What is your WHY?

justjambo

Cancer.

My mum and I were diagnosed within two weeks of each other.

I have learnt a lot since diagnosis, I am on an anti cancer diet which is very similar to the paleo one (Dr David Severan anti cancer diet) and have learned that diet not only helps you if you have it, but in order to prevent it too. Especially taking green tea and turmeric daily.

I also know that obesity definitely increases your risk of cancer, even being overweight is sufficient enough to increase your risk quite dramatically.

I caught mine in time I believe. Now it is time to give my body the chance to continue to live. No matter how long it takes me. I at least have to meet this half way.

(And the refusal to have photo's taken)

Froody2

Great thread.


My why was purely health related. You can't be as fat as I was (and still am) without dire health consequences. I'm a nurse and look after people who've abused their bodies in lots of different ways - I didn't want to end up in a nursing home or dead, like a lot of them do.

OliveC81

My why's: Because I just started a new career in healthcare and want to not be out of breath when things get busy; I want to play with my kids and not get tired; I want my legs/feet/back to stop hurting; I want to feel better; and I want to look better for my husband.

InevitableButterfly

1. Two heart attacks, and I don't want a 3rd one as it might be one of those 'third time's a charm' things.

2. 80.5'' circumference. I am 6'8'' around and only 5'9'' tall. O_O

3. Family - I love them and now that I have them I don't want as much time with them as possible.

4. An old dream - I've always wanted to figure skate.

5. Life dream - I will be going to medical school and by the time I graduate I want to be healthy and look healthy so that my patients are more likely to take me seriously.

Unknown

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melb_alex

It can't be any more succinct or simpler than wanting to be the best version of yourself, longevity with life and health and reaching that state of confidence where you feel you can achieve everything in life and of course asthetics plays into it.

D0II

I just feel out of shape and too chubby for my height, even though I'm normal weight.

sugarlemonpie

My "why"s are:
- To look better for myself and my boyfriend.
- To not have thigh chafing and be able to wear a swimsuit with more confidence.
- To be able to walk, jog and run longer distances and not get disappointed when I am already winded.
- To improve my health and not have to take all the pills my parents do for blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. They aren't that overweight, which is why it is more frightening to me.
- So I can live a more exciting life than sitting at home.

MrMax

I was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri. Being overweight can make the symptoms worse and if the PTC is bad enough, it can cause blindness. I already have some vision problems in one of my eyes because of it. I don't want it to get worse and I don't want to have to get brain surgery. It's really given me the motivation to finally start making some changes.

mickey9694

I saw a pic of myself from a few years back and wanted to look like that again. Only about 20 lbs. or so to go

yungibear

For every one of my previous weight loss attempts, it was to look better and perhaps appear more approachable (Something like that. My self-esteem was almost nonexistent). Today, I have been at this exercising and eating better thing for about 3 months now. This is longer than any other time I had tried losing weight! I hope that I can double this time ... and hopefully, be able to keep doing so year after year!

This time, my motivation is to preserve my mobility. My mom is sedentary (and had not really exercised in her youth) and I see, first-hand, what my fate will be if I do not get active, now. Her back is completely immobile, her legs have atrophied, and she does not go out or do much because she has so little strength. I do not want a life like that when I am in my 60s. I want to be able to be free to do what I want, whether it is traveling, cooking, or seeing my future family.

Eating better just seems to go hand-in-hand with exercising, so naturally, the weight started to come off.

Fattackler2013

I restarted my healthy eating plan because I've been fed up for a long time about the way that I look and feel about myself. I've realised that if I continued eating the way that I was then I could end up dying early or I'll get to a stage where I'll never be able to get in shape and be happier again.(my mental health was being affected) I wanted to feel like I could walk relatively far and not feel so out of breath at the end of it.

I also wanted to gain more confidence.

moya_rargh

I'm constantly made to feel unattractive and ugly and I live a pretty lonely life because of it.

My why? To prove them wrong.

drewmmm

I became less awesome. Srsly. I always kinda wanted to lose weight, but I was pretty content with myself (straight A student, medal winning athlete, earning my living at the age of 19, loving boyfriend of 4 years etc) so the fact that I was overweight wasn't really something that bothered me that much. Of course, I wasn't feeling good at the beach or in cute girly clothes or in anything tight but I had other things in my life that made me feel not good, but great about myself. Then, due to many factors (laziness included) I failed second year of my studies. My whole world came tumbling down. I started doubting myself. I started feeling bad daily. It took three months of feeling like c**p for my WHY to get big enough. It wasn't about cute clothes anymore, it was about will I or will I not take control of my life again. I decided I will. And it wasn't a big breaking point. I just woke up one day, started logging my food, put on my running shoes and never looked back.
Now it's three months later, I'm 30 lbs lighter, almost at my goal, I'm passing my exams and my athletic performance improved. Take that life!

ninerbuff

Initially it was extrinsic. I wanted to just get buff.

It's now 30 years later and in that time my why became intrinsic. I still move like a lot of 25 year olds now. I can play sports. I'm still very strong. And I don't suffer from a lot of the maladies that men my age are dealing with.

I also do it for a living and intend to inspire people showing them that age shouldn't be an excuse. It's never too late to start and there's always room to improve.

I'll be doing this till I can't do it anymore. And I'm betting that's when I'm 100 year old.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

myladies3

My Whys are many...

I wonder more why I allowed myself to keep the weight on for so long. I have been obsese for 23 years. I have amazing friends and family who accept me for who I am and what I look like. But always encouraged any attempt at weight loss full heatedly.. was me who always failed myself. So my reasons why at this stage in life...

1. I would love after over 20 years to get off my blood pressure meds.
2. I do not want to follow in my moms footsteps with diabetes and heart disease.
3. I have arthritis in my hips, and had my right hip replaced in December (I am 46). Being in extreme pain 24 hours a day and being only able to walk with assistance from a cane or a walker before my surgery sucked.. but I didn't let it stop me.
4. My 3 daughters are my main motivation, I want be there long enough to drive them crazy! They are 11, 12 & 16 and every day longer I can spend with them I will. By the end of this journey, they won't love me anymore then they do now if I am smaller. But they will be proud of me and learn from the journey we are taking everyday as a family. And hopefully my 3 active ladies will have learned a thing or two from me that will keep them healthy and happy.
5. Really, who wouldn't want to look good naked.

jacquiearchambault

Thank you for making me "Think", great post

- avoid knee surgery - my weight caused multiple tears
- avoid heart problems, diabetes or other health issues related to obesity
- add a few years to my life by eating better and working out
- having more energy and less joint pain
- I do not want to be PLUS size anymore

SbetaK

My body was starting to remind me that I am not immortal. Nothing I can do about the time aspect, but the healthy living to improve quality of life was staring me in the face with a big WHY? If not now, when? Time is moving on! Great thread.

Sherbog

WOW...one pound to go...Congrats and thanks for sharing your journey.

smantha32

I'm tired of being the fat girl in my group.
Tired of looking crappy in photos
Tired of my knees and low back hurting.
I'm active and I'm tired of dragging 30-40 extra pounds around when I walk/hike/zipline, etc.
I'd like to eventually put on a bathingsuit again and swim without feeling like someone's going to roll me back into the water.
And I'm hitting the age where my body is starting to do weird things. I don't want future health issues I can prevent now.

pJohanna

I walked pass a mirror and that same day noticed my shadow and realized I look pregnant. I realized I didn't like looking at the mirror, looking at pictures of me and most importantly, climbing 16 steps to my bedroom from the first floor left me out of breath.

I want to be able to post a before and after picture and feel great! I want to take selfies dammit! ????

MyChocolateDiet

IDK? I guess I just feel I shouldn't look this way?

You may be right though, in the past I've had very solid "why" 's

1st time I lost around 35 lbs it was b/c I'd gained it suddenly after a traumatic event and was aware that I had likely put on the weight in some strange way as a reaction to that and I didn't want that event to change nor define me.

2nd time I lost 51 lbs and it was b/c I'd gained it again suddenly as the result of an injury and at some point I learned how to manage my pain better and taking different medicines that did not affect my weight by poor choices or hunger, combined with being told by a dr. she thought my weird food/hunger complaints were an attempt to comfort myself through the endless physical pain made me seek out other comforts and remedies. then it was just a matter of rectifying my eating situation and that time I was forced to lose all my weight through diet alone since I was not ambulatory at the time. This time my "why" was that Dr.'s were starting to blame my weight for my injury when in reality the injury was what caused me to gain the weight. I felt that if I lost the weight they'd finally stop d!cking me around with the insurance and excuses and that old crutch of an excuse "Oh when you lose the weight your back won't hurt so much" would no longer be an option. Essentially I lost the weigth so I could walk again. I was ambulatory before I completed my weight loss though b/c as I said I had researched an implemented many techniques and methods to better my pain severity and perception of it.

3rd time. This is it. It's had a success that was followed by maintenance but my "Why" this time has never been well defined as I started this post. Alternately a big major "why" I got derailed and even backslid is a family member very close to me almost died a couple months ago. It hit me very hard. I could neither make sense of what happened or the aftermath of care and trying to understand her prognosis. It consumed me and I felt helpless living far away. I guess not having a "why" was no match for that. IDK where I am now really. I have nothing that I will gain when I am at goal weight. My kids won't love me more. I won't get the man of my dreams, or the hottest dating bod, I'm already married. I have no health issues related to my weight. I won't get a raise at work or better career prospects b/c I don't work. My husbands opinion of me is not tied to my looks but rather to my character. I guess I don't have a "why" really. Other than as I stated at the beginning. I know I'm not supposed to look like this. I only have for about 5% of my life. It looks like an abomination every time I see it in the mirror. It looks like some other person. One I would not choose to be friends with back in the day. I am surprised when I am able to make friends. It totally surprises me. Every single time.

MyChocolateDiet

Hey OP thanks for this thread I was gonna PM this too you b/c I thought it'd get mucky and embarrassing (and it has) but I read your profile and noticed you are married and thought you might have intended for people to answer you in the thread. So I tried to make as much sense as I could while being as open as I can in a thread like this. Sorry about your mom though and wishing you success in keeping your own health where it should be.:flowerforyou:

*looksfortendollarbilltoputattheendofaplank*

bridgie101

I learned through 20 yrs smoking that the 'why' of 'health and longevity' doesn't rate. It's just pap words that people mouth.

The why is something else.

Currently, my why is 'why not?' What else am i doing?

May as well. it's only 1700 cals a day, i'm not torturing myself on 1000. May as well continue.

MyChocolateDiet

I learned through 20 yrs smoking that the 'why' of 'health and longevity' doesn't rate. It's just pap words that people mouth.

The why is something else.

Currently, my why is 'why not?' What else am i doing?

May as well. it's only 1700 cals a day, i'm not torturing myself on 1000. May as well continue.

Okay that will be my "why" too.

joybedford

My original why was my children and a specific incident that occurred. My son has ADHD he ran away from me in the street and almost got hit by a car. I was too unfit and overweight to run after him, I just stood there powerless. Thankfully he was ok but I cried and cried that evening and made the commitment to get fit and healthy and start running. Initially I struggled with the running but on holiday I read a book called "stop making excuses and start living" and it really opened my mind to the possibilities. It changed my mindset from I can't do this, to I will do this.
My recent why is I have had some health problems over the past 18 months (fibromyalgia and a benign brain tumour). I could very easily have given up but I made the decision that I wasn't going to spend my life on heavy pain killers and antidepressants). I changed my diet and continued with the exercise and thankfully it is paying off. I need to be strong for my children, they have special needs and need the best version of me possible. I recently came off my diet (paleo) and all my symptoms returned now working on getting back to where I was.

crissi725

Because I don't want to be my mother. I don't want to be my grandmother. I don't want to be like my aunts and uncles. Because I have NO REASON NOT TO. Because I don't want children and I have plenty of time to be the best version of me. Because I am in love. Because I have always felt out of control of my body and now I'm not. Because it finally makes mathematical sense. Because its not as hard as I thought it would be. Because I hit a weight I NEVER thought I'd hit. Because I am worth it.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

Great thought provoking thread, thanks!!

For me...today...
1) I want to run again. (Or at least be fit enough that should my knees allow, I could go for a run)
2) I want to save money. I'm paying off my debts and cannot justify buying new clothes when I have a whole wardrobe of smaller clothes I can no longer wear.

MikePXstream

Love this !

My why is my daughter. I want her to see first hand what living a proactive healthy lifestyle is instead of growing up with a mom who is reacting to weight gain. I want her to understand that eating well and exercising are important to having a balanced healthy and long life!

Fabulous. Our kids are so much more observant than we give them credit for sometimes. Way to go setting the example now!

MikePXstream

For every one of my previous weight loss attempts, it was to look better and perhaps appear more approachable (Something like that. My self-esteem was almost nonexistent). Today, I have been at this exercising and eating better thing for about 3 months now. This is longer than any other time I had tried losing weight! I hope that I can double this time ... and hopefully, be able to keep doing so year after year!

This time, my motivation is to preserve my mobility. My mom is sedentary (and had not really exercised in her youth) and I see, first-hand, what my fate will be if I do not get active, now. Her back is completely immobile, her legs have atrophied, and she does not go out or do much because she has so little strength. I do not want a life like that when I am in my 60s. I want to be able to be free to do what I want, whether it is traveling, cooking, or seeing my future family.

Eating better just seems to go hand-in-hand with exercising, so naturally, the weight started to come off.

Congrats for hitting the 3 month mark. Keep it going. Just take it one day at a time and you will get there! Thanks for sharing!