What motivated you to loose weight?

turkeyhunter60

Looked at Christmas pictures of myself, and shortness of breath tieing shoelaces. Turned 60. Wanted to be back where I was weightwise 25 years ago, and gain back at least SOME of the energy. 90 days of "boot camp" and monitoring calories has me down under 200, 15 pounds shy of my ultimate goal. Want that BMI under 25.

BaDaSsBrUnEtTe

i was just so sick of looking in the mirror and not being happy with how my body looked, i have no confidence because of that. along with losing weight im hoping to gain confidence.

Liasings

First serious bump-diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago.

Managed to supress that knowledge fairly handily, despite the medication assisting me to put on about 50 pounds since then.

Second serious bump- 307 lbs in December 2011. (This was after my doctor put me on "weight neutral" medication.)

Final (and lasting) bump- A phone call May 8, 2012, informing me that my A1C was 10. Everything changed. I have lost 9 lbs since I joined MFP in May (46 total since December :drinker: ) and my sugars are once again under control.

SmallMimi

Health issues made me worried about it and give a small push. The big push over was the day my grandson, patted my belly and said "Mimi pillow" then proceed to lay his head on my belly. (He calls me "Mimi", grandma was too difficult). Decided I didn't want to be know as a pillow anymore. Started watching my diet and exercising, sure am happy now - I may live long enough to see grandson graduate and get married some day.

taylorreisiger

Waking up in the morning and not liking the number I saw on the scale. I haven't lost much weight at all, only about five pounds. But my body looks a lot different from exercising and eating healthy.

ebonijo2

I got tired of being tired, and unable to do activities that I normally was able to do w/ ease.
I also had just came back from a cruise for my twin sister's wedding and really did not like how I looked in pics. It was my second wedding I've been in over the past two years and I was fat in both pics. Aside from that I am suppose to be going on another cruise in november w/ friends and I did not want to be the fat person in vacation pics again and never posting them on fb cuz i dont want people to see them

Well when I got back from the cruise my cousin told me about mfp and it took off fromt here. On top of that my cousin had challenged every female memeber in my family to a Biggest Loser 6 week challenge in the beginning of May. It really motivated me some more. I started seeing the weight come off and got excited. On top of that I am competitive and did not want to lose. I really started to eat right and become more active. The first round of our 6week challenged ended two weeks ago and I was declared the winner ( it also helped there was cash prize). Because all of us have been so motivated in losing weight we have decided to continue for another 6 weeks. I can't wait to see how much I can lose this time and also to help encourage my family members weight loss. Another postive thing that has come out of it is that I have noticed that my lower back pain has subsided and I am able to walk/run for longer distances w/o spasms. Im greatful for that.

mbrou28

I don't like how I look. I hate trying on pretty dresses that make me look 4-5 months pregnant. I also don't like that I get winded, and stay out of breath, running up a flight of stairs to catch a train. I used to get a little out of breath just walking quickly up the stairs, and I decided I had enough. I'm getting married in 7 months and I want to be able to dance the night away without feeling like I'm going to fall over. I want to be healthy before I have children, in good shape, good eating habits, and happy with myself so that when my habits are passed on to my kids, they're good habits. I also figure that if I'm already in the habit of exercising regularly, getting back into shape after having a baby should be easier. I want to look forward to resuming exercising as a mother.

This EXACTLY!

juliaamilee

My story is a little different to other peoples!

I've started dieting and exercising because my grandma was told by her doctors that she needs to lose weight as she is close to getting diabetes and all other health related problems. My grandma can never diet by herself, so I sacrificed my slices of cake and chocolate and started dieting and doing some gentle exercise to help her lose weight

We've been doing it for nearly a month and she's lost 5lbs - not loads, but for a 64 year old obese woman I'm so proud of my grandma!!!! (I've only lost 3lbs....somehow she is losing more than me, but i guess that why i started dieting in the beginning!)

If anyone has any tips for gentle exercise for my grandma (who has weak joints, a bad back, bad ankles and is an openly proud couch potato) then please let me know! Her doctors just told her to lose weight quickly, without giving any advice. Doing exercise with her 19 year old grand daughter is helping but can't be good for her joints!

chair excercies and resistance bands CHEAP!

beebee0925

I finally used the free couple of personal training sessions that come with my gym membership. I had purposely been avoiding the scale. However before the sessions started the trainer weighed me. I was not ready for 374. I had never been that big before. Well I've lost 30 pounds since then and I am never going back to that weight ever again.

Soulflwr

A lot of changes that I could no longer ignore.

I actually had been feeling sick for a whole week, and I figured my stomach was reacting to all the crap. My waist had swelled up to a size 44! And obviously, I had trouble breathing, moving around, and feeling sexy with all that swinging around in front of me. I figured if my stomach bloats 3-4 inches after every meal all of a sudden, then I need to slow down because their is a shift in my level of health happening...and it ain't shifting in the right direction.

The other thing is I got married in April and I still haven't looked at the photos...it upsets me that I messed up my opportunity to look spectacular at my wedding.

And besides my declining health, and the fact that my wedding dress is the largest size I've ever had to purchase and wear.
Uh....my bras kept getting tighter! I never even considered outgrowing a bra as an option, like your bra size is your bra size period. So I was really disappointed in myself when I recently had to go up a number (not the letter) in order for it to stop squeezing my back. That was too much.

heykaraoke

I have severe depression and had tried different meds for years without much relief of my symptoms. I was 135 in freshman year of college, gained the freshman 15, and then got pregnant in my junior year. Delivered at 195, lost 15 of that and got stuck for a couple of years. I tried so many times to lose the weight, but every time I had a depressive episode I would completely lose my motivation and do nothing but eat and sleep in an attempt to just hide from my depression. It was ruining my life. At one point, I did manage to get down into the 160s. That was while I was waitressing. But once I quit that job, I went right back to 180.

My turning point was going to an actual psychiatrist to treat my depression instead of my MD. The psychiatrist put me on a much better medication. Suddenly, my moods were even, I felt happy more often, and I had more motivation. I've been on this new med for a few months now and it has really changed my life. It's given me the focus and optimism I needed to finally get rid of this weight. I joined a gym and started MFP 3 weeks ago and I am already down 9 pounds. It feels freakin' amazing

poetgurl2005

I want to have more children (I already have two), but I don't want to be the fat mom. I don't want my children to be embaressed by me. I also want them to make healthy life choices and to do that I need to. I also would like my OB file to not say OBESE in big red letters at the top when I have my next child. And with my Bi-Polar I feel better when I exercise.


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_Cfalk

One day I noticed that I hide behind my weight with humour. I was bullied about my weight all throughout middle school and high school and I found humour as my coping mechanism. I have never been in a serious relationship and I could never build up enough confidence. I finally decided that I'm tired of being alone and humour was only going to go so far. I've shed 30 pounds and I can feel that confidence now but I still have a long way to go. This is the year for me to gain my life back and experience it the way everyone else is able to and not from the couch!

prplldybg

My daughter is seven and very invoved in dance. As a "dance mom" on the sidelines, you get to know other moms too. At a conference, we were all talking and one mom told us that she had signed up for a sprint triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run) and said we should join her. I looked at her and knew that if she could do it, so could I. In high school, I was a cheerleader but was never considered an athlete. In college, I not only gained the freshman 15 but 15 on top of that. I lost the initial weight from college but have been sitting with that last 15 pounds now since my son was born 5 years ago.

So, here I am, hearing other moms talk about the triathlon. Can I do it? Not right now... Will I train so I can do it? YES! So here I am, running every other day, biking, and swimming. I am sore. I am tired. I am miserable at times. BUT I am training and on August 12th, I will be lighter, fitter, and a triathlete. I can do it! If not for myself, I want my kids to see me active and living a healthy lifestyle so they choose to do the same!

SlinkyPinkyBunsOfSteel

When I saw a photo of myself in which I looked like a big, round, over-inflated beachball with legs and a tiny head....191lbs (maybe more???) does not sit well on a 5ft2 woman! ;D

mcaffreyg

I went to a spoof drag show at my college and saw all the walkers where way hotter then I was.
Also my BF said (trying to be honest, motivational, and honest) that if I kept gaining weight, he didn't think he would find me attractive anymore

indisguise

My clothes were getting tighter.
My pants were wearing thin in the crotch and thighs from rubbing when I walked.
I was appalled at how I looked in photos.
I was exhausted and sweaty after walking only a few blocks.
I could FEEL the heart attack coming.

Natashaa1991

i always wanted to lose a little weight, but last summer i got the motivation from seeing this girl who went to school with me, she was always flabby and liked to eat, but then she competed for top model, she looked amazing i just couldn't believe she transformed...
then she told me how she controls herself from eating sweets, she was like "sweets will ALWAYS be there. If there is a cake after dinner, i don't have the urge to eat it just because it's there, i know when i want something sweet or fattening like pizza i will have it."
this motivated me so much

jenkidney

The simplest answer? I just got tired.

Tired of being repulsed by the body that greeted me in the mirror every day.
Tired of having to replace work pants every couple of months because the thighs wear holes in themselves.
Tired of being to self conscious to enjoy dancing the way I enjoy it when I'm alone.
Tired of being the fattest girl in the picture.

Something needed to change, and I just knew that it was time to stop wishing I were smaller and just start getting smaller.

PsycheSC

I knew I had gained a significant amount of weight in a relatively short period of time (about 20 pounds in 2 years) and I was overweight before that. I calculated my bmi and was 29.5 - almost obese. That was a little of a wake-up for me. Then, I tracked my food for a few days on mfp and realized that my eating habits were just not sustainable - if I continued eating that way, I would continue to balloon in size. I also had my engagement pictures done, and I didn’t like how I looked in most of them. I thought about how I would feel at my wedding and I didn’t want to hate the pictures from such a beautiful and happy day because I didn't like how I looked.

I grew up around obese adults, especially the women in my life, and I think I internalized this fatalistic view, "that's just how I’m going to be." But I really don’t want to go there. I finally read about and saw enough success stories (especially on the message boards here) and started to believe I could be successful too. A couple weeks ago I was on my phone with my mom and she was telling me how she recently started taking blood pressure medication. "You will, too, one day," she told me. Well, not if I can help it! I've lost 19 pounds now and am confident I will keep going.