What or Who was your inspiration that got you motivated to l

My daughters were my inspiration. One is on her way to getting her Pharm-D and I saw how this site was helping her to lose the weight she's lost. Now I'm following her and down almost 20 pounds since Jan 5!



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Getting on a plane to finally see my goddaughters...The last time I went on a plane it was a tight squeeze and I was a lot thinner...When I talked to my oldest goddaughter on the phone she said "its ok nina I know you'll never come out here" killed me. Thats what keeps me going. Knowing that I NEED to get out there without being uncomfortable or having to use a seatbelt extender. I want to have kids one day. With as heavy as I was I was hemorrhaging and the doctor was even nervous about how bad it was. I know it has everything to do with the weight. I'm doing this for my husband...We are young and he told me I'm the air that he breathes..I would hate to have something happen to me to take his air away.. And for myself..this is something I need to do to feel better! Who keeps me going is my cousin..shes my rock. She keeps me in check and is already buying me my goal outfit for July! So I can't let that go to waste!! And lastly all my friends on MFP my God I can't express how much everyone motivates me to continue to do this!

Is it selfish to say...me, myself and I?

Ditto!!!:flowerforyou:

My motivation was seeing a picture someone had taken of me. Ironically, the ones other people take always come out a lot worse than the ones you take of yourself.

I've never been skinny, or even average. My parents didn't use healthy cooking habits or teach them to any of their three children -- my older sister has to be almost 400lbs. And I didn't want to let myself get to that point. My dad is also just as heavy, maybe even heavier.

My mom was diagnosed with diabetes. She's not careful about her sugar at all. It's just so disheartening to see the people you love let their health go down the ****ter. She's also been smoking since she was 12 or 14 years old -- and she's 48 now. She's never quit. I don't believe she ever will, despite seeing her mother waste away in the hospital, dying from catching pneumonia, because she had emphysema. I don't know what it will take to make her want to quit.

I wanted to try and motivate her to eat better and keep better track of her health. Last summer I tried to get them into the "eating clean" lifestyle -- some things stuck, but not enough to really make a difference. If she just lost 10 or 15 lbs, the doctor told her that her diabetes would basically go away -- that she wouldn't need to take medication for it anymore. But I guess that's not a big enough motivator for her.

My brother is a big inspiration to me. He made the decision to join the Navy the summer before his senior year of high school and joined the early start program, or something like that. Last summer when I came home, I got a gym membership to join him and went with him every time he went to the gym.

Then I got an internship at ADIDAS, and they have a gym, free to employees, right on the campus. I had a personal trainer there once a week, and religiously went to the free classes they had, sometimes during lunch and sometimes after work. My housemate in Portland, Oregon, was very health conscious -- eating organic food and watching out for preservatives. I couldn't have been luckier, given I found her on craigs list.

Regardless, despite the lack of support from my family, I knew that I needed to do this for me. I've lost 50lbs so far, and just broke out of my plateau. I graduate from college in May, and I want to look stunning. I want to be confident and feel great, physically and mentally. I'm well on my way, over halfway to my goal of 145.

I know on a lot of shows on tv now, that are designated to weight loss, the whole family picks up the healthy eating habits. But in reality, your family might not be as willing. Despite that, you need to find the willpower to resist, and make your own food. It's really challenging, but you have to think of the rewards. Self discipline has been so key to my weight loss journey -- saying "no thank you" to cake and cookies and soda and desserts. Asking to go to restaurants that have "healthier" options, and actually ordering them. Drinking water -- lots of water. It's all so much to keep track of. But, it takes 21 days to break a habit. And after those 21 days, it will be almost second nature to you.

This was a long post, but I figured the more of my story I told, the more motivated someone might be to break free from the negative influences in their life, whatever it may be, and take their health and wellness into their own hands.

Good luck everyone!! Your posts are very inspiring.

First and foremost, I wanted to do this for me. But I also watched my brother, Steve, who was a "big guy" along side me take up the Couch to 5K program, go vegetarian and loose major weight. I was so proud of him. He inspired me to get moving. I also had a beautiful daughter who I didn't want to watch grow from a recliner. I was a young mother and tired of being overweight. I wanted to be a foxy mom who ran with my babies and embraced the beauty I felt on the inside. This site is awesome. I love it and all the stories I read here inspire me to keep going. Thanks everyone!

My best friend, who is also a pastor, got me thinking about my need to lose weight last year at this time when I read his newsletter saying he was going to lose 100 pounds in 2010...the only bad thing is that now I'm trying to encourage him to be back to reaching that goal.
Beyond that, turning 39 last year was a biggie, I guess this is my midlife crisis. Instead of buying a corvettte I bought running shoes and underarmor! I was tired of not being to run around in the yard with my kids, I was tired of my 38 pants feeling too tight (and they were, just refused to go above that size) and I was tired of what I saw in the mirror.

You are an inspiration! I have 100 lbs. to lose.It's good to know I might be able to turn around my health issues. I am so glad you are healthy now.

Lauren's post above is almost exactly my story. So I'll just add to that. A big factor, beyond seeing "The Picture" and noticing what was going on around me, was deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I've been out of college for 4 years this May, and I've just been bouncing around aimlessly since then.

I realized that the desire to join the military, which I've had since high school, maybe wasn't so ridiculous. And then I did my research. Even more than wanting to get healthy for myself, realizing that I HAD to or I couldn't pursue the career I want was a huge wake-up call. My weight is actively keeping me from doing things I want, and if I'd kept going the way I was, it wouldn't have just been a military career it kept me from.

Living my life is my inspiration. Getting a career going, as opposed to taking jobs, is my inspiration. And like others have said, everyone else out there who is committed, supportive, and successful is my inspiration. Thank you all!