What Motivated You to Finally Lose Weight?

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  • Numer1ca
    Numer1ca Posts: 247 Member
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    I saw a picture of what a obese person looks like from the inside. The fat around the knees, things like that.

    The person who posted the picture expressed only empathy for how the person must feel physically with all of the extra weight being carried around and effecting the body. No judgement, only empathy.

    Then I switched off of WW and onto MFP. I think that WW must have some inherent guilt or shaming or something that I don't feel on MFP. I feel empowered by MFP. I felt resistance to WW.
  • ashbashsweets
    ashbashsweets Posts: 61 Member
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    If you would like some motivation I am starting a challenge group for the countdown of 100 days until summer! Anyone can join!

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/112780-100-days-until-summer
  • taniamusic
    taniamusic Posts: 45 Member
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    I looked at myself in the mirror and didn't recognise myself anymore... I felt like I was in the wrong body.
  • Jbell0213
    Jbell0213 Posts: 189 Member
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    Going to DC the summer of 2014. You have to do alot of walking to get to all of the sights there. I was gasping for breath. I thought this is crazy. I spend the entire spring of 2015 walking every night to build up my endurance, we went again in Summer of 2015 and we walked 14 miles in one day. I felt amazing. This Christmas I decided that I needed to work on the food side and calories. I started Dec 19 2015 and I'm down 16 pounds. It feels good to be inspired by everyone else.
  • Presleykay22
    Presleykay22 Posts: 2,446 Member
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    I want to be more confident when it comes to shopping.
  • Bundyman
    Bundyman Posts: 42 Member
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    Interesting to read both the similar and different reasons for motivation to lose weight. Thanks for sharing.
  • MattReeceCPT
    MattReeceCPT Posts: 163 Member
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    Great work! I genuinely thought I wasn't going to see 35 (while at 30). I knew I needed to change something, but I just didn't care. At 25, I was 6'3/264lbs and working at a gym. I started drinking and eating fast food 3-4 times per day. I shot up to 395lbs. I had a close friend pass away from complications with diabetes. That caused me to try giving up soda... but I wasn't able. Two months later, another close friend died from a preventable cause (drugs). Now, I was really seeing the big picture. I knew I didn't want to be next. I still did nothing. Finally, my best friend came to me with a product and forced me to try it. I jumped all in and haven't looked back. Today, a little less than 15 months later, I am down 125 pounds and have gained muscle mass. My goal is 250 and I hope to be there soon (currently fluctuating between 272-276).
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    Great job Bundyman, it was inspiring to read your story and all the stories that came after it. Like a lot of people above, I've yo-yo'd the same 20ish lbs over and over for about a decade. I've never been extremely heavy, but 170 on a 5'6" frame is very noticeably overweight. In December 2015 I saw a photo of myself from my office Christmas party and was mortified. My face was huge and my stomach was sticking way out both in front and the sides despite use of a pretty strong pair of spanx under that dress. My arms looked enormous. And I'd thought I looked so good when I left the house!! I decided the next day that I needed to get my health (and life in general) in order. The next day I got back onto MFP and started logging my food and walking daily after dinner with the goal of trying to make 10,000 steps/day.

    I'm now down to 148 - a 22 lb loss in about 3 months. I haven't been 148 since early college, when I started packing on the pounds to begin with. In previous years I'd lose that much in half the time and stop. Not this time - I'm tired of the up and down, not to mention all the money I've spent on clothing due to my changing size. I've got about another 10 lbs that I'd like to lose, and I'm hoping to get there in the next few months and then start maintenance. Now that I've developed healthy routines (as opposed to "dieting" like I've done previously), I'm more confident that I won't pack on the pounds again in the future.
  • BellaChantal
    BellaChantal Posts: 2 Member
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    Bundyman wrote: »
    I'm sure many if not all of you have a similar story to mine. Overweight / obese my entire life and could never stick with a diet.

    It's depressing to fail time after time. We always want the quick fix to turn our health and lives around. Unless you have some form of surgery to jump start the process it's a struggle to succeed and there is no real quick fix.

    For me, my wake-up call came when I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2013 at the age of 45. I weighed nearly 450 pounds and knew if I didn't make some serious changes, I'd likely be dead before long. At the very least I'd start losing body parts.

    My doctor wanted me to have Gastric bypass surgery but I knew I was strong enough to lose the weight on my own.

    Long story short, I've lost over 160 pounds so far and I'm no longer on any diabetes medications. I was able to lose the weight simply by making some lifestyle changes. I exercised every day by walking and I cut back on my calorie intake limiting myself to 2000 calories a day. A far cry from the 7000+ I had been eating. I've gone from a size 60" waist to now wearing size 42" pants.

    I have never and will never use any wraps, shakes, pills or gimmicks of any kind. Every day is a struggle and there have been plenty of bumps and plateaus along the way but I continue to count calories and hit the gym 4 or 5 times a week. I no longer have joint pain and I'm proud to say when I golf, I only rent a cart when the course makes me.

    Diabetes and the very real likelihood of an early death is what finally ended my excuses and failure and I have my life back.

    This is an inspirational story. Thank you for sharing!
  • Jenfromtheblock84
    Jenfromtheblock84 Posts: 140 Member
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    For me the change was my children. I realized very quickly as they started walking how unhealthy I had become. At my daughters third birthday party (5/18) I saw pictures of myself and I just sat down and cried. How had I let myself get that far. At this point I bought a scale and almost had a heart attack when I saw 280lbs. Previous high was 268. I started with MFP on 5/26 and haven't given up since. The weight didn't fall off like it had done with previous "fad" diets but I have had consistent weight loss with the amount of effort I put in. I fell off the wagon October and November but jumped right back on the trail on my birthday (12/9) when I realized I was sliding into my bad habits. Great job with your loss and keep up the hard work everyone!
  • Morglez
    Morglez Posts: 46 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Wow, congrats on your loss! So inspiring!

    I have been on this journey several times and have gotten off track just as many times. However, now I am taking it more seriously. My motivation is my knees. Carrying all this weight has really done a number on them. I am no longer able to kneel down or squat down. (I carry a TON of my weight in my legs, so when I try to kneel down or squat, it puts a LOT of strain on my ligaments and the joint in general!) I am just about to finish up school and will hopefully be graduating in May. I am earning my degree as a veterinary nurse... a career that requires being able to get down on the ground, kneeling, and squatting, etc. As I started this semester it hit me: I am about to graduate, and no clinic is going to want to hire me without being able to do those things. I am angry with myself for wasting time these last two years that I have been in school. However, I am now more motivated than ever. I may not be able to work as soon as I graduate, but I am going to work my butt off (literally...) so that I can get out there and work in a career that I love. Obviously, there are other factors like being out of breath all the time, having NO energy, not being able to be active without getting completely exhausted, etc. But the biggest motivator is my knees.

    Anyone is welcome to add me as a friend, BTW.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    I could not do much for a while, do to severe back pain. Now that it's under control for the most part, I can weight train like I used to. One goal was to get off of my blood pressure medication, which I have.

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