Remember why you started!

NancyMarie13

Why did you start friends?

I started because I want to REALLY be as happy and confident as I portray but also because as I get older and thinking about marriage and dating I think the man I end up with deserves a woman who isn't self-conscious. I've seen that play such a huge part in break-ups and anxieties that don't need to be there. #1 is for me but #2 s definitely for my future family.

I DESERVE to be happy, to look great, to wear what I want when I want and to FEEL beautiful. and I don't think I've ever believed it until now.

I think it is so important to REFOCUS every single day to remind yourself why you started so you never give up.

One year from today don't look back and wish you had started... Remind yourself why you are on this journey.

Share yours?

NancyMarie13

rosy_08

Those are great reasons. And you do deserve to be happy and feel beautiful because you are!

I have several reasons:
My clothes stopped fitting and the ones that do "fit" make me look even bigger and rounder and feel sloppy.
I'm getting married in December and want to look as great as I'm going to feel.
I want to start a family of my own in the next few years and it's pretty hard chasing after a toddler when you're overweight.
I want to be healthier and have more energy!! :happy:

PS. I totally love your weight tracker! Catrachos for life.

RedWidow83

Well... I have been suffering with severe back pain for years. I was hit by a box truck almost 10 years ago...the bumper hit my lower spine and I haven't been the same since. I have now developed scoliosis and arthritis in my upper back...which made the pain worse. Since the original accident I have gained over 100 pounds...with the pain increasing with each one.

I started because I am sick of being in pain. For me...it has very little to do with my appearance. I'm lucky to have a husband who loves me for who I am. However...I just can't imagine going through the rest of my life with all this pain. I'm sick of always taking pain pills...I've taken so much prescription pain medication that I'm thoroughly addicted....and it all just has to stop for me.

I want to lose this weight in hopes of dropping my pain level to tolerable levels and get off the pain meds....and hopefully be able to go hiking again. I used to love hiking and spending time in nature, but I haven't felt up to it for years.

NancyMarie13

Thank you for sharing!

We have to do this for so many reasons. There is so much more to gain by losing (=

rosy_08

Well... I have been suffering with severe back pain for years. I was hit by a box truck almost 10 years ago...the bumper hit my lower spine and I haven't been the same since. I have now developed scoliosis and arthritis in my upper back...which made the pain worse. Since the original accident I have gained over 100 pounds...with the pain increasing with each one.

I started because I am sick of being in pain. For me...it has very little to do with my appearance. I'm lucky to have a husband who loves me for who I am. However...I just can't imagine going through the rest of my life with all this pain. I'm sick of always taking pain pills...I've taken so much prescription pain medication that I'm thoroughly addicted....and it all just has to stop for me.

I want to lose this weight in hopes of dropping my pain level to tolerable levels and get off the pain meds....and hopefully be able to go hiking again. I used to love hiking and spending time in nature, but I haven't felt up to it for years.

Oh wow. That sounds awful. I hope you are able to lower your pain, if not get rid of it completely.
So happy for you for not giving in and giving up because of your accident and trying to turn it around. It's never too late to start.

RedWidow83

It was while I let it be....if that makes sense.

Adc7225

You do have great reasons for why you started

I started because I wanted to be healthy and active. I want to be able to do things that I want and not be the largest person in the group.

As for relationships, well once I lost about 40 pounds I got dumped . . . no reason, just dumped.

But, I am healthier and energetic and active - all things that benefit me!

IlluminatedMayhem

I want to be the mom my girls deserve. Pp was right, its hard to chase a toddler while overweight. Especially when you are morbidly obese and have a baby strapped to you. So we weren't getting out of our baby proofed house much which wasn't fair to my girls.

I'm also doing this for me. At my highest weight, I was disgusted every time I looked in the mirror. I'm only down 40 lbs and I already don't hate what I see. I don't love it yet but I don't hate it either.

As for my husband, he says he didn't marry me because my weight and couldn't care less if I gain or lose.

SkyElinT

We share the same beliefs on this. Feeling worth it is a huge part of it and you cannot succeed without feeling that way. I deserve to finally LOVE my body.

seltzermint555

I started losing weight (from my heaviest) because I was scared about health risks. As crazy as it may sound, I was honestly really comfortable with being the energetic 265 lb woman I'd been for almost two decades...I was not comfortable being a 307 lb woman with shortness of breath and swelling ankles (I felt like I became the latter practically overnight "thanks" to a very stressful new career and extra money for frequent entertaining + dining out)

After losing 45 lb and being back to "my normal", I was happy again - not liking full length photos of myself, and not fitting well into some restaurant booths - those seemed like minor problems to me back then. I'd been so big for so long that it felt comfortable and normal. Wearing a size 20 was to me a huge deal, a positive thing since I'd had size 26 stuff in my closet not long before.

But then I met my current husband, who is a very healthy guy who is active & into cooking & nutrition. He is very sexy and fit, and had already lost a lot of weight in the past. In our first year together, I changed a ton of my habits...got more active, started hiking & riding bikes, stopped eating so much fast food, etc. I felt like I should be losing tons of weight and I lost almost NONE.

That's when I started using My Fitness Pal. I had NEVER truly dieted or counted calories before then, but by that time I'd gotten to a point where my overall body-image and confidence were pretty good, and I was honestly kind of angry that my healthier lifestyle didn't translate to a smaller, fitter body...I was finally ready to admit that there might be a tool out there that could help me progress. Calorie counting has proven itself to me and I'm now at 175 lb and wearing size 10/12 clothes (I'm 5'8")...the smallest I've been since middle school & I'm very happy!

NancyMarie13

Those are all AWESOME reasons!
It's amazing how motivations really drive us and how different they are for so many people!