What is your WHY?
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Excellent post. I was thinking about this the other day - my WHY is that I want to be a healthy and active as long as possible. I want to be able to dance at my son's wedding (youngest is 2, so that's a ways off) and I want to be able to run around with my grandkids some day.
And I'm sick of saying I want to lose weight. I don't ever want to say that again. EVER.0 -
I see people who are 10 or 15 years older than me really struggle with weight-related issues. I want to lose the extra weight now while I still have the time and energy to do so.1
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Good for you. I'm 67 and have been overweight for 25 years. The funny thing is, I'm a thin person stuck in this fat body. It's only when I look in the mirror that I remember what I'm living in. Well that is not totally true; I remember it well when I try to do something that my body won't allow.I see people who are 10 or 15 years older than me really struggle with weight-related issues. I want to lose the extra weight now while I still have the time and energy to do so.
My why is definitely to be healthier. I am Type II diabetic and there are probably 2 or 3 other medications that I can drop once I reach my goal weight. That alone will save money which is not a bad motivator. But the motivation is to be as healthy as I can.
I have a bad low back which limits the exercise I can do, but I have found some that I can. I am motivated every time I step on the scale and see it has gone down a pound. I have been at 230pounds for years and started on MFP in mid October. I am down 24 pounds and thrilled to death. I know when I reach 175 or 180 I'll be much more mobile and not have the back and leg aches. One doctor told me that my body wasn't built to carry around that much weight.
One day I was on the internet looking at possible vacation spots. I mentioned a couple to my husband and he said something to the effect of "you can't walk and go do or see anything, so why go on vacation". That really hurt, but being the truth it also hit home.
My why is I want to be able to enjoy my retirement and not let excess weight stand in the way. I can do this!!
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Many more great reasons why you want to change. Just remember, change does not happen without action. You can find your why, you can lay out your plan on how you are going to achieve your goals, but if you do not take action, you will not reach your potential. Already through different social media platforms I have seen numerours people say, " after Christmas, I am going to start exercising and eating right." Or, " After the holidays, it is time to get serious!" Really! After? Why after? Start now! Jump start your body now, then keep going. I used to say after such and such. Not any more. Now it is, what am I doing today, tomorrow, for the week! I have a plan, I have a schedule, and I am sticking to it. I am not waiting for "After". So, I encourage you. If you are starting with, "after the holidays I am going to....." Stop it! Start doing now. If you want it, you gotta take it! Happy Monday everyone!0
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Why?
Because I've been healthy before. I found myself constantly talking about what I "used to" be able to do. I realized that being proud of who I was then keeps me talking about it. If I get rid of the "I used to" talk, I can start working on the "I will" talk and at some point be back to "I can". I can be proud of who I am again. That's a huge goal so I focus on smaller things to be proud of during my journey. The journey is something to be proud of in itself. Making myself and all of those who believe in me proud is my why.0 -
My "why" started after looking at pics of myself from August 2014 (not that long ago) and seeing an obvious spare tire and very large legs. Noticed I was wearing my brother's cargo shorts that even a year ago were kind of loose on me were now tighter. Also didn't help that my size 0 daughter was standing next to me with a sort of digusted look. I didn't want to be the fat mom anymore! Also my doctor is threatening to put me on cholesterol meds if I don't bring my numbers down. Already on high blood pressure meds which I don't want to be on anymore.
My family also has a history of diabetes and being overweight is par for the course. I am not going to be another family statistic.
I started right before Thanksgiving, which is probably the hardest time to try to watch your eating, but I got through it with MFP! Everyone on here is amazing
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I have lots of reasons to do it but continuing to do it is psychological effort. This is work, not sudden inspiration. Just plain old work and practice.0
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Why is your WHAT?0
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What a great thread...
My WHY... Because I finally got tired of looking in the mirror and wanting to cry because I was so ashamed of how I looked. My health was crappy, I felt crappy, and I looked crappy. I finally got to the point where I thought "What do I have to lose by buckling down and just doing it?" So I did.
It was hard at first but I was lucky in that I started seeing positive results pretty fast. My clothes looked better on me, I slept better at night (no more apnea!! Yea!!!), and the more weight I lost, the better I felt not just physically, but emotionally.
I am learning to look in the mirror and really like what I see (clothed at least, but I'm getting there!) and can see that I AM worth the effort to look and feel my best. I AM worth being able to hear and take a compliment at face value (And I'm getting ALOT more of them these days!).0 -
My why is simple, I have no end date. I am sure I would have quit "again" if I had one. Some specific event or end date would have been a finish line that I may have gotten discouraged with if I hadn't hit a certain goal. Incorporating eating better and regular exercise into my life indefinitely makes more sense to me in the long run.0
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40andFindingFitness wrote: »My why is simple, I have no end date. I am sure I would have quit "again" if I had one. Some specific event or end date would have been a finish line that I may have gotten discouraged with if I hadn't hit a certain goal. Incorporating eating better and regular exercise into my life indefinitely makes more sense to me in the long run.
That is a very good point! I am doing this to get healthy and look and feel better, but I know this is a new way of living (eating right and exercising) for me. I do have a goal weight but that is not the end of the journey....only the beginning.
I must say that it is a little discouraging to read so many posts from people that lost all the needed weight, to only put it right back on. But then it only reinforces that this is a forever journey.
I know I will probably log my intake forever. That is the only way I can see what is causing a weight change and allow me to do something about it fast.
We can all do this!0 -
What an inspirational website! So good to see positive, encouraging words from others to help boost me along. I have been a compulsive over-eater who grazes continuously, and I need to overcome this problem in my life. I remember this problem causing me great emotional stress since I was 6 years old (61 years!). When I was 7, my doctor gave me my first diet plan because I was close to having a stroke. My blood pressure was so high I hemmoraged through the nose. Since then, every day of my life I am either starting or continuing a diet of one kind or another. Some of my diets last an hour, and some last a year. In my early 20's, I binged and purged and was able to keep my weight down. Then one day I stopped purging. Since then I have continuously lost and gained weight, mostly gaining.
My whys are that I want to get in shape. I want to lower my cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar A1c so I no longer have to take 15 prescription pills a day and one injection a week. I want to lower my weight by 80 pounds so my back, knees, and other parts of my body do not hurt. I want to improve the quality of my life and the length of my years. I want to increase my energy and enjoy the life I have left. I also want to feel good about the quality and quantity of the foods I put in my mouth, and how often I eat. In addition, I want to look better. Further, I want to be able to buy clothes in the regular departments, not "Women's" Departments. I don't want to feel ashamed of myself any longer and I no longer want to self destruct.
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Who has experienced noticeable energy increases? When did it show up? I know I still have 50 pounds to go, but I have lost 24 pounds and doing better with exercising and I still don't notice any extra energy.
I am not about to stop but would like a word of encouragement. 0 -
DamitJanit wrote: »40andFindingFitness wrote: »My why is simple, I have no end date. I am sure I would have quit "again" if I had one. Some specific event or end date would have been a finish line that I may have gotten discouraged with if I hadn't hit a certain goal. Incorporating eating better and regular exercise into my life indefinitely makes more sense to me in the long run.
That is a very good point! I am doing this to get healthy and look and feel better, but I know this is a new way of living (eating right and exercising) for me. I do have a goal weight but that is not the end of the journey....only the beginning.
I must say that it is a little discouraging to read so many posts from people that lost all the needed weight, to only put it right back on. But then it only reinforces that this is a forever journey.
I know I will probably log my intake forever. That is the only way I can see what is causing a weight change and allow me to do something about it fast.
We can all do this!
I was one of those people who lost a lot of weight (not all the way to goal though) only to gain it back. At one point I figured I was supposed to be fat. Yeah, I know. When I stopped giving myself an ultimatum of, "I'll lose xx lbs by xx date," I started to get excited about losing weight. For once in many, many years, I have not been gaining. I've been losing and maintaining, and losing and maintaining since August 2013. I've never kept any significant amount of weight off for that amount of time so I think by changing my why and my process I was able to get it right. I'm still a work in progress but I'm happy that I have not had to start over... again.
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DamitJanit wrote: »Who has experienced noticeable energy increases? When did it show up? I know I still have 50 pounds to go, but I have lost 24 pounds and doing better with exercising and I still don't notice any extra energy. I am not about to stop but would like a word of encouragement.
For me the energy kicked in after about a month of working out at the gym. When I started doing more cardio it went through the roof; however, the spurts come and go.
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my why really hit me this weekend, my grandmother passed away and was thin, outwardly she looked healthy. on the inside she hadnt been taking care of herself at all and passed from a heart attack. my cholesteral hasnt been tested in almost 2 years but since then I have lost weight, gained weight while pregnant and lost again. I do not want my family to bury me until I am at least into my 80's, hopefully older.
my children are the most important thing to me, my son wants to do all of these active things and I want to do them with him. I am not going to let my insecurities scare me and tell me I can be invisible when I am heavier and be ok with that. I want to face my fears and tell them to shove it
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My why is so many things. Tired of feeling all the aches and pains of carrying around to much weight. Tired of becoming out of breath from walking short distances. Tired of sitting somewhere and catching myself in the mirror and not recognizing who I see. Tired of having a small number of clothes that still fit while refusing to get rid of all the clothes that don't... and not wanting to go by new because that would be acknowledging how big I was not to mention the humiliation of trying to find something in my size. Wanting more energy to do things with my wife and kids. Wanting to look good for my wife... I could go on and on.0
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As we close on 2014, there is no better time than now to truly think about why you want to improve yourself. HAve you given it any thought? Many of you have shared your why, but I know there are many more that have not. Even if you don't want to share publicly, at least take a moment to think about it and use that reason to propel yourself into the new year!0
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I want to be a fit mum not a fat mum.
I had my daughter at 36 yrs old so when my daughter starts school in 2016, I want to be the old, FIT mum waiting to collect her every day, NOT the old, FAT mum waiting to collect her and embarrassing her.
Also, the more I exercise, the more I lose, the more I feel like I can go out and do active things with her like swimming at the pool, going to the beach etc. Before, I would stay home a LOT more.
I also want to be around as long as I can to see her grow up and maybe even have kids of her own. I really don't want to leave her without a mum. That would be the saddest thing of all.0 -
I want to be a fit mum not a fat mum.
I had my daughter at 36 yrs old so when my daughter starts school in 2016, I want to be the old, FIT mum waiting to collect her every day, NOT the old, FAT mum waiting to collect her and embarrassing her.
Also, the more I exercise, the more I lose, the more I feel like I can go out and do active things with her like swimming at the pool, going to the beach etc. Before, I would stay home a LOT more.
I also want to be around as long as I can to see her grow up and maybe even have kids of her own. I really don't want to leave her without a mum. That would be the saddest thing of all.
Kids are our everything and probably one of the strongest motivators. Nothing is more scary than thinking that you will not have the opportunity to see your kids grow up or experience being a grandparent. My mother was fortunate that she was able to meet my children, and they were old enough to remember her, but her time ended way before it needed to. I don't want to be put in that position if I can avoid it. Keep pushing. You will reach your goals!0
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