What motivated you to begin your weighloss journey?

dreamzvt

For so many reasons. It is has been right there for a while. Mainly looking in the mirror and seeing how big I was. Cankles....

Cankles are not cool!

AmyG1982

Mine was actually for a friend. Her husband was making less than desireable comments about her weight but wasn't always supportive when she needed it. She was unhappy and so i suggested a weightloss challenge, since we're both very competitive. Sad, isn't it, that i make the change for her and not me? lol but it was great cuz now I'm finally losing! (We both are

princess_mercedes

I was sitting on my toilet one day and heard an almighty crack! I had broken the porcelain base of our toilet. Never heard of anyone doing this before. It definately spurred me into loosing weight.

smoore1988

I didn't like taking pictures anymore, I didn't enjoy going out with my friends anymore becasue I felt out of place because of what other people had on, going to an amusement park and not being able to get on a roller coaster because my thighs were in the way of fastening the safety belt (horrible day). I could go on forever but I mainly did it because I want to be healthy and thus my weight loss journey continues.

Nactasha

My son. It was his first Christmas, he woke up very sick, too sick. After ER visits and a month long stay in the Children's Hospital battling a very rare illness he developed coronary aneurysms. He is the only 3 year old little boy I know that has his own cardiologist. As a mother who needs to teach her son to have a healthy diet, to have a heart healthy lifestyle, what would I be if I could not live as I expect him to live his life?

Coming close to losing my baby, that was hard. Losing weight, nah, I got this.

mestacy010

When my hubby served in Iraq for a year, I was super healthy and lost a whole bunch of weight, but gained it all back about a year after he came home, I guess what motivated me was I missed being addicted to the gym, how I felt after a workout, I started back a few weeks ago and its hell right now, but I just keep reminding myself how I used to feel, and someday I will have that again!

hoosier_red

Pain, mainly. I've never been thin, but after 45 years the body is finally starting to break down under the constant strain. My knees, my feet, my back -- it seemed like I was always in pain. Worse, I couldn't sleep flat, and tossed and turned every night because my arms or legs would go numb from the pressure of my own body. Thing is, I'd made a major life change last year by leaving a soul-destroying job and concentrating on my writing and crafting things for my Etsy store -- I'd done really well with that, so I decided to kick it up a notch in 2012 and start working on my body and physical health.

And then, on 1/1 a friend of mine posted to a FB group I'm on asking for weight loss suggestions and help. Another friend suggested MFP, saying that it had done wonders for her. It sounded interesting to me, so I checked this place out and realized it was exactly what I needed. Signed up, started logging all of my food and exercise, and four weeks later I've lost eight pounds and a half inch off my waist.

ready2smile

:flowerforyou:

paulamarsden

My Mum said something on holiday which destroyed me emotionally. i know she didnt mean it the way i took it, but it highlighted to me just how sensitive i am about my weight.

i am sick of being nervous to eat in front of others.

i will NOT get further in my career as a fat girl. it just doesnt happen.

i am tired of my knees and feet hurting. im in my twenties, not my 70s.

scunningham2012

A few thing motivated me but the one thing that really changed my thoughts was my uncle had a massive heart attack right before Christmas that should have killed him. Luckily, he is perfectly fine now and is back to himself he's just a little more cautious of what he eats and is exercising again (he's already lost a good 40lbs or so). But to see my uncle who is only in his 40's have that big of a heart attack and his father has had a triple by pass (had them years ago when he was over weight but has since had a band put in and has lost a lot of weight) I know that it runs in the family... also my family (both sides sorry for all the () ) has high blood pressure and diabetes. I don't want to end up like that. So I woke up one morning and started to eat healthier but now I'm really trying to get into the grove more because I'm getting married in 9 months! Yikes!

Jan0707

Two weeks before my Mom passed away, we had taken her to see her cousin. When the cousin asked me how I was doing my Mom answered "Fine..she's fat as a little pig." Well, a year later I had gained another 12 pounds. So, 3 weeks ago, I decided I wasn't going to be the fat little pig anymore.

klynn81

In the past, it was just purely because I wanted to look good, and that surely wasn't enough because it got me no where.

What motivated me now, is to not only look good but to feel good, inside and out. To love the clothes that I put on my body, look in the mirror and think, yeah you are beautiful, all of you. Because heart problems run on both sides of my family. Because my unhealthy habits have rubbed off on my husband and he himself has put on weight and started to feel like crap about himself. Because I want us to be active and healthy together. Because I turned 30 in 2011 and I'd like kids in this lifetime, and I can't fathom getting pregnant at 200+ lbs. Because I DO want to be a healthy example for my future kids so they don't go down the same path I did. I'm sick and tired of my feet, knees, back aching after a day at work. I'm sick and tired of every time I have a health concern hearing my dr. tell me that it must be because of my weight. or my chiropractor telling me that he can adjust me all day long but if I don't lose the weight, I'm doing my body no justice. I'm tired of being the fat friend. fat daughter. fat wife. fat co-worker. And I'm tired of hiding from cameras.

Basically just fed up and realized that NO ONE is going to change me, but me. Why waste another day wishing I had done today what I could have done yesterday!

LindsayHein

I'm a teacher......

When a kindergardener tells you your fat, it's not to be mean....it's just true! There ain't no denying it after that!

osewcute

that's hilarious! Good for you! Bad for him!!

SabaSajjad

I have been obese all my life never known a moment when i felt like a normal girl.. i was scared to go back to school after vacations as other students would pick on me calling me fat and stuff.. bieng rejected to take part in some poem competitions because i was fat at the age of 8.. i had no self confidence nothing at all...
Now i am 22 years old.. i have a bf who loves me despite of my weight but i want to make him happy as who dont want an attractive partner and most of all i wanna feel comfertable under my own skin.. wish me luck and best of luck to everyone

thatswhatlasaid

Well for me, I've been overweight all my life. I don't know what it's like to be "normal" size. So, being thinner was a motivation (I was almost 200 pounds again which is a lot for a 5 foot 3 girl haha!). And I'm also in a nutrition class and it really opened my eyes to what health problems I could encounter down the road if I stay my size. I just want to be healthy!

CupcakeDefeater

Getting dumped by a stupid guy. Such a bad reason, but he's seen me now and is starting to regret his decision. Now, I'm doing it for my health. That feels so much better than thinking about a stupid guy.

forget that guy, that was his lost now enjoy your new vision on life
congrats!

Totally agree, best motto i heard recently- Don't want me fat, Don't get me skinny

Rosered3333

My family is full of cautionary tales of what happens when you don't take care of yourself:

My father has had 3 major surgeries (quadruple bypass, hip replacement, and gastric surgery) in the past 2 1/2 years. He and my mother were surprised when he had his heart attack, but my brother and I saw it coming. Because that's what happens when you eat junk, smoke and sit on your *kitten* for 30 years straight. I was always just hoping that his first heart attack wasn't going to kill him.

My mother just had ankle surgery because of her sedentary lifestyle and has been immobile for 2 months. Just yesterday as I was helping her walk outside for the first time, she said, "Always keep yourself strong."

My late grandmother, who yo-yo dieted for 60 years and was at one point a model, said that her greatest regret was getting fat.

My grandfather, a career marine, has been wheel chair bound for 5 years because his legs are just unable to hold his body up. He has become a bitter man. When Shakespeare wrote King Lear, he must have time traveled to spend time with my grandfather.

I'm hoping to get pregnant and have a baby soon and I want to make sure my body is up to that challenge. Because, from what I've heard, kids tend to take up a lot of time and I won't be able to have those long gym sessions that I take for granted.

I want to be able to enjoy my life and have the QUALITY of life that will enable me to do that. That's my motivation.

nk17

I believe that America has had a big moral decline.
I believe that a social collapse is coming.
I looked at myself and realized that in my then current situation I could not survive.
Look for food? I couldn't even make it to the car without being winded.
I resolved to get myself into shape so that when the bad times come I will be available and able to help others.
The other typical stuff, better health, more energy, increased happiness. That is just a bonus.

successiswithinme

my motivation:

I had a very stresful fall season and I found myself eating out of control for comfort and consuming to much sugar and falling into deep depression because of the sugar overload. It was hard but I have pulled myself out of that slump and am on the road to clean healthy eating again, and the weight loss isn't hurting either.....

StrugglingtoMove

Custody of my 1 year old grandson, and realized I am not in shape enough to raise a baby correctly. Time to get in shape and get the baseball coach inside me ready again.

I also promised myself i would not be fat and 40, but failed that, 42 next month. 43 is my magic number!!!!

mruntidy

Being told if you don't lose weight i'll leave you
Being told I had weedy arms
Being called 'Big fat greasy smelly Clark' at school and watching my then gf laugh
This website and the shoebox full of memories I pull out to motivate myself when I feel like quitting including the above

llunchyka

It was a combination of factors really. I think the greatest was that I didn't feel comfortable in my body and saw that I was trying everything to hide as much of it as I could. I've tried to lose weight numerous times before, but this time I really decided that I have to do this for myself! In addition to that I really wanted to live healthily, eat well and start exercising. I must say that I really started to like the new lifestyle. And though there were rough days I haven't given up. All the previous times I just quit when I didn't see the results. This time I haven't! It's been about 30 days now. And I am very proud on myself

JulieF11

One night, after hearing my dad had been diagnosed with diabetes, I tossed and turned all night, knowing I wanted to lose it, not knowing how in the world I could, but knowing I was going to. I just didn't want to go through the same footsteps that landed my dad where he was. I wanted something different. For the first time I wasn't going to allow myself to fail. I had lost many times before but never kept it off. This time I wasn't going to "know better" and starve myself only to binge later and lose the same damn 10 lbs. over and over. I wasn't going to go months in pain and lose tons of weight only to swing back to my old ways and gain it all back and then some. I decided to trust a plan no matter what the scale said day to day and just go with it... trust it would work over time.

This past August I reached my goal, having lost over a 100 pounds. Now I'm simply working on my brain so that I never allow thoughts to come back that would drag me back to my old way of thinking.

sabified

Seing old pictures of myself , and new ones..... wanting to be healthy while im young.

This, coupled with knowing that blood pressure issues and diabetes run in my family from both sides, and not wanting to have to live with either.

sabified

One night, after hearing my dad had been diagnosed with diabetes, I tossed and turned all night, knowing I wanted to lose it, not knowing how in the world I could, but knowing I was going to. I just didn't want to go through the same footsteps that landed my dad where he was. I wanted something different. For the first time I wasn't going to allow myself to fail. I had lost many times before but never kept it off. This time I wasn't going to "know better" and starve myself only to binge later and lose the same damn 10 lbs. over and over. I wasn't going to go months in pain and lose tons of weight only to swing back to my old ways and gain it all back and then some. I decided to trust a plan no matter what the scale said day to day and just go with it... trust it would work over time.

This past August I reached my goal, having lost over a 100 pounds. Now I'm simply working on my brain so that I never allow thoughts to come back that would drag me back to my old way of thinking.

Good luck!!! Great job, and I hope you can curb the negative thoughts and be happy

ANeWcRe8N

I've always avoided taking pics because I hated the way I look and was ashamed of how huge I was. At a family easter gathering my sister took pics of everyone and I was thinking 'oh no' and just wanted to run but stayed because I didn't want to look stupid trying to get out of it. Well that photo ended up on her fb page :embarassed: and I was soo big. I seriously could not tell my boobs from my belly lol.. that bad. I cried my eyes out and finally got the strength to do something about it. I'm still a work in progress, but this journey will never end for me.. it's now become my lifestyle (even though I struggle at times). Now if I can do this so can anyone else.. we just have to believe in ourselves and build up the courage and strength to get what we want :flowerforyou: Well there goes my story lol...

glass2diamonds

Seeing myself through someone else's (sp?). Then picture on our work Christmas card in November at 257 I had gained a teenager in the matter of 9 years. I was 155 after high school. I have been married for a year and we have been having problems getting pregnant this is for both me, my husband, and hopefully at some point child.

Weighting4Happiness

I haven't had a picture taken in over 12 years of myself (since my last child was born). So in between all this time, no memories to share with anyone including any future grandchildren I may have. I want to change that so desperately. I want to be proud of how I look and maybe buy a new camera when I reach my first goal. I am just so terribly scared of failure =( That's why I love this site. So many positive people with motivating stories to keep me going!

Always looking for more friends who too are trying to lose a large amount of weight. (100lbs+)
Feel free to add me so we can help eachother accomplish our goals!!!

leah_8303

I can relate . I refuse to buy bigger size i have new jeans never been wore cause i gained weight now . I hate dressing rooms