What Made You Really Start?

lyndalpn

Being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at 42 after ten years of managing lupus was my wake up call. The double whammy meant I literally had no choice. I walked into my endocrinologists office at 102kg (225lbs) on 19 June 2012 and by 19 Feb 2013 (8 months later) I am 66.5 kg (146 lbs). My endocrinologist is pretty happy - and so is my husband!! LOL

phoenixrizez

My husband calling me fat in a fight out of anger. I knew he didn't mean it, but I knew he said it because he knew it would hurt me because I felt that way about myself.

Then a few months later I started having some medical issues (not weight related) and I said to myself that I needed to get as healthy as I could so that they could figure out what's wrong with me. 1.5yr later and we still aren't exactly sure, but I can safety say that it's not anything that I can prevent.

I asked my husband repeatedly and finally he honestly told me that I "could lose some weight" it was both crushing and motivational. He wasn't trying to be hurtful either but he did tell the truth. It IS time for me to lose weight. That wasn't the OFFICIAL start but it got me thinking about what I needed to do! Good luck to you!

danmcgarrigle5

I have a medical condition that nearly killed me once, indirectly nearly killed me a second time and caused me to live in constant pain. I switched doctors and talked about non-narcotic ways to deal with my constant pain and the doctor said I should lose weight, as that could directly be causing the pain. So complete diet overhaul with a dietician to work with what I've got combined with exercise, then finally I joined MFP and combined them all and formed a weight loss plan.

I'm down 21 lbs since the first of the year, and my constant pain is all but gone and I get pain maybe 3-4 days a month, depending on how my diet is working and if I try a new food that doesn't agree with my GI issues

Plus I want to look good naked

Pink_Tina

A picture was all it took. To say I was disgusted with myself is putting it mildly. I quickly told myself "enough," and it was.

bigcrystal123

Mine would have to see all these skinny with more than one kid.i have twlo kids and im struggling to play wirh them due to my weight. I dont want that no more.on feb.12 i told myself i had enough its been a week and lost 3 pounds already.im so proud im doing this for me and my kids

ShmareParks

Wow. You are all inspiring, touching, adorable, and I'm proud of us all!!!

My weight loss journey began with photos too. I had gone on a research trip to Italy with school colleagues, and when I started looking through people's photos, I wondered who that woman was who was in all our photos. I then figured out by the clothes IT WAS ME! I guess I hadn't been paying attention ... and the mirror doesn't tell the truth, does it?

Anyway, I got on board right away and knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I got the "fire in my belly" and if it wanes, I look at those photos again. Knowing I don't look like them anymore (I'm 26 pounds lighter) fires me up even more to persevere.

Mind you, I've been known to eat very weird and yucky snacks to not go over my calorie limit ... raw mushrooms with soy sauce, raw spinach with paprika, black chicory drinks, 10 raisins ... haha .... anything to feel full without cheating on my daily allowance.

Good luck, everyone.

BearHugger78

Wow, some pretty emotional stories here. Good on all of you!

For me it was a confluence of a few rather mundane causes that added up to a kick in the butt: I'm looking to switch jobs and can't fit into my suits (or any of my good dress clothes for that matter); my sister kept bugging me about doing the Great Saunter around Manhattan with her this May; grams bought me a shirt for Christmas that was too small and when she offered to take it back I told her I would wear it the next time I saw her; I finally admitted to myself that being 34, never married, and single was making me depressed and figured my appearance wasn't doing me any favors; I want to be a normal size for my brother's wedding (whenever that happens); I stepped on the scale and was disgusted by the number.

Damzk

I started because I was checking my pulse one day on a whim and found out it was 80 which was way too high and made me worry but what really keeps me going is my comrade, my work out partner, she has really been motivational for me to keep working out and trying to look the best I can and be the healthiest I can be.

TheConsciousFoody

I was ready for a change. I had been a few weeks into medication to help my anxiety and BAM. Motivation for a new healthy life flooded over me. Quit smoking, quit drinking (I hardly drank anyways but decided I'd prefer food calories over booze calories), and decided to make changes. One of the best decisions I have made and my older two boys tell me how proud they are of me that I quit smoking, and that helps me stay motivated. I like making them proud. They also cheer for me when I tell them I lost more weight. The healthier I am the longer I'll be around for them, so I guess that is the true reason on why I started this journey.

kristafb

Wii Fit made fun of me

LOL! The same thing happened to me! My 6 yr old neice was at my house one day & when I got on the Wii Fit it said 'You're Obese" in that cheery little voice & my niece said "She said you're a beast!!!!" Funny now perhaps, not so much at the time. lol

ninerbuff

I started at age 19 at just over 124lbs. Was tired of being skinny and made fun of, so I hit the weights and food and put on some muscle. Up to now, I've still retained basically the same physique that I had at age 23.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

maggs155

I started because being fat depresses me and having a beautiful face and not the nice body to go with it bothered me! And the fact i was almost 29 and i know the older u get the harder it is so before Christmas of 2012 i started my life style change and i didnt care if it was freezing out side i walked and i didnt care about all the baking and cookies i ate right and now 2 months into this i have lost 40 pounds! Im so happy i didnt wait until the new year i may of changed my mind:)

chooriyah

Three things:

- Refusing to buy clothes bigger than size 16 UK
- Refusing to conceive of myself as weighing 200 lbs
- My hubby moving away for work for 3 months. Gave me more free time to find something to do with, more control over my own diet, and also missing him made me realise I'd become very complacent.

babymine55

Simply...I hated the life I had created.

I had a husband that loved me, but given that I was 370 pounds, we couldn't do things together anymore. My children played around me but, I couldn't play with them. I saw photos of myself and it would send me spiraling into a depression.

No matter what past afflictions that had gotten me there...abuse, broken family relationships, it didn't matter. I had to take control. I was watching my entire life pass me by and I wasn't enjoying any of it.

It has been a long journey, learning about myself, my triggers and my coping mechanisms....but, I am happy to say, it's all been worth it.

My husband has stood by my side, through all of it and even went to counseling with me to make sure that my weigh loss was a happy journey for the both of us (the divorce rate among mass weight-loss couples is staggering).

Now, my children can wrap their arms ALL the way around my body. I can sit in any darn seat in a restaurant that I want. I can out-run my husband (even though I still have about 60 pounds to go!). Now...I GET TO LIVE, and that is priceless. Never again...I will never, ever go back.

I love each and every one of your stories here...they are so inspiring!! WTG PEOPLE!

TheConsciousFoody

I started at age 19 at just over 124lbs. Was tired of being skinny and made fun of, so I hit the weights and food and put on some muscle. Up to now, I've still retained basically the same physique that I had at age 23.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Show off :-)

verptwerp

You'd think it was the doctor telling me I was diabetic & needed meds, right ????

But really It was a picture taken on Valentine's day 5 years ago .......



Now I look like this .......



Much better, I think ..... and no more meds !

pseudomuffin

I should probably add on to my previous statement, what made me start the first time (where I lost ~40 lbs and kept around 25 off) was being my brother's "best man" at his wedding in 2010 and leaving the reception after the speeches so I wouldn't ruin the rest of his wedding pictures. Lowest point, I still feel bad about this. :frown:

hurleycutie142

i volunteer at a camp and this girl was always made fun of for being fat... she was bullied all the time and one day i took her off to the side to talk to her and was talking to her about self esteem and stuff like that and i know she didnt mean it to be mean but she said what do u do to get people to stop talking about u being fat... i was like wtfff lol no seriously it took me back alittle... i was overweight and i knew it but i didnt realize that other people saw it... so i went home and walked up the stairs and was out of breath and my roommate was looking at me like whats wrong... and i asked him if i was fat... and he told me im telling u this because i love you but u r overweight and im willing to help u with anything u need... and offered to help me...

laughingdani

Someone told me I couldn't do it. That lit a fire in me that still burns to this day.

trud72

i dont really have a reason why tbh but take one day at a time a if you are good one day and then another it tends for me to turn into a snowball effect! and before you know it it's a week/month and youve lost weight with it! bonus! :drinker:
also find a exersice you like...it's no good just doing it you must like to do it!

sierra_12

i started working retail (Maurices to be exact) my senior year in high school. i have always been the bigger girl, mainly because I'm 6'1'', but i also wore a size XL (or 0-1 in the plus size section). i just got tired of being the "tall, fat girl" at work. to add to it, i would come home and vent to my mom and older sisters about work and my weight and one night i overheard them talking and saying that they were tired of hearing me complain, that i wouldn't ever do anything about my weight anyways so why don't i just learn to live with it? that really set the fire under me. been working out every day ever since! can't wait to show off my bikini body to my coworkers and doubting family (:

taso42

It was a night not unlike tonight. I had just finished reading the whole internet and was waiting for them to print more of it. And I felt really pathetic and fat and weak. So I spent the next day or two reading and maybe about a week or so of planning... went grocery shopping for some good food, purchased some workout equipment, and the rest, as they say, was history.

gimpygramma

My sore knees. I was slim till I turned 50 and after that though I had gained 20 lbs or so, I didn't much care. I was no heavier than my friends and I wasn't planning to do the bikini thing again anyway. Then my knees started bothering me. And I am a recreational walker. Most of my social life revolves around my walking group, my hiking club, and holidays spent on foot.

That was my wake up call. I am now 20 lbs lighter. Because as you get older a little extra weight can make your face look better, I am not sure if cosmetically my weight loss has resulted in an improvement. But my knees feel great and I'll be doing the Sun Run with my friends come April and that's what counts.

fara180

i'd went through fad diets since i was 16, but i was never 100 percent serious and committed...then i went through a very difficult and nasty break up. at first, i needed to do something to take my mind off of the drama involving my personal life basically falling to pieces. then, i decided that i wanted to feel better about myself so that i never let someone treat me badly again- i knew that i had to treat myself the right way to expect as much from others. so glad!

Shadowknight137

I wondered what was cutting into my back when I was sitting down. After seeing a pic of myself at the beach, I found out what it was.

My spine. MFP was kind of a big help for rectifying that.

thelastcenturion

December 31, 2012. That's the date a picture was taken of me at a party at my heaviest. It was absolutely, horrifically frightening seeing how far I let myself go. After that day I spent probably a week planning and getting everything I needed to start my journey. And from there, as they say, everything was history. I still keep the picture as a widget on my phone to remind myself to either eat healthier or get off my butt and workout. It serves as my constant reminder of how far down I fell and to never let myself get to that point ever again.

pinkraynedropjacki

A photo my husband took of me without me knowing. 1 yr later and I'm below my goal weight (actually got there in 7 months) and fitter than ever.

Went to the same place the photo was taken last week.

hadlam83

To make myself look better than the *****es I went to school with (that was about 3 years ago! Now I've grown up I dont care about them and am doing it for me!!)

diana_dee

I was on a diet, on and off for the last 7 years. I was always chubby and self-conscious about my weight, even as a child even though I never had an "overweight" BMI. I developed a food obsession/eating disorder while doing all these crush diets.

I have 100 motives to lose weight...here's what made me to REALLY START.

I'm planning to have a child next year and I really want to be a healthy mum, a good role model. I need to get over this weight/food issue.
I'm getting married in July (who doesn't want to lose weight for their wedding? :-) ) and looking forward to my honeymoon, 2 weeks on a beach...in a bikini ( terrifies me right now but I'll look great by then! ).
I really, really want to be healthy and fit.

klahorse

I took part in a Santa race, where everyone had to dress in a one size fits all santa costume, and the costume didn't fit round my waist. I thought gosh if i'm too fat to be santa, i really must be too fat!