What is YOUR motivation?

Heatts

Okay, I need to remember what my motivation is here because it's fading. I hate being fat, and I want to feel good in my body. I want to be healthy body, soul, and mind. I cannot be healthy overall with all this extra weight. I want more energy. I want to to not feel embarrassed by pictures that include more than just my face. Hot guys working out and checking me out. To know that I completed a goal. To know that I'm worth it. To shed the extra baggage mentally and emotionally. To know that I'm capable and successful.

But I still feel like "Can I really do this?" Sigh. 15 pounds down. "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming." Right?

emngill209

One morning I was sitting on the side of my bed with my 4 month old and I looked at my arms and face and noticed how much of a change I had gone through- for the worse. I cried and told myself I hated myself. That's when I realized that I needed a change. I had already been going to the gym and kind of watching what I eat but after that I decided I really needed to do something. I don't want to wake up everyday for the rest of my life hating myself for the way I look. Even just being back in the gym for a week i feel better about myself, but still know I have a long road ahead of me..

AndyPGonzalez

I saw a video I made for a class freshman year (3 years ago) and realized that I was 35 (45?) pounds heavier now and couldn't believe it. I knew I'd gained weight, but never noticed how much until then. Freshman year I lost 20 pounds without noticing, so I don't know how I lost it.

So now, as I'm starting my senior year, I would really like to lose that weight and more! My goal is to be 40 pounds lighter on my college graduation than I was on my high school graduation. That requires me to lose 50 pounds from now until May 2015, we'll see how that goes.

It's also a motivator when you return home and everyone says, "You got fat" or "Yeah, your grandfather told me you got fat."

elisa123gal

I have typical motivation like everyone else..wanting to look fit and trim….all of that. But I saw a fatty heart on the Dr. Oz show and that was an eye opener. He said people with fat around the waist and chest have fat on their organs.

It isn't about vanity so much any longer. That vision of that fatty heart keeps me on track more than a pair of skinny jeans any day.

Capt_Apollo

Once you stand on a podium at the end of a race, you get addicted.

cookieinbk82

I didn't look in the mirror or at a picture and say, "You're fat, you need to lose weight." My motivation was just one question I asked myself over summer vacation from work and that was, "Why not?" I'm home from work, I can take my son to the daycare at the gym where he can socialize. It was better than sitting around, eating because I'm bored, over eating and gaining more weight. Now that I've been back at it for almost 60 days, I still have this attitude of, I can either sit around and get more fat and damage my organs, or I can make a comitment to myself to get up 3x a week, eat better, feel better and maybe lose some weight (:

I have the same motivation. I figured that if I'm going to be home for the summer I might as well make it worthwhile.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

First time around I saw a vacation photo of myself and was horrified. That, coupled with serious health issues. I hit rock bottom and lost the weight. Amazing how my health improved. Miraculous really.

This time around I have new motivation - my son. I need to lose my baby weight so that I can keep up with his energy, be the best momma I can be, and live a good long life.

chilly1470

Not being able to move, tie my shoes, clip my toenails, do normal toiletries, walk far, walk near, shop without sitting down a lot, breathe, eat normal, stop eating, bend over, pick things from the floor, get up off the floor, wear my wedding ring, play with my kids, ride a bike, wash the car, buy normal size clothes, etc etc

ucabucca

For me it was to take back my life and have fun again. I am very blessed with someone who has been there and kept me focused and believes in me. It however was never to lose weight but to be strong and happy

ASH2038602

I was tired of feeling sick after eating every meal from all of the processed foods, I want to be healthy for my son, and I dont want to die young of heart disease like my Grandma and Uncle did.

Fsunami

I didn't want to die in 5 years.

lshabazz

That is awesome and your weight lost is great ☆.´ `. ☽¸.☆ :happy:

LTye1983

mainly 2 things
1) diabetes runs in my family
2) my kids! i want to happily be in pictures with them and i want them to have healthy body images

cincysweetheart

I didn't look in the mirror or at a picture and say, "You're fat, you need to lose weight." My motivation was just one question I asked myself over summer vacation from work and that was, "Why not?"

Mine was kind of a "why not?" moment too. I had recently been through a very different kind of overhaul/transformation that took 5 years and included MANY moments of sheer hell on earth. And I survived. And I didn't give up… although many times a DAY I would say that I was. I realized I was capable of doing hard things and to keep it up. I started thinking "why not channel that into weight loss?" If I only lost a pound a week… it would still take less time than the other one did! I already knew that I had faced uglier demons than my weight… and I had experienced greater pain than anything exercise would produce.

Don't get me wrong… I am enjoying (and look forward to) looking better, having more energy, not having to worry about potential health problems (I hadn't really had any yet… but there was always the possibility that it would catch up to me)… but what really got me started was that "why not" moment.

Velum_cado

My motivation, initially, was about how I felt, physically. I felt awful. I had previously lost a lot of weight, and I knew I was gaining it back, which sucked, but the worst part was how unhealthy I felt and how unable to do things I was.

I feel a million times better now and am able to do most things I want to do, so I guess my motivation to STAY this way is realising how much better life is now. I'm addicted to pole dancing and know that I'd really struggle if I regained that weight, so that by itself is a huge motivator for me.

kempokicker711

My motivation was an old pair of boxing trunks. During a recent move we 'found' a bunch of stuff we had forgotten about, including my old boxing trunks. It was absolutely disgusting when I held them up and realized I could hardly get one leg in them now. It was such an eye-opener. I have put the weight on so gradually I guess I just never realized how big I had gotten.

Splutters

My motivations are:

Wanting to feel better about myself
Wanting to feel confident in myself and go travelling.

lambchoplewis1

I lost the weight and maintained for 1.5 yrs. bought a lot of cute clothes. Stopped logging and weighing myself and now find 18 extra lbs. clothes don't fit. I am sick of waking up every morning thinking about this. Enough.

My motivation is to fit back into clothes and free my mind of all this extra garbage.

liakeane

I wore more or less the same size from the time I was 15 until I turned 21. In the last year, I've ballooned up and I'm really disappointed that my wardrobe has effectively been reduced to ten pieces that I wear constantly. I'm also getting married in May 2015 and I'm desperate to FEEL pretty on my big day. I'd really like to lose 30-35 pounds by the time I walk down the aisle, not just to be able to fit into a smaller dress size but because I want to start my marriage on the right foot - namely, by being healthy and fit.

joeysgirl10

My motivation as well... 40 in August!!!

abbeyjones1994

1) I was amazed at how quickly and easily I became clinically overweight when I wasn't watching myself. I realized that if I want to maintain a healthy weight, I absolutely have to stay vigilant.

2) I have a tailored suit that doesn't fit anymore. It looks great, and I want to get back into it. :-)

3) Training for a career in medicine, where I'll undoubtedly be advising people on how to eat and exercise better. I need to be able to practice what I preach.

This^^ especially #3. I want to go into public health education when I am done with school, specifically educating women on how to prevent cardiovascular disease...which, as we all have heard, has a lot to do with a healthy diet and exercise. It finally hit me that women probably wouldn't listen to me talk about how important a healthy lifestyle is if I'm talking to them as an overweight woman myself.

kristinhowell

I just want to be healthy. I am already happy. But I didn't want my weight and my unhealthy lifestyle to cause problems for me in the future. I didn't want to be riddled with health problems, I didn't want to be out of breath just doing housework. And I want to be able to keep up with my boyfriend and our family (when that time comes). I can't get sick or not be able to enjoy all the adventures we want to have, not with something I could have prevented by taking the steps I've started taking.

GibbsGirl13072

My 'why' is to be healthy. It started out as doing it purely for vanity reasons, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wasn't getting any younger. I've managed to lose the weight I gained after surgery last year, but I'd like to lose another 20 and not be considered obese anymore. It's a struggle, because I love all of the foods that aren't so good for me, but I just take things day by day and stick to my calorie goal, and do some exercise daily. Yoga has been amazing for me, the mental benefits are just as good as the physical for me.

sartezalb

I want to go into public health education when I am done with school, specifically educating women on how to prevent cardiovascular disease...which, as we all have heard, has a lot to do with a healthy diet and exercise. It finally hit me that women probably wouldn't listen to me talk about how important a healthy lifestyle is if I'm talking to them as an overweight woman myself.

Rock on. Hopefully, being able to draw on personal experience will give your message more punch.

FaylinaMeir

getting on the scale every day or couple times a week and seeing even 1/2 pounds lost, that is amazing. I am doing this in hopes of gaining my fertility and being able to have a child so I keep thinking of that daughter that I want so bad. :flowerforyou:
Today I went to old navy and bought a new pair of jeans... in size 18 When I started slowly losing weight I was 26w that was sometimes tight. A few months ago before I started to try to really lose weight and stopping all the "fads" I was a size 20 that was very tight. Well I was able to buy size 18 skinny jeans Only bad thing is I'll have to wear a belt for awhile afterwards because I can't afford to buy another pair for awhile.
Normally I would go to second hands shops but it's REALLY hard to find my size because lots of people are getting fatter and growing out of their size but not many people are shrinking. So the clothes donated reflect that.

JessRaddatz

My kids are a HUGE motivation for me. I have a six and a four year old and I want to have the energy to run and play with them. I don't want them to be embarrassed of me and I want to teach them what healthy looks like.

onefortyone

I want to be healthy & have children, so I am working to be within the healthy weight range for my height. I have blood clotting disorders so Dr's tell me that while everyone should eat well & exercise, because I am at a higher risk for blood clots, I should take special care to avoid a sedentary lifestyle.

I also like to push myself at the gym and reach fitness goals, it gives me a great feeling of accomplishment, helps me to love/trust my body more, and gives me confidence in myself