What prompted your motivation to change?

batorkin

I was:
- 6'1" 256 pound male (about 30 pounds into Obese BMI).
- Badly balding and trying to hide it.
- Very bad vision (thick glasses even with good lenses).
- 12 hours a day of sitting, and always eating snack food.
- Always felt exhausted, slept around 12 hours a day.
- Never held a job due to being depressed.
- Hated everything about myself.

What triggered my motivation to change? Well, It's really stupid. My glasses broke, and I decided to get contacts instead. A few days later, I looked in the mirror and saw a tiny glimpse of a "nice looking" face, and I wanted to see more. Decided enough is enough, time to get my life on track.

It's been about 35 days since. I threw out all the bad food and started eating healthy. I do cardio/interval 20-30 minutes 6 times a week, and lift weights 2-3 times a week. I have shaved my head completely to embrace my baldness, because it is what it is! My confidence is higher, my shoulders slouch less, depression seems to be gone, and I feel great.

Today I weighed myself and the scale read 239, I was so happy. Goodbye 240s and 250s. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I have accomplished a lot in 35 days. I'm so motivated now and can't wait to see the changes as I get closer to my target of 180.

SusanDSME

I've been steadily gaining weight for the past 4 years. I was put on a medication that messes with my metabolism, so suddenly all the things I used to do to stay slim weren't working. I was slowing down, not keeping up with my kids and my husband when we hiked... everything was getting harder. The last straw was when the one pair of pants that fit me developed huge, unrepairable rips. I was faced with the prospect of buying pants in the next size up. Suddenly, I couldn't pretend that the weight gain wasn't so bad. My son is on cross-country, so I started running, too. I also started going to two free exercise classes in town- strength training and zumba.

Amazingly, I went to Goodwill to buy a pair of size 14 pants, and decided to look one last time in the size 12s. Amazingly, I found a pair that fit me. (I'm sure the manufacturer just stuck a size 12 label on a 14 to flatter overweight people like me.)

I just started logging my foods and exercise on 11/4, and I'm down 2.4 lbs. Maybe by New Year, I'll be able to fit into more than one pair of pants!

Philtex

It has been six years now since I changed my eating habits and lost the weight, but what prompted me was the realization that I would have to shop at a 'big & tall' shop or department if my waist size went up again.

RoxieDawn

You've lost approx 17 pounds in 35 days? I just reviewed a post of yours in the 'help it's not working' thread where you are only eating 1000-1200 calories a day.

This is very unhealthy especially with exercising 6 days a week. While a water weight drop is be expected the first week or two after creating a calorie deficit, what you are doing is still unhealthy for a male (the minimum requirement is 1500 calories). Even though your are strength training with a deficit this large you will still lose viable muscle. I hope that you will ease up on fast weight loss for healthier weight loss.

weighmeless

Hurt emotionally and still do, felt and feel the sense of betrayal from the person I trusted the most . I was being selfless only trying to give but ultimately it meant nothing to that one person who meant the world to me. Not out of it but personally have grown trying to take care of myself more. Have lost almost 15 lbs since Sep '2017.. CAN't or don't want to stop myself. I can still go crazy because of how i felt and feel and only exercise and calorie counting has helped me.. exercise physically and calorie count physically and emotionally. I feel helpless if I am not doing them both,

batorkin

RoxieDawn wrote: »

You've lost approx 17 pounds in 35 days? I just reviewed a post of yours in the 'help it's not working' thread where you are only eating 1000-1200 calories a day.

This is very unhealthy especially with exercising 6 days a week. While a water weight drop is be expected the first week or two after creating a calorie deficit, what you are doing is still unhealthy for a male (the minimum requirement is 1500 calories). Even though your are strength training with a deficit this large you will still lose viable muscle. I hope that you will ease up on fast weight loss for healthier weight loss.

Minimum for males is 1200-1500. You can lose extra 6-7 pounds of water weight the first 1-2 weeks, and that's what is throwing it off I think. It is not uncommon to lose 2-3 pounds/week when you are obese though.

I am not hungry, I have no loss of energy (exactly the opposite), and I have increased my weights and resistance during this time span. I appear to be gaining muscle, my arms are much firmer, and I can actually see muscle in the mirror when I flex when I couldn't 35 days ago.

If I notice I can't lift as much, or I start losing energy, I will definitely start eating more but I don't like to eat when I'm not hungry. I usually try to reach 1200 calories because it's what MFP recommends as the bare minimum for males, but even that involves eating when I feel full.

My guess is I still have a lot of reserves, and I'll start getting more hungry soon.

ptrcmcc6

My motivation (for the 2nd time around) is diabetes runs in my family.

Fitnessmom82

I was steadily gaining weight but a little bit in denial. I was busting out if my pants. My extra large shirts were becoming snug. We went on family vacation and I indulged in everything that I wanted for two weeks straight. I was feeling sick and fatter than ever. I vowed to never feel that way again. Tried to get things under control myself for about a month. Then I bit the bullet and joined the gym and hired a trainer. Spending all that money made me want to change my diet. Why pay a trainer if I'm gonna eat crap? Haven't looked back since!