriend and can't wait!
Lastly, I want my sons (ages 27 & 30) to see that I am not all talk and no action. That I am a kick-*kitten* mom who puts her mind to something and then does it!!! That I can lift myself out of the muck and LIVE! :-)12 -
For you guys that that feel your motivations are superficial, @andysport1 and @suesuarez and anyone that has decided not to post your motivation for that reason, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
I mean, mine really was about just wanting to be thin too. I just identified what was preventing that for me and realized how it made me behave like an addict so I approached it in such a way.
There's nothing wrong with just wanting to look more slim and athletic. It shows that you care about your body. That you care about yourself and you're willing to work for what you want.
If you're only goal is to reveal a 6 pack, that's a fantastic goal! And I for one think no less of that motivation and goal than someone trying to save their overall health or reverse diabetes. It's not any easier to make the needed changes for you. It still takes a daily commitment and lifelong adherence.
I encourage everyone no matter how superficial you think your goal is to share it. It's not superficial to want to be in love with your body. We each just have different things keeping us from that.14 -
oooh mine is just vanity, I have been gaining pounds for quite a while, doing yo yo dieting,and getting unfit. I am no spring chicken so time to get my act together. Also I am 30 years married next june and am going to the carribean so want to look better for that.8
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Not going blind.
or 
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My diabetic mother was hospitalized for 4 months due to complications from diabetes. We really didn't think she was ever going to make it back home with dad. When they released her, too ill to go home but her insurance wouldn't pay to keep her there any longer, dad had to become a nursing home nurse basically. Change her diapers, wait on her hand and foot...and it struck me that at almost 260lb, I was headed down that same road. I was 35. I was probably already prediabetic. Going up and downstairs was a chore. And I pictured my children having to worry constantly about me and my poor husband having to change my diapers. I decided I wasn't going to do that to them.
I'm a better wife and mother now. I'm not giving that up for anything.14 -
My main motivations are as follows:
My family history, that was getting harder to ignore. Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis - my maternal grandfather died of a massive heart attack in his 40's, leaving behind a wife and eight children; my maternal grandmother died in her early 70's, not knowing who she was, where she was, or who the people around her were; my half sister was diagnosed with MS in her early 30's, and now in her mid 40's is really starting to decline; my father had a stent placed in his mid 40's, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his early 50's, and now suffers diabetic neuropathy in his mid 60's.
My own personal history wasn't great. I've suffered reactive hypoglycemia since childhood. My weight was consistantly in the "overweight" category (or higher) since about age 17. My fasting blood glucose was normal, but on the rise, and my cholesterol numbers and blood pressure numbers weren't looking so hot either. I'm only 35; I know what road I was headed down.
I have four daughters, ranging from 9 mos to 9 years old. I want to not only be around for them and see who they become as adults, but I also want to be able to be an active participant. I want to be able to go out and play with any grandkids I may have one day (up to them, no pressure!). Mostly I don't want to be a burden to them in my not-so-older years; I want to be able to live independently well into old age. I also want to set a good example for them. I want them to see than taking care of yourself and maintaining your health doesn't have to be a struggle, doesn't have to involve starvation or deprivation, and can be fun, even! I want them to see that if you focus on quality and nutrition, quantity has a way of taking care of itself. I want to be a good role model, someone I would be proud to have them emulate. I don't want them to struggle with weight and self esteem issues like I did (okay, I know I can't shield them from that entirely).
I also want to look good naked, lol. Nothing wrong with a bit of vanity to motivate
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Dog food!
When I started, my goal was to simply reduce my 10-year heart disease risk by fixing some risk markers (esp HDL and TG). That didn't take long.
So the goal morphed into feeling good, not getting tuckered out doing yard work, and maintaining the unexpected benefits like improved skin, and other signs of good health.
I never expected to have any motivation related to aesthetics. Honestly, I thought I looked OK 40 lbs ago. But, that's been my biggest surprise: not just improved strength and endurance, but muscles and even a faint glimmer of maybe a six-pack someday. At 54 years old!
So multiple motivations, even during maintenance.13 -
Gosh I don't even know anymore, maybe that's why I'm struggling. I wanted to lose weight because I don't like being heavy mostly for vanity reasons. I also thought it would help me towards getting pregnant but so far that's been one failed attempt after another. I guess I don't really have a motivation anymore, which would explain a lot about why my choices have been less than stellar. I'm just gonna focus on exercise, I'd like to be able to jog around my block at some point, just because I think I should be able to and never have, even when I was younger, just didn't have the stamina for it.4
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I have the sugar addiction, too. Plus am T2 diabetic. Didn't really care about myself for many years. Now I realize how few I have left and want to be slim and fit enough to do what is needed and maybe discover what I might want to do. Some vanity there , too. I battle with feeling vulnerable being slimmer, but still get a kick out of seeing the changes happening with my self.3
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baconslave wrote: »My diabetic mother was hospitalized for 4 months due to complications from diabetes. We really didn't think she was ever going to make it back home with dad. When they released her, too ill to go home but her insurance wouldn't pay to keep her there any longer, dad had to become a nursing home nurse basically. Change her diapers, wait on her hand and foot...and it struck me that at almost 260lb, I was headed down that same road. I was 35. I was probably already prediabetic. Going up and downstairs was a chore. And I pictured my children having to worry constantly about me and my poor husband having to change my diapers. I decided I wasn't going to do that to them.
I'm a better wife and mother now. I'm not giving that up for anything.
My dad had a stroke at 44, which put him out of commission for the rest of his life. I'm facing 40 soon and kept thinking about what would happen if I had a stroke or heart attack on the second story of our house. It would have been really hard for paramedics to struggle to get me downstairs. And God help my husband if he had to then become my nursemaid. I don't want to die young or live as a stroke victim.7 -
My motivation comes in many forms. 1 1/2 years ago at 230+ pounds I would literally lie awake at night with my heart racing waiting for the heart attack or stroke and knowing something had to seriously change. Just prior to this, my younger brother was diagnosed with T2 diabetes and only lasted a few months on the recommended 120 g carb/day diet before giving up and starting on medication. This was my future as well. My mom died (cancer) when she was 44 leaving behind 3 kids (ages 12, 10, and 18 months) and my dad. My dad would often comment she died when things were tough (young kids, money was tight, etc) and as much as we were a really happy family full of love, he regretted that she missed out on the fun stuff that comes when kids get older and there is more time and money to spend traveling and enjoying life and each other. My kids are getting older and I didn't want my weight standing in the way of experiencIng life.
I turn 50 next week (Holy Cow!) which was another huge motivator to get going last year.
My 15 year old daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan and her dream was to visit Harry Potter world. We were able to do this together last February without me worrying about not being able to fit into the ride seats, avoiding seat belt extenders on the airplane, and coping with walking miles each day we were at the park. It was amazing to help make her dream come true.
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Pre-diabetes is what got me motivated enough to change my eating habits. I always wanted to lose weight, but somehow it didn't click until I really got a good old-fashioned talking to from the doctor. My grandmother had diabetes and even though I was "only" 40 pounds overweight (now I'm sitting at about 20 pounds overweight), my body was already heading in that general direction holding onto extra weight. Scary to me!7
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I am motivated primarily by vanity. I mean, the internal benefits of LCHF are great but I loved losing the weight and eating in a way that is quite fun, to be honest. Who doesn't want to lose weight but still get to enjoy steak, bacon, cheese, and sour cream?
But really, I was sick of being chunky and my clothes not fitting the way I wanted them to fit. And I am really liking the way my body is turning out and the shape I've developed from lifting along with eating LCHF.
This is the longest I've ever stuck to a weight loss attempt and 'diet', which is in part because I decided to make this a way of eating, rather than a temporary thing.7 -
Lots of little motivators, but the big ones are I don’t want to go through cancer again if at all possible, and I want to be around long enough to enjoy watching my grand children grow-up. I had my only child in my late 30’s and want to live long and healthy and enjoy my family as long as possible. Other health issues that motivate me are to reduce acne, psoriasis, fatigue, digestive issues, and my knees are no so good so I need to keep my weight down. LC is helping with all of this.
The health of my family members (parents and grandparents) is/was not so great. Way to many issues that could have been prevented or alleviated by healthy life style choices. I can see some of the issues I may need to deal with if I follow down the same paths as other family members have (metabolic, heart, and obesity issues).
I absolutely have a vanity motivation; I would like to reduce my belly and thighs and stay within size 6 jeans. I would not mind at all going up in weight as long as it is more muscle.
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samanthaluangphixay wrote: »I am motivated primarily by vanity...
But really, I was sick of being chunky and my clothes not fitting the way I wanted them to fit. And I am really liking the way my body is turning out and the shape I've developed from lifting along with eating LCHF.
That's a nice side effect. My motivation was my impact on my husband and family. But I'm not going to lie and say it isn't awesome people coming up to me and going nuts. These are random people I do not know. And they say (referencing my 13-year old dd) "Oh my goodness! Is that your daughter? You look just like sisters." Swells the head a little. She's still a size 3/4 and I'm an 8/10. But I like my curves just fine as they are. 7 -
My health is definitely my biggest motivator. I recently found out I have diabetes and gluten sensitivity. I had low-carb'd before then just to lose weight and had great results. Now my goal is to make it a full time thing. I'm a single mom of two and need to be around for my boys.
In the past 6 years i've really let myself go weight & health wise and I need to get myself back on track!!! 4 -
After several years of low calorie eating and gaining and losing the same 5-10 lbs. I kind of gave up on weight loss. I started low carb for health reasons. I was already gluten free due to celiac disease and had just gotten diagnosed with RA. My doctor said an anti-inflammatory diet was important and then my cousin started telling me about the keto diet. So I gave it a try and it did help my RA symptoms plus I have lost 26 lbs. Along the way I find that I'm rarely hungry and even when I am it's not "emergency" hungry. In the past I would come home from work shaking with hunger and need to eat half a bag of chips or cereal to level out before I could even cook dinner. Now I can go hours even if I do feel hungry.
So while health motivates me to eat right, vanity motivates me to exercise! I'm close to my goal weight but I'd like a little more definition and firmness. 5 -
Thanks for reading my mind and posting this before I did!
My motivations are:
1.) Having a baby. Found out that on top of my PCOS, I have blocked fallopian tubes so the only way we have a family is through IVF. The clinics here won't touch you for IVF if your BMI is 40+, so right there is my biggest motivator. My sister in law, who lives with us, just had a baby, so every day at home, and every time I look at the photos on my desk, I get smacked in the face with a blatant reminder of why I'm eating this way. It doesn't make the birth announcements any easier to hear, but I'm 25/80 pounds down to reaching the target weight for the procedure and hoping to reach my goal by October. Next year I hope to be the one sending out the birth announcement!
2.) Pain. Just straight up pain. I tore the meniscus in my left knee in November last year, and after the surgery walking was just so painful. I couldn't do anything anymore because of pain, and it was affecting my relationships, everything. I was so depressed and figured that if I didn't start losing weight I would probably end up 450 pounds and divorced, or at least miserable in my relationship, just because I couldn't go do anything with my husband anymore.
3.) Clothes. I have some nice clothes. But none of them fit. I got some clothes in my size, but they looked terrible on me. I've been wearing the same 5-6 shirts and 3 pairs of pants for months now and I'm tired of it. So I'm dropping weight to get back into those clothes I haven't worn in forever!6 -
Sooo many reasons, but the one that finally lit a fire under my rump to quit 'talking about it' and 'just do it' was after ending up in the hospital with stage 4 level high blood pressure, something ~230/120. After 4 hours in the ER it only went down to ~200/110. I was knocking on deaths door, didn't even know it. I went to the ER because I hit my head, not because of any other health reason. I got lucky hitting my head as HBP is called a silent killer for a reason.10
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