What is your WHY?

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  • prettygirlstorm1
    prettygirlstorm1 Posts: 722 Member
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    Wow!! Your post has me seriously thinking about my WHY. And you are so right my WHY was not big enough. I would justify everything I ate, how I looked, why I could not get past day three. I woke up one morning and said "I don't want to be fat any more. I would wait til Monday, wait on a friend to go to the gym wait on the weather then I realized that I needed to do it for me even if I did it alone. So that is what I am doing. I still have bad days, but I don't let them turn into bad weeks. I have a little ways to go but I just keep going for me. I love the post thanks!!! My WHY just got a lot bigger.
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
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    My WHY is because I don't want my husband to bury me because I neglected my body. I want to live a healthy life with him, not just a life with him.

    My other WHY is because I want to have a baby, but I know my body is not in any condition to carry a child -- having started at 293 pounds, my pregnancy would have been difficult on me and the baby. And then after the baby is born, I want to be the mom that can play with my child at the park, not just take him/her to the park. I want to ride bikes with my children, not just sit on the porch and watch them.

    I have "tried" to lose weight and get healthy before, but I have now come to the realization that I didn't want it badly enough before. You're right....before my WHY wasn't big enough. It is now.....it is more than big enough now.
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,462 Member
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    Bump
  • disneygallagirl
    disneygallagirl Posts: 515 Member
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    great post!
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
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    These are all AWESOME posts. I have read them all so far. Keep them coming. Your WHY just might be someone else's as well or inspire them to dig a little deeper and keep moving forward.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    Because life is too short to feel crappy.

    To me, it is more than weight, it is about feeling good and truly living every day.
  • Autk79
    Autk79 Posts: 283 Member
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    Amazing post ...

    Ive never really had a problem being overweight. I have always been pretty confident in myself but once I did lose weight in the past I got so much more confidence. When Im not as confident in myself I accept less for myself than I deserve. The more confident I am, the better decisions I make in life... That is my "why" if that makes any sense.
  • beachylove
    beachylove Posts: 137 Member
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    My why is to get myself healthy first and foremost, I come from a family plagued with heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
    My biological father was a large man and young (not even 50 yet) when he passed away from the effects of his lifestyle. My mother is a large woman with diabetes, high blood pressure and who knows what else going on. I refuse to be like them and as I get older I see the choices they made and want to prevent myself from taking their path in life.
    I also have a goddaughter that I want to be able to be there for as she grows up. I cant imagine missing out on the things that are ahead for her nor do I want her to feel the pain of losing family at a young age which i know all too well.

    My selfish side wants to be slender, confident and feel like I did in my early 20's when I ate right and exercised. I let my life get in the way and totally became someone I never ever thought I would be. I didn't even recognize the woman in photos, nor did I understand how my husband (who has been with me since High School) could still love the person I was. I mean he never once told me I had to make this change but has been so supportive in it (even joined me on the journey and has become a healthier person himself) I want to see the me that I was until the last 6 years where I just let go of the life I lived for one where work took over and everything for me went out the window.

    I find myself today not at goal yet but with more energy and just overall looking better (skin, nails and hair even look better). My vitals at the doctors appointments have been amazing and just knowing that what I am doing will help keep me here for the long haul makes me never want to go back to the dark place where I would just eat to eat and not care what was going in my body.
  • GretchenReine
    GretchenReine Posts: 1,427 Member
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    my why...in all honesty...I got sick of being the fat friend...I got sick of my hip hurting...my confidence level was never the issue but when you get a bunch of women together shopping and you get "those looks" I got sick of it...

    Now I am one of the smallest in the group...my hip doesn't hurt and my confidence well is the same...

    and no it wasn't to find a man..I got him while I was fat and got fatter after I found him...

    What a great post!

    And I could've written this response myself! My hip never hurt but I was always always always the fat friend. In group pictures, I was generally twice the size of the next biggest person. My confidence pretty much sucked and I never went shopping with friends because we weren't shopping in the same stores. Now, although I have a ways to go, I am not always the biggest one in the picture and even in the pictures where I am the bigger friend...I look a hell of a lot better and I have a killer figure.

    I met my husband when I was over 300 pounds and topped out at almost 400...so my why wasn't to meet a man...but my man is certainly enjoying his wife's new body!
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
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    When I started I could hardly move. I was exhausted and in pain all the time, even lying in bed hurt. I can't do everything i might want to do right now but I can run and longboard and lift weights! I even did a cartwheel! I haven't done one of those in 30 years! I did aikido for a while so I was rolling over other people. I can walk barefoot now! Being able to do these things is fun!

    When I started I was borderline diabetic and my blood pressure was high at the doctors office. It was always fine at the grocery store so I thought I just had white coat syndrome. Now it is normal or optimal all the time even at the doctor's office and they didn't even call me to come in after the blood work I had done for my annual physical.

    So my why is that I want to have a fun life! I want to do things that are fun and not be in pain. I have a son with Aspergers who needs me but that didn't really get me doing what I needed to do. My why is absolutely selfish. I want to feel good so I can have fun!
  • atfirstblush
    atfirstblush Posts: 88 Member
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    My why is because I don't want to be known as the the "Fat Grandma" to my Grand kids and I want to stop being invisible to people that I meet. You kind of get dismissed by people that you meet when you are overweight.
  • geolil14
    geolil14 Posts: 2
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    My why is similar to many others here.
    I want to be healthier, active, and free from aches, pain, and any diseases.
    I don't currently take medication for anything and do not want to start.
    I want to be healthier as I age and weight loss is a major factor to that.
    I need the help as I cannot gauge how much to eat or not.

    :-)
  • ritan7471
    ritan7471 Posts: 99 Member
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    I don't know what to say except that you're an inspiration. Losing your dad, moving in with your mom, changing so many habits all at once - I salute you!

    You have some very good whys and I feel sure you'll meet your goals :)
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
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    my why:

    - to be 100% confident
    -to keep driving my fiancé crazy long after he's my husband
    - to prove to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to

    I'm tired of starting over, so I'm done giving up
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
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    Sometimes it is as simple as surrounding yourself with the right people, or just having an extra 30 minutes in your day to take care of you. One thing that you might find is that your why can change from month to month or year to year. Your why is there, it may just not be revealing itself to you yet. What is the most important to you? maybe start there.
    I've been thinking about this question a lot this week, and I've come to the conclusion that I just don't know. I've tried and failed to lose weight many, many times in the past. Why is this the time that has worked most effectively? No clue. It could be just a perfect storm of "kids are older and I have more time" + "knowing more athletic people I want to emulate" + "having an app in my pocket that helps me keep track of my food." Or it could be something completely different. I wish I knew so I could use it for other areas of my life!
  • BillRicks1
    BillRicks1 Posts: 473 Member
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    Bump to read later at home.
  • tallieterp
    tallieterp Posts: 257 Member
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    my why is simply because I know I can... because I know that I control every choice I make and every step I take and I want to be able to own more successes than failures.... and I want to know what it feels like to be healthy again... to have the power over my life that was lost for a while... it may not be tangible to most people but I feel like every time I start to fall it's easier to get back up because I know I can :)
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
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    Great post! My "WHY" is because in January I had a heart attack and was given a second chance. I used my failed back surgeries, menopause and my age as a reason not to get healthy. It was no wonder I felt like crap and my heart gave out. I am 53 and plan on being around for many more years. Since January I have quit smoking, lost a few pounds and I exercise every day. I no longer sit and pop M&Ms and munch on chips and dip all day. I feel better than I have in years. I am strong and I will continue to get stronger every day. My motto is...I got this.
  • JonnyQwest
    JonnyQwest Posts: 174 Member
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    My "why" cut and pasted from my profile:

    -"Hit 40 and literally thought my life was over, I was drinking at the end of EVERY day to deal with the stresses of life/work, etc. I was on blood pressure medicine, cholesterol medicine and taking TWO medications for my nerves. Enough was enough......since the New Year/2014 I have lost 40 pounds, my cholesterol has gone from 290 to 160 and I am off of ALL meds. I joined MFP to help keep the progress going and keep myself accountable LONG after the weight is gone!"

    Every time I question my ability to keep it up, I go back and read this and my resolve gets that much stronger.

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