What prompted you to make a change?

gradchica27 · August 2016

Talking with a dr last night who is rather discouraged with patients who complain about symptoms that would be alleviated with weight loss (or who are increasing their already high risk of certain diseases bc of obesity), but who come back visit after visit with no change. He said he counsels them to get a handle on their intake by weighing and logging their food (actually tells them about mfp) and to incorporate some exercise, but no go.

Has anyone been spurred on by medical news or by their dr to lose weight? Just wondering if there was a common dx/ way the dr phrased things that helped light a fire.

xvolution · August 2016

An extended stay in the hospital did it for me. It wasn't so much the "doctor talk" that prompted the change, but the painful procedures I had to go through to become stabilized. Not wanting to ever have to do procedures like that again is a very strong motivator.

stephenearllucas · August 2016

My doctor wanted to put me on some medical packaged high-protein no exercise program, with coaching, etc. He also was somewhat discouraging about my ability to lose weight on my own. That kind of ticked me off, and so far this year, I've lost 50 pounds--want to lose 26 more--so that when I go back for my one-year check I can say--"Ha!"

And all I've done is (a) regular exercise (cardio, strength, stretching) and have held my calorie intake to a "sedentary" level (about 20% above BMR, which I calculate on a daily basis to correspond to weight change). I've averaged about a 800 calorie per day deficit so far.

And, of course, weighing and logging EVERYTHING before it gets it my mouth...

SuzySunshine99 · August 2016

Instead of telling me that I was overweight and needed to lose, my doctor asked me, "What do you think your goal weight should be?" When I gave her a reasonable figure, she asked "What do you think you should do to reach that goal?" Asking me the questions instead of her just telling me what to do made it easier to start the conversation.

Pawsforme · August 2016

The only reason I gained weight is because of a doctor's incompetence. Instead of thoroughly checking my thyroid as I requested he insisted my fatigue, weight gain despite a low calorie intake and quite a few other glaring symptoms were due to (1) my age/menopause, (2) anxiety and/or (3) that I obviously didn't know enough about dieting and nutrition to have any idea what I was talking about regarding eating low calorie.

When I was finally diagnosed with and properly medicated for hypothyroidism the weight came off relatively easily--I was able to eat just as many calories and lose as I had been eating and gaining on prior to diagnosis.

Moral of that story -- It's not always the patient who is lazy, incompetent or doing less than a stellar job. Sometimes it's the doctor.

cariduttry · August 2016

it was because of a doctor, but not because of my weight per se. my doctor basically told me that, because of my family history, being on cholesterol/heart meds is in my future. however, she said it's up to me to decide whether that is next year or in a couple of decades. i think that feeling like i was in the driver's seat really helped me put it into perspective and realize i had to take control of my life if i wanted a quality future.

LazSommer · August 2016

Some nerd called me scrawny.

meghanttu08 · August 2016

I suffered from a bad relationship and turned to food. I wanted a fresh start so I started to workout to loose weight and build my confidence in myself. Now I'm probably in the best shape I've been all my life, and I'm more happy and confident in who I am and what I can do!

Francl27 · August 2016

A panic attack sending me to the ER. My doctor ordering an EKG after that because I was obese and at risk for heart disease. Not being able to bend over without my fat compressing my lungs and me losing my breath. Horrible reflux. Two asthma attacks (more ER. Was hospitalized one week once). Mostly though, the scale finally moving up after maintaining 200 pounds for 8 years (in restrospect it was probably because of the steroids I took for my asthma attack!).

gradchica27 · August 2016

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

Instead of telling me that I was overweight and needed to lose, my doctor asked me, "What do you think your goal weight should be?" When I gave her a reasonable figure, she asked "What do you think you should do to reach that goal?" Asking me the questions instead of her just telling me what to do made it easier to start the conversation.

Ooh, good approach! Thank you!

Gena575 · August 2016

Oddly, even with 2 recent visits for back issues and subsequent PT, no doctor ever said a word about my weight. At 5'5" and 250+, clearly I was obese.

My "moment" came when I got sick of coming home and taking a nap every night after work. I knew I was fat, knew that hauling around all those lbs and fueling my body with Mt Dew and McDonald's was crap. But I had to hit my own moment. And just shy of 30lbs down, that nap need is less than once a week now.

Amazon_Who · August 2016

My orthopedist (and family friend) told me the best thing I could do to avoid back surgery and reduce the mind numbing pain was to lose weight.

NorthCascades · August 2016

You know what's really crazy?

I was eating lots of convenience foods, like frozen crap. Made a habit out of having it in the garden, which faces west. In the heat of the summer, it got hard to eat this stuff right out of the oven, with the sun blazing down on me. So I'd eat half of dinner and be done. After a couple weeks, I saw the change in the mirror, and then later on the scale, and decided to make an effort to keep it up. It's been more than a year now and at this point I'm down about 90 lbs.

cebreisch · August 2016

I went to see an allergist once who complained that I needed to have Bariatric surgery done to lose weight and that it would help my allergies for me to lose weight. I was really ticked because, while I realize he's a healthcare professional, he's an allergist....not my primary internist or family doctor, or whatever. He said that if I could have lost the weight on my own I would have already. At that time, I wasn't ready to hear all of that - so it really ticked me off.

I ended up seeing a Bariatric doctor in 2011. He said before he'd do the surgery he wanted me to lose 90 pounds. I ended up losing the 90 pounds on my own - actually up to about 140 pounds - then gained back 100.

Anyway - during the weight loss process - people would ask me how I did it. When I would tell them, their eyes would glaze over and they'd look at me like I was speaking Greek. It was because the things I was doing that were helpful to me were things they weren't willing to do or wanted to do. That really frustrated me a lot. Don't ask me what I'm doing then act like I'm an alien for doing what works for me.

I think that's a big issue - most people don't want to do what it takes to lose weight. Don't get me wrong - I know a lot of people will complain they have medical things that complicate it - and trust me...I have medical things that complicate my weight loss efforts too. But with help from a nutritionist and a therapist, I've found things that help me lose weight that work for me because I was willing to make changes in that direction.

You gotta want it bad enough to put forth the effort.

Bearbo27 · August 2016

My constant being in pain in my hips and knees.

My husband having a concerned conversation about my weight and how my health was being affected.

Me being disgusted about how I looked in the mirror.

My PCOS was out of control and I started missing periods for 3+ months at a time.

Me being one year away from 30 years old and scared to death of entering my 30s in the obese category.

I could go on and on, but those are some of my reasons. I know that MFP works and I've lost weight in the past here. Something about this time is different. I've been doing great and seeing the success I've had so far (down 23 lbs in a month and a half) had been super motivating.

Fursian · August 2016

gradchica27 wrote: »

Talking with a dr last night who is rather discouraged with patients who complain about symptoms that would be alleviated with weight loss (or who are increasing their already high risk of certain diseases bc of obesity), but who come back visit after visit with no change. He said he counsels them to get a handle on their intake by weighing and logging their food (actually tells them about mfp) and to incorporate some exercise, but no go.

Has anyone been spurred on by medical news or by their dr to lose weight? Just wondering if there was a common dx/ way the dr phrased things that helped light a fire.

I wasn't prompted by a doctor. I lead a very hazy few years, for various reasons, and suddenly? I woke up. It sounds abrupt, but it's how I experienced this 'change'. This change also occurred after I moved away from living with parents. I feel very fortunate. Things seem to have fallen into place, stars lining up (or whatever you wish to call it), things..just clicked. There is still a fear of 'falling asleep', though..

clicketykeys · August 2016

gradchica27 wrote: »

Has anyone been spurred on by medical news or by their dr to lose weight? Just wondering if there was a common dx/ way the dr phrased things that helped light a fire.

Clearly some have, but not me. Mine is entirely based on appearance - both because I want to look different myself, and because people are nicer to you if you're thin.

I've had health issues, but they've been unrelated to weight (as far as anyone can tell).

reddwarf63 · August 2016

having a former work colleague telling me that i looked "fat" in those clothes. Prompted me to lose 35kgs in about 9 months. Still going, hoping to lose another 25kg by christmas

wagnerpe123 · August 2016

gradchica27 wrote: »

Has anyone been spurred on by medical news or by their dr to lose weight? Just wondering if there was a common dx/ way the dr phrased things that helped light a fire.

Not by a doctor, no. None of my doctors every really said much to me. I was pushed when I saw my weight affect my life in a practical way. I have no co-morbidities (cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar are fine). I went on vacation for the first time in about a year and I could barely buckly the seatbelt in the plane and I was almost kicked off of an amusement park ride due to not getting the right number of clicks of the safety harness. We went on a cruise and even the dining room chairs (with arms) were tight. That couple of weeks was a real eye opener and my rock bottom so to speak.

Went on a very similar vacation a year later - theme parks followed by a cruise basically 100lbs lighter and the difference was night and day.

I think, even if I was VERY overweight, if I hadn't been physically uncomfortable on that vacation, I wouldn't have made the changes I have.

alyssa0061 · August 2016

I came home from being out of town for Christmas with my family and realized I had a sore in the fat roll on my thigh. I swore I would never, ever be so fat that I'd get a sore in a fold. But there I was. It broke me down. I went to the doctor in January and weighed 397 pounds. February 1st, I changed and I've lost 100 pounds. That roll on my thigh that started it all doesn't even exist anymore.

What prompted you to make a change?

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