If only she had stuck with it...

Absolutely wonderful post, you could be talking about my Mom!:flowerforyou:

very powerful statement! Thanks for sharing

Very, very moving and inspirational post, I hope everyone reads it!

I have lived this as well. My mom is 63.

Absolutely wonderful post, you could be talking about my Mom!:flowerforyou:

me too, sadly! my mom gets almost mad at me for checking on her almost daily, just to see how she is. its scary!

Wow...Im not sure words can truly describe the types of emotion that ran through my head reading that. Stay strong and thank you.

I feel for you as well. About half of my family members are obese and suffer health problems because of it. Of course no one thinks to blame those health problems on their weight or thinks that maybe if they'd stop eating junk, move a little and lose a few pounds their diabetes would improve or their knees wouldn't be in such bad shape.

I'm thankful that I've got the right people in my life and a great support system so that I was able to figure this all out and make changes for my health. I've still got a ways to go but I refuse to give up!

thank you so much for sharing that. It reminds me exactly who my main motivators are, and makes me continue to fight another day this war of far... My 2 kids. they are amazing and deserve a healthy mom.

Fantastic post! Inspiring and TRUE. True for so many of us. I too have a family with these types of health concerns and I dont want to be that person. I want to be around and I dont want to be a burden on my kids. I want to live to be 100 and still have the strength to get around on my own. Very well said and Thank you!!

I know exactly how that is.

When I was ten years old my Mom swore up and down that she was going to exercise every day and lose 100 lbs. She stuck with it for awhile, but eventually dropped off, for one good reason or another, (four kids, work, etc.).

Well, that was 26 years ago, and it still makes me sad. If she had stuck with it she wouldn't be severely overweight still. She wouldn't be on 7 medications for high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. She wouldn't have lost her thyroid function or her pituitary function. She wouldn't have had four knee replacement surgeries. She wouldn't have raised three daughters who struggled with their weight and had no idea why. She could be fit and happy at 65, instead of struggling every day just to keep herself alive. She wouldn't be over 400 pounds.

And I wouldn't be sitting here everyday, bracing myself for the one phone call I never want to recieve.

26 years can go by so fast, and so many things can get in the way. Please, please, please all of you who think about giving up, don't. One day at a time adds up to years, and makes all the difference of a lifetime.

I'm sorry to hear that. Sometimes what people have a hard time understanding is that, it's actually MUCH more difficult to cope with being heavy and the consequences that come w/it then it is to cope with the struggle to lose weight. I know many people that simply refuse to stick with weight loss. They are diabetic, have high blood pressure, are generally depressed and lethargic due to the excess weight they carry w/them. The sad thing is, only they can be the one to make changes. Sometimes they don't realize that they are not only hurting themselves but people who care deeply for them. I know your mom is now 65 yrs old & is in poor health but it isn't too late to make a change. Losing weight doesn't have to require surgery, just time & dedication to a simple eating plan and exercising. Your mom could lose weight naturally if she wanted to. I would just gently remind her how much you love her and would love to see her around for another 20 + yrs. Good luck.

Very inspiring post. My sister and I joke that we are our mother's daughters. There's so many little things that we do that comes directly from her: like loving tea, being serious clothes horses/shoppers, have a bit of cleaning OCD. We also got some of the not so good for you stuff like loving mayonaise on everything, absolute chocoholics, and smoking.

Fortunately she always inspired us to do the best we could and we're hard workers, we've lost lots of weight. My sister quit smoking 10 yrs ago, I quit 5 yrs now. But mom never did and she passed away from lung cancer 3.5 years ago. I still miss her every day (and my dad who also passed away from lung cancer in 1982 at the age of 54, took us a while to learn). I wish I could have inspired her as much as she inspired us. I don't know if it would have changed the outcome but to have her quit cigarettes and try would have been worth the effort.

My sister tells me every once in a while how proud our mom would have been of me for making such a huge change in my life. Its not easy by any means but I hope everyone sticks with it because there is someone who will be proud of you..... including yourself. And the rewards are immeasurable in some ways (how do you measure happiness and a sense of accomplishment?

Good luck to all, hang in there.

This makes me think of my mother. I am in the same boat, just at a younger age. My mother has been on fad diets for as long as I can remember. The only reason I ever started eating better was becasue I borrowed her information when she went to WW meetings and educated myself. I was just able to stick to it.
She has even had weight loss surgery and hasn't been able to do it... she would over eat and then throw it all up.....it makes me SO sad becasue I just want her to be happy and healthy. I know my father doesn't help bc he barely even tries to lose weight, but it breaks my heart to see my mother unhappy. My whole family LOVES food and it was a huge part of my childhood...and we were/are ALL obease.
Sometimes it even makes me upset bc we have seen my grandmother suffer and she wasn't even overweight. I keep thinking to myself how bad it will be fro her when she is my grandmothers age. I can't se my father living for more than 7 years if he doesn't get his act together...sometimes it makes me angry bc my husband and I want to have kids in a bout 5 years and I feel like they don't care to be around for their grandchildren.

That really hit home for me. Our stories are quite similar. And it makes me never want to give up. Being on MFP I have found a new energy to make a difference in my life by doing the best I can cause I see others doing so.

Great post.

Thank you

I needed to read this.

This sounds a lot like my mom. Guess I'm not alone. It is very difficult to stand by and watch someone destroy their health. My mom has Celiac's, Diabetes, is overweight, high cholesterol and blood pressure. She refuses to stick to her diet or exercise and eats fast food 2-3 times per DAY. Then she wonders why she feels poorly and is depressed.

It definitely motivates me to look at my own self and keep working to be healthy and active again. It is humbling to think about how our choices affect the ones we love.