What happened that made you decide you must loose weight?

My sister in law gave me her fat clothes. On her way down to 100lb loss, lol. Right after my mother in law lost almost as much herself. Plus major IBS and fibro issues, and hopingeating better would help. It has. Hugely.
And then I started taking Provogil during day and 5htp at night, and suddenly I had energy, willpower and no brain fog, and I was actually able to stick to a plan. (Mostly)

I've been a size 10 (uk) most of my life and could eat whatever I wanted to very fit and always racing around until I became ill and was unable to be active any more which was the start of the weight gain.. I had half my thyroid removed due to damage caused by Hashimotos with a clinical diagnosis that it had started the destruction of the remaining half but the UK doctors will not give me any medication to slow the condition because it's still producing its hormone regardless of whether the body is successfully utilising the hormone or not. Combine that with several other deliberating conditions and having gone through the menopause and my weight has increased dramatically. . I also have gastric issues whuch is causing internal erosion which if not halted will result in cancer so I have been told not only do I have to lose weight but I also have to cut out the foods that are the basis for my usual diet. onions peppers garlic tomatoes lemons and citrus fruit tea and coffee and chocolate to name just a few. Im determined to lose weight but it is very difficult. I've given myself a goal of 20 kg in a year and have joined this community to help keep me on track. Its not going to be easy but it is my hope and goal for 2018 and us why I decided to reach out and join this community for support

Added everyone here so we can support each other

Remember 200lbs is around the very near corner...the ball is in your court!

I didn't feel comfortable with the way I looked and my asthma was acting up more due to my weight. I had zero self confidence because of my weight and having been bullied for years because of it I had decided it was time to change that

I have idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Translation: My brain produces too much cerebral fluid for no apparent reason, and the only way for it to go into remission is to lose weight. If I don’t I could potentially go blind........Permanently. I already have optic nerve damage from when I was first diagnosed. I would also have to stay on Diamox ( a diuretic aka “satan’s medication”) for the rest of my life and that’s not an option, because I can’t tolerate the medication and I’m not getting a shunt implanted in to my head either. So weightloss it is!

Joined MFP back in 2013 lost 32 pounds logging and counting calories, was lifting heavy and feeling strong.

Gave up smoking 2015 and for some reason this kicked me back to all my old eating habits, no gym, binge eating, huge portions. Gained the weight back and also gained very painful Osteoarthritis. Need to lose the weight to help the Arthritis.

Welcome to any newbies on here. Rember the 3 S's

Slow, Steady, Sustainable. These are the things that will get you where you need to go.

I used to run, swim, go to the gym and just generally be very active. Then I just sort of lost myself in the business of raising a family. I'd look in the mirror and not recognize this person I'd allowed myself to become.

My husband has a pill case. The ones that "old" people use. You know the ones I mean with the days of the week and breakfast, lunch, and dinner tabs? He is type 2 and high cholesteral. One day I looked at it and decided that that would not be my future and I'd take control of my own health as much as I possibly could. The first step was losing weight (I weighed 232 pounds). I've lost 90 pounds and love my re-claimed life filled with good food and so many different activities. I am me again

Two things in short succession:
1) My 5-year-old nephew telling me I couldn’t play on his swingset because I was too fat.

And

2) Seeing a picture of me next to my step-sister who I thought of as the biggest person I knew ... and realizing we looked the same size.

My hubby and I have been together for 20+ years (since high school) so he knew me and loved me at my smallest and largest. But we both decided to take charge of our life and health and 2+ years later, I am down over 110 lbs (20 to go) and he is down over 50 (at goal working on recomp).

My weight began to balloon about 6-7 years ago. I had started a new (stressful) job and was in the midst of peri-menopause. I didn't weigh myself so I knew I was gaining but not how much until I started going to my current doctor in 2012 or 2013. My doctor is Asian and very thin, so they always mentioned the weight. Not in a mean way but very sensitively and professionally. I thought I was doing something about it last year--I wasn't on mfp yet, but I was trying to eat healthier, no junk food. But in a year, rather than LOSING, I gained 10 lbs.! That was the highest I had ever been, I had left my stressful job, so stress eating was no longer an issue. My cholesterol was not great at my last appointment, and my sugar level was borderline, getting close to pre-diabetes. Diabetes is NOT something I went to have. My doctor requested a thyroid test, and nothing wrong there. My doctor had tried to suggest cutting calories, in the past but I said I wouldn't do that. So we just had settled on increasing exercise and eating healthier. (Which did nothing for my weight loss). My doctor finally suggested that I just try writing down what I was eating, that sometimes that helps. I got on MFP (I had account before but hadn't used it) and with no intention of following the program, just tracking. But when I saw how much I had been eating, it was probably over 3000 calories!

By this time at 237 pounds, I was having knee issues, was out of shape (and I had always been active and athletic), none of my clothes fit, couldn't walk down the stairs, and had digestive issues. I decided I just had to lose the weight and set a goal of 100 lbs. I liked the way I looked at 135-145 lbs. in my thirties, and I thought it was doable. It was not my lowest weight (I was 103 in highschool, and between 115-130 in my 20s) but I think it is realistic. I was excited about the prospect of getting back to a decent weight and being physically active again. I was spurred on by the research that many people are able to avoid diabetes by losing weight.

Just keep jumping puddles - eventually the puddles get smaller and the jumps become little or non existent.
Take care and keep jumping.