What Made You Really Start?

shellsrenee01

I was too fat to ride a Segway through the San Diego Wild Animal park. There is a 250 lb weight limit for Segways, and my friend said, "Hey, maybe you can squeak by if you skip breakfast that morning?" I didn't have the heart to tell her that at the time, I weighed 267. There would be no squeaking by that one. I was mortified. :embarassed:

As soon I got home from that trip, I Googled "Food diary" and found MFP. Began logging my food and exercise on March 5, 2012, and haven't missed a day since.

I could now ride a Segway if I wanted to (as I am 225 right now), but the ironic thing is...I'd much rather enjoy walking around the exhibits rather than take the lazy way out! :bigsmile:

krystaljarv

Having someone point out how fat I had got after having my baby, and saying that I used to look really hot. It made me feel awful and now I'm determined to be healthier. I'm also ashamed of how much bigger I look in photos and avoid having them!
When my little boy is older I want there to be pictures of me and him in the photo album together. It wouldn't be a good example to say there's no photos of mummy because I felt fat and didn't change to make myself happier.

csuhar

My start, as far as working out goes, came from hanging out with friends from my college dorm. Our university had an AWESOME gym soley for the non-athletes, which meant you weren't going to be kicked out of the weight room or off of the running track by the sports teams (who had their own separate gym). Two of my friends played football in High School and they wanted to keep working out, so they invited me and a couple other friends along. That's where I got into weight lifting and running type workouts. Before that, I was usually just involved in programs, like Kendo and Judo, which were physical activities (I still say Judo was the best cardio workout I ever had), but not quite in the same vein as lifting and running.

abrewer563

My first motivator was a picture that someone took of me when my fiance and I were boating 2 summers ago... It was horrible, then of course I went to the doctor shortly after and he told me I was fat...yep he seriously told me I was fat. Then the final straw was when I attended the health fair at my work and they measured my body fat percentage which was almost in the pre-obese category. So I decided to make a change. I lost a good bit last year (12 pounds) then after a ton of snarky comments from friends and families and rumors flying around saying I was anorexic I stopped, but recently I've gotten back into because I realize this isn't to impress anyone else but myself.

Weight loss is tough, even if you don't have much to lose.

ETA: Being over-weight was a tough pill for me to swallow, throughout my entire life I had been severly underweight... I could eat anything and everything and not gain a pound. I graduated highschool weighing less than 100 pounds so it was a huge wake up call that less than 5 years later I had packed on around 30 pounds.

Jerrypeoples

I've gotten back into because I realize this isn't to impress anyone else but myself.

Weight loss is tough, even if you don't have much to lose.

this is the thing i follow. i am not doing this to get laid or a girlfriend but for my first love. basketball. i am doing this for me and to play basketball better. so far it has been a great relationship

MsipiGRITS

i was drunk on new years eve and i said i was done feeling sorry for myself and hating everything about me so the next morning i started on this 2 year long journey of ups and downs.

that is awsome

for me, i have been going to the gym for the past 3-4 years, but 2-3 of those years my workouts were balanced out by me eating fast food 4 days a week and pizza three days. it was basically a mexican stand off.

then last april i went to CA to see my niece graduate highschool and the picture we took as a family just sunk in.

i joined here and starting logging everything and after about 2 months i cut out mcdonalds, burger king, wendys and arbys.

THIS is awesome! I have definitely found that quick and easy eats will kill you... LOL I don't always pass by 'quick' but I'm working on it...

MsipiGRITS

:drinker: You should be very proud of you!!!!

Duck_Puddle

For me it was totally an accident. I was walking one of the dogs, he chased a squirrel, and in that sprint after a squirrel, I realized I missed running. So I started again. Damn squirrel.

glassgallm

A health check for the insurance company: I was in the overweight category and had high blood pressure. My grandfather died of a stroke and my mother battled high blood pressure. I was determined to not have to take medication if I didn't have to. An assessment at my health club said I had the body of a 64 year old woman and I was 56 at the time. I am a dive instructor and should be a role model for my students. It was time to make this a life style, not just another diet.

wikitbikit

The thing that finally allowed to me to focus on taking care of myself was getting a medication for depression that worked for me. Prior to that, I often had good intentions, but they fell into a ugly, scary vat of "Why bother?" after a day, or maybe just a meal.

I will give myself some credit here too: I finally took the initiative to see a psychiatrist instead of merely my GP to get treatment. It's entirely possible that there is some serious placebo effect going on in that I was so ready to make a change that I believe that the new meds are god's gift to my nutty ol' brain. Either way though, stopping the old meds and starting new ones gave me the ambition, motivation and ENERGY to start using all the years of information and knowledge I'd acquired about living healthy. It's pretty effin awesome.

grdnr03

For some time I knew being overweight could not continue to go on, my feet were hurting, I would get out of breath easily, I could not tie my shoe laces without feeling my huge tummy in the way...I wanted to be healthier as I aged also.

One sunny afternoon as I was sitting on my deck I decided to take a photo of my tummy area to see it through "those eyes" and yep it was not a pretty site!!

My daughters were talking about MFP, so I said I'll try it, because something has to give!! and I love this app! all i've done is kept within my calorie intake and added exercise~the balance I had not found before~

Congrats to all who have made the decision to be a healthier, happier person!!

belgerian

I had alot of stress in my life marriage issues, car accident, father died, son was hurt not seriously but broke his leg. I started to run just primarly as a stress reliever with really no intention to loose weight and eat healthier but one thing led to another and about 50lbs later someone said to me are you loosing weight and sure enought I was. I still excercise for a stress reliever but for other reasons also. Doctors also wanted to put me on anti depressents ect ect. Just for the record im not bashing anyone for needed medications for what ever reason it just was not for me. Now I need no high cholestrol medication no High blood pressure medication no anti depressents and my marriage is doing well and so is my son.

sleepymom5

I have always had a ton of reasons to lose, mostly appearance related. I tried EVERYTHING (seriously, everything) and never stuck with anything. Then in June 2012 I was tired of being tired and achey all the time. I am also 47 and have heard storys of people my age (and younger) having serious medical conditions. I have no medical issues, no medications, there is nothing wrong with me except my weight. I didn't want my weight to cause a medical condition that I could prevent. So I got a fitbit and started exercising and eating healthier. I have lost 25 since July so it's been slow but my life has really changed for the better.

MarshCat79

I lived all my life in a suburb of Chicago where its cold or chilly 9 months of the year. In June of last year we moved to a suburb of Mobile, Alabama right on the gulf coast. Its HOT most of the year. For years, I fluctuated with my weight but never got really heavy until after I had my daughter. I weighed 217 for a year after giving birth. I finally got down to 185-190 and have stuck for about 3 years at that weight. I "wear weight well" so I was complacent. I could hide my big booty and thighs in jeans in Chicago most the time! I always made sure my makeup and my hair was perfect. Applying and curling every day, keeping up with the beauty routine but I didn't exercise. I felt beautiful all made up, wearing jeans and a cute top, always carrying a sweater to use for camouflage if needed. Then we moved to AL and bought a house with an inground pool. I had to wear bathing suits all the time and shorts. It was so hot and humid! We met friends who always want to go boating and to the beach. I can no longer "hide" behind my old staples. The makeup melts off my face. My hair gets flat and stringy in the humidity and water play and I have to wear shorts, tanks and bathing suits all the time! I realized I spent more time at the pool, on the boat, at the beach, arranging my towels and coverups to stay hidden than I did actually having fun! I was uncomfortable with showing myself in such revealing clothing nevermind I can no longer use the makeup and hair thing to feel beautiful. Last summer I felt like a whale. I would see a pic of myself in jeans and a shirt, all done up and then a pic the same weekend of myself in a bathing suit, not done up and think how can that be the same girl? So boom. Im tired of hiding, I'm tired of strategically placing towels, and my daughter in front of me in pics and Im tired of not fully PLAYING with my family because Im so self conscious. Ive always had a pear, hour glass figure and there is no hiding it anymore! Ive started cardio and weights and calorie counting and Ive never been this determined or stuck to something for more than a few weeks. I'm doing it this time and I feel great! I haven't lost much weight yet but the inches are showing and I know to stick it out. By this summer, I want to be confident, even without the face paint, hair and coverups!

beckieboomoo

i just started notice in pictures and in the mirror how fat id gotten... made me feel sick and ugly! so i thought f**k it! am gonna become a slim jim! ( Don't as where i got that phrase from...it just appeared in my head one day xD ) :laugh: :

MelyndaWaldner

I played soccer when I was younger about 5-6 days a week. I never had to diet and I could eat whatever I wanted. Then about five years ago, I tore my ACL, and had to stop playing soccer. I didnt change my eating habits, and sunk into a depression to the point that I hated looking into a mirror and I avoided them like a plague. I just wanted to cry everytime I saw myself. I hated looking at myself in pictures. I have had major health complications from the cancer, which has stopped me from getting surgery for my torn ACL, but I decided I need to find something that I enjoy doing as much as playing soccer. So me and my brother's girlfriend decided this year we are going to sign up for a Sprint Triathlon, we signed up for three of them actually. So that got me movitated to start going to the gym and getting back to basics.

I dont want to be skinny, I was never a skinny girl, I was meant to play sports not walk a runway, which I am fine with. I just want to be healthy.

khall86790

I spent 6 months drinking and eating crap every day in Greece, got dumped by my boyfriend and realised that most of my clothes were too small for me. I was unhappy with my weight BEFORE Greece so you can imagine that after these things happened, I was miserable. I also had to wear a bikini every day around a bunch of skinny girls and it made me so depressed and horrible to be around - pretty much why I got dumped.

So basically I moved to France where all the women are skinny and beautiful and realised I had to make changes to my lifestyle in order to love myself.
6 months later and I am getting there, slowly but surely

jennmodugno

During hurricane Sandy, I was sitting in my husband's grandmother's house watching my daughter play with her cousins. I caught sight of myself in a mirror, and sat staring for a while, thinking, "I used to be pretty. I used to be happy. Now I just want to lay down, go to sleep, and never wake up again." I was in the middle of a very severe bout of depression, and when the power came back on two weeks later and the episode passed, I decided it was time to do something about it. I was tired of being depressed, and I was tired of feeling ugly, and I knew getting in shape would help both of those problems.

And (along with a new and powerful and effective antidepressant) it has. I feel pretty good about myself again, and my depression mostly stays away. Still have a ways to go on my weight loss journey - now that I see it really is possible, I'm thinking of changing my goal to 125 - but I already see how my life has improved.

dowesney

You all have such inspiring stories! Mine isn't so much. I've gained 20-25 pounds over the last 15 years and, while I still am within a normal weight and BMI (barely) and don't exactly look that overweight, I knew I didn't want to gain anymore and would like to lose what I had gained. Putting on a few pounds over Christmas (I have a weakness for Christmas candy) gave me extra motivation. I know as I head into my 40s the weight will be harder to lose, so I decided now was the time to do it while my metabolism is still somewhat cooperative. I am 5'2", started out at the beginning of the year at 139.7, am currently at 131.7, and hope to get to the 115-120 range by the end of the year.

Oh... and also, I have an obese relative who is generally jealous and nasty towards me and I figure I will give her something to be truly jealous of (that is the motivation I use on days when I really don't care about the physical aspects of weight loss) .

in_this_generation

Such good responses !
For me, the deciding factor was when my boss called me lazy. I don't know why he called me that because I feel that I work harder than my colleagues but I was being called lazy. While trying to wrap my head around this, I concluded (perhaps erroneously?) that surely he must think I'm lazy because of my weight. Otherwise why not chastise the skinny people that play farmville all day? So I decided that either a) I have to lose weight to advance myself professionally or b) I have to lose weight so that I am not so insecure about it that I am making excuses for other failures in my life. I plan on spending fewer nights and weekends at work and more of that time exercising and preparing healthy foods, thank you very much!

lindaamarie

I went to visit my family in El Paso and my nana called me lazy. She's a very blunt woman and it pissed me off so I hit the gym and the next time I visited her I was 30 pounds lighter and didn't go a day without going to the gym while there even though I got lost everytime. I still go to the gym to prove her wrong but also because I love the gym now.

Oishii

I bought a new pair of jeans and, although they fit round my waist, they bagged round the hips. My waist was two sizes bigger than my hips, and it finally occurred to me that, if I didn't lose weight, I could never fit well in jeans again. I had also been asked if I was pregnant when I wasn't, but the jeans were the final straw.

If weight around the waist is the biggest danger, I just have to accept that being 'average', ie overweight, is not a healthy option for me.

lunaliberi

Oh God...so many things.
I've been heavy almost my entire life. Due to some childhood events, I went from a skinny six year old, to a very heavy seven year old, and it just kept getting worse from there.
By the time I was twelve, we had to go three towns over just to find pants that fit. I was ridiculed and made fun of constantly. It brought on a lot of self loathing that carried into my teens.
I started dating someone when I was fifteen, we were together for just shy of five years, engaged and living together for one of of those. At the time, I was a little over 250lbs, and very self conscious.
My fiance at the time really wanted me to lose weight, but every time I lost three, four pounds, he would say "Come back when you lose ten. That's nothing." No matter how hard I worked, it wasn't hard enough, and eventually, I gave up.
He moved to Florida, I was suppose to follow him down a few months later after he got settled. While he was down there, I worked on losing weight to surprise him. I lost fifteen pounds in a little under four months.
He broke up with me after I picked him up from the airport, telling me I would never change, and even made a comment that I looked like I had lost no weight at all.




For months afterwards, I gave up again. I was filled with so much self loathing, it was a chore just dragging myself out of bed in the morning...then it hit me one morning when I was looking in the mirror.
I was stubborn, I could do anything I set my mind on,and in that moment, it was to prove him wrong. A couple months later, after I had lost another five pounds, I met someone.
They refused to give up on me, and instead of negative motivation, he became my biggest cheerleader and supporter. We started dating a couple months ago, and since than I've lost another 12 pounds...


I have a lot of reasons to be doing this. To prove to myself that I can, to stand strong in front of the people who said I couldn't do it, for my boyfriend to show him how much his support has meant for me, so I can be healthy for my future children, among many others...

To make a long story short. Never tell me I can't do something, because I will do my damnedest to prove you wrong, and enjoy every second of it.

Jerrypeoples

good for you luna...

i understand people trying different tactics to try to get you motivated. i never really was pressured all that much but from time to time my mom would ask if i was doing anything to lose weight and i would just wave her off. my friends never gave me crap about my weight in highschool. i too was a skinny twerp when i was a kid then around 9th grade i got a little heavier and more so and more so.

my early 20s i was where i am now, just about 220-230. i can say i gained weight cause my father moved away, that a friend played a prank to get me to ask the captain of the cheerleaders to the prom and a host of others things i could put the blame on and no one would question it. except for me. there is one common element through all those things, me.

erickita89

I never had the time before to care for myself in the proper manner. For as long as i can remember my diet consisted of all takeout (McDonalds being my favorite) because both my parents worked full time and never had the time to cook. I also just never had the time to cook (or learn how to cook for that matter) because I was working and was a full-time student.

My breaking point was about a week after i graduated college: i stepped on the scale randomly and realized i weighed 205 lbs. I was so shocked that i ripped off my jeans my boots and my sweater... 202lbs when I though i was 185.

rosichick

What made me start? Coming dangerously close to being 200 pounds. Ehhh!! I am done weighing that much so i started and so far i went from weighing 196 to weighing 180 NOW. My goal for this month is to weigh 170

MyChocolateDiet

As stupid as it may sound, Facebook made me start. I cringed at the thought of logging into my Facebook and seeing my friends had tagged me in pictures from the night before. I hated the way I looked, and taking pictures. ugh. Eventually it got to the point where I just avoided going out with my friends all together. I knew someone was going to haul a camera along with them and start snapping pictures. I started to isolate myself and began avoiding all types of social situations because I hated everything about me. I became tired of feeling depressed and unhappy with my body and decided I had the power to turn my life around. Since then I have been super dedicated to eating healthy and working out. I'm down about 35 pounds and I have a long ways to go but I couldn't be happier.

this does not sound stupid at all. I had long ago decided to do this but just a matter of when and this January 1st was the plan. Something else really important came up that I'd forgotten was on the horizon and I almost postponed this but two things happened. While creeping the facebooks of everyone I know (i don't have an account so official creeper, refuse to get facebook, it's the devil)....so anyway while checking out my sisters cute albums of her kids stumbled upon an album that had my kid on the title as their visit to our house. Was mortified to find not just our cute kids, but also a picture of me looking terrible after swimming hair a mess, changed into cut offs and a sweatshirt helping the kids make s'mores, rushed hair into a bun, to get the s'mores on the go already for the impatient kids, it was their day. It was the most unflattering picture of myself Ive ever seen and my own sister chose to put it up for the world to see it marred the memory of that awesome day with our kids for me. You must understand that she chose this pic when having previously been in pageants and theater and currently a make up seller there are PLENTY of nice pic's of me to be shared, why this one? I realized my own image can be used against me and by anyone even someone I'd never expect to do that. It's a weapon. Then i realized what anyone would say if i complained. They would say that that was the real me and why is it her fault for showing it (ppl tend to side with her). Unnacceptable, as she was in none of the photo's and is even bigger than me, so rather than complain to anyone I sent her a nasty email defending myself short but sweet no bad words and demanding she remove it. 2nd thing that happened is when I decided to be the bigger man (pun not intended) and go to her kid's birthday party one of her friends was UNRECOGNIZABLE she had lost so much weight. That was it! I decided come hell or highwater I was sticking to my January 1 2013 through January 1 2014 plan. So far so good.

sprintto50

I will be 50 in the fall and I have come far enough with improving the inner me. Time to get the outer me in line.

KristineW78

I saw a pic of myself and was VERY unhappy with it. I didn't realize what I looked like! I also had little energy and was depressed.
I was just under 150 but for my frame (small) and my "normal" weight expectation, that was a lot, to me - esp since most of it was tummy... Of course! Since then I am now at 142.8 and although that doesn't seem like a lot, with the eating right (including supplements) and exercise and all that water I feel AMAZING! I have an abundance of energy and NO depression.

SafioraLinnea

Seeing myself in my nursing uniform in the recording of a practice lab for nursing school. I looked like a baby beluga whale. Everyone was critiquing what happened in the lab, but all I could see was my fat self nearly breaking out of the seams of my extra large sized uniform. I felt disgusting, and sobbed during the review process. Everyone thought i was embarrassed by a tiny mistake I made. I wasn't, I was shocked that I'd let myself get that fat. That was my first realization that it was MY actions (and lack of actions) that caused me to look the way I do.