How did you guys start your diet/lifestyle change?

MJ_Watson

I started having panic attacks. Sounds strange to be thankful for that, but I am. For years, I had refused to seek help for my anxiety but with actual physical symptoms, I felt forced to talk about it with my doctor, who recommended therapy and regular exercise before medication. The exercise took care of the fitness part, and once I started dealing with things in therapy, everything else started to fall into place. My issue was not laziness, it was fear. When I realized I had the tools to take control of the rest of my life, taking control of my eating habits was easy.

I think that even though these answers are all different, that's going to the common thread: People taking control for themselves. As much as you may want to, you can't do that for someone else. They have to get there on their own.

PepperWorm

I decided, "Hey, I'm fat. Need to change that."

Chose a random day (I think it was a Friday). Started eating at a deficit and exercising. Done.

NanaWubbie

For me, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I drew a line in the sand and said no more. I set my goals small.....1st one was just to not jain any weight over the holidays. Then it was to lose 5 pounds in January. Then 5 more for Feb. Somewhere along the way I found MFB and DietBet. These work for me because I am a cheapskate and motivated by $$. My goal was to lose 40 pounds, but I have recently adjusted my goals to lose 10 more!!! I'm on the dreaded last 10. I'll make it.

leebesstoad

Mine will certainly be different than most. It boils down to one word: Rehab. I had a total knee replacement done last September 24. I'd put on some weight before surgery as the knee limited what I could do and I really added quite a bit as I was home bound during initial recovery. And I certainly overindulged then. My trainer couldn't wait for me to get back because he has always believed in me and wanted to kick my *kitten* to get me back to where I had been before and where he knew I could be. (He also wanted me in great shape for his wedding coming up in October). On January 2, I saw my surgeon and got clearance to return to the gym and really start rehab in earnest. And I knew a big part of that was getting weight off to reduce wear and tear on the new knee. So I set a goal of losing 28-30 pounds. And as usual, my trainer and I had an agreement. I told him what I wanted to do. And then we did what he wanted. And what he wanted was to focus on functional movement and strengthening the knee and increase flexibility as much as possible in the hips (which were replaced many years ago). And he introduced me to MFP. He was the one who started me here. He's tried to get his other clients here too. To varying degrees of success. But I have an OCD streak a mile wide. And once I commit to something I'm all in. And so I started logging everything. And doing everything I could in the gym. After a while, my trainer knew I was back emotionally because with every exercise he set up, I did more reps, asked for more weight, did it for longer times. And he knew he would have to now start making sure I didn't overdo it. But in 11 weeks, I lost 27 pounds. Then a funny thing happened. I sort of coasted a while, increasing my calories a bit, backing off a bit in the gym (I had a vacation in there) and the weight loss slowed considerably. But incredibly, the body transformation accelerated. So now about 6-1/2 months later, I'm down about 42 pounds, I've lost about 12% bodyfat, lost 8 inches on my hips and 7 inches on my waist. But more remarkably, I can do more physically than maybe any time in my life. I'm moving better than ever. I am completely pain free. And for the first time in my life, I am proud of how I look. I love how my partner looks at me now. He's always been concerned more about making sure I'm healthy. Now he knows I am that but he is really proud of me, and likes to show me off a bit to friends. My trainer is happier than imaginable because he knows how much he had a part in this. But it is frustrating for him too. If a guy like me, 57 years old, rehabbing off a knee replacement, and with 2 artificial hips already can do this, why can't his younger clients with no physical issues at all. Why don't they? Commitment.

I haven't seen my ortho doc since I got released back on January 2. My next visit is in 10 days and I can't wait. He has no idea any of this has happened. He's probably hoping for a bit of improvement in range of motion and flexibility. He is going to be blown away. I saw my physical therapist a couple of weeks ago, who I last saw on the same day. I walked into his office, he looked at me, and the first words out of his mouth were "where's the rest of you?" Those are the NSVs that you can't buy, and you can only pay for in hard work and commitment, both to diet and exercise.

And now that I have seen what is possible, what I really can do when I put my heart and soul into something, and with the support of some of the incredible friends I have made here on MFP, the body transformation is really only beginning. I guess in the end, the only way to really start, the only way to continue is to want it. For yourself. You may want to do it for others too. But if you can't make that commitment to yourself, if you don't think you are worth it, it won't happen. Are you worth it? I can't answer that. But am I worth it? You damned well better believe it. And once you can answer that question like that, the changes are easy.

toothpastechica

I realized I was out of shape after being out of breath on a small(ish) hike when I used to do 4-8 hour hikes regularly.....decided I needed to start running again, got runtastic on my phone and got motivated to track all active things I do and I decided to would try and be active every day...then I found out runtastic syncs with MFP and started on mfp, now I log everything and starting to make some better eating choices most of the time.

Chuki5

a co-worker told me about the app, I was amazed by logging how much my intake was....I started walking on the treadmill so I could eat a couple extra items.......that was 285+ days ago

golfergirl92

I turned 21 in February and as expected, it was party, party, party. Being a college student and going to a school notorious for drinking, my life revolved around weeknights, junk food, and booze. I started dating my boyfriend mid-April after a month of ridiculous partying so I know I was at my highest weight (probably 205-210). Around the same time, I accepted a job offer that required me to move to a different town about an hour from school, but I was graduating in 3 weeks so it wasn't much of a big deal. We went out one evening and got really dressed up and looked super cute, but all I could think is "why does he want me when there are so many skinny, beautiful girls?" I'd also been ignoring issues for a while like my work clothes not fitting as well and feeling crappy/tired all the time. I decided that this was finally the time to live the healthiest, fittest ME there could be. I gave up soda and fast food the day I graduated. No more caffeine headaches, and I'm anemic so the caffeine was my upper when I wasn't eating enough iron (which was never). When I moved to the new town, I filled my fridge and freezer with only healthy stuff. I don't hardly ever go into the middle aisles at the store because it's all processed junk. Now that I had a full-time job and no school, I had plenty of time to start making lunches to take with me and make sure I ate a good breakfast. My apartment complex has a fitness center, so I'd go down after work about 5 days a week and be on the elliptical and read from my iPad. One of my new coworkers took me to her gym which is fabulous and I signed up that day. I've been there pretty much every day since. Gym rat! haha. I log EVERYTHING I eat and drink--and I have no excuse as I'm on my computer at home, my phone, and my iPad constantly. I drink water like it's going out of style and use a lot of Mio. Try cherry limeade and grape together...tastes like a rainbow Mr. Misty from DQ. I made up goals and rewards for myself as the weight comes off. I also made a list of all the reasons why I want to be fit and taped it near my fridge so I constantly see it and remind myself of why I'm making such a drastic lifestyle change. I've tried in the past, but I always gave up too easily because I didn't see results. I hit the 12 lb mark today and went and tried on some shorts....I wore these shorts to Six Flags last year and they were way too tight around the waist/hips/thighs....put them on today and they were baggy in the same areas!!! Super excited about that! Put on my favorite pair of skinny jeans and I no longer have a muffin top when I wear them! I bought jeans when I was out with my bf shopping a month and a half ago, and I was happy to tell him tonight that they're a size too large now!

You're not going to be able to change your friend's mind until they decide that they have to do this for themselves. It takes motivation from within regardless of how large a support system you have. You have to want this. You have to do it for yourself. And I don't think of myself as being on a diet, it's a new way of life.

thistimewillbedifferent

Back in December during that slow time between Christmas and New Year's, I did a lot of reflection on my life. I realized that my actions didn't always match my stated values and goals, and that there were lots of elements I wanted to add to my life but couldn't because too much space was being taken up by things that were NOT adding value to my life (and in some cases were detracting value). I made a chart with three columns: things that add value to my life which are already there and which I want to keep (my awesome friends, my charity/volunteer work, etc.), things that are NOT adding value to my life (random TV surfing for hours on end, online games, drinking 6-8 diet cokes a day, loads of take-out, etc.), and things that would add value and which I wanted to incorporate into my life but that I didn't currently have time for (exercise, healthy food preparation, etc.).

I then made a genuine mental commitment that 2013 was going to be the year that I really and truly made my health a priority. I began eliminating the things in the second column and adding in things from the third column. Every morning when I get up, I remind myself that I want for my actions to reflect this new focus. I haven't been "perfect" by any means, but that was never the goal -- the goal for me was to make room in my life for things like going to the gym, going to the grocery store to stock up on healthy staples, etc. I've lost 45 lbs since I made that commitment and changed my habits, so this approach has definitely been working well for me.

raneylfrick

I was finishing up work and said to myself, "Today I am going to log EVERYTHING in MFP." I haven't stopped since.

missinesita

I did one of Amanda Russell's work out and thought I could be fitter with a bit of effort. Then I logged in here (I'd had this account for about a year but with no activity) and discovered the Jillian Michaels workouts.

itzCoffeeTime

For me it started with substituting my high calorie drinks for water or diet soda. It really makes a tremendous difference because it really is shocking how many calories I consumed just drinking. Of course if needed this could be a gradual change. Instead of a couple sodas a day have just one. Then instead of one a day maybe only a couple a week, etc etc. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce caloric intake because of how many calories are contained in sugary drinks.

Next I started cutting out fast food. Again this can be a gradual progression if your friend is a fast food junkie like I once was. I limited fast food to a couple times a week. Then I further reduced to once a week until it was eliminated from my diet. Any easy substitution for me was a good protein like chicken breast, turkey, or roast beef on some wheat bread. Top it off with a lot of veggies to keep you full. It really was amazing how well my body responded to this change.

Im now in the process of transitioning from sandwiches to just proteins and salads for lunch. This is a hard one but again I use my transition strategy and it seems to be working well. The most important thing for me was allowing myself a cheat meal every once in a while to keep my sanity.