What made you decide to change?

rockinmomto3
rockinmomto3 Posts: 97 Member
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
I'm curious what everyones reasons for changing your bad habits were? I decided to change when I realized not only how big I had gotten, but the fact that my father passed away relatively young (63) from multiple health related illnesses (diabetes and extreme obesity being 2 of them) made me realize that if I didn't get myself in check and under control, I would end up like him. I can't do that to my husband or my kids. So I changed. And while it can be tough at time to keep going, I know that it's what I really want and need.
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Replies

  • toddgaines
    toddgaines Posts: 130
    Having to buy size 40 pants for my friend's wedding was the last straw for me. I knew I was getting big, but that was the biggest pant size I ever had to get. Plus my doctor strongly encouraged me to "go work out like a maniac and come back in 6 months" ... so I am down 50 lbs in 5 months, and have a doctor's appointment next week.
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
    I just wanted the image in the mirror to match the image in my head. I used to be fairly in shape and I miss that.
  • summerblunden
    summerblunden Posts: 184 Member
    My husband and I are going to be starting a family in the next year or so, and I refuse to have a high risk pregnancy and endanger our children because I'm fat and lazy. I want both of us to be around a long, long time, and at the rate we were going, that wasn't gonna happen!
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
    when i broke my ankle, its to hard to walk being this fat. and want to get back in shape again
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    Seeing picture of myself and my tripple chin - ICK!!
  • davischiky
    davischiky Posts: 45 Member
    seeing how much bigger i looked compare to other people i hung out with.
  • Mepheston
    Mepheston Posts: 38 Member
    Realizing that I could only fit into a size 40 pant like the poster above.
  • Crystleen
    Crystleen Posts: 81 Member
    Not fitting into my clothes anymore, having to buy larger sizes, tired of feeling bloated/fat with no energy, got out of breath easy, stopped feeling sexy for myself and boyfriend. Did not like the look in the mirror.
  • Barb5460
    Barb5460 Posts: 4
    Being told I'm pre-diabetic, being on too many medications and overall feeling like crap. Besides not liking how I looked. I want to be able to bend over and tie a pair of shoes again without feeling like my face is going to pop off my shoulders:)
  • mish3131
    mish3131 Posts: 276 Member
    I made the change when my husband decided to. I mean, not just for support, but I can't have him weigh less then me! That would just be wrong.
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    The biggest thing for me recently was having a nurse tell me my blood pressure was bordering high and the best thing I could do about it would be to lose weight.

    Also - I had surgery on my ankle a year ago after tearing some ligaments and since then I've been horribly worried about the weight I'm putting on ALL my joints. I'm only 23 years old and I really should be in better health.
  • laineylou26
    laineylou26 Posts: 14 Member
    For me it was a combination of things. My clothes kept getting bigger....my doctor told me I was "borderline" diabetic...my brother was diagnosed with diabeties...my dad was struggling with diabeties and heart issues...but the final straw was going shopping with my girls and not being able to find anything to fit in the "normal" stores. The girls that work in these stores won't even look at me! It's heart breaking. Not to mention my children are also over weight now because I allowed them to make unhealthy choices by buying things I KNEW weren't healthy just because I wanted it and I didn't want to tell them no. We are ALL adopting a healthier lifestyle now, though I am being subtle about it with the kids. I NEVER tell them they need to lose weight, just that we are eating healthier so that we live longer. It is working out really well and they don't really seem to notcie the change that much. I want this sooo badly!
  • tierra85
    tierra85 Posts: 300 Member
    Some lady asked me when i was due... lol
  • jenoverton76
    jenoverton76 Posts: 10
    My recent wedding pictures where i looked like a tree trunk wrapped in satin had no curves whatsoever and i looked out of place with my beautiful fit family.
  • Erabella
    Erabella Posts: 6
    Because I'm in my last year of my 20s and still as single as can be. Wish it was something more profound, but not really.
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
    I was on high blood pressure meds, had trouble breathing and daily chest pain plus I read morbidly obese on my chart. I cried my eyes out and then changed my life.
  • oats4breakfast
    oats4breakfast Posts: 225
    My primary reason was that I was sick of smoking and quit. I started to track my cals and exercise to help the quit smoking process and prevent excessive weight gain. It just snow balled from there and I started looking & feeling better. IN starting this, I really noticed how bad I had become too. So I just changed it. The reality is, I started feeling and looking more normal .... I was feeling and looking bad when smoking and eating crap, now I just feel normal ... which in comparison, feels better. Because of this, it became easier and I really started to enjoy exercise again .... like I did back in the day. I just kept the process going because like quitting smoking: weightloss, health and exercise is a forever thing, not just a week or two then forget it. It's just something I do now. It's not a chore or a grind or really anything I dislike - sure it sucks to track everything and dig through the trash for labels sometimes, but the net result outweighs it all. It's just my routine and if I blow a meal, so what, I just start back where I was .... much like if I sleep in one morning, doesn't mean I'll start to sleep in every morning.
    Track and/or pay attention to what I eat, exercise because you want to, don't smoke and feel great. Seems like a no brainer.
  • KendalBeee
    KendalBeee Posts: 2,269 Member
    I had been an 18/20 for YEEEEEARS. And then I gained 40 pounds and my thighs wear holes in my jeans. I was out of clothes to wear so I either needed to buy a bigger size or start losing.
  • bebby
    bebby Posts: 18
    When I graduated from University and got into Grad school I realized that I could accomplish these sort of challenging goals. How come I couldn't put the same sort of effort into weight loss. If I could go back to school at the age of 30 and graduate at the top of my class, then I could easily accomplish this goal of losing weight. And so it began...
  • SassyMissDasha
    SassyMissDasha Posts: 614
    In May when my cousin came to visit from Russia. The first time I saw her was 12 years ago. We took pictures together, and when I saw them, I was sickened and embarrassed. I knew the number on the scale, but I didn't get the perspective of how bad it had actually gotten. And also because my dad passed away last year also, of a heart attack. I have 3 children, and I saw how hard it effected me and my sisters ..and I don't want the same for my kids.
  • Hannah_2507
    Hannah_2507 Posts: 8
    Happiness. I'm fed up of getting up everyday and being miserable. I'm wasting my life hating myself for something that I can change if I tried hard enough. And on top of that I'm going to be heading to Uni next year and I dont want to be held back anymore, I want to enjoy life and I need to start some where. xx
  • Laura80111
    Laura80111 Posts: 958 Member
    1)Being the only child and now having to oversee my Mom's care (Dad died a year ago this week) and having to get her in an Adult Foster Home because she didn't want to move in with me and my Hubby so far from her friends. She can hardly walk, can't dress herself or care for herself at all.:cry: ..and I decided I don't want to become my Mother...and I won't do that to my kids...so now I'm exercising and eating right.:bigsmile:
    2)Having 12 pairs of jeans in my closet (last January) that I couldn't get over my thighs and had only one pair that fit and was so tight I could hardly breath.:sad:

    Since January I have lost #36 and gone from a 12-14 to a 6, I have more energy, love the way my clothes fit:love: and my hubby thinks I'm HOT:blushing: Only one pound left and I KNOW I can do it...besides tomorrow is my 56th birthday and that's a GREAT present to myself...so tomorrow I'm going and having pictures done to show the change and I'm pretty happy with the results:wink:
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    Not fitting into my clothes anymore, having to buy larger sizes, tired of feeling bloated/fat with no energy, got out of breath easy, stopped feeling sexy for myself and boyfriend. Did not like the look in the mirror.

    This is exactly how I felt...

    And this pic

    976502_3705.jpg

    Good Luck everyone on this crazy journey! You're all doing fantastically :flowerforyou:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I gained 30 lbs in exactly 3 months. I was a trim, athletic 150 at the end of summer and then a couple days after Christmas, I was 180. I was fitting perfectly into 12s but then was busting out of them.
  • luvstolose
    luvstolose Posts: 34
    I already knew I wanted to lose weight but what really set me in motion was when a little boy I was taking care of at work said "you have a big belly" I tried to just ignore the comment and he said it again that was it I though I am losing this tummy thing!
  • andrewsa
    andrewsa Posts: 5 Member
    I've been entertaining the idea of losing weight for a while... doctor recommended I should... but I started working as a substitute teacher (elementary grades) this past spring and in June a young girl asked me "what's in your tummy?" and at first I looked at her a bit confused...and before I could respond she motioned me to come closer and whispered in my ear "is there a baby in there?" That was when I realized I needed to do something! Kids tell it like it is.

    Since then I'm down 22 lbs total. I've only recently joined MFP, but hoping for another 48 lbs (final goal 150).
  • JMun
    JMun Posts: 409
    My husband and I are going to be starting a family in the next year or so, and I refuse to have a high risk pregnancy and endanger our children because I'm fat and lazy. I want both of us to be around a long, long time, and at the rate we were going, that wasn't gonna happen!


    High fives. Me too!

    Geez I have a hard enough time hauling around my fat @rse on its own. I can't imagine 9 months of pregnancy with even more weight. I wouldn't want to risk a healthy pregnancy just cos I'm fat & lazy.

    Plus I just don't want to be a fat mom. I wanna have the energy to run and play that I know my child deserves.
  • lisalynn35
    lisalynn35 Posts: 250 Member
    The most important reason is because I want to be alive. I am a cancer survivor, my cancer was hormonally receptive. Estrogen is stored in fat cells so being as overweight as I was, even as overweight as I am now is like asking to have cancer again. I am married to an amazing man and we have an amazing little boy and I don't want to limit the already short amount of time I have to spend with them.
  • tammylober
    tammylober Posts: 26
    I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, literally. It wasn't an over night realization, but after a long period of feeling sick and tired I said enough. I love my new lifestye change. It has made all the difference! Good luck on your health/fitness goals!
  • 6Janelle13
    6Janelle13 Posts: 353 Member
    Mine was a combination of factors. I turned 25 and realized i wanted more out of life, I had 3 people ask me when i was due in the same weekend (even though i've been married a year that's still a year or two away for us) and finally this summer i will get my RN and i can't stand telling people to be and get healthy when i am not. I want to lose 20 to 30 lbs because even though i look small i am big for me. I have holes in the thighs of my jeans, i have a belly and I have no reason besides laziness that my health has gotten away from me. Like everyone here i want to give myself and my family (and future family) the best i have and to do that i needed to start my journey now.
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