What was your catalyst for weight loss?

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  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    britishbeau wrote: »
    What was that moment when everything just clicked into place and you could finally lose some weight.

    Ive been wanting to diet for over a year. I always thought 'ill start monday' or give up after a day, but always hated myself for getting fatter and never losing. This week i was looking for motivation, like pretty much every other week, when I saw one pin on pinterest. No photo, just words.

    Being fat is hard.
    Dieting is hard
    Pick your hard.

    and eveything just fell into place. something clicked in my brain and i went out and bought vegetables, this week i have actually eaten vegetables instead of letting them go moldy in the fridge as usual, and ive lost 2lbs already. What was it for you? a picture? a situation? something someone said? I would love to know.

    "Think of where you could be if you had started a year ago today."
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    I realized that if I want to look like a fit person, I have to act like one. Long term.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,840 Member
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    I've been slender most of my life ... I crept up into the overweight range during a few recent unsettled years when the last thing I wanted to do was to focus on diet ... lots of moves and travel. :) In 2014 we moved to our current location and settled ... for now.

    As a part of settling, I was finally able to focus more attention on health and fitness. I was already going to the gym and cycling and walking, but during the 10-day break over Christmas 2014, I decided to step it up a notch and do a lot more cycling plus weightlifting. And I dropped a bit of weight.

    January 2015 brought everything to a screeching halt when I was rushed into two surgeries for two unrelated cancer scares. Happily, I was given the "all clear" on one ... the other was OK but showed signs of something, so I'm being monitored for about 5 years to ensure it stays OK.

    By the end of January I was the heaviest weight I've ever been. Some of that was stress eating, but some was likely water weight from the surgeries. And of course, I couldn't exercise for several weeks.

    During my recovery process, I started looking around for a calorie tracking site. I've used them before to drop a bit of weight now and then if I started to creep up toward the high end of my normal BMI range. They worked those times, but I wasn't convinced that it was going to work this time. However, in February 2015, I decided on MFP and so it began.

  • lizzy_satellite
    lizzy_satellite Posts: 112 Member
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    I was scrolling through my facebook feed and saw that a friend had posted photos from a recent Tough Mudder, and it looked like fun. I caught myself thinking “You’re far too useless to ever try to drag your fat butt over obstacles. It would be farcical. Don’t even think about it”.
    I pulled myself up mid-negative thought and actually paid attention to how I spoke to myself, then decided that I was going to turn things around. 43lbs later here I am.

  • cariduttry
    cariduttry Posts: 210 Member
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    blood work. and the scale. i was told by my doctor that being on high blood pressure and cholesterol medication is probably in my future (due to family history), but it's up to me how far in my future it is. she's giving me one last chance to improve my cholesterol numbers before i have to go on meds. that appointment is in september and i plan on killing the numbers!
  • lmew91
    lmew91 Posts: 88 Member
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    My upcoming wedding. I had counted calories before, off and on. I knew I had gained some weight but always telling myself it "isn't that bad," "I'm not that big; I'm not overweight." But the truth is I was too big for my own comfort, and my BMI was just slightly in the overweight zone. I just kind of avoided buying new clothes, wore what I was comfortable in, didn't take a lot of pictures, etc. Knowing that in September I will be walking down the aisle in front of family and friends, and being in a ton of pictures, no matter what my size is, I finally decided that it was time to apply myself and get serious about being a healthier person. I know this is superficial, but I didn't want people to see me and think "She really should have picked a more flattering dress," or "Why didn't she try to look better for her big day?" Or look back in a few years and think that I could have tried just a little harder to look decent for my wedding. It really isn't just about my size though, it's about how I am so much happier when I feel good on the inside. Being able to fit into the clothes that have been hanging in my closet again is a great bonus!
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    When I had to start buying higher sized clothes. Sizes I never thought I'd wear again. And seeing myself in pictures wearing the clothes.
    Most people see themselves as heavier than they are. I never think I look as bad as I do till I see a picture and see the lack of definition in my face, the bigger arms ......it's total vanity but it makes me eat less and move more so it works.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    I was very fat due to some medical problems and excessive overeating/binging. And I realized that I was not really living my life, just hiding. So I made a list of all the things I wanted to do, but wouldn't let myself because of being so fat (both mentally and physically). Dating, surfing, getting promotions, hiking, shopping at normal stores, actually liking clothes I owned, plus I have some hormonal issues that improve with weight loss. The list was roughly 2 full pages of my tiny handwriting and devastatingly sad.

    Now I'm over halfway to losing 110 pounds, running, doing intense exercise classes, etc. etc. Life is much better.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
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    Last year had my 10th anniversary at a dead end job I despise. Been looking sending out resumes, done a few (very) interviews and it's been extremely frustrating. I happen to thin up very well, look better lean than I have a right to so I thought that will hopefully help me land a better job.
    ..not looking forward to the wife becoming jealous again.
  • ksb205
    ksb205 Posts: 5 Member
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    High Blood Sugar Control
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
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    I didn't really have one big moment, it was more like several small ones. I had been trying and mostly failing to lose weight pretty much my entire adult life. The two biggest realizations last year that helped get to the point of finally taking weight loss seriously was 1) hitting 189lbs with my weight steadily increasing, meaning 200 was rapidly approaching; and 2) my size 14 pants were getting awfully comfortable and my size 12s were getting awfully snug (the ones that still fit). I decided that I REALLY didn't want to get to 200lbs and keep going up in clothing sizes. This was particularly true since my husband and I were starting to discuss family planning and I didn't want to start a pregnancy being obese.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
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    For me it was knowing that I was going to graduate nursing school in a few months and I could barely make it through one 9 hour clinical day. I wondered how I was going to handle 12 hour shifts several days a week. I was also planning my wedding and my husband and I want to have kids. I want to be the healthy, active Mommy. Not the tired, sleepy Mommy. 49 lbs. down and 53 to go to get to my original goal. Then I'll see how I feel.

    I love seeing how people made the decision to change their lives. Good luck everyone, keep up the good work!!
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
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    For me, it was when I was applying for voluntary life insurance. The nurse came and took blood and weighed me and went back to the insurance company. I was then told that because of my weight I would be charged $40 more a month than my husband would be! I was 65 pounds heavier at that point and knew I needed to lose weight, as I was uncomfortable, etc., but this was the catalyst. Up until that point, my life insurance always came through my employment, so health checks were not required. I was appalled and I'm stubborn, so I started this journey the next week!
  • no_day_but_2day
    no_day_but_2day Posts: 222 Member
    edited May 2016
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    britishbeau wrote: »
    What was that moment when everything just clicked into place and you could finally lose some weight.

    Ive been wanting to diet for over a year. I always thought 'ill start monday' or give up after a day, but always hated myself for getting fatter and never losing. This week i was looking for motivation, like pretty much every other week, when I saw one pin on pinterest. No photo, just words.

    Being fat is hard.
    Dieting is hard
    Pick your hard.

    and eveything just fell into place. something clicked in my brain and i went out and bought vegetables, this week i have actually eaten vegetables instead of letting them go moldy in the fridge as usual, and ive lost 2lbs already. What was it for you? a picture? a situation? something someone said? I would love to know.

    Being fat isn't hard. it's easy. That's why a lot of the world is obese. What clicked in me this year, I honestly couldn't tell you. I just wanted to finally show how hard I've worked. People always saw me running and working out, but I wasn't getting anywhere with it because I wasn't changing my diet. So vanity got the best of me I guess but this new found love for how I am changing my body for the better keeps me going.
  • Rowood101
    Rowood101 Posts: 98 Member
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    First time around it was seeing a "2" as the first number on the scales. This time around it was buying a bike to commute to work and then realizing how much fun it is and how eating less and cycling 5 times a week plus running can really speed up weight loss. 10 pounds down in 2 months pretty happy!!!
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 506 Member
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    The birth of my first granddaughter. After my divorce my daughter and I had been making some changes, not buying processed foods, not eating at fast food restaurants, making more meals from scratch, and I had lost some weight by doing those things. I had pretty much eliminated sodas instead drinking unsweetened ice tea and continued to drink lots of water--my first choice for something to drink. Even though I had lost some weight doing these things, I was still on medication to control my blood pressure, high cholesterol, and began taking insulin for diabetes. When my first granddaughter was born I realized I needed to do something more if I wanted to be around to watch her grow up and to be able to do things with her. I have had a little set back and slow down since I have remarried and my husband has taken over cooking dinner. His only means of cooking is frying, try as I might, I haven't been able to get him on board the "healthy" eating train!
  • gethntysear
    gethntysear Posts: 47 Member
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    Random wednesday morning mid february, fed up my clothes didn't feel comfortable everything was digging in. Sucked it up and weighed myself, saw I was the biggest I'd ever been. Booked in for a boditrax scan for the following week at the local gym, found out I had nearly 30kg of fat sat on my little 5'4" frame. :cold_sweat:

    3 months today exactly, I have lost 10kg of fat and 0.6kg of muscle :relieved: I have done more these past few months then I have in years, went snowboarding, been swimming, taken up skateboarding, willingly went to the gym to run, bought a Fitbit Surge and have my own barbell at home. My poor pooch has never walked so much, I go 6-8 miles everyday.

    MFP has helped me to re-educate myself about food and its nutrition, I also actually drink water now! Something I would never ever do, hated it; only juices, milky sugary teas and coffees before. I believe if you 100% try, you can not fail :blush: so that's what I did and I am so grateful to myself for making that decision back then!

    Something that stuck with me: 'You can either wake up sore tomorrow, or sorry. You choose.'
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    My son poked my beer gut and asked when is it due. Blood tests were getting into the range of cholesterol and blood pressure medication being needed in the future. Entering mid 50's I decided it was time to act and got a Fit Bit and a logging Wi-Fi scale. Found MFP because Fit Bits Calorie counter was lame. Once I realized this is just simple math and the scale started moving I was hooked. I thought "I got this" and dropped over 50 pounds. Cholesterol down 50 points and blood pressure normal. I look and feel great and took up running and being more active in general. I keep saying "this is not a diet, its a lifestyle change. Diets stop but this goes on forever"

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