What REALLY inspired you to lose weight?

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  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    I realized I was planning my days to make one trip down the stairs in the morning (my bedroom is
    the 2nd floor), and one trip up the stairs in the evening, just because it was too hard for me to do.
    That's stupid.
    Contributing factors are that I was REALLY unhappy with how I looked & felt, plus some of my
    bloodwork numbers weren't where they should be, and I know that being overweight is a major
    contributor to many diseases.

    [ETA: seeing the comment just above, about avoiding the scale, I remember that I'd do that too...
    at the doctor's office. They were annoyed that I'd refuse to be measured, have my temp taken, etc.
    But if it wasn't related to why I was there, there's no reason to do it. I knew I was fat. It doesn't
    really matter if I was 20 lb overweight or 110 (which is where I started). I wasn't ready to change and no amount of them printing "obese" on my chart - which they always give copies of
    the day's visit as a patient leaves - would do anything.]

    Now, I sometimes run up the stairs at work, and usually do them easily a dozen times a day.
    About half of most work hours, most days, I will be standing.
    If someone could have explained to me how MUCH better I'd feel (and look) even getting _near_ a
    healthy weight (I'm still 20 lb above the _top_ healthy weight, by BMI), I would have done this
    10 years ago, or better yet, not gotten fat in the first place!
    Oh, and I _love_ weighing in at the doctor's office now! :smiley:

    .
    51637601.png

    Don't beat yourself up. It took me nearly 35 years to quit smoking. After I quit, I couldn't stop crying for nearly two weeks (had to take time off of work several days!) because I felt so guilty that I had smoked for all those years when my kids were young, and now that they were grown, like magic, I just stopped. Same thing with weight loss. I still have a long weigh (pun intended) to go!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    My doctorsaid he wanted to see me at 160. I was about 225 at the time.

    I'm pretty easy. :)

    Did you do it?
  • helenarriaza
    helenarriaza Posts: 519 Member
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    My emergency jeans didn't fit me anymore.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    helenarriaza wrote: »
    My emergency jeans didn't fit me anymore.

    Hah, I had fat clothes, then fatter clothes, then fat fatter clothes, and finally obese clothes. As I'm shrinking, it is such a delight to shop in my closet!
  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    p25tb8hy30hc.jpg

    Seeing the picture on the left that was taken in July at the lake. Picture on right is me now
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
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    CurvyToFit wrote: »
    I have a friend who gains weight when she has a boyfriend and loses it when they break up. I've never understood that, as I am like you - if I'm dating someone, for some reason the pounds magically fall off. Of course I haven't dated anyone in 12 years, so I'm having to work for it now, hah! Yep, Florida is tough, but I'm sure you'll get there!

    I'm the same way with gaining weight when I'm in a relationship - more cooking, going out to restaurants, cookie and candy movie nights, ice cream dates, "no time" for workouts. Break ups cause me stress, then I don't eat, lose all the weight, more gym time. Guess I'm an emotional eater but in the opposite way of most people, I eat when I'm happy.
    Honestly, I am the same way...but this long distance thing; when we are together for our mini-vaca week, I eat well, when we are apart, it's like the breakup phase (geographically) and I lose. I do like his reaction each time we "make-Up." lol
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    I went to an event this morning where several people didn't recognized me who hadn't seen me in a few months. What a great feeling!
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
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    I just didn't like how I looked. I'd look in the mirror and just see a really fat unattractive woman in front of me. I'm almost 30 and still single, never having had a boyfriend. None of that nor how I viewed myself was going to change until I could get to a healthy weight.
  • AndiDurall
    AndiDurall Posts: 17 Member
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    I knew I was gaining weight. I have always been bigger. Last summer we went to an amusement park and I was afraid to try to ride anything because I was worried I would be too big. Tried to start losing then but quickly fell off the wagon. We are going to Disney world around this time next year...my husband and I don't want to be big when we go there with our kids. So we decided to get with it. I stepped on the scale and I was at 296 pounds. 4 away from being 300. That woke me up big time. So we have been doing really good. I am at 282 today and already feel so much better.
  • Vixenmd1
    Vixenmd1 Posts: 146 Member
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    In 2007 a set of pictures from a conference sent me to WW online. I was 227 lbs at 5'9. I lost 75 in 13 months and kept it off for a 3 years. In 2011 in 6 months I put on 30 lbs to 180. Then stayed there for a few years. Well last two years I landed back up at 207.8.
    In the middle of march one night I had funny feeling/ sort of chest pain. It scared me enough to send a text "just in case" to my 13 son who was on a trip with my ex.
    I started MFP the next day.
    I am down 13 lbs in 35 days and running 5 miles a day.
    I wish that was the end of my story.
    2 weeks ago my dad died from a heart attack or stroke. He was morbidly obese with diabetes and hyper tenstion. My brother and sister in law are both doctors and are very clear that his sudden death was a result of medical problems caused by his weight since he didn't have other risk factors ( he didnt smoke, drink, and he walked 3-4 4 days a week with his dogs). We are all crushed.
    I now know that my weight is a matter of life or death.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Vixenmd1 wrote: »
    In 2007 a set of pictures from a conference sent me to WW online. I was 227 lbs at 5'9. I lost 75 in 13 months and kept it off for a 3 years. In 2011 in 6 months I put on 30 lbs to 180. Then stayed there for a few years. Well last two years I landed back up at 207.8.
    In the middle of march one night I had funny feeling/ sort of chest pain. It scared me enough to send a text "just in case" to my 13 son who was on a trip with my ex.
    I started MFP the next day.
    I am down 13 lbs in 35 days and running 5 miles a day.
    I wish that was the end of my story.
    2 weeks ago my dad died from a heart attack or stroke. He was morbidly obese with diabetes and hyper tenstion. My brother and sister in law are both doctors and are very clear that his sudden death was a result of medical problems caused by his weight since he didn't have other risk factors ( he didnt smoke, drink, and he walked 3-4 4 days a week with his dogs). We are all crushed.
    I now know that my weight is a matter of life or death.

    I know SO many people who have been on WW, paying them lots of money, then gained all the weight back. A lady I ate dinner with a couple of nights ago (who slathered nearly all the bread with butter while I didn't eat any) said she had to eat good tonight, because the next day she was going on WW for the FIFTH time. Why? Why keep doing something that doesn't work? I don't get it. I've lost more weight since being on MFP since my metabolism went out of whack when I quit smoking in 2004 than any other means. I love it, I love it, I love it. Please stick with it. It's hard at first, but soon becomes a habit. I wish you the best of luck, and am terribly sorry about your dad.
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
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    My fat clothes started to not fit. Plus too much huffing and puffing.
  • NadiaAK
    NadiaAK Posts: 13 Member
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    CatherineD9889 wrote: »
    After a recent night out with some girlfriends, I saw pics posted of me online...I could NOT believe that fat girl in the pics was ME!
    I joined a gym that week and now work out religiously. I also started a reduced calorie way of eating and tracking my food on MFP.
    Not exactly sure why THAT particular pic hit me so hard but I'm glad it did!
    I've never in my life been so motivated and determined to get healthy and lose the extra weight I've carried for years!!!

    Mine is similar to this. I was untagging every single Facebook picture tagged of me because I hated what I looked like. Although I steadily gained my entire adult life, my eyes just never caught up with my body. I never felt as big as I looked in pictures. It's a good motivator!

  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
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    About six years ago, my cholesterol was high and I weighed 232 lbs. I didn't want to end up having a heart attack and leaving my then 13 year old son motherless.

    Now, I'm inspired by what my body is capable of.
  • Breepa123
    Breepa123 Posts: 66 Member
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    I hurt my back in 2005 (herniated disc). I'd been pretty athletic up until that point and when I could no longer be as active I gained 50 lbs from sitting around and eating as much as I always had. In 2009 I weighed 195 lbs at 5'3" and decided enough was enough, got active again and lost 50 lbs. Then in 2012 I was doing NROLFW when I threw my back out again. Repeated the process of gaining while sedentary, only 40 lbs this time though.

    I am trying to lose the weight again because I know that the extra weight is not helping my back. Which is kind of ironic, really, since it's because of my back that I gained all the weight in the first place. But I've had enough of limping around like an 80 year old, and I'm scared of how immobile I will be in my old age if I don't at least get my weight under control now. If I continue being obese, I'll have problems with much more than my back.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited April 2015
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    High blood pressure *massively* high - (170s over 120s) ... Fixed now.

    Diagnosis of pre-diabetes ... Dead on normal now (fasting glucose 84 at last reading)

    Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol (triglycerides off the chart at 580), "good" cholesterol way too low at 12 ( that's right)) ... all normal now.

    Sleep apnea ( got the "Darth Vader Breather Mask" to prove it)

    All diagnosed within the same month 4 years ago.

    All gone, all normal now.

    All it took was a measly 54 pounds and quitting smoking.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Man boobs

    Geez, Mr. M27, you didn't have to go to all the trouble of getting on MFP! You could just buy one of these:

    xoy215vkfo8c.jpg
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Breepa123 wrote: »
    I hurt my back in 2005 (herniated disc). I'd been pretty athletic up until that point and when I could no longer be as active I gained 50 lbs from sitting around and eating as much as I always had. In 2009 I weighed 195 lbs at 5'3" and decided enough was enough, got active again and lost 50 lbs. Then in 2012 I was doing NROLFW when I threw my back out again. Repeated the process of gaining while sedentary, only 40 lbs this time though.

    I am trying to lose the weight again because I know that the extra weight is not helping my back. Which is kind of ironic, really, since it's because of my back that I gained all the weight in the first place. But I've had enough of limping around like an 80 year old, and I'm scared of how immobile I will be in my old age if I don't at least get my weight under control now. If I continue being obese, I'll have problems with much more than my back.

    You are in such a catch-22. I can't even imagine being in your shoes. You can't really burn the calories with exercise, when exercise is the best distraction from eating. I wish I could say I feel your pain, but there's no way I can. Wish I could take some of it away. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know.

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