What was your biggest motivation?

I didn't want to become disabled by my weight and cause trouble for other people. I realized my weight had itself become a problem in my life, not aesthetically but from its impact on my ability to do the things I liked.

83 lbs down and 12 to go, my only regret is not coming to that understanding much, much sooner.

The first thing that motivated me was the very unexpected proposal from my boyfriend and fitting into my dream wedding dress. A couple of months later, I had a follow up doctor's appointment to see where we'd go with my osteoarthritis. The doctor didn't set a number, just told me I needed to lose weight.

While I do keep those in mind, I'm more motivated by my progress, how much I've pushed myself and gotten a real hold on this part of my life. I've dropped 24lbs and I feel so much better than I have in a long time. So now, the scale moving, my clothes getting looser, and my boyfriend celebrating with me every morning is what keeps me going.

Health, followed by health, topped with a dab of health.

I've been obese (just a bit over the line from overweight - starting weight of 183 was BMI of 30.5, though that wasn't my highest weight ever). I'm hypothyroid (controlled well with meds). Now age 60, I've been quite active for the last dozen years, without losing weight, but getting a bit smaller (couple of sizes) by trading away fat for muscle.

But:

I'm a breast cancer survivor. My LDL/VLDL cholesterol was high, as were my triglycerides; my HDL was low. My doctor wanted to put me on statins. I had a torn meniscus in my left knee, arthritis in both knees, and knew I'd be looking at knee replacement eventually, but wanted to avoid/delay surgery as long as possible. My blood pressure had been pre-hypertensive, though I'd managed to get it down to more like high normal without losing weight. I have sleep apnea. I suddenly started having severe daily heartburn/acid reflux that was traced to a gallbladder that - once removed - revealed adenomymatosis, with holes and extensive cholesterol & inflammation damage.

On top of that, every time I went to a doctor's office (among other less ominous places), I was seeing people around my age who were nearly universally fat, having mobility problems, experiencing serious illnesses, and - maybe 10 years out from my age - ending up in assisted living. But when I went to the Y or the rowing club, I was seeing healthy people 10, 20 or more years older than me, working out and enjoying independent life. Ann, meet writing-on-the-wall.

The actual last straw - I think - was the gall bladder. Last April (2015), something clicked in my head & I decided to lose weight . . . this time, I meant it.

Now I'm 63 pounds down, around 120 pounds at 5'5" (a little too light for my frame), trying to figure out my maintenance calories. I'm still very active, as I was before losing the weight. But my knees hurt dramatically less; my cholesterol/triglycerides are solidly in the middle of the normal range, my blood pressure is at a very healthy level, and I just generally feel So. Much. Better. . . in ways I can't necessarily pin down (reduced inflammation, maybe?). I suppose I look better, too, but I can't say that I care.

TL;DR: Health warning signs/problems; lost weight; much healthier. Yay!

I want to be a faster runner and dropping a bunch of weight was an obvious first step. Seems to be working so far.