What is your Why moment/reason for Joining My Fitness Pal?

Options
2

Replies

  • rockabyesarojane
    rockabyesarojane Posts: 471
    Options
    For me the moment came when I was unhappily looking in the mirror and weighed myself after like 2 years of ignoring the scale. It was the high number that did it for me either. It came after that.

    I was riding in the car with my boyfriend (who is 6'3", trim, and muscular while i'm 5'6.5" and soft) and said something along the lines of :
    "i cant believe this, i just wieghed myself and i'm just over 170. I had no idea"
    to which he stupidly replied:
    "oh hey! we weigh the same amount!" then looks over with a smile; see's my face and realizes that was NOT what i wanted to hear

    But i'm actually glad he did, because in that moment i thought to myself - "oh HEEEEELLLLLLLLL NO!"
    there you have it, my ah-ha moment.
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    One of my friends on facebook mentioned how they had lost weight with the help of this website. I saved the address. A few months later my pants started to get a little tight and I stepped on the scale and realized I needed to change my life. I bought a treadmill, joined MFP and started. THEN I found out about all the support available, which keeps me going.
  • bakersduzin
    bakersduzin Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I joined because last month, I had gotten on a scale for the first time in a looooong time. I knew I had gained weight over the last year, but didn't realize just how much - it was definitely a new high for me. That was when I knew I had to change, especially since I am getting married next year. I want to know that I look and feel my best on my wedding day. I had always relied on exercise to keep my weight down (which I had definitely been slacking off during the last year) - and I never really counted calories. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the food diary on MFP. It's been a bit of an eye-opener at times, but I am feeling better every day!
  • bjberry
    bjberry Posts: 665 Member
    Options
    The Dr Oz show scared me into losing weight. I was 179, size 18-20, my waist was more than 35 inches, and my low blood pressure was starting to be normal to (sometimes) high. For the first month, I filled a notebook with my daily meals and several different ways of deciding how much I could eat (I lost 10 lbs). Then, my sister suggested MFP as an easier way to keep track and we could talk to each other and keep each other motivated. She dropped out of MFP and I am still here--having lost down to 142 (my favorite weight) and a size 12 as of 1 Sep 2010. I like this site. I have picked up good recipes (who knew roasted veggies were edible??! ;)
    Anyone on this site is surrounded by others in the same boat--some problem with our weight or nutrition. We learn from each other, support each other, and grow in new wisdom from the experience. :drinker: (lots of water)
  • Whiskey_Byrne
    Whiskey_Byrne Posts: 58 Member
    Options
    Seeing pictures of me made me feel depressed, even more so after seeing a recent one next to one from a couple of years ago. Before the pictures though I was feeling very uncomfortable in my skin, like it was a few sizes to small for me and so i want to regain the comfortable feeling and be able to enjoy things i used too enjoy.
  • qtpiesmom
    qtpiesmom Posts: 394 Member
    Options
    For the first time in my life which I have always been a big girl, I looked in the mirror and didnt like what I seen and inside I was so unhappy. I made a choice to get healthy, not just lose weight but get fit too. To change the way I was thinking about life, to stop making excuses and start living a life I would be happy living in.
    Wasnt sure where to start and my sister in law told me about MFP and here I am one month in.
  • alex51026
    alex51026 Posts: 71
    Options
    A year and a half to two years ago I was at a Gap and I was looking at clothes/jeans. I wore a 38 inch waist, and I can't remember exactly, but either they were tight fitting 38 inch jeans, or they didn't carry 38. Regardless, I had just turned 26 and I realized I couldn't buy pants there. It was kinda depressing, took me almost 2 years to do something about it, but here I am today wearing 33 inch jeans and can comfortably wear blue jeans I owned when I wrestled in High School in 2002. Success!
  • kym117
    kym117 Posts: 315 Member
    Options
    My reason for joining MFP was that my husband and I went on holiday in November last year, I had booked to do a one morning wildlife photography course one day, when I arrived at my course they told me that it had been cancled and that I should have been contacted so they would like to offer me full refund on my activity and as a good will gesture offer my husband and I a free photoshoot that day, I declined, I was told that this would be a free session and a free framed print of the experience....I declined, I have always liked photography but I hate getting my photo taken! I have always been overweight but I was quite happy to live in denial and everyone knew that has ever pointed a camera at me that I have a strict head shot only policy and I didnt really fancy explaining this to the photographer, my husband however thought that this was a great idea what better way to have your holiday remembered but by a professional photo shoot and accepted there kind offer :noway:
    Well let's just say head shot was one policy he was not going to comply with!!! he had us jumping over boxes, giving piggy backs (poor hubby but served him right for agreeing) lying on the floor and even arm wrestling! He took over 240 shots and told me I would be able to view them online within a couple of weeks....well the e-mail came an I opened photo shoot with a new day's optimism 240 REALLY BAD PHOTO'S!!! my husband thought that this was hilarious 240 photo's and not even one we wanted for free but I never really realised how big I had gotten :sad: Needless to say I do not have any of these pictures, and I only showed one friend them over a few glasses of wine one night and man did she laugh! Therefore I came to the decision that something had to be done and have took part seriously since the beggining of the year.
    I suppose I did not get my lovely photo but I should thank him really for the push I really needed :wink:
  • HDurow1018
    HDurow1018 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    I went to the doctor for a physical and was shocked at how much I weighed! I knew I had gained weight since the year before but I didn't realize how much. I had said that I was going to be under 200 by my 30th birthday (which was LAST February) and that didn't happen and then I said I would be under 200 by my 31st birthday and I didn't even attempt it.

    I think more than the number on the scale, I was feeling the worst I have ever felt and was finally to the point where I was tired of feeling crappy all the time and not having any energy. It really is true that you can't stick to something until you are really ready. I was finally really ready and I saw MFP on Facebook and decided to join. I had no idea it would be so helpful and motivating! Now I log in everyday, keep track of what I eat and exercise!
  • bayles1
    bayles1 Posts: 408 Member
    Options
    I initially joined for the food tracker.But wow,what a fantastic bonus the rest of the site has turned out to be.There is an encyclopedic knowledge available to us all and I have met so many lovely people who have given unlimited support,many of who I can now genuinely call friends.What a great day it turned out to be when I clicked on this site.

    Good Luck and Best Wishes.
  • HDurow1018
    HDurow1018 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    My reason for joining MFP was that my husband and I went on holiday in November last year, I had booked to do a one morning wildlife photography course one day, when I arrived at my course they told me that it had been cancled and that I should have been contacted so they would like to offer me full refund on my activity and as a good will gesture offer my husband and I a free photoshoot that day, I declined, I was told that this would be a free session and a free framed print of the experience....I declined, I have always liked photography but I hate getting my photo taken! I have always been overweight but I was quite happy to live in denial and everyone knew that has ever pointed a camera at me that I have a strict head shot only policy and I didnt really fancy explaining this to the photographer, my husband however thought that this was a great idea what better way to have your holiday remembered but by a professional photo shoot and accepted there kind offer :noway:
    Well let's just say head shot was one policy he was not going to comply with!!! he had us jumping over boxes, giving piggy backs (poor hubby but served him right for agreeing) lying on the floor and even arm wrestling! He took over 240 shots and told me I would be able to view them online within a couple of weeks....well the e-mail came an I opened photo shoot with a new day's optimism 240 REALLY BAD PHOTO'S!!! my husband thought that this was hilarious 240 photo's and not even one we wanted for free but I never really realised how big I had gotten :sad: Needless to say I do not have any of these pictures, and I only showed one friend them over a few glasses of wine one night and man did she laugh! Therefore I came to the decision that something had to be done and have took part seriously since the beggining of the year.
    I suppose I did not get my lovely photo but I should thank him really for the push I really needed :wink:

    I hate having my picture taken, too. I always think I don't look that bad until I see a photo of myself and then I am just embarrassed.
  • Kforest0714
    Kforest0714 Posts: 93 Member
    Options
    My mom and sister both have diabetes,high blood pressure,cholestrol,and pcos and I dont want to end up that way. I already have the pcos and I knew if I didnt do something I would have the rest.i also wanted more energy and wanted to teach my kids to be healthy and of course look good.
  • SuperMoniMonk
    SuperMoniMonk Posts: 467 Member
    Options
    I was on Weight Watchers I realised I wanted something long term and didn't want to keep paying $34 a month.
    I knew the point system was based on calorie counting , so I looked for an app on my droid found MFP and i love it :)
  • kelligonzales
    kelligonzales Posts: 391
    Options
    40lbs of baby weight!!! I need friends that understood what i was going through day to day
  • Frannybobs
    Frannybobs Posts: 741 Member
    Options
    I was going back into my bigger clothes, and 2 of the 3 pair of jeans which fit started to split at the seam of my inside leg....that was it. Oh and pictures of me from Christmas with a fat face....I didn't realise how much it had crept back up :-(

    I love this site, by tracking everything it puts me firmly in control, and the support on the forums is great...especially as the science of it all is much more complex than I realised. Getting the hang of it now though, but the concept of eating back the calories you burned doing exercise was a bit of a new one on me...but I can see the logic in it now.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Options
    I started with WW and lost 55 pounds last year. Decided to cruise through the holidays and then pick back up with their new and improved program this year. Did some poking aruond their message boards and got myself a few tools, tried it and decided it wasn't for me. Tried going back to their old program on my own but I just couldn't get into it without going to meetings, which just wasn't feasible with my schedule.

    Thankfully around that time, one of my co-workers who is also diet/fitness conscious told me about MFP. I got signed up right away and fell in love!
  • Utefootball2010
    Utefootball2010 Posts: 22
    Options
    I was a former collegiate football player who was told to be big because I played defensive line... Shortly after I stopped playing I kept eating like I did and I blew up to 352 pounds... I have a family and I knew at the rate I was going... I would probably be 500 pounds in 5 years... I joined because I wanted to hear from the same people who were fighting the same battle... I joined because I want to live a long healthy life... :)
  • ande2994
    ande2994 Posts: 136
    Options
    Thanks to everyone for sharing your motivation! I was doing well, tracking everything and losing about a pound a week. Then life got in the way -- I was sick, I was out of town for a family funeral, etc. I completely got out of the habit and haven't been able to get back into the habit again. I even had my first McDonalds breakfast in months earlier this week. But hearing all the reasons you were motivated to join might be exactly what I needed to remind me why I joined!

    For me, it's not so much about the pounds or the size of clothing (which, btw, hasn't changed nearly as fast as I'd thought it would), it's about being healthy. It's about longer hikes, longer bike rides, staying on the dance floor instead of getting in line for the bar. I never really realized how much I was eating before, and how many things that I _thought_ were healthy actually weren't. I haven't forgotten those lessons completely, but tracking every single day certainly puts those lessons in black and white!
  • thecanface
    thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
    Options
    i was looking through pictures, and stumbled across a picture taken less than 2 years ago, and it turns out i gained weight and didn't know it. when i looked at my tummy, it was not flat like in the picture.. i HAD TO do something about that.
  • Dbow0207
    Dbow0207 Posts: 220 Member
    Options
    I joined to be healthier and to look better and not be out of breath just to go up 1 flight of stairs. Needed to find a group of individuals that was on the same path as me, and not to discourage me like some folk on Facebook, thats why I dont have this site synced with my Facebook. This part of my life is what I want to do for me! People always tell me "you don't look 300lbs because you're tall, you carry yout weight well". Well I dont want to carry it well anymore, I want to not carry it at all! Ready for be able to show off my body at the beach, and while I'm waching my car! I already hate clothes anyway, so to have a nice body to go with it any is a plus!

Categories