What Convinced You To Change?

twinketta

I was on an overnight ship on my travels and I got out of the shower in the morning and went to wrap myself up in the bath towel and I couldn`t wrap it around me. I already knew I was overweight but that was the icing on the cake for me

wsh1ngtn

I weighed in at an appointment with my primary physician & it was the heaviest I had ever been. I had not been very active for a while & placed the blame on aging (67). I was unable to be as active with my grandchildren as I wanted. I found myself out of breath & exhausted after a very shout time.
I decided then to make a change in my havbits, both mentally & physically. I want to be more involved & more active when spending time with my family. I want to lose the weight. I want to look & feel betterm I want to regain my self-esteem. I want to change my life style in a positive manner & be a good example for my family & friends.
"The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows" Buddha. Good luck to you all. Keep the fauth.

marioarnaldo

I was in really good shape, I gained weight in the last 7 years due to lack of exercise and eating after hours. My 7 years old son told me that he did not want to see me dying so I made the decision to change my life style and quit smoking and to loose weight as well.

cebiginalaska

I joined MFP and started exercised but quit due to being sore. I didn't want to be sore and have to lift patients that need to be transported to the clinic. I lost my job back in November. :mad: Staying home living a sedentary lifestyle and eating whatever / whenever I wanted caused me to gain 30 pounds. :explode:

I have always wanted to lose weight but never really committed till last month. Rejoined MFP (started using it again) and started exercising again. I wanted to join the Navy ever since I was 17 but was never able to enlist because of my "beer belly" I would love to get paid to travel around the world. I don't think I would mind being stuck on a boat for months at a time

Apparently I have to lose a whole other person to be able to think about enlisting :sad: (Max acceptable weight for people to enlist) I am hoping to get to to get to it within this year if possible (Will be hard with the pace I have been losing) :blushing:

shred_me_up

when my friend started losing weight, i felt the need too as well ;D then it became more personal and i just wanted to look and feel my best. now i want to be strong

imstrong4me

last aug before my 37 bday I step on the scale reading 236 I couldn't belive my eyes I weight that much I have never been that big I use to be 200 and I have gained 36 lbs in 2 yrs or so , I said to myself I need to do something for a change, I have decided to do mfp it took me a long time to get to 28lbs loss I been going up and down and eating not healthy I didn't know how to eat healthy I have learned along the way, I only got 78 more lbs to lose before my goal weight

erulasse

A picture of my beautiful boyfriend and I (the first I'd ever 'allowed' to be taken of us) at a party; seeing how huge I looked next to him and how ridiculous we looked together.

TakingControl13

Well I've been ttc for almost 6 yrs. Being depressed and having pcos and stressing had made me gain a lot of weight. And im scared that when I finally do get pregnant ill be close to 300 lbs. Scares me to hell so ive decided to lose weight and get healthy.

zoeysasha37

I was sick of being fat. period.

My boyfriend of 3 years cheated on me while I was pregnant and claimed it was because I was fat. I know better now. But I lost the weight and left him.

thats awesome!!! I just had to say it!! Soooo glad you left him!! Good for you! You are awesome

heiditorres9

For me I think I was in denial about the fact that I'd put weight on, it slowly crept up on me plus I hardly ever weighed myself. Was invited to my friend's 50th Birthday party and HATED the pictures of myself that I was tagged in on Facebook afterwards.Looked so fat and bloated in them.
Found I was starting to get out of breath a lot the last two years and couldn't do things physically like I used to be able to.
Was diagnosed with high cholesterol in 2011 and put on medication which I was unhappy about.
A few months ago had a routine check-up with my GP and he weighed me and said I'd put on two stone in the last two years which was a shock but also kick started my new life!!!!!
Got back home and looked at my fourteen year old son and thought I want to be around for him when he's older and be able to do things with him.
Then my wonderful daughter Heather told me about My Fitness Pal which she was using on her Kindle Fire and I can honestly say I haven't looked back since. Seeing your calorie intake in front of you has made all the difference to me the past two months and seeing the weight drop off from motivating myself makes me feel so much better about myself.
Only my son and daughter and my wonderful boyfriend Richard know that I'm using My Fitness Pal as I haven't told my mum that I've lost weight yet as she's been quite critical over the fact that I used to be so thin, which I was back in my twenties and loves reminding me that I no longer am.
When I feel the time is right I will tell her as for now my journey has just begun :happy:

m5parr

I was definitely in denial for a long time too! Two years after having my last baby, I hit the same weight that I was at the *end* of my pregnancy. Something clicked at that point lol. I swore to myself a long time ago that I'd never let myself go after having kids, and seeing that number on the scale made me realize I broke my promise to myself.

lpherman01

What inspired you to finally start eating healthy, eating less, working out, etc?

Had you been trying for years to commit, and finally, something simply clicked?

Was it hitting a new highest weight? Getting some bad news from your doctor?

What convinced you to make a change?

I was never overly heavy, usually went between 205 & 220 and at 6'1" carried it well. 2 bad summers (herniated disk in 04 and Lyme Disease in 05) pushed my weigh to 260, and ended my cycling. I started riding again in 08, but never could get much below 250 until my youngest son showed me MFP. Well it just clicked, and combined with a good summer of riding, plus the ability to really eat properly, I dropped 60 pounds last year and the weight is staying off. I get all the motivation that I need to stay on the program whenever I get on the bike.

stephaniemejia1671

Put a pair of jeans on and saw the dreaded "muffin top" not cool.... started that day.

cdswicky

That's awesome that your most recent blood test came back improved. The blood doesn't lie. Keep up the hard work, glad you're seeing results.

truly_crazy_me

My convincing to change was actually largely on my Grandpa. He was very important to me and we were very close. I lost him to an obesity related disease January 1st of 2012 and right then I knew I needed to change.

cinrn68

Just before the new year, my husband made a passing comment one night in conversation about how junk food just didn't do anything for him. It was such a small statement, but it got me thinking -- what did it really DO for me?? I would look forward to my little "binges" (chips & dip, a plate of nachos, etc.) while watching my favorite tv programs. All of it was usually accompanied by a glass of wine or 2 or a beer. Was it REALLY "doing" anything for me? Yes. Packing on the pounds and potentially giving me a lot of future health issues. It clicked. I didn't NEED it. I decided to stop it all and adopt a healthier attitude. We were already eating fairly healthy foods to begin with, but I became much more conscious of processed foods and incorporating more fruits/veggies into our daily routine. And for me, the eating healthy and exercise go hand-in-hand, so I started back on the treadmill. Instead of sitting down with a "snack" to watch tv in the evening, I walk on the treadmill. It's amazing how far you can go and how many calories you can burn while watching mindless tv!! LOL

I guess I had my "lightbulb" moment and am so happy I did. I've done Weight Watchers in the past, and had successfully lost 40 lbs, only to gain it all back over the last 3 years when I just stopped doing it and going back to my old habits. This time it's for life -- I have vowed to myself since it wasn't really "doing" anything for me in the first place!

Kauaiartist

Feeling pretty down about being overweight - hated having to have pictures taken - didn't like to see myself in the mirror from the neck down - then had a doctor's appointment - stepped on the scale and was shocked and when my doctor went over my blood test and told me that my cholesterol was creeping upward (over the past 2 years tests) and that I did have the option of being on statins - or first I could try and lose some weight and see what kind of affect that would have on my cholesterol in a few months time - I decided I was DONE with feeling bad about my body image - was not going into the next phase of my life always "struggling" with my weight - I would get it under control once and for all - and found MFP Jan. 2012 - and here it is day 65 and I'm at least 12 pounds lighter and several inches smaller due to exercising 5 to 6 days a week and following a healthy diet plan! Cheers!

sed1217

My lightest (recent) weight was 2006 - 145 pounds. By 2010, I was 283 pounds (my heaviest). Stress and depression and dumb choices led me to put on another *person*. On Jan 1, I started in earnest to lose the weight and hopefully have a baby. Then, in February, I was diagnosed with MS. So now I'm losing for future baby and me. I can honestly say that exercise has never felt so good as it does now. Every step is a victory.

XtyAnn17

Been trying for years and it just finally clicked. I was tired of being left out of life and opportunity because of my weight. I want to go back to work and not have my body hurt.

MrsGonsalves16

When I realised my son was missing out on opportunities because I had no confidence to take him places in case I would be judged, very selfish of me but along with deciding to lose weight I have decided to forget about myself and think about my son!! Still have a long way to go but the more pounds I lose the more confidence I gain!! And that's enough to make me wanna do this till I've reached my goal weight and stay at that weight! ( I take my son out as much as possible now and burn off loads of calories too)

malyndad

I have fought obesity for my whole life. I got over 300 lbs while in an abusive relationship but lost 100 lbs after I left. I got caught back up in the same cycle of abuse and gained most of it back, left that relationship and lost about 25 lbs. Now I'm in a healthy relationship, but not a healthy situation. In 2 years I went from no health problems to a doctor telling me he was going to put me on insulin. I am fighting for my life now. I will not give up! I have a wonderful partner, a loving son, a beautiful daughter by love and an amazing granddaughter. I refuse to fail this time.

cdswicky

You can do it! Just stay positive. I think you are so strong for leaving the abusive relationship and very blessed to have finally found someone worthy of you.

CONGRATS!

Synapze

I've tried before. Went from 135kg to 82kg in a very few months lifting weights and crash dieting a few years back, but fell sick with a lung infection, hospitalized, then back up to 117kg over the next few years.

Late last year I planned to begin a new lifestyle again, but wanted to try a new approach.

I knew from so many past attempts that eating Carrots and drinking Water doesn't work in the long run.

I learned killing myself with excercise i hate doesnt work.

What i had learned is doing it so slow i hardly even realized i was doing anything at all was the approch i needed.

So in December last year i got onto Google. Researched everything. WW, Atkins, Shakes, Pills, you name it, looked into it all.

Then I found the MFP app..and honestly thought it must have been just another gimmick because it was free, but decided to give it a go.

Researched the hell out of it. Found out about Calorie Deficit, and smashed my head on the table as i couldn't believe in 36 years i hadn't come across this.

Thats it. Still here and its proving the most simple approach is the right one.