What is your WHY?

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Replies

  • cuapater
    cuapater Posts: 15
    When my life spins out of control, I can calm down with diet/exercise maintenance, instead of facing real issues like the woman I am.

    +

    It will give me confidence to [allow myself to] be close to people and to forge a good [social] life for myself.
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
    Absolutely. I welcome all who would like to friend me.
    What an eloquent piece ... you really have made me consider my true WHY .. I did my MBA last year .. and wanted to complete that .. so i need to understand my WHY in this ... (might I friend you please) With thanks J
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
    I have only seen one TED talks, and it was on listening. LOL So I must be on the right path then :happy:
    So, you've been watching TED talks, eh?

    My mom was a health nut back when it wasn't cool. I grew up wit Jack LaLane on the tv every morning. I just grew into it. I took to it, my sister didn't. I don't know why I do it. I just do it.

    I have an inherent belief in being healthy. It's simple.
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
    That is AWESOME! Congratulations!
    I started my journey in January and I am currently off all medications, my BP is normal, my cholesterol is normal and I am managing my pain through more holistic methods.

    The feeling of fantastic keeps me going, along with those size 6 Miss Me jeans I want to fit into.
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  • TheDrunkenBunny
    TheDrunkenBunny Posts: 5 Member
    Wow... Talk about an eye opener. I honestly think I don't have just one WHY but many that trickle down from huge reasons that SHOULD be reasons, to little things that are sometimes superficial but really do nag at me... From wanting to live, to my child, to my fiance, to just wanting to look and feel good. I'm tired of getting depressed when really other than my weight, I have no reason to be. I have a beautiful daughter, a loving fiance, a wonderful mom... Life isn't that hard for me, but the weight is. I obsess over it and just keep thinking "if I were thin"... I think in most people's cases as you said the WHY isn't big enough, but in some, they can't seem to figure out the WHY NOT. It might be that your WHY isn't big enough but what else is keeping you back? For me, I've come to realize that it's just myself. Being so scared to fail that I didn't even try...
  • OhReally42
    OhReally42 Posts: 138 Member
    My why began with knowing that I was nearing 200lbs. I'm short-5'3, and all I could think was that I was getting as wide as I was tall.

    After that stopped being so much of an issue, it was really just because I was actually seeing movement and the thought of actually making it to my goal weight... with all honesty, I didn't actually set my goal weight because I wanted to be there. I picked the ideal weight for my height. Frankly, when I started I really didn't think I'd make it... I was just running away (sometimes literally) from reaching 200lbs. That was my fear.

    But now to think that I can actually make it to 125... I mean, I'm less than 15lbs away now...

    That's crazy! And I like being crazy :) So just going with it now :)



    I was nearing 200 too and that's the point that I decided to make a change! I'm only 5'0 so I know what you mean!
  • juanlh
    juanlh Posts: 7
    this has been my mind set. i cant tell you how many times i stopped my self from doing anything, specially interacting with people.
    a couple of years ago i lost i say 35lbs. i did not know how i did it, but this app helped me. unfortuanatly i gained all the weight back. So furstraded at my self. to the point that one day i actually told my self. that's it. be comfotable being fat. be comfortable in tight shirts and ties. I cant beleive i got to that point. I guess now i have gotten my second wind. and this time it's going to be diffrent. ive been at it for just under 30 days. and already ive lost 9lbs. I have a target weight of 215, because i want to sky dive, and i am not paying the extra 50.00 dollars for the stronger gear.

    So my WHY would be because i dont want to be ok being fat!. i hate it.
  • Byrd718
    Byrd718 Posts: 37 Member
    My whys are:
    1. Hypertension
    2. Need a healthy lifestyle for both me and my husband--he has recently been diagnosed with diabetes
    3. Tired of being tired when I walk a short distances, even in Walmart, and get winded
    4. Tired of hearing, "you have a cute face" (not a compliment...lol)
    5. Tired of shopping at Lane Bryant and Avenue only to find decent clothes
    6.Tired of going to back of department stores on right (that's where all the plus size clothes are)
  • My WHYs are my children. I want to be a fit and healthy role model for my boys. They deserve the world and the least I can give them is a healthy, happy mother to look up to.
  • tmj4477
    tmj4477 Posts: 145 Member
    Because it is a step to happiness and becoming the best me I can be.
  • catb58
    catb58 Posts: 239 Member
    I was tired of being fat, old and tired. Decided that I will be slim and energetic....not gonna whine about my age because getting older beats the alternative!! :laugh:
  • ChaleGirl
    ChaleGirl Posts: 270 Member
    This is such an amazing post
    Really made me think
    My whys are all tied into self esteem and feeling good in my body
    But I know that most of the work has little to do with my body and more to do with my mind!
  • Thought-provoking topic--thanks.

    My Why: To feel better physically: to have less pain in my knee that has an old injury, and to have energy to have fun after work.
  • russkiballerina
    russkiballerina Posts: 53 Member
    Have always been underweight and a ballet dancer, gymnast, health/fitness freak. Then I got really sick.

    I have adrenal insufficiency, produce no hormones whatsoever, no cortisol, no female hormones, can't maintain blood pressure, can't maintain blood sugar, my thyroid is now useless, my pituitary is shot down and I am on coumadin for life as I have a blood disorder.
    I almost gave up a career in Medicine and Science because I can't seem to stay out of the hospital, mg weight fluctuates from dangerously underweight to normal, to overweight. Now that I know all that is wrong with me I've been also put on steroids for the rest of my life. Hydrocortisone, synthroid, coumadin. And occasionally hepatin, prednisone IV, the works. I've been in the ICU twice this year, hospitalized about 8 in one alone.

    I want to be healthy again. Its not a matter of choice anymore as it is of life or death. I'm not even thirty and I've had to accept I'm infertile, I'll never be normal, but I CAN control this, I can be healthy and fit again. I can dance again, I can get my degree, I can live to see sixty. I don't have to resign, sit on the couch and eat myself to death while taking opioids: I can and I will control my water retention and steroid bloat with diet and exercise and my pain with dancing and my depression with friends, studying and optimism.

    I can't alllow myself to fail anymore. I just can't.
  • epadmeister
    epadmeister Posts: 102 Member
    Getting rid of my diabeeeeetus! :)
  • bkthandler
    bkthandler Posts: 247 Member
    I love what everyone has said.

    Me and all of my siblings have “food issues”, I wasn’t in contact with my brother for many years but a few years ago we got back in contact and tried to start over. During one of our talks he said to me “someday's the only good thing in his day was that bacon cheeseburger” and the worst thing was I totally understood. He suffered from both food issues and addiction issues and he died last year. I couldn’t fix him but I can fix me. If I am healthier and in better shape I can make sure there is something better in my life than day old donuts…or whatever.

    On a brighter note:
    I have a client a few states away and her mail was returned so we googled her to see if she was alive. Her local paper had an article about how she climbed a mountain for her 90th birthday. There are days I don’t go get lunch because I don’t want to walk that far and I would much rather be active and engaged in the world at 90 then living in woulda, coulda, shouldaville. I would love to look great tomorrow AND for my 90th birthday.
  • ahyllim
    ahyllim Posts: 19 Member
    We want children.

    It has been almost 4 years and nothing has worked so we are moving forward with more aggressive treatment. Every single thing says that the less you weigh, the better your chances. If the treatments don't work and we end up without children, being healthy and comfortable in my own skin is a consolation prize.
  • liftnlove_
    liftnlove_ Posts: 112 Member
    Beautiful post OP, and wonderful responses as well. Thanks :)

    "A strong enough why can bear almost any how." ~ Nietzsche

    My why is simple, but also profound in my mind. Why?... because I CAN. For so long I didn't think I could do this. Once I really accepted that I was capable, everything changed for me.
  • LSinVA
    LSinVA Posts: 60 Member
    I never realized so many other people felt the same way I do about their weight. Everyone always seems so much happier than me even though they're overweight too. I thought maybe I was just obsessing. It actually feels good to know that I'm not alone.

    My WHY, like so many others:

    -I want to avoid the Diabeetus. It runs in my family. My mother was diagnosed two years ago. I don't want to get something I can easily prevent. My grandma died at 67. That' way too young. I worry for my Mom as she's now 60 and headed down the same path. I'd like to live long enough to see my great-grandkids. And no food is worth missing out.

    -I'm tired of being tired all the time.
    -I'm tired of having sore feet.
    -I'm done hating my body and being absolutely horrified and disgusted with what I see. I don't even recognize myself anymore.
    -I was never overweight until I had my kids. I just kind of let myself go and I was so disappointed that I became one of "those women". I don't want to be this way anymore. I hate it.
    -Tired of wearing EXTRA large clothes on what should be a petite frame.
    -Tired of worrying that people think I'm lazy, sloppy and gluttonous.
    -Tired of being anxious in any social setting because of my weight... especially social situations where I haven't seen people in awhile and the 70 lbs I packed on since is plainly obvious.
    -Tired of being the "fat" friend/Mom/Wife/Sister etc etc...
    -Tired of feeling like I'm a failure.
    -Tired of feeling inferior to almost everyone because my weakness is obvious to everyone. You can hide drug abuse, cigarettes and alcohol but you can't hide your fat *kitten*.

    I'm just over it now. I've been like this for five years and I feel like I'm wasting the rest of my youth being fat and anti-social. I was never ever like this. I want the old me back. The fat girl can hit the road. She's overstayed her welcome and she won't be missed. Ever.
  • MikePXstream
    MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
    Read, seen, heard, and learned. As I mentioned in my first post that started this all, I had read or heard Darren Hardy speak of how what drives us to accomplish something is not always strong enough, and until we have a better understanding of what we want, we will not push ourselves hard enough to reach it. So after that, I thought hard and really identified what it is that pushes me. Through discussions with other people, I have also learned that our reason why can change; that sometimes there is an even stronger reason for why we want to accomplish something than what we may have started with.
    I have only seen one TED talks, and it was on listening. LOL So I must be on the right path then :happy:
    So, you've been watching TED talks, eh?

    My mom was a health nut back when it wasn't cool. I grew up wit Jack LaLane on the tv every morning. I just grew into it. I took to it, my sister didn't. I don't know why I do it. I just do it.

    I have an inherent belief in being healthy. It's simple.

    So, you just made it up? Or, are you saying something you've read, seen, heard, or learned?
  • FireStorm1972
    FireStorm1972 Posts: 1,142 Member
    My "WHY". Living to see my 5 year old grow up and graduate and start a family of his own 8). Was always to tired to play with with outside or take him for a bike ride. Blood pressure is now lower for me too. BTW I'm 42, started 265lbs down to 196ish since February 2014.
  • mohesser
    mohesser Posts: 5 Member
    My WHY is like so many others, I want to be well again. In my fat family, I was always the thin one. Type II diabetes jumped over me and continued to plague all my siblings, yet I remained unscathed.
    After turning 50, the weight started o creep up, first 20 pounds that settled in on my thighs, then another 20. In the past year, I have gained 80 pounds. I was depressed, things happened that caused me to feel sorry for myself and to sit around and bemoan my sadness. BUT That's not me any longer! While I still don't have Type II, I'm afraid I'll get it if I stay the way I am. So, I'm determined to rid myself of my doubled weight. There, I said it! In the past three years I've doubled my weight.
    It has got to go!
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    I don't know. I really don't. I wasn't an unhappy fat girl.

    In October I woke up and decided to quit smoking - so I did. In April I woke up and decided I was tired of my belly - so here I am.

    Maybe that's weird? I'm sure there is some subconscious stuff going on there - but I'm not privy to it. I have a *really* strong will and once I've decided to do something, failure isn't even an option.
  • earthboundmisfit
    earthboundmisfit Posts: 192 Member
    I want to look good. Who doesn't?
    And run faster and longer (running makes me feel great).
    I have a family history of colon cancer. There's nothing that can be done about genetics but eating healthy will help reduce my risk of getting the disease.
  • LaurenBrooke1843
    LaurenBrooke1843 Posts: 73 Member
    My why: to no longer feel completely and totally disgusting when I look in the mirror. It's been pretty motivating.
  • amyn73
    amyn73 Posts: 241 Member
    This post really made me think. I know why I started this journey but my reasons are slowly changing. When I first started I wanted to be skinny again. I wanted to be noticed, to fit in, to not do the "room scan" to see who the biggest person was. I know..not the best "why". Now I see myself getting fitter and mor disciplined and I'm realizing that the superficial stuff is just that..superficial. So my motivation now is to get fit so I can run a 5k and not be embarrassed of my time. Then maybe I'll run a longer race...who knows? The great thing is that I sweat every day...I feel that accomplishment. The desire to not be invisible is still there but I'm not invisible to the people who love me...I never was.
  • My why....there's so many reasons. The biggest reason for me is to be healthy. After a recent dr appt, I know that I need to change my ways or pay with my life. At 31 years old, I'm high risk for a heart attack, my blood pressure is high and this is the heaviest I've ever been. Another reason, I want to start a family with my husband. And I don't want to be the fat mom that can't get on the floor to play with the baby, the mom who can't chase her toddler, or the mom who isn't at graduation because I had a heart attack. This world is a messed up place, the last thing I want is to leave my child(ren) motherless.
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
    Why ?
    Wow. So many reasons.
    At first it was solely to see IF I could lose , was doubtful.
    Then as I started really changing the way I was eating I felt SO much better.
    I used to be tired all the time, had occasional dizzy spells, could not sleep on my right side because my hip was killing me, etc.
    I was pretty much in a depressed rut.
    I thought at age 55, it is what it is. Wrong.
    I now weigh what I weighed in my early 40's.
    And just recently find myself actually interested in trying to look nice. Clothes, jewelry, changing hair style...
    MFP has taught me so much about nutrition/eating right that I knew nothing about before.
    And best of all I know I will never go back to my old ways.
    Would like to drop 8 more lbs ...what I weighed in my 30's...
    What a happy day that will be !
  • beccaredE
    beccaredE Posts: 26 Member
    What is my why for losing weight and being healthy?
    -I want to fit in my nursing scrubs, I want to have more energy, I want to feel better physically and emotionally.
    -I don’t want to buy new clothes unless they are smaller.
    -I want to be a good example of health for my kids.
    -I want to be able to coach a cross country team like my Dad has, and look good while coaching.
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