What REALLY inspired you to lose weight?
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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!
.
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!0 -
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My emergency jeans didn't fit me anymore.0
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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!0 -
Seeing the picture on the left that was taken in July at the lake. Picture on right is me now
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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." lolCurvyToFit 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.
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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!0
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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.0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
My fat clothes started to not fit. Plus too much huffing and puffing.0
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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!
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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.0 -
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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:
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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.
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.0 -
Over the period of 2002 -- 2014, I went steadily from overweight to seriously obese.
I was 200lbs (M/6'4") when I married back in 1990, and very slim, but not very muscular.
In 2014, I started walking the dog in the evening with my spouse and noticed that I was out of breath just going up a modest hill that leads to the next block. Even climbing the stairs was noticeably leaving me breathing. Not good. I also noticed that my concentration was lacking, and with 3 teenagers in the house, my stress management was poor.
October 2014, I simply felt I couldn't ignore this any longer and joined the local gym/sports therapy center for $14 bucks for the remainder of the year. For the first two months, I avoided the scale completely, afraid of having to face just how bad I was. My first day "walking" on the treadmill had me huffing and puffing to complete 1 mile in 30 minutes. Dear God. One regular remarked that she was afraid I was going to have a heart attack next to her.
But.. I kept at it... First month, 1 day a week. Second month, 2 days a week, By December I was in the gym three days a week, Treadmill, exercise bike, and starting to work with some of the machines. It became a challenge to see how fast I could complete a walking mile... 22 minutes, 20 minutes, 17 minutes..
Then disaster...
I experienced a retinal tear on Christmas day. The surgery was a success, but recovery time is at least a month of "doing nothing". -- Go home he said, do nothing, and watch TV and we'll see how you are in a month.
I'd already gone from my couch potato identity (which would have loved this) to being active in the gym for at least 4-5 hours a week. (I was still hiding from the scales at this point.)
I went crazy! Cabin FEVER! Early February, I took to begging the surgeon and was permitted to start with very light gym workouts and work my way back up... slowly...
By the end of February I was back up to 3, two hour trips to the gym, and finally decided to face the scale.
311 pounds. Damn.. and I'd been busting my butt. The therapy staff said they had been paying attention to my work and were pretty sure I'd probably already lost at least 10 pounds.
I renewed my determination to conquer the scale, but it wasn't moving... Enter MFP.
The first week I lost 2lbs! As of this writing I'm on day 62 with 24lbs lost!
I'm continuing to get in at least 3 days a week at the gym, with a little less walking (started getting serious knee pain from doing 2-3 miles at a time) and much more weight lifting, barbells, dumbbells, various machines. I obtained a broken exercise bike (fixed it!) and a ski machine for the weekends for at home.
I've tripled what I can manage all the way around since October. Even started Bench Press last month and have moved from 65lbs to 125lbs presses last week. I feel better and friends are starting to notice that I'm doing something. I've already been asked for my secret.
For for first time in years, I NEED A BELT to keep my pants up.
I found a picture of myself last week from before I started working out.
Dear Lord! I look like I was closer to 340+ pounds. (I apologized repeatedly to my spouse.) The pic is included in my profile.
Hope this encourages someone else here. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm loving it! Friend me up!
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I am, and have always been, one damn fine fat chick.
I buy nice dresses and dress to go out. I take good care of my body. I enjoyed dancing for years, running too. And climbing! So much fun! Always healthy, always beautiful bloodwork. You'd never know I'm about 100lbs overweight.
I had my little boy and things slowed down quite a bit, as they do. I lost the baby weight easy, but I didn't go out anymore, I wasn't so active. It was fine, for a baby.
Now he's nearly 3 and after three years of being sedentary I'm achy and stuff after playing with him.
Time to get back in shape, and time to loose weight so I can keep up with that boy and be a hot mama, fat or not.0 -
About 8 years ago I was in a very bad spot emotionally. I did some work trying to visualize the life I actually wanted. The way I viewed myself in the life I wanted was as a thin person with cute clothes. It was the first step in putting myself in the life of my dreams.
The reality is that that I couldn't even have imagined how wonderful life would become...the profile picture is of me racing in Paris.0 -
Oldbitcollector wrote: »Over the period of 2002 -- 2014, I went steadily from overweight to seriously obese.
I was 200lbs (M/6'4") when I married back in 1990, and very slim, but not very muscular.
In 2014, I started walking the dog in the evening with my spouse and noticed that I was out of breath just going up a modest hill that leads to the next block. Even climbing the stairs was noticeably leaving me breathing. Not good. I also noticed that my concentration was lacking, and with 3 teenagers in the house, my stress management was poor.
October 2014, I simply felt I couldn't ignore this any longer and joined the local gym/sports therapy center for $14 bucks for the remainder of the year. For the first two months, I avoided the scale completely, afraid of having to face just how bad I was. My first day "walking" on the treadmill had me huffing and puffing to complete 1 mile in 30 minutes. Dear God. One regular remarked that she was afraid I was going to have a heart attack next to her.
But.. I kept at it... First month, 1 day a week. Second month, 2 days a week, By December I was in the gym three days a week, Treadmill, exercise bike, and starting to work with some of the machines. It became a challenge to see how fast I could complete a walking mile... 22 minutes, 20 minutes, 17 minutes..
Then disaster...
I experienced a retinal tear on Christmas day. The surgery was a success, but recovery time is at least a month of "doing nothing". -- Go home he said, do nothing, and watch TV and we'll see how you are in a month.
I'd already gone from my couch potato identity (which would have loved this) to being active in the gym for at least 4-5 hours a week. (I was still hiding from the scales at this point.)
I went crazy! Cabin FEVER! Early February, I took to begging the surgeon and was permitted to start with very light gym workouts and work my way back up... slowly...
By the end of February I was back up to 3, two hour trips to the gym, and finally decided to face the scale.
311 pounds. Damn.. and I'd been busting my butt. The therapy staff said they had been paying attention to my work and were pretty sure I'd probably already lost at least 10 pounds.
I renewed my determination to conquer the scale, but it wasn't moving... Enter MFP.
The first week I lost 2lbs! As of this writing I'm on day 62 with 24lbs lost!
I'm continuing to get in at least 3 days a week at the gym, with a little less walking (started getting serious knee pain from doing 2-3 miles at a time) and much more weight lifting, barbells, dumbbells, various machines. I obtained a broken exercise bike (fixed it!) and a ski machine for the weekends for at home.
I've tripled what I can manage all the way around since October. Even started Bench Press last month and have moved from 65lbs to 125lbs presses last week. I feel better and friends are starting to notice that I'm doing something. I've already been asked for my secret. For for first time in years, I NEED A BELT to keep my pants up.
I found a picture of myself last week from before I started working out.
Dear Lord! I look like I was closer to 340+ pounds. (I apologized repeatedly to my spouse.)
Hope this encourages someone else here. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm loving it! Friend me up!
I am amazed at what people with disabilities of one sort or another can do and still lose weight while countless people join and drop off of MFP who are perfectly capable but whine, "This is too hard!". Congratulations on your endless effort!0 -
snowflakesav wrote: »About 8 years ago I was in a very bad spot emotionally. I did some work trying to visualize the life I actually wanted. The way I viewed myself in the life I wanted was as a thin person with cute clothes. It was the first step in putting myself in the life of my dreams.
The reality is that that I couldn't even have imagined how wonderful life would become...the profile picture is of me racing in Paris.
I will never race in Paris, but I'm having a great time trying to keep my 15-pound dachshund from outrunning me!0 -
crazyjerseygirl wrote: »I am, and have always been, one damn fine fat chick.
I buy nice dresses and dress to go out. I take good care of my body. I enjoyed dancing for years, running too. And climbing! So much fun! Always healthy, always beautiful bloodwork. You'd never know I'm about 100lbs overweight.
I had my little boy and things slowed down quite a bit, as they do. I lost the baby weight easy, but I didn't go out anymore, I wasn't so active. It was fine, for a baby.
Now he's nearly 3 and after three years of being sedentary I'm achy and stuff after playing with him.
Time to get back in shape, and time to loose weight so I can keep up with that boy and be a hot mama, fat or not.
You are going to do great!!!0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »crazyjerseygirl wrote: »I am, and have always been, one damn fine fat chick.
I buy nice dresses and dress to go out. I take good care of my body. I enjoyed dancing for years, running too. And climbing! So much fun! Always healthy, always beautiful bloodwork. You'd never know I'm about 100lbs overweight.
I had my little boy and things slowed down quite a bit, as they do. I lost the baby weight easy, but I didn't go out anymore, I wasn't so active. It was fine, for a baby.
Now he's nearly 3 and after three years of being sedentary I'm achy and stuff after playing with him.
Time to get back in shape, and time to loose weight so I can keep up with that boy and be a hot mama, fat or not.
You are going to do great!!!
(Nice dresses are so much cuter in a smaller size.)0 -
atypicalsmith 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.
Aw thanks! I've been putting in some time on the elliptical, which is low impact enough to not bother my back too much. Gotta just keep plugging along! 0 -
atypicalsmith 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.
Aw thanks! I've been putting in some time on the elliptical, which is low impact enough to not bother my back too much. Gotta just keep plugging along!
Funny, but the elliptical is the one machine I can't use. Treadmill, rowing machine, exerbike, anything else, no problem. The first time I used the elliptical, about the second time around, my right knee went "CRUNCH!" and I couldn't walk normally for nearly two weeks. Okay, so that happened the first time. Two years later, a friend convinced me how low impact the elliptical was, and how many more calories I could burn than on the treadmill, and finally convinced me that my one-time knee crunch was a fluke. I got on it, went around twice, and "CRUNCH!" went my right knee, and I couldn't walk for nearly two weeks. I'm glad that is working out for you. Keep on going on, and never give up - it will happen!0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »
Yup! I checked out a few different diets, figured weight watchers would work best for me, googled all the info on how many points I'd need and how to calculate them and learned everything else from message boards.
I hit 160 and kept going. I'm hovering around 120 right now.
I moved to counting calories when I hit a plateau and was researching how to get off it and realized I was netting between 700 and 1000 calories.
I didn't really lose the weight for health reasons or anything like others (altho I am pre diabetic). In fact, I've had to see way more doctors ever since starting to exercise and losing the weight.
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