What prompted your lifestyle change?

nam14uk

I was in Ireland at the weekend visiting friends and I saw a lot of people who I haven't seen in a while and certainly not since I started on this little journey. Almost al of them asked me what triggered me off in the first place to start and whether it was a specific event or comment. I actually found this question quite hard to answer because there wasn't really anything major that happened when I woke up on 14 August 2010. I just kind of decided that it was time to make a change and so I did!

Just wondered how you guys would answer this question? Was there a specific 'thing' that happened or a light bulb moment?

knighttrain74

I had been wanting to change my lifestyle forever but never did! I was going through free apps and found this one, once I downloaded it and got started I stuck with it.. It's great because I can keep myself accountable and the calorie numbers don't lie.

Amandac6772

Last May I had two back to back kidney infections (first ever in my life) and was tired of feeling like cr*p all the time. So I decided I needed to get healthy, give up soda and start moving...one thing led to another and here I am. I'm almost in the best shape of my life. In two or three months I'll be as fit as I was when I played basketball in high school.

Lady_G

Hi,

There was nothing specific in my case, I just decided that I needed to have a healthier lifestyle.

JennLifts

I saw guys flirting with everyone but me, and felt so ugly. Nothing a lot of people don't experience, but it prompted me to feel better about myself

Deevs

It wasn't really one single "lightbulb" moment. I've battled with my weight since my 20s (I'm 42 now) and last year I started a "new life" with a wonderful man. He started using MFP on his iPhone so I had a peek at the website and here I am. I've also got 3 generations of diabetes in my family and I don't want to be the 4th!

I'm about to embark on a retraining "journey" as a Nutritionist too, and I figured that if I want to start my own Diet Advisory / Counselling business next Spring, I need to put my own house in order - who would take nutrition advice from someone morbidly obese .....!?!?

x

amandasowell

My meltdown point was after my son's 1st birthday party. I saw the pictures of myself during the party and compared them to what I was before I got pregnant. It made me sick. I was such a outgoing healthy person before and I want to be that person again.

craft338

i would like to have kids someday and finding a husband to father those future children might be a little easier if i lose 100lbs lol.

soccermum75

I just decided on january 16th of this year that i had enough of being fat.

jwestnewton

The MIrror!!! LOL

jane77

I started listen to myself talk and it was not pretty or nice. "boy you are fat","does my a@@ look as fat as hers", ect I wasn't happy inside Changed my thoughts changed my world ...... "your trying you will get there" ect
Started exercising first about a year later 30 lbs down, but needed more had this app on my phone that whole first year tracked sometimes but not all the time. Came on the web site and now I track all the time and love it! so thanks everyone for being here and teaching me important lessons about me.

ukgirly01

My size 20's started to get to small for me around christmas so I thought enough is enough and Im determined to get into a 16 maybe even a 14 this year (im back in my 18s already)

chrystal86

it was a number of factors i woke up on dec 31st 2010 and just knew it was time for a change. i was tired of feeling tired i was tired of feeling depressed all the time but most of all was my diabetes was getting kind of out of control. when i first started weight watchers im not gonna lie it was very hard but after the first week when i weighed in and lost 6lbs i knew i could to do it. im doing this for me and i could care less on how long it takes. as long as im happy is all that matters. my dads philosphy is you put on the weight yourself you can take the weight off yourself. mine is it takes alot of courage to admit you need help with changing your lifestyle. he believes weight watchers is a diet. he fails to see that its not a diet its a lifestyle change and a lifetime commitment. i realized joining the gym would only help me not hurt me.

mavila1978

I bought size 22 pants.

I was comfortable in my clothes for the first time in a long time, but never in my life have I been a size 22. That's when I decided it was time to change. The 22s are loose now and I have to hike them up all the time, but they'll serve for some nice "after example" photos, I suppose.

rfcollins33

I'd been wanting to lose weight, but when the doctor told me casually to "get some of that weight off of ya," I decided I never wanted to hear that again. Something just clicked, I wasn't mad at the doctor or even embarrassed, like I normally would be, I just got it. I got the motivation.

kaymd

There wasn't one single moment. I have been fat for a long time and I had enough and when a Facebook friend told me about this I checked it out and I have been hooked since. I love MFP!!

Wakx

First came the decision and the act to stop smoking, then to do sports again, then to want to take better care of myself, then the desire to lose weight and finally (when I got stuck at a particular weight), to seriously reduce alcohol consumption.

It makes me feel so much better.

But, in the past, I quite enjoyed my limitless lifestyle as well. But I had lost control, and knew that all switches would be flipped at the same time, at some point.

abra526

I've wanted to do something for a long time, but never held up my end of the bargain, quitting everything I started. Then I started watching all these shows like "I Used to Be Fat", "biggest loser", and "Heavy". I finally looked at myself, and thought, what the hell is wrong with me? These people are twice my size, and they are getting off their butts and doing something about it, so no more excuses. I really feel like I have a different mind set this time that is going to allow me to succeed. All the motivation I am getting from this site, my husband, and my best friend, is surely going to keep me on track!

kee9kee9

I joined the Air Force in August 2010 and have since started exercising on a regular basis (because it's mandatory). Food-wise, I'm not there yet. I am working on having a healthier lifestyle (including healthy eating). Before the military, I started working out a few times, but kept quitting. Now, I don't have a choice but to have a healthy lifestyle if I want to keep my job!

Also, both of my parents have recently (within the past 5 years) been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). Since my mom's diagnosis a couple of years ago, I have cut waaaaaay back on my sodium intake. Did I mention that I LOVE salt? So, that has been no easy feat for me!

darblij

Hiya! For me I had already felt the thrill of being at goal and over the years my weight crept up and up...mostly without me realising...it was only when my work uniform was getting tight and I had less choice of what to wear I thought something has got to be done. The hardest part for me was the starting point... Every Sunday night I thought tomorrow I will start but always ended up stuffing it up. That's when I found the MFP app on my iPhone and downloaded it. I then looked at the site and read all the posts and saw all the support. So last Monday I started using it and a week later I'm 6lbs down and totally addicted to this site. Yay!...and I will see my goal weight again!

Mo120

This winter, we were going at a hockey game and we ran from the parking lot to the door because we left our coats in the car, and I thought I was going to die. We "very lightly jogged" for about 30 seconds. And on top of that, we had to escalate flights of stairs to get to our seats! It took me at least 10 minutes for my breathing to get back to normal. I didn't feel my legs anymore. My face was lobster red. That's when I knew something had to happen!

I now have so much energy, it's like night and day! :-)