What was the reason you decided to lose weight?

miniberger

Wow- I can't believe the horrible things we humans say to each other. Mine was that I was found to have pre-cancerous cells of the endometrium. Odds of it turning into cancer are much higher when over the normal BMI range.

Annie_Oakley

I refuse to start buying the next size clothes when I know I need to quit eating crap and do more exercise. I'm almost 37 and as a stay at home mum I have the opportunity right now to kick my own *kitten* and do something about it.

"Refuse to start buying the next size clothes"....this is EXACTLY what went through my mind around Christmas of 2011! I turned 45 in November, and the thought of being a mirror image of my mother frankly scared the hell out of me.

gooselady0720

Felt terrible all the time and clothes are tight . I have already gone up multiple sizes. I am going to do it this time. I bought a new motivation book that is helping me to stay on track and this is helping also. I am exercising more also. Have lost 3 pounds since this week. a long way to go.

kturn6420

My best friend is just like me. We ateterrible, weren't very active, just liked to laze around. Well in October she started using MFP and had lost I think 20 pounds by the time I decided to join her in december. I knew she is just like me and if she could do it, I could do it! So December 30th I started using MFP religiously with her. I've lost 16 pounds since then. I've lost 50 pounds since Jan 2010. the first 35 came off with a combo of weight watchers and a diet drug. Now I'm doing it the right way with diet and exercise and losing low and steady. My bestie was my inspiration and has been the best source of support. However, my fiance has also been deployed since July and I REALLY wanted to lose some weight for when he came home. He came hom in feb for RR, I had lost 15 pounds and he absolutely could tell. It was the best feeling ever. He will be home for good shortly and I have another 5-10 pounds I'd like to lose by then so I've incorperated exercise in now with the eating. I'm on day 4 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and I feel better than I have in YEARS! I'm also at my lowest weight that I have been in almost 7 years.

DLDzioba

Probably my biggest motivation to lose weight happened when I was out on the lake with my family in my dad's new boat. My uncle and his new girlfriend were visiting so we had this big fishing trip. It was still pretty hot out so we all had on our swim suits just in case. We all went to take a dip but then things got a little hairy for everyone getting back in the boat. It's a pontoon boat so it sits very high out of the water. The little ladder down to the water broke. Everyone else got up with minimal effort.
It took me, my dad, my uncle and my uncle's girlfriend along with some creative use of towels to get me back into the boat. I was ready to just give up and die of embarrassment out in the middle of the lake.

AprilRaineyBattle

I really like this thread... My turning points were:

1. I got married in August 2011 and while I didn't wear a traditional dress, ( it was casual ) the dress I did have on was a 2x, tight & uncomfortable. I didn't share or post any of my pics because I was horrified at the way I looked. I refused to look at most of them myself. This was supposed to be MY day & I feel like I ruined part of the memory..

2. In Oct 2011 I was diagnosed with Pseudotumor Cerebri (IIH) and when I stepped on the scale I was 256 lbs. Weight loss was apart of the treatment & a requirement to hopefully rid myself of the illness. There were no excuses, loopholes etc... Either do something about it or spend the rest of my life with headaches, spinal taps, medicines, surgeries etc...I found MFP after dropping almost 20 by myself and now I am down about 53 lbs. My eyesight is better, headaches almost non existent....but there is no stopping now, I've come too far.

BTW, that dress from August? It looks like a tent on me now & I use the pictures as my "before" pics. ;-)

KatManx

1. A picutre of me Xmas Eve 2010, was not a pretty sight
2. I found myself buying size 18 clothes (UK size 18)
3. I wasn't happy and had lost my confidence
4. I had NEVER been the weight I was when i got on the scales after xmas/new year.

Never looked back since

kgchisholm

My size 14s were getting tight, and I did NOT want to size up. I also saw a picture of myself from a wedding that terrified me - I didn't even LOOK like MYESELF (it's now my "before" in my profile pic). I decided something had to change, and fast. I joined MFP on January 2nd, and began a Biggest Loser competition on January 5th. Today I am 20 pounds slimmer, and I'm wearing 10s. This is the first time I've been this weight/size since I was a freshman in college! I feel better than ever, and I'm not done yet!

marketdimlylit

I want to love how I look, or atleast appreciate and work on the 'good' areas.
My partner - I wanna look the best I can be for him.
My daughter - I want her to have a slim fit mummy that can keep up with her!
Clothes - I'd like them to fit without love handles or a belly pouch at the front.
The past - Unfortunately I never appreciated my body before I got pregnant at 9 stone 7, wanna turn out even better than before!

atb0821

I was tired of feeling like crap 24/7, with no energy. I was tired of getting out of breath just from going upstairs. I was tired of being a size 14, and seeing my BMI in the 'obese' range. And the biggest thing was seeing pictures of myself. They were shocking.

stormieweather

I quit smoking and was determined not to put ON more weight. I had put off quitting for many years due to the associated weight gain.

I had a baby when I was 44, and had not been able to lose the 'baby' weight, in fact, I was slowly gaining. I finally decided that I wanted to be alive to watch this precious child grow up (my others are grown or nearly grown) so I better get my act together.

I set a date to quit smoking and joined a gym. That was nearly 3 years ago. I'm down 40 pounds and have gone from a size 12/14 to a 4/6. I have run a 5k (after having been unable to run more than a few feet due to COPD) and I am off all asthma medications.

I lift heavy weights and fully intend to shock the hell out of everyone with my fitness levels eventually. I do NOT intend to be the lumpy, saggy, jiggly grandma...oh no, sir. I will have defined abs and I will have a solid, firm butt and legs to die for. I probably will never have perky boobs again, but that's ok. :laugh: . My health and sharing my little girl's childhood are my primary focus.

If an old fart like me can do it, anyone can do it!!

BIGJIMMYU

I had too be fit for my job. Plus I was tired of looking like a fat@ss

jmbreister

I always made the excuse that I was just big boned/ muscular. I'm pretty strong and have been athletic since I can remember. But I was just feeling blah. I was tired and unhappy and I started finding myself not wanting to go out with my friends because I felt uncomfortable in all my 'going out clothes'. When my sister started nursing training, I volunteered to be her guinea pig for blood pressure testing. She freaked out when she checked mine and told me it was scary high. She started giving me all these tips like not holding my breath when I go to the bathroom. I was terrified every time I went, that I would be found dead on the toilet! I refused to be a 24 year old on blood pressure medication and I new that my weight is the biggest factor. So here I am after a month and down 16 pounds. (I haven't rechecked my bp yet)

valenief

1.) Im tired of being not happy when I look in the mirror. I use to be cut or at least thought I was I wanna feel that way again.
2.) I want to impress my hubby we have been together almost 9 years and I wan't to show him that I can get back to my pre baby weight.
3.) My son he is 3 and I do not want him to be ashamed or influenced by my unhealthy lifestyle!

nikkiej2012

1~reason was my health.. i am on 2 many meds(wanna get off all of them someday)
2~my daughter i don't want me to set a bad example
3~my old pictures..looking @ recent picture of me is CrAZy but looking at past pics i was at a nice size..

MaryDreamer

I saw a picture of myself after our vacation in Las Vegas and was shocked! I had NO IDEA I was that big! I knew I was a size 12 but didn't really KNOW it til I saw that pic! Down to a size 8 now.

Im_NotPerfect

I realized that I was working really hard to make sure my 5 year old son ate right because he leans towards being bigger anyway and one day realized that if I'm giving it to him, why aren't I eating it? He was seeing me eating things I wouldn't let HIM eat, so it was kind of "do as I say, not as I do" situation. I couldn't tolerate that. So, I decided that if I can feed my son healthily, I can feed ME the same way.

Also, my husband is naturally muscular and fit, so I didn't want him to have a fat, unhealthy wife. He deserves someone worth showing off! LOL

And finally, for me. I deserve to be happy with myself and healthy for my family.

micheleboone

Great question.

I've been extremely obese most of my life. I was the 'fat' friend. I would inwardly cringe when people would say 'Oh you have such a cute face"...*:explode: * That saying is at the TOP of my pet peeve list! There are so many reasons why I want to lose weight but my turning points were:

1. The day I stepped on the scale and it registered 327lbs was the worst day of my life. I stepped off the scale, disrobed and got back on...thinking my clothes accounted for the extra weight. Again, the scale registered the offensive number. I became very depressed, stopped being social, crawled into a bubble and stayed there.

2. I moved into a condo with stairs (from a ranch house) - it was extremely difficult for me to go up / down and the stairs due to severe joint pain and ended up with me having to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees or use the banister as support.

3. I am just tired of being fat and always TALKING about losing weight. I want to go on normal vacations and not have to worry about airline seats restrictions. I want to wear a bathing suit and feel sexy. Yep, sexy! I want to walk into any store and pull something off the rack. And.... I want to wear high heels again.

annahicks30

My breaking point was I have been fighting depression since my now 8yo daughter was diagnosed with stage 3 Melanoma cancer.. She went into remission for eight months then it came back harder.. One month after my daughters cancer came back my dad died of a massive heart attack.. I went into a very deep dark depression.. I was at a breaking point.. In Feb I got on the scales and it said 379 I took a step back and said omg i am gonna die. So its been two months now and I lost 27 pounds but then i had a bad weekend gained 4 pounds back but as of today i lost two of those pounds already and I am even more motivated cause I refused to leave my kids with out a mom cause i let food run my life

Charles1964

My girlfriend and I broke up.It was really sad for me.I really loved the woman.She still holds a large part of my heart. It made me take a look at myself and when I stepped back looking at myself I didn't like what I was seeing.I realize there are changes I must make within myself.One of major changes are losing the weight.I was 360 pounds and now down to 305 pounds.I will accept no weight greater than 190 pounds for myself.

jaxbeck

It just clicked for me one day. I had always been slender but over the last 3 years I really began to put on weight. 40 pounds in 3 years. I am tall so I didn't really realize how much i put on until one day I got on a scale at the docs. I was in the 190's & no way was that going to remain! That was it! I've only lost 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks but I'm sticking with it.

Also, I come from an obese family, my mother is currently about 450 pounds. She is by far the largest but almost all of my family members were/are obese. It's sick...no offense to anyone here that may be obese and working toward that goal of health! My family members do not, they just keep stuffing their faces & getting more disgusting by the day. I would rather leave this earth than to be like them so I'm starting by ensuring I get healthy now!

mindidily

I have a few reasons. I had two babies and post partum, I was sad to find my regular pants didn't fit. And I did not want to go up a size. I just didn't like how I looked in pictures anymore. Even before baby #1 I was a little overweight, but not by much.
After having kids, I don't want to end up unable to run around with them. I kept hearing the phrase "you look good for just having a baby". Right after baby #2 was born, I was about 195. Even though I apparently carried it well, I found it unacceptable. Baby #2 is 7 months old now and I'm 165 and feeling fantastic!
I was jealous of my husband's epic weight loss. I want to look great for him again.
Also, my sister is getting married and I want to look fantastic for her as her Matron of Honor.

jenlarz

Several reasons. Needing a 14 pants consistenly, not being able to run with my kids That was the worst. They are active, skinny little things and I want them to grow up healthy. There is history of heart problems and cancer on my side and my husbands, so my kids get it from all directions. My husband is coming around to wanting to exercise too and makes me very happy. I am grateful for all the support from this site and love to read the inspiriing stories!

LinsenNRoses

Wow, so many responses! I definitely teared up reading a lot of these! I can relate to almost all of your stories. You are all awesome!!! I think it's important to keep in mind why we wanted to do this in the first place so we don't lose sight of our goals even though remembering can be painful. So let's prove all the haters wrong and feel good about ourselves again! We only have one life and let's make it the best we possibly can!!!!

hermiony

my end reason for losing weight was pretty silly. i was promised a trip to england if i lost 20 kilos and that was that. the trip is april 21st, i have lost about 44 pounds and have a bit more to lose until then.
but the reasons leading up to me doing it once and for all were many.

For start my wedding day was not a fond memory. on the way to church my dress broke because i gained loads of weight before the wedding, i got asked by numerous people if im pregnant/when the baby is due on the day and i ended up in tears.

Then i had my first baby but my dreams of a natural birth were shattered because i developed pre eclampsia and had to have a ceserean due to my weight.
Then i had my second baby and once again had to have a ceserean but this time i was even fatter and they couldnt find my spine to do aceserean where i was awake and i had to be put under and dont remember much at all except for excruciating pain!
and the last even i remember was my sons christening. i had some pictures ont he fridge of me thin because i was trying to motivate myself and a relative saw them and said in front of loads of people: see,look how thin you used to be. wasnt i right when i told you to be careful not to gain weight? and this ruined the day for me and i was in the toilet crying and punching the wall. i thought i was angry at her but i realise i was angry at me for not losing the weight...
and shes one of my main goals to see her and be thin and rub it in her face.

yes my weight has been in my way putting a damper on every event of my life but now i will no longer let it. enough is enough!

bikelover1959

the reason i decided to lose weight was because i feel so unhealthy, fat and frumpy. at 53 and 5ft 3inches i weigh 159 lbs enough said:noway:

rlmcnay

My Father passed away a few years ago at the ripe old age of 48. I am 30 now and don't wanna look at my life as been 18 years from being over. I owe it to my kids, my wife, and myself to do better and be healthy. The final straw was this past December I had my gallbladder removed and lost a little weight. Then within a month i gained it back plus some and decided what I was doing was not working. I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A STATISTIC because I was too lazy to change my lifestyle so here I am!

mslack01

Vanity, age, health...in that order

journalistjen

I was recently diagnosed with MS, and I began to mentally put my bucket list together and realized I needed to do these things while I still can. The first two things on my list were running a 5k and racing Motorcross/Enduro. Both require fitness, so I joined MFP and a local gym and here I am two dress sizes down and 24 pounds less since December. I've been training for my first 5k at the end of the month, and I've been taking motorcycle lessons from my husband on my new bike. I've wanted to lose weight for more than 10 years now, but there's no motivation like being diagnosed with a potentially debilitating disease to get your butt off the couch.

kimmianne89

Cause I felt like I was too fat to be allowed to be seen and would avoid all social situations or chances to be seen.. which does not help you get better from Social Phobia! I was also always ill as I either didn't eat or when I did I would eat food with no nutritional value and I didn't touch water (or other fluids) which made me very dehydrated and always extremely dizzy. It's all ruining my plans to travel the world! :P