What prompted you to make a change?

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Replies

  • driving_miss_crazy
    driving_miss_crazy Posts: 36 Member
    I finally saw through all my excuses with the help of the forums here on MFP. Reading all the BS excuses and realizing that I have the same ones was very eye-opening. (Thank you to all who keep answering posted questions even though they can be redundant. It does help more people than you know!)

    I haven't had many health issues (yet) so talks about weight with any doctors has been brief and not pushy. I wonder what would have happened if one would have been blunt? Maybe nothing. Maybe everyone has to hit a certain point/discomfort before they deem it necessary to make changes.
  • afort001
    afort001 Posts: 45 Member
    My moment that finally made me want to change was actually seeing a picture of myself . I wasn't posing and didn't know someone was taking it . When I saw the picture I knew it was me , but didn't feel like I looked like that. When I looked in the mirror I didn't see myself as that big. I also was uncomfortable in my clothes and would get tired so easily
  • MagicalGiraffe
    MagicalGiraffe Posts: 102 Member
    Type1 diabetic. I wasn't looking after myself well enough, multiple factors like stress, antibiotics and not carb counting resulted in DKA, comatosing and 3IVs in my neck. Kickstarted me to address my health. This was back in Jan 2014 and I lost 35lbs odd over a year and a half.
    I fell off the bandwagon last November - had a seizure in March and I've put 20lbs back on.. Its more important for my health that I weigh my food so I have correct carb ratios for my MDIs. Thats what I mainly use MFP for so I can control my bloods better. Might as well lose weight alongside.
  • ChristinaOrr65
    ChristinaOrr65 Posts: 112 Member
    edited August 2016
    I have always been self conscious about my body shape, being kinda "pear shaped" my whole life. Unfortunately it was probably the combination of always hearing this shape referred to as not the ideal, and comments from other people, even my own mother, that made me feel this way and want to change my appearance.

    I wish I could say I started eating healthier and working out to benefit my health, but it was really because I did not like my body because that is how other people made me feel about it. Body shaming is a real thing, and it seems to be everywhere these days, and I just want my daughter to be healthy and to never feel that way about herself!

    It's funny, I was actually just reminded about all of this after seeing this story about the body shaming ads from Gold's Gym the other day, specifically about body shaming "pear shaped" women, and I could not believe that stuff like this is out there!
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    ChristinaOrr65 wrote: »
    It's funny, I was actually just reminded about all of this after seeing this story about the body shaming ads from Gold's Gym the other day, specifically about body shaming "pear shaped" women, and I could not believe that stuff like this is out there!

    That is crazy! I'm pear shaped too, though I never felt shamed about carrying weight in hips/thighs. My Apple shaped friends always seemed to complain more about being unhappy with their figures than my pear shaped friends...weird. Maybe we all took Sir Mix A Lot too seriously back in the day :wink:
  • babybear_mt
    babybear_mt Posts: 81 Member
    I've always battled my weight so last summer, I decided to make that change. I started jogging and logging what I ate. I got pregnant with my son and was scared of miscarrying. (Yes, I understand that women can and should still exercise and watch what they eat when pregnant, but I was still scared.) So I quit everything, only walked a few times, ate like a cow, and gained almost 50 pounds. Now, my son is 4.5 months old, and I want him to have a healthy role model and parent in his life. I lost 25 pounds in the first couple weeks postpartum, mostly due to water retention, and am now working on the last 24 pounds to my pre-pregnancy weight, and then another 45 pounds to my goal weight.

    That, and I've always wanted to be smaller than my husband, and have never been....
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I found out that calorie counting was easy. (If you use MFP).

    My back would go out on me regularly, and I knew losing weight would help as my doctor had told me, but didn't want to starve myself like I'd done in the past.

    A friend had lost 50 kg counting calories, and when she told me she'd done it using MFP, I signed up immediately.

    496 days later, I've lost 38 kg, reached my goal weight, and maintained it for over 4 months.

    People think losing weight means starvation and deprivation, and that calorie counting requires a Master's in mathematics and endless spreadsheets. Hell no.

    If more doctors told people this, it might help a lot of people.
  • danielle001988
    danielle001988 Posts: 6 Member
    Having yo yo dieted all my life but being overweight even as young as 5, I've only ever dieted for appearance reasons but ever since my younger sister having a baby, it's made me broody. I know that at the weight I am, being pregnant is almost definitely dangerous, and that's if I was even able to conceive. Having my periods disappear for a few months, I was worried that being fat was making me infertile and that is why I decided to make a change, I'm in no way ready to have a baby but if I can lose weight and get healthy over the next few years, at least I will be healthy enough should I be ready. At 28, I've never been in a rush to have a baby but potentially having that choice taken away from me was something I really struggled with.

    I'm 3 stone down nearly with an extremely long way to go but I'm hoping this is the motivation I needed to not give up after losing a few stone as I've done in the part. I've already noticed some health benefits as I lose weight which is a good sign and so far my periods are back.
  • mdonsbach
    mdonsbach Posts: 102 Member
    It subtly started when I would give blood and they told my my blood pressure was close to being high. I just stopped giving blood because I didn't want to have to hear that again. Then more recently I noticed my arms and feet would start to tingle for no apparent reason and they would fall asleep much easier than normal. Then my wife started a friendly competition with one of her friends so I took that as a sign to join them.

    BTW I'm blowing them out of the water with that competition.
  • Intrinsicat
    Intrinsicat Posts: 473 Member
    I believe more and more doctors are trying to find the right way to bring up weight loss in conversations with their patients. I read an article at some point that some patients are actually SUING their doctor because they didn't mention frequently enough that the weight was a precursor to their disease. The last time I saw my doctor I was (and am) at my high end of the scale. Aside from the normal questions of do you exercise, etc. she mentioned that she got a personal trainer and that worked for her.

    Personally, I've witnessed my grandmother die at 67 from alcohol abuse, my mom at 55 from smoking related cancer, my dad at 63 from heart disease... I would really like to give myself the best chance for living past my sixties and apparently my vice is food. I started having panic attacks after my dad passed away and the one that sent me to the hospital really had me thinking I was having a heart attack. It made me think much more broadly about my health and longevity. Not to mention I'm a roller coaster nut and I will lose it the day I'm told I can't fit in a coaster seat. ;) So I am hoping this is the last Yo in the yo yo dieting existence - I would love to go to maintenance mode!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My doctor is very happy with me honestly because she told me that she's always telling her patients to lose weight, and they don't do anything about it. She's always so proud when she sees me, lol. She never pressured me about it though, just mentioned matter-of-factly that I was obese and ordered that EKG 'because of my weight' etc... but I was already considering losing weight, it was just the kick in the butt that I needed I guess.

    I completely agree though that learning about MFP made a huge difference for me. I was always convinced that I would have to stop eating what I liked to lose weight. Had I known about this years ago, it might have made a difference, honestly. For years I really thought that I would have to starve myself and eat veggies and salad all my life if I wanted to be thin... so why bother when I could eat what I wanted and not gain weight? (I was 200 pounds for years). But I saw several of my online acquaintances lose with MFP and I realized that it wasn't that bad... that's what eventually convinced me to give it a shot.

    I mean, my former GP told me to 'stop eating sugar, switch to whole grains everything, and have granola bars if I wanted a snack'. Worst advice ever.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    Honestly I told myself I was going to do it for awhile and one hot humid night in Chicago after eating food sold at Wrigley Field I didn't feel so great stomach wise. It was then I decided maybe feeling a little hungry was better than eating myself sick
  • BrettWithPKU
    BrettWithPKU Posts: 575 Member
    Invariably, successful weight loss is prompted by either fear or desire. Sometimes both, though one of the two is almost always dominant.
    I've had 2 notable successful weight loss campaigns, not counting the one I'm currently on.

    The first time (2013) I was 293 pounds, and I feared the 300-pound threshold and the implications of morbid obesity. I lost 35 pounds.
    The second time (2015) I was 285 pounds, I had just gotten married a month prior to starting, and I desired setting a foundation for long-term health. I lost 48 pounds.

    The reason for this current campaign (2016) was silly in comparison. Stores with men's clothing typically stock most styles of pants up to size 40, and it's hit and miss above that. But I was 268 pounds, noticed my size 40 pants starting to get a bit tight, and decided I REALLY didn't want (in other words, I feared) the hassle of shopping for size 42s. To this day I've lost 18 pounds, and hope to lose 42 more.
  • LynnBBQ72
    LynnBBQ72 Posts: 151 Member
    My first motivation was pure rage - is that wrong? My close female relative had some sort of weight loss surgery in early Spring this year but she didn't tell anyone. It is a huge family secret and I'm not supposed to know at all. Then she started posting on Facebook about her weight loss and everyone asked how she did it..... she told them it was hard work, diet, exercise, and self-control. Not ONE WORD about her surgery. I'm absolutely not judging anyone who has weight loss surgery, by the way. But she has complained for DECADES about how it was "cheating" and a "shortcut" and if people did it, they should be honest. And now she's the one outright lying to her close friends about it.
    I got so incredibly angry at her for lying to all of her friends about the weight she lost. She made them feel as if they did not have enough willpower or self-control. I wanted to call her out on the surgery but I kept my mouth shut. I decided at that moment that I would lose the weight I keep complaining about and possibly inspire some of my friends, too. But I would not be lying about the method.
    The anger kept me on goal for about two weeks. Now I'm approaching my 4th week and I feel so much better, and see so much progress, that I don't give a flying kitten if she wants to lie to herself and everyone else - now I'm doing this for me!
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    The first time it was so I could be more active with my son and feel attractive again. In the process I found I had health issues too which added motivation.

    This time around the pant size I'd worked hard to get into stopped fitting. When I realized I'd gained enough back to go up a size I recommitted.
  • SoUl_ReBeL2021
    SoUl_ReBeL2021 Posts: 120 Member
    I have alot of medical problems for one had a total knee replacement last June and I need to get my weight down it's not good on the new knee... I personally don't want to be over weight it makes me feel tired and depressed, just not happy with it. So my plan is to lose 77 pounds and I will be happy!
  • NancyYale
    NancyYale Posts: 171 Member
    edited August 2016
    I yo-yo-ed several times over the last ten years, but this time was different. Terrible foot and knee pain. Couldn't breathe at night. Couldn't afford the deductible for WL surgery. So I decided to try one more time. The only promise I made was to not quit this time. I've lost 108 pounds over 14 months and have maintained 4 months so far. I would like to lose another 12 pounds but i'm not obsessing over it.
  • NancyYale
    NancyYale Posts: 171 Member
    edited August 2016
    It's been a tough journey but so worth it.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    I was gonna say my arms got short ,,, there ok i said it .. when i get fat my weight bothers me
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    I woke up one day last year, this month actually and had it. I was tired of seeing the scale go up. Something just clicked this time and I was really serious about it and wanting to lose the weight. I set small goals and each time I met it, I set new ones. In 1 yr, I have lost 70.2 lbs. I'm in a healthy weight range. My BMI is 22 point something. I'm only 1.8 lbs away from my final goal. I'm so happy and proud of myself. Losing weight is so hard and I can't believe I finally did it.
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