what started it all for you?

natural813

I went to the doctor and the scale said 223. I felt my heart drop. On March 4th I started to eat less and a month after exercise. I have lost 43 pounds! 18 to go. I feel so much better now!

cyberskirt

I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and thought 'This is NOT who I want to be.'

ditto

mightymac

mine was when i saw a picture of myself, i couldn't believe it, and seeing my sister, and i asked hubby if i looked like her, and he said yes, i was like omg! thats hideous, so here i am 25lbs lighter, and much happier for it.

Crochetluvr

What happened in your life to make you want to loose weight and be healthier?

Trying on my last years bathing suit just before Memorial Day and not being able to get it over my fat thighs.

nursenessa1

I saw a butt that was fat at the grocery store and I said to my husband "Yuck my butt is not that big is it?" He got scared and didn't know what to say and I knew it was!!!! Oh the horror!!!

Brittany3914

Seeing my engagement photos I was at my heaviest weight at that point.

Tropical_Turtle

My doc told me that my MS can no longer be controlled by medication that I needed to lose the weight. (I was 320 at my heaviest, she told me this when I was 265)

Bob314159

1. I was going on vacation in New York and even though I hike some, I know I would not have the stamina to handle it - I knew I couldn't lose much in the time I had, but I also needed to exercise daily. I lost 20 pounds and increased my daily walking from 2500 to 10,000 steps - in New York I was ended up doing 21,000 steps in a day and enjoyed every minute.

2. A lot of people around me are getting sick and it scares me. I'm the only one that is very overweight, but for some reason my health is still good. I realized I have been given a gift of being able to exercise and lose the weight - it's only my willpower stopping me.

mmapags

I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

OhLibra

It took a picture to be my wake up call.

eig6

Personal training sessions. Best 100 bucks I ever spent.

3foldchord

nothing huge or major, really. I have always beeen somewhere on the spectrum of acceptible healthy weight.
except for a few years wheen I was 20 pounds underweight. I think I got concerned about the damage being 20# underweight could be- so I ate more, then lewrned to eat healthy. 135# is a good weight for me, but when I was about 33 yrs old I slowly started to get past that- them I got a tumor- which ended up being the size of a honeydew melon- which made me tired, constiated, gain weight, slow-digestion, etc...

I got up to 150# (which actually is still in the health range, I was told for my age(40) and height (5'6 1/2"), after the surgery I dropped to 144# and decided it was a good time to work on health and eating- to help my with recovery.

I would LIKE to be 135# again, BUT if I am eating really healthy and getting good exercise then I will weigh what my body 'lands at' and be happy with it.

NeverGoingToQuit

I am only 24, I have a long life to live and I don't want to live it this way. I want to be healthy and happy. I knew that wouldn't be possibly without losing the weight. I hate how I look and feel and decided enough was enough.

Its hard to find clothes being big, its hard to do certain things when your big, and its just not healthy. I want to look good when I get married, and be healthy if I have children. I want to be able to love myself again.

Nfairley

My 18th birthday rolled around and my mom took me out to dinner. I binged - not to celebrate, but because that's just what I always did. Binge, hurt, hate myself, rinse and repeat. That particular meal stuck with me for about two weeks, I just could not shake the shame. Also, this was around the time I had stopped wearing jeans because they were too tight...it was ugly sweats or stay home.
Two weeks after my bday I said enough is enough, started logging my calories and eventually exercising. Been a few stops, a couple of false starts, trip-ups and days where I didn't give my all but for the most part I never looked back.

olee67

I took a picture in the mirror to see how far gone I had gotten. I couldn't see it with my own eyes.

blonde71

When my mom called me in 2007 to tell me her cancer was considered 'terminal". I made the decision right there and then, I was going to get healthier no matter what. I haven't looked back since.

MissC787

My mom got hospitalized for congestive heart failure. I told my husband the night I went to see her that I wanted to change our lives and get healthier for our kids. Then I kept saying, "I'll start next Monday." Next Monday never came, but I was SO tired of being 300lbs. Then in March I got a call that my dad was being sent home with hospice. He was dying from kidney failure from the diabetes. He passed March 30, 2012. After his Memorial my husband and I were having lunch at Chilli's. He had brought up the weight loss again, and told me he was ready to do it with me. My response was... "I'll start tomarrow." He said, "Why not today? Let's do this." I looked at him, and said, "Your rite. Why not today? Why tomarrow? Today is as good as any other day. Let's do it." So he found MFP on his Ipad, and we poked around at it. When I got home I created my own account, and entered all of my food. I then had some issues with the old account, and made this one. Total so far I have lost 25 pounds with MFP since April 6, 2012.
I hope you find your motivation.

basillowe66

i was about 30 lbs overweight and in early May I realized that bI didn't overeat, but I did eat too much of the things I shouldn't, like sweets. So i started tracking everything I ate about the 6th of May and then I was introduced here. I also increased my running so no I am down 20 lbs and want to lose at least anothe 20!!

jlophillips

My daughter... I saw her staring to develop the poor eating habits I used to have and it was a huge wake up call. she is young enough that we have turned it around for her very quickly. Now every day we do something outside together, ride bikes, park, run bases, etc.... She loves it. And she tells everyone that our family is making healhty choices and she actually turns down foods that we consider "treat foods" if she has already had one that day. It's awesome to see her do this despite other relatives try to contiune to offer the treats. She stands her ground! And she just stops eating when she is full, doesn't matter what she is eating. Success!

Ninatoots

I was sitting in a wheelchair at the orthopedists office. He looked at my xrays and said " you need two new hips and because of years of dysplasia, you need work rebuilding the pelvis but I can't do it at your weight. If you sit in that chair too long, you will lose the muscles you need to ever walk again. Good luck". So it was lose weight or spend the rest of my life disabled and dependent on my husband to do what I used to do. I went home, started my gazillionth diet then decided on gastric bypass. It was just the help I needed to lose the 150 pounds I had been carrying for decades--and to get me out of the wheelchair. Good luck on finding the motivation that works for you. My life was harder and my disability worse by severe obesity.

Your story really impresses me! Good for you!