what started it all for you?

Anthonydaman

For any of you who have been to Hawaii you probably noticed how fit and tan the locals are. I attribute it to very little fast food on the islands, so most of the diet is pretty clean. That and the only thing to do on the islands aside from drink is some form of physical activity.
After seeing pictures of myself from my vacation in Kauai last February I decided it was time to change my lifestyle. That and all those beautiful Hawaiians really drove home the fact that I needed to change

doughnutwretch

I was an athlete and started at a young age with injuries. I'd get injured, lose muscle, gain fat and then work my butt off to reverse it. When I turned 21, I was just coming off one injury, started partying a lot more which also meant drinking and eating high calorie foods late at night/early in the morning, and then I went through two more big injuries. I gained about 35 lbs without even thinking about it until one day my friend tagged me in some photos on FB and I wanted to cry. I had a spare tire around my mid-section, my face was fat, my arms were flabby - it was ugly.

I decided then that it was time to break the cycle I'd been living for years and to not follow in the footsteps of my family.

fiberartist219

The motivating event for me was hearing that my mom and grandma both have diabetes. I knew I was getting heavy, but this is what made me care enough to do something about it.

hunter624

Ran out of holes in my trouser belt.

BrandiL83

Losing my baby to a miscarriage in February and realizing that in order to have a healthy pregnancy and baby I needed to change a lot. I want to be a better example for my 2 daughters and have more energy. Tired of getting picked on by other adults because I am the fat girl. A lot of things. Mainly I wanted to be healthy for my kids.

jmoralesx5

I was 160 in HS and in the last 20 years I have been slowly climbing in weight. I've been trying to "diet" and exercise many times, but it was always for the wrong reasons and then of course it didn't work so I quit. This last year I hit 270 and so I asked my friend who is a trainer to help me out, but even then I only got down to 250. Finally I got people around me who would help keep me accountable. I started P90X and I've lost 30 pounds in 2 months. Now I'm on a mission and I'm not turning back. The old saying, "You are who you hang out with" is what did it for me.

Jules2Be

My thighs started to rub together. I was afraid I would set my pubes on fire with the friction.

That would smell awful!

pubes as tinder...go figure

rebeccasedwards

My clothes were getting tight and I hated looking in the mirror. So the county I lived in announced a Biggest Loser type contest. I love a little competition to get me motivated. So I signed up and won 2nd place. Didn't turn out how I thought it would be in support but it was enough motivation to get me started and keep going months after it stopped. Also I want to do things with my teenager.

Darmanin

Like the weight I put on, it wasn't one particular thing, just a gradual build-up of a lot of things. The death of my stepfather from an obesity-related heart attack (he was only 56) was a major factor. Then slowly being unable to fit into things - meeting room chairs, roller-coaster rides, restaurant booths, movie seats, etc. Other parents (and sometimes teachers) making comments about my size at my kids school. My doctor saying there's a surgery that could correct my lifelong heart defect - but that it's too risky to attempt at my obese weight. Then last (and in my mind, worst) watching my 11 year old daughter start to make poor food choices and follow in my footsteps, making me remember all the bullying I got as a kid at her age because of MY weight, and desperately wanting to be a better example for her, so she doesn't go through what I did. Realizing she was learning all this stuff from me made me really get serious about getting healthier - because no matter what I say to her about it, kids learn from what you DO, not what you say.

Having 2 young kids myself this is something I worry about. It startled me this weekend when doing the grocery shopping with the family and my husband was holding my 2 yr old as she pointed to the coke in the softdrink isle and said "mummys drink". And they always ask for what they call 'black drink' and i don't really want them being addicted to softdrink. And I know all this but still trying to get myself to stop drinking it is hard.

jimgatewood

My doctor told me I was a type 2 diabetic and would need to go on meds. Having raised a son who was type 1 diabetic since age 5, I knew that I wanted to avoid that lifestyle. I inquired as to a way out. I was told perhaps if I lost a great deal of weight the numbers would drop, but that he doubted whether that was possible. It was and I did.


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MrsCCWoods

When i felt so embarrassed when i went to Knotts and i couldnt fit on one of the rides after me and my family had to wait over an hour to get on it, i felt embarrassed for my husband and sad cause he didnt get on the ride because of me. Even tho he was trying to make me feel like it was okay by saying honey its alright it's no big deal, but in my heart i was like i need to change


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MisterGoodBar

didnt have energy to do the things in hoop the way i wanted (big basketball guy) and i didnt have the energy, power and flexibility in other "areas of my life" that i once had.

AMHouse85

I'm only 27.

I have 2 kids that I couldn't keep up with.

Every morning I woke up and hurt from my neck to my knees.

I got on the scale at Christmas 2011 and was 250lbs. (More than most weight limits on items like folding chairs, step ladders, etc.)

Every night I went to bed thinking, "Man, I need to get a grip on this."

Found MFP and haven't looked back.

dixiech1ck

I was diagnosed with arthritis (psoriatic and osteo) and my doctor told me I was fat, I'd never run and I'd be miserable and might wind up pre-diabetic if I kept on the path I was on. I was 265lbs at 34 years old and felt like I was 80. I lost 24lbs before starting MFP and have lost 83 to date since last May 2011. Good enough reason for me!

SandiBren

Mine was when I went for my last physical and REFUSED to get on the scales! And I'm a nurse....I know better. I wasn't all that overweight but I didn't like where I was. I didn't weigh but vowed that the next time I go to the doctor I will get on the scales and they will be friendly!

HVoyager

I had to have surgery and the doctor said to me the kindest words that ever were spoken. He said, "You're going to be dead from this fat and it will be all your fault." Since then I have lost weight only to gain it back, but the journey has taught me so much about myself. Yes, I have to lose the weight one final time, but now I know that I can be successful and I fully understand that the commitment to life long change is imperative.

wxchaser

Knee problems. Friend problems. People saying nasty things behind my back (on Twitter, no less!). Sick and tired of being sick and tired. Mind you, this isn't the first time I've *tried*, but it's the first time I've COMMITTED. I've seen my fair share of bumps in the road (a 2 month "**** it" comes to mind from May to the beginning of this month), but I've gotten back on track, back to the gym, and back to eating healthier, even though every once in a while I eat something I shouldn't, like today's M&M's. I've learned to balance things in my life, and I've really begun to love exercising. The high I get off it is amazing! Better than the crappy junk food I'm accustomed to eating to make me feel better. Hmmm... 10 minute high vs. 12 hour high? I'll take the 12 hour high, even if it means spending an hour at the gym to achieve it. Since then, I've started feeling better, my knee is starting to heal, and everything is slowly and surely falling into place.

My suggestion: give yourself a goal to work towards. That's what's motivated me all along. And keep this in mind:

"The number one reason people give up is because they tend to look at how far they have left to go instead of how far they've gotten..."

Priincess_Natalie

I didn't decide to lose weight but I did decide to become healthy when I quit smoking over a year and a half ago. I tried 100 times and failed no matter what I did until I took up exercise! With exercise came a new found appreciation for real nutrition and then followed the journey (that I'm still on) of learning what that really is and how to work it into every day life.

What ever inspires you...go with it. This is a journey not a destination

Maddi_InBetweenDays

I got out of a very difficult relationship. It was very time, energy and emotion consuming. When it was gone I really wanted something to replace it, and the gym seemed like the healthiest (physically and mentally) option to consume my time and energy. I really looked at it like I needed to create a "relationship" with being health, exercising, and looking after myself. About two months into my workout schedule I had a realizational on a rest day that I missed going to the gym more than I missed my ex-boyfriend! That was the best feeling in the world.

bluefox9er

My friend called me fat.
He was right.

similar thing to me. except my friend was fat,too.