My why is for me.

Like so many others here I have seen the terrible ways that being unhealthy and overweight can affect your life and the lives of those we love. I'm determined to be here healthy and happy for a long time, not as a burden to my loved ones.

To prove that I can be more than the fat friend, sister, etc. I've had self esteem issues for as long as I can remember and I'm sick of it. I want to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see. I have accomplished so much and I know I can do this.

My why is because I know what it feels like to be thin, as well as fat, and being thin feels sooooo much better!! I've somehow gained 20 pounds over summer and I need to make changes with my eating so that I don't gain anymore weight and can lose the 20 pounds!! Working out is not my problem, I workout 6 days a week for 1 to 2 hours and I only watch TV for 15 minutes a night, and thats only when I'm in bed falling asleep.

My why....is that this is the mental challenge I need. I know this is about physical results and everyone is looking to lose weight but I think it's the mental part that is the biggest struggle. I want to stick with this challenge and know that I have put my best effort into it. I want something that I can be proud of. I think as the confidence inside grows and I have more faith in myself the physical will change as well because I will actually believe that I have the strength both physical and mental to make the changes.

Hi everybody, I am Susie Johnson from Brenham, Texas. I am 37 years old.

Married to my husband James for 12 years. We have two boys (8 and 4). My four year old is a wild one.. Hard to keep up with.

Back in the day, I was a runner. I was a whopping 135 pounds and at that time I thought I was fat... Boy I was wrong... I gained and gained. I did the biggest loser challenge last season and I actually go to wonderland at 199. But again I weigh 222 pounds.

My biggest weakness is... I work out but I become completely lazy. I like to eat and I never know when enough is enough unitl I am so full my stomach hurts.

Recently we have started a walking group at work. So far two weeks in a row, we have walked three times each week. Thanks Pam!!!

THE WHY
I want to lose weight for me. When I am exericising, my mood is better and I feel better.

I want to lose weight for my boys. I want to be a role model for my boys. The other day, another child asked my son, why is your mom so fat? Is she lazy? That is not what I want my boys to see. I want my boys to say, mom, lets go out and play instead of playing on video games.

I want to be that "sexy mama" for my Husband. It is awesome when you see that "you are hot" look in your man's eyes.

I want to run again. I was a cross crounty runner in High School and I was good. It is really hard for me to run right now due to my weight.

I want to take a family picture in the spring.

i am here because i am tired of being disappointed every time i go shopping or look in the mirror. i want to be here for my kids for a long time, i use to be skinny and healthy and i would love that again. i hate to say this and i love my mother dearly but i dont want to end up like her, she was skinny and now is obese and cannot get around and has a ton of health issues not to mention cancer.

I have several "why's", but FREEDOM is the big one. Chronic pain from an injury has put many limitations on my life for a lot of years. I have some permanent damage to my spine that I will always have to manage. But less weight means less pain, and less pain means more freedom to live my life the way I want to. This is my time to put fitness and weight loss at the very top of my priority list!

Why?

I need to do this for myself and my newborn son. I want to start him off right by leading by example and eating right myself. I don't want to be skinny but healthy! This is not a diet but a lifestyle change.

My motivation......

I have always joked that I was going to die from a stroke, heart attacks, and/or cancer, because that is what my family tree is blessed with.

My mother is a cancer survivor for 10 years and counting. My dad's mother was a cancer survivor for many years, but her cancer came back about 2 years ago and she last her battle this January. Both of my grandfathers have suffered strokes and my mom's mother had multiple heart issues.
Another piece to the family puzzle, is that my father was diagnosis with diabetes, about two years. We have be able to manage his levels with diet and medications.

Several years ago, I received treatment for Endometrosis and it caused me to gain about 10 -15 pounds. I looked in photos and hated the way I look to the point where I hate taking pictures. I actually hide from a photographer, at a friends wedding, a year ago.

I am doing this for me! I want to be healthy, happy with myself, and not hide from a camera. I am doing this for my health because I don't not want to put my family through everything we have dealt with, again. I doing this because I would like to become a runner and join in some of these mud runs, color runs, glow runs, etc. that look so fun and make you want to take a photo of yourself. Overall, My life is my motivation!

I want/need to loss my weight because my weight is affected not only my life but my kids as well. I have been married for five years and since then I have gained 20 plus pounds and now my beautiful wedding ring doesn’t fit. I can get it on but when it is hot my hands swell and it is extremely uncomfortable to wear. I never thought that I would gain so much weight that it would hurt to wear my rings. I also want to find the athlete in myself again. Six years ago while still in the Navy I was running up to 8 miles a day and I loved it. I want to get back to that. I have a 9 year old son when we did his physical for football in August he weighed in at 109 pounds. I felt like the worse mom ever knowing that my 9 year old was over 100 pounds. Our family doctor told me that his BMI was normal and was not concerned over weight because he is very tall for his age. It made me fell just a little better to knew that but I was still taken back and I knew right then and there that if I didn’t change my life and my eating habits (because what the parents eat is what the kids eat) then my son and daughter would just be another static. So my why is my family. I want to live a healthy life for me, my husband, and my kids.