What made YOU decide it's time to change?
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I have been overweight my whole life and I always hated it. I would try the fad diet of the moment and it would fail and I was so "whatever" about it, I just accepted that this was the way things were.
When I met my spouse we were both a size 14-16 both of us ballooned up to 20-22.
I topped out at 304 lbs. I was in university and severely depressed and ate trying to dull the ache. After I switched universities and majors I lost just under 20 lbs. I plateaued there and neither one of us were trying to lose weight. We would eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.
Then I read the book Wheat Belly. Think what you may about what that man says, that book changed my life. I haven't cut wheat out of my life completely but I have REALLY cut back.
My spouse and I decided when summer rolled around and school let out, she is a teacher, that we would change our eating habits. I knew we were going to try to cut out wheat. I don't know what made me look for a calorie counting app but I'm never more glad than now that I did! This morning I weighed in at negative 15.2 lbs from where I started this journey. My spouse has lost 10.
She always says it isn't about the weight for her, it's about being healthier. Well, that is only part of it for me. It is about the weight for me. I've been obese for years. I'm sick of it, sick of shopping in "the fat girls' section" where they think they are designing clothes for not only fat girls, but fat BLIND girls. Seriously, have you seen the eye searing material patterns?!
Anyway, I got sick of the things that my weight was keeping me from being and doing so I decided to change.0 -
gilliebee63 wrote: »JessiBelleW wrote: »Your mum is a Dick. I'm really glad you are able to use this as fuel to get healthy and boost your self esteem
^This.
You'll do it, too, @saraherren, with the positive support you find here.
Thank you @JessiBelleW and @gilliebee63. I will always have some amount of resentment towards her for treating me that way. She said she only did that because she "was worried about my health" (to use her words), but a big part of me doesn't buy it. Back in May 2012 while recovering from my breast reduction surgery, she was on the phone with a co-worker who was using MFP to lose weight, and her co-worker said she had already lost 5 lbs using it. My mom looked at me and said that I should use it so I can lose weight like her co-worker. When I was overweight, she treated me like I was less of a person because of my weight. It's almost like deep down she despises all overweight and obese people. Her co-worker that I mentioned above sadly gained all of the weight back that she lost plus more, and now my mom is using me to "show off how I good I look in front of her to hopefully give her the push she needs to lose it again" (again, her words). I feel like that's extremely disrespectful. I didn't start my weight loss journey in March 2014 and reached my goal weight at the end of January this year. Lost 50 lbs during that time and a total of 80 lbs. I lost the first 25 lbs somewhere between May 2012 and March 2014 without realizing it. I still struggle daily with my self esteem and try to avoid mirrors because I still see myself as the super overweight girl I used to be. But now that I'm at a healthy weight for my age and height (24, 5'0", 122 lbs), I don't eat any of the foods I was so used to eating growing up and through college (fast food/restaurants and Starbucks multiple times daily). It's been surprisingly easy for me not to go back to eating that way anymore. Haven't had Starbucks in over a year, and the only time I ate out more than once in a day was on my birthday this past April. It seems like my mom is trying to get me to eat those foods again. Not daily of course, but every now and then. I'm not opposed to enjoying myself every now and then, but I just don't have an appetite for those foods anymore, which is a huge change considering where I used to be. I also choose not to eat it bc I'm afraid I'll get addicted to it again and will revert back to my old habits. The only thing though I will eat is froyo, but it's not very often that I do (like once every 2 weeks or so).
I've been struggling for several months now with a severe loss of appetite, that even eating at home is extremely difficult for me. I've basically gone from one extreme to another (eating way more than I should growing up to almost nothing at all). I can't even get to 300 calories a day. I didn't start eating this little until just over a month ago. I know this is just as unhealthy as what I used to do, but it's extremely difficult for me to eat when I'm literally never hungry. I've been to the doctor and got blood work done. All of my hormones are normal except for my estrogen and progesterone. She wants me to be eating 1,500-1,800 a day so my sex hormones can normalize again. I return on September 25, so hopefully I can find the courage to eat that amount daily. It's been difficult eating because I have an intense fear of gaining back the weight I lost.0 -
Decided to put myself first! You only get one life, 2015 has been the year of change in my life.0
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saraherren wrote: »
Thank you @JessiBelleW and @gilliebee63. I will always have some amount of resentment towards her for treating me that way. She said she only did that because she "was worried about my health" (to use her words), but a big part of me doesn't buy it. Back in May 2012 while recovering from my breast reduction surgery, she was on the phone with a co-worker who was using MFP to lose weight, and her co-worker said she had already lost 5 lbs using it. My mom looked at me and said that I should use it so I can lose weight like her co-worker. When I was overweight, she treated me like I was less of a person because of my weight. It's almost like deep down she despises all overweight and obese people. Her co-worker that I mentioned above sadly gained all of the weight back that she lost plus more, and now my mom is using me to "show off how I good I look in front of her to hopefully give her the push she needs to lose it again" (again, her words). I feel like that's extremely disrespectful. I didn't start my weight loss journey in March 2014 and reached my goal weight at the end of January this year. Lost 50 lbs during that time and a total of 80 lbs. I lost the first 25 lbs somewhere between May 2012 and March 2014 without realizing it. I still struggle daily with my self esteem and try to avoid mirrors because I still see myself as the super overweight girl I used to be. But now that I'm at a healthy weight for my age and height (24, 5'0", 122 lbs), I don't eat any of the foods I was so used to eating growing up and through college (fast food/restaurants and Starbucks multiple times daily). It's been surprisingly easy for me not to go back to eating that way anymore. Haven't had Starbucks in over a year, and the only time I ate out more than once in a day was on my birthday this past April. It seems like my mom is trying to get me to eat those foods again. Not daily of course, but every now and then. I'm not opposed to enjoying myself every now and then, but I just don't have an appetite for those foods anymore, which is a huge change considering where I used to be. I also choose not to eat it bc I'm afraid I'll get addicted to it again and will revert back to my old habits. The only thing though I will eat is froyo, but it's not very often that I do (like once every 2 weeks or so).
I've been struggling for several months now with a severe loss of appetite, that even eating at home is extremely difficult for me. I've basically gone from one extreme to another (eating way more than I should growing up to almost nothing at all). I can't even get to 300 calories a day. I didn't start eating this little until just over a month ago. I know this is just as unhealthy as what I used to do, but it's extremely difficult for me to eat when I'm literally never hungry. I've been to the doctor and got blood work done. All of my hormones are normal except for my estrogen and progesterone. She wants me to be eating 1,500-1,800 a day so my sex hormones can normalize again. I return on September 25, so hopefully I can find the courage to eat that amount daily. It's been difficult eating because I have an intense fear of gaining back the weight I lost.
This may be none of my business, but I figured that I will feel terrible if I don't say something. I have suffered a similar situation to yours, not as extreme, but similar. My mother always comments on my weight or would scold me for eating something because it would "make me fatten up like a pig." I developed eating disorders over this, among other things, and your fear of gaining weight could very well be the start of one. Please, for your own health, tell your doctor exactly what you said here. They can direct you to people that can help, especially because of your history of essentially being bullied by your own mother. I'm sorry if this may have crossed a line, but it does seem like therapy could really help begin building some confidence in that weight isn't worth the fear of eating.
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Saw video of myself, realised my rear huge & used to be best feature!!!!! Want my trim rear back.0
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My father once said he'd give me $10 for every pound I lost. That horrified me that they were that desperate to get me to lose weight (I was about 25 at the time). But that didn't do it. My mother also saw my weight as a moral failure. But really it has to come from within. The first time was in my late 20s and just wanted to look better. Then in my mid 30s because I wanted to meet some one and get married, this time around I am now 50s with school age kids and a widow, I want to live better and longer and also feel strong. And not invisible. I think it was just another day of not being able to do something because of my weight that made me finally get serious.0
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Chasing a 8 month old around was kicking my butt and I realized there was something very wrong about that. What kind of parent was I being to her and my oldest child? It was then I decided I needed to do something, one year and 90lbs later I feel I'm the best father I could be as well as just feeling incredible.0
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That just woke me up. I am 44 years old and I had an unhealthy lifestyle. I have 2 small children too. Thank-you for sharing. This is giving me a shot in the arm not to give up no matter what.KarlaH9801 wrote: »
I am so sorry for your losses! I lost my mother at a young age (42) due to an unhealthy lifestyle. I know they are all proud of you!!I lost both of my parents in 2013. My dad had a heart attack while he was driving and it caused him to wreck his vehicle, and my mom lost her fight against breast cancer 8 months later. My dad was 52 and my mom was only 49. They both come from families that have a host of health issues: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, strokes … the list goes on. In fact, my dad's brother passed away in June after spending 6 months being bed-ridden because of complications from diabetes and strokes. This was a wake-up call. Genetics are not in my favor; and while I can't change genetics, by eating healthy and exercising I am at least improving my quality of life, and hopefully prolonging it a little. I'm down 40 pounds (having lost 20 before joining MyFitnessPal). I still have a ways to go before I reach my goal weight, but I'm already noticing big changes in my body and overall well-being.
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That would have did it for me too. I don't want my kids to be ashamed of me. Nor my husband. That is one of the reasons I am doing this. Not the only one though.Jessalane0607 wrote: »When my 7 year old daughter felt she had to defend me against kids in her class about my weight. I cried for two days after that, and then strapped on a pair and have lost 29+ pounds and still going strong. I didn't want my children going through life having to defend me against their peers. I work in the medical field, and I see families that do this on a daily basis. I would NEVER let it come to that for them or me.
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WOW That statement just punched me in the chest. This stuff is real. I am so glad we are all doing something about it. I don't want to be a statistic. I dont want my kids on myfitnesspal saying I am the one that got them started. I want to live healthy because they saw me doing it. We got to break the cycle. It got to be us.bodymindmusic wrote: »Seeing my mom and gma for the first time in 4 years and both of them wearing Nitro-necklaces in case they have heart failure.0 -
I noticed that the successful people log everyday and they have the highest streak on mfp. That's why I going to use mfp to the fullest. I know I will be successful if I do. Keep going you can do it.I'm from London too so I know what you mean!
For me it was buying my 4th pair of trousers in about a year having outgrown the previous 3.
I dropped 50lbs but am back up 30 after not logging for 18 months but back now.
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Number 7 is me. I want to be a trophy wife. I want people to think she is with him for the money. lol lol (he don't have any). I know that is vain. That's the other side of being healthy. Number 2 is me too. My little girl will be 3 in october. I can't keep blaming the baby weight either.So many reasons...
1. I have twin girls who turn 3 in December. I want to be happy to be in pictures with them
2. I want my girls to see a strong and healthy mother as a role model, and not to hate their bodies like my mother does
3. I have rampant diabetes in my family
4. My Mom gave me some shorts she was getting rid of or bought from a Thrift shop - they were very tight, and I even wore a size larger than I normally wear (like a glove!)
5. I take ages getting dressed because I hate how I look
6. I have lots and lots of clothing that i cant wear because they are too small now
7. I would like my husband to have a confident and sexy wife again (and it still is me!! hahaha)
8. My husband has an autoimmune disease, and I need to be healthy incase I am suddenly the only one left to look after our girls
9. I think we will be moving house in about 10 months and I need to be able to pack and lift as much as I used to!
I'm sure I could go on, but that's plenty.
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What I notice about family that makes comments. You will never satisfy them. It's always something. If you lose the weight you are too skinny you look sick. If you get too fat now you are obese. I also notice family tend to exaggerate too. What I do when my mom says you are getting fat or fat. I exaggerate back and say I was trying to gain. I am glad you notice. I can't wait till these pants start to get tighter. When I do that they roll there eyes and don't say anything else. Stay on here and be around positive people so it can counteract that negative talk.saraherren wrote: »1. The summer before my junior year of high school (July 2007), I was getting ready for a job interview for a gymnastics coach position, and my mom made a comment to me about what I was wearing and how they wouldn't hire me because it made me look big and that I didn't look like I had ever done any gymnastics (which I did for 8 years). I ended up getting hired.
2. Between January 2012 all the way through 2013 (spring of my 3rd year of college into the fall of my 4th year), my mom always made comments about my weight and would buy me girdles or other clothes that some may wear to make them look skinnier. I was already struggling with major depression and had thoughts of suicide, and her doing all of that just added way more fuel to the fire.
3. I had a breast reduction surgery in May 2012, and in January, my mom said that if I lost weight, I probably wouldn't have had to get the surgery.
4. When I was 12, my dad told me that I needed to lose weight.
5. I was tired of my mom making comments about my weight and buying me clothes that made me look smaller all throughout my college years and making me feel 100 times worse than I already felt (and still feel) about myself.0 -
2 events.
- my wife said I was loathsome fat
- ...and this picture somebody took and posted on FB.
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I saw your picture on Quora.Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »2 events.- my wife said I was loathsome fat
- ...and this picture somebody took and posted on FB.
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1) Couldn't walk up the next block, or even my stairs without breathing hard.
2) Concentration was off.
3) Stress management was poor.
I'm down nearly 80lbs and coming up on my first "fitness birthday" on October 14th.
1) I can RUN! (short distances, but yes!)
2) Concentration is back!
3) I'm in a high stress situation this month, and I'm making it!
4) I feel like I've been given a NEW BODY! Sex is AMAZING!
My 16 year old daughter says that I could write a book entitled, "My journey from fat a** to bad a** ".
Love that kid!
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Seriously?I saw your picture on Quora.
OH, THE SHAME!
lol
Anyway, I recall just staring at this and wondering why the guy in the mirror looked different.
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Pinnacle_IAO wrote: »
Seriously?I saw your picture on Quora.
OH, THE SHAME!
lol
Anyway, I recall just staring at this and wondering why the guy in the mirror looked different.
It was not shame. It was inspiring there too. I know you are proud of your hard work. It really helps people when you share your story. (I am not just saying that).
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Number 7 is me. I want to be a trophy wife. I want people to think she is with him for the money. lol lol (he don't have any). I know that is vain. That's the other side of being healthy. Number 2 is me too. My little girl will be 3 in october. I can't keep blaming the baby weight either.So many reasons...
1. I have twin girls who turn 3 in December. I want to be happy to be in pictures with them
2. I want my girls to see a strong and healthy mother as a role model, and not to hate their bodies like my mother does
3. I have rampant diabetes in my family
4. My Mom gave me some shorts she was getting rid of or bought from a Thrift shop - they were very tight, and I even wore a size larger than I normally wear (like a glove!)
5. I take ages getting dressed because I hate how I look
6. I have lots and lots of clothing that i cant wear because they are too small now
7. I would like my husband to have a confident and sexy wife again (and it still is me!! hahaha)
8. My husband has an autoimmune disease, and I need to be healthy incase I am suddenly the only one left to look after our girls
9. I think we will be moving house in about 10 months and I need to be able to pack and lift as much as I used to!
I'm sure I could go on, but that's plenty.
Haha, trophy wife! I was thinking that when I get to my goal weight I should get a shirt that says 'trophy wife'.
I could get it now but the irony would be monstrous... :-D
I want to stop the cycle of yoyo diets and body hating in my family. My girls are so different, one is much heavier and broader (so muscly!) and the other is tall, bendy and wispy - I will destroy anybody that makes them feel awful about their bodies.0 -
Do you remeber that, "Ice bucket challenge."? I posted a video of me doing it and thought, "OMG I look like THAT?!" and I knew I had to change.0
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I was suffering badly with self esteem. I was sick of feeling and telling myself that I couldn't do it.
I showed myself that I could do it and I'm continuing to prove myself wrong by every day.
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Hay let's get a t-shirt that says that. That will something to look forward too. Great Idea.
Number 7 is me. I want to be a trophy wife. I want people to think she is with him for the money. lol lol (he don't have any). I know that is vain. That's the other side of being healthy. Number 2 is me too. My little girl will be 3 in october. I can't keep blaming the baby weight either.So many reasons...
1. I have twin girls who turn 3 in December. I want to be happy to be in pictures with them
2. I want my girls to see a strong and healthy mother as a role model, and not to hate their bodies like my mother does
3. I have rampant diabetes in my family
4. My Mom gave me some shorts she was getting rid of or bought from a Thrift shop - they were very tight, and I even wore a size larger than I normally wear (like a glove!)
5. I take ages getting dressed because I hate how I look
6. I have lots and lots of clothing that i cant wear because they are too small now
7. I would like my husband to have a confident and sexy wife again (and it still is me!! hahaha)
8. My husband has an autoimmune disease, and I need to be healthy incase I am suddenly the only one left to look after our girls
9. I think we will be moving house in about 10 months and I need to be able to pack and lift as much as I used to!
I'm sure I could go on, but that's plenty.
Haha, trophy wife! I was thinking that when I get to my goal weight I should get a shirt that says 'trophy wife'.
I could get it now but the irony would be monstrous... :-D
I want to stop the cycle of yoyo diets and body hating in my family. My girls are so different, one is much heavier and broader (so muscly!) and the other is tall, bendy and wispy - I will destroy anybody that makes them feel awful about their bodies.
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I got engaged! While trying to lose weight to look "great in the dress" is nice (even though I already look wonderful in the dress I'm choosing~) what I'm really trying to do is get myself into shape for when I have kids. I've had back problems (severe sciatica and arthritis) since I was 19 and I know weight is a major factor, and also want to be a good role model for my future children.
I've got a long ways to go but I'm going at a good pace. 0 -
^YES!!! My girls are the same, and I ONLY discuss health/fitness/healthy food choices NOT weight. I have lost a lot, but I want them to focus on being healthy, not a certain number on the scale!!!!
Number 7 is me. I want to be a trophy wife. I want people to think she is with him for the money. lol lol (he don't have any). I know that is vain. That's the other side of being healthy. Number 2 is me too. My little girl will be 3 in october. I can't keep blaming the baby weight either.So many reasons...
1. I have twin girls who turn 3 in December. I want to be happy to be in pictures with them
2. I want my girls to see a strong and healthy mother as a role model, and not to hate their bodies like my mother does
3. I have rampant diabetes in my family
4. My Mom gave me some shorts she was getting rid of or bought from a Thrift shop - they were very tight, and I even wore a size larger than I normally wear (like a glove!)
5. I take ages getting dressed because I hate how I look
6. I have lots and lots of clothing that i cant wear because they are too small now
7. I would like my husband to have a confident and sexy wife again (and it still is me!! hahaha)
8. My husband has an autoimmune disease, and I need to be healthy incase I am suddenly the only one left to look after our girls
9. I think we will be moving house in about 10 months and I need to be able to pack and lift as much as I used to!
I'm sure I could go on, but that's plenty.
Haha, trophy wife! I was thinking that when I get to my goal weight I should get a shirt that says 'trophy wife'.
I could get it now but the irony would be monstrous... :-D
I want to stop the cycle of yoyo diets and body hating in my family. My girls are so different, one is much heavier and broader (so muscly!) and the other is tall, bendy and wispy - I will destroy anybody that makes them feel awful about their bodies.
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I am ex-military (MOS 18E/31C), as a civilian I have run countless 5K and 10K's, half marathons and one full marathon. I just got happy, complacent, fat and lazy. I went to an amusement park a few months ago with my step daughter and couldn’t ride a roller coaster she wanted to go on because the harness wouldn't close. She had to ride it alone. I was embarrassed, and frankly felt like I let her down, although she would never say that. She is a sweet, beautiful 14 year old athlete, and I won't have her around for too much longer before college, so I decided then I needed to do something and started back on MFP.
I decided I wanted to do something cool and exciting, for some bonding time with her, a mud race! It would be something fun and different that she and I would be able to do together and share. So I set a goal to drop 30+ lbs and be able to do a 5K in a respectable amount of time. The race is this Saturday, I can now do a 5K in under 38 mins and I'm 43 lbs down! I'm pretty excited about it and I think she is too!
I hope this proves to be fun and something we both enjoy and maybe do future mud runs together. My wife is also dropping pounds and started doing the C25K, we will do her first 5K together this fall! Maybe the entire family will do a run together, that would be a blast!
I still have a long way to go to get to my final goal, but I'm getting healthy again and having fun while doing it, and getting closer with my family instead of being further removed because I'm too fat to do anything. My doctor is pretty happy too.
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Even me alot of the same reasons. Congrats on the weight loss You people are very inspiring. 0
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I used to be super fit when I was younger, but since graduating and getting a job, I had pretty much stopped looking after myself in every sense of the word. I took up running last year after running for the bus and realising I was ridiculously unfit, and made some great advances in my fitness but then I got injured and had to stop. Six months later, after being ill and injured more times than I could count and having been diagnosed with depression, I finally decided it was about time to take some control back.0
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I am ex-military (MOS 18E/31C), as a civilian I have run countless 5K and 10K's, half marathons and one full marathon. I just got happy, complacent, fat and lazy. I went to an amusement park a few months ago with my step daughter and couldn’t ride a roller coaster she wanted to go on because the harness wouldn't close. She had to ride it alone. I was embarrassed, and frankly felt like I let her down, although she would never say that. She is a sweet, beautiful 14 year old athlete, and I won't have her around for too much longer before college, so I decided then I needed to do something and started back on MFP.
I decided I wanted to do something cool and exciting, for some bonding time with her, a mud race! It would be something fun and different that she and I would be able to do together and share. So I set a goal to drop 30+ lbs and be able to do a 5K in a respectable amount of time. The race is this Saturday, I can now do a 5K in under 38 mins and I'm 43 lbs down! I'm pretty excited about it and I think she is too!
I hope this proves to be fun and something we both enjoy and maybe do future mud runs together. My wife is also dropping pounds and started doing the C25K, we will do her first 5K together this fall! Maybe the entire family will do a run together, that would be a blast!
I still have a long way to go to get to my final goal, but I'm getting healthy again and having fun while doing it, and getting closer with my family instead of being further removed because I'm too fat to do anything. My doctor is pretty happy too.
Wow, that is pure determination! Congrats on your success!0 -
Finally got so tired of trying to hide the muffin top. Lying about my weight at the DMV.
Putting on tops and asking my husband if he could see back fat. Majority of the time the answer was, yes.
I was not able to wear my wedding ring. I live in the desert and it is HOT in the summer, being overweight made that triple worse. Could not sleep on my right side, my hip would hurt so bad it would wake me up. I was living to eat/cook/entertain. Not eating to live. Had no clue what a correct portion size was until MFP. What a wake up call !
I have lost 47 lbs. Now at age 56 weigh what I did in my mid 30's.
Muffin top, back fat, hip pain. Gone.
Wedding ring fits easily. Watch flips around my wrist. People that have not seen me in awhile barely know it's me and sometimes not at all. Also changed my hairstyle during the weight loss process.
Bottom line. Self esteem, confidence has returned. And will never look back to my old ways of eating. 6 months maintaining now. 0 -
I broke my ankle and was bedridden and when i went back to work my *kitten* didnt fit and my belts were uncomfortable. Also, i figured it was cheaper to lose weight than buy a whole be wardrobe. Im down 19.7 pounds in about six weeks so far0
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