Lets here it! I wanna know what kicked you guys into gear!

2

Replies

  • katef275
    katef275 Posts: 23 Member
    I started because i am having an operation to remove my parathyroid glands(well 2 that are enlarged) in June and i am scared of the effects of anesthetic at the size/weight i was plus the strain on my back carrying the excess weight is agony. I too will be very happy to be able to bend over and tie my laces without being breathless. I started walking beginning of last week and started mfp yesterday. So far so good :D
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    My doctor casually mentioning that she could refer me to a bariatric surgeon.

    I have had enough surgery to last me a couple of lifetimes but knew I had to do something. So I decided to do it without surgery.

    I started at 257 (I think at one point I was up to 270), lost down to 130 and have maintained there for a few years and am now losing the 20 pounds I put on last year while having some health issues (threw myself a rather extended pity party!).
  • bedwellchris
    bedwellchris Posts: 55 Member
    I've been here a few times myself. It always works but I just have trouble staying with it. I had 20 pounds to lose last September. Instead of losing, I put on 30 pounds between Sept. and March. I looked terrible, had no clothes to wear, wasn't exercising, and was just disgusted with myself. I'm 65 and a teacher who was also huffing and puffing up the stairs. My husband at least was exercising but we seldom ate out. We tried to start 3-4 times but never made it. There were too many bags of chips, candy, etc. in the house and he kept buying. Finally mid March, we started. I logged my first 2 days showing how many calories I was eating and was overwhelmed. At this time, almost May, he has lost 15 pounds and I have lost 10. It is sssslllllooooowwwwlllllyyyyy coming off but I'm in it for good. I even passed on a donut whole that a birthday student brought for everyone last Thursday. It is so easy after you finally take the plunge. I have no cravings but have a hard time staying away from pickles! Good luck to all of you.
  • JJordon
    JJordon Posts: 857 Member
    edited April 2018
    I was sitting on the couch. It was five minutes to midnight. That's what time it was. I don't recall the date or the day, when it happened, but it clicked. I looked at myself, my appearance was a distant, malshaped version of who I use to be. My old injuries, still lingered about and nothing was changing except time was still passing. I got off the couch to change what was into what should be.

    On my shelf were my collection of Beachbody DVDs, I acquired in my youth, now gathering dust. They sat there, like a rusty sword in the corner waiting for a pure-hearted adventurer to pick it up and seize it for the battle ahead.

    It was now midnight and a new day. It was then that I put in a DVD in the PC, pressed play, and suddenly a voice from above said that I gained a level.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Doctor said I was pre-diabetic and a 10lb weight loss would be the solution for me.
  • Baz_Man
    Baz_Man Posts: 23 Member
    Hi all, started about five years ago and keep coming back 12 months after doing well and then going down hill. This time round it go to the point where I was out of breathe putting my boots on and my belt was down to the last notch (second one on a good day!). I have a ruck of clothes that I haven't work in 12 months as they don't fit. I'm down to two pairs of jeans that fit and my last couple of baggy tops. Got a summer holiday this year and I'd like to feel comfortable in photos and not feel like I've got to leg it into the sea as soon as my T-shirt comes off.

    Feel free to add me, I cleared out all the original friends as no-one logged on anymore so I'm on my own at the moment.

    Good luck all
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    I was friggin fat.....no other way to say it!
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Been dieting off and on since age 11; lose the weight, slowly gain it back plus extra. Now prediabetic and borderline hypertensive. Trying to improve those numbers.
  • Sheluvsbread2much
    Sheluvsbread2much Posts: 85 Member
    1. I made lemonade and my arms were sore the next day.
    2. My bras were super tight. That got me cracking.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
    I was in a car crash and wasn't able to do much in terms of exercise or work. I gained some weight and just felt weak, sluggish and out of shape after I'd recovered. I just kinda got fed up with it and started pushing myself again. I've still got like 30 lbs to lose though before I reach the weight I was at before the accident.
  • Tyrnis
    Tyrnis Posts: 5 Member
    Nothing too major for me -- I'd known I was gaining weight for a while, and after the holidays, I was up to 225, which was 5 pounds more than I've ever weighed in my life (I'm 5'10"). It was getting to the point where I wasn't happy with how I looked, and 'I should eat better and exercise' went from something I knew I ought to do to something I started doing. I'm terrible about exercise, so I knew that wasn't something I was likely to stick with, but watching what I ate? That I thought I might be more likely to stick with, and I have been.

    I still do need to start incorporating cardio and strength building for general fitness purposes, but just based on watching my calorie intake since the first of the year, I'm down from 225 to 194, so definite progress. My initial target is 185, though I'm looking at making 180 the final/sustain weight. That's a weight I could maintain pretty easily when I was younger, so hopefully with a little more effort it'll be sustainable in my 40s.
  • cturc2008
    cturc2008 Posts: 9 Member
    I started out of a combination of self loathing and fear if ending up diabetic and hypertensive like my mother!
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
    My friend lost 50lbs and I was straight up jealous. Got my butt in gear I've lost 27lbs so far 40ish to go.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I went into the hospital for an ovarian torsion caused by a gigantic tumor (which turned out to be benign) and came out with a diabetes diagnosis. At that time I had been very sick, almost bedridden, for a year, while doctors failed to figure out what was wrong with me, and being completely sedentary I had become morbidly obese and unfit. I couldn't even stand up for long periods of time without getting tired. I decided I was tired of being obese and wanted to get a handle on my blood sugar, so I started by just walking, slowly stationary cycling, and doing simple arm exercises with water bottles, then increased what I did as I became more fit. A year and a half later my A1c is in the non-diabetic range and I am normal weight.

    However, I am still and will always be diabetic - I can't have more than about 45g carbs at one time while keeping my glucose within a safe range. For those who have a "pre-diabetic" diagnosis, let that be your wake-up call! Get it under control while you still can. Don't do what I did and leave it until after you have full-fledged diabetes, a life-long disease!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    What caused me to start my attempts to become healthier/lose weight (2008), went from 307 lb (HW) to 260s:

    Somehow after years of being the chubbiest/biggest kid/girl/woman in any given group, I realized for the first time on a business trip that I COULDN'T keep up with my companion (female boss, average weight & a few years older). On the stairs at the train station I was out of breath, walking a lot in an airport I had pains in my shin and swollen feet/ankles. That wasn't ok with me!

    What caused me to start using MFP (2013), went from 260s to 160s-170s range where I'm maintaining:

    I had really embraced the idea of body positivity and was enjoying my new relationship after divorce. My new boyfriend (now husband) was all about exercise and healthy eating and a good influence on me, but what really got my attention was his friend losing 80 lb from eating less meat when I went meatless for a year and lost 4 lb. I heard from an internet friend that she lost over 70 lb moderating her food with MFP and I knew she was a body positive, confident girl even at her heaviest so my interest was high and I joined up.
  • Davidaw86
    Davidaw86 Posts: 117 Member
    I got out of the shower one day and saw myself in the mirror. I mean really saw myself. I felt physically ill with what I saw. So I decided to eat better right that second.
  • Nan7114
    Nan7114 Posts: 276 Member
    Nothing fit properly anymore... looking for support on my journey
  • doseofcrazy
    doseofcrazy Posts: 74 Member
    I went to the doctor to test my thyroid. While there, they weighed me (as doctors are wont to do) and the number on the scale was a bit of a wake-up call. The last few times I weighed this much, I simply gave birth and boom, problem solved. LOL However, no baby was forthcoming, so it's got to be the whole eat less/move more approach so here I am. ;)
  • aliyusaf
    aliyusaf Posts: 20 Member
    Two years ago this coming August, I had a routine blood test. The next morning I got a phone call from the Doctor's secretary asking me to come in asap. 30 minutes later the Doctor herself called, telling me not to worry - but do come in asap!

    Anyway, go in a couple of days later and the news is troubling. BMI of 33, high blood pressure and pre-diabetic. Being Switzerland, I was given a stark choice - either do something myself (with the full support of nutritionists, etc. etc. ) or go onto medication immediately.

    I had a long chat with the doc and told her that I would deal with matters on my own and get fit again. I explained to her that until the age of 30, I had been very fit, and then just went off the rails for the next fifteen years and gained about 100 pounds of excess weight. She gave me that look that said "Yeah, heard all this before. Medicine it is then."

    The funny thing is, once I started down the fitness route, it was as if my body was just waiting to get back into shape. I lost the vast majority of weight within the first 6 months. I am now fitter than I was in my mid 20s and weigh about 210 lbs (I am 6'7'' in height). My weight has been stable for at least a year.

    While I am delighted with the results, I just feel a bit sad at the wasted years where I didn't do anything about my weight. Oh well, at least I eventually go around to it!
  • TODDZ9
    TODDZ9 Posts: 4 Member
    I went to the doctor last week and pretty much had him shake my entire existence. I work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, so as far as my job there really isn't any physical activity. I played football in high school and college and was in pretty decent shape. Busted my leg pretty bad and when my activity level bottomed out but I continued eating as much as I was before the weight just piled on. Over the past few years unfortunately I'd pretty much given up and now I have a much bigger hill to climb, but I want my life back, and want to be able to enjoy all of the activities I use to. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I wrote this a couple of years ago. "My doctor says my HDL is low and I need to lose weight and exercise and eat more fiber to bring it up. "
    I've lost a bunch of weight. I've eaten a bunch of fiber. My HDL is higher now. I've exercised a lot. If she wasn't such a skinny thing I'd want to hug her.
  • ShaeSweetness
    ShaeSweetness Posts: 61 Member
    Love all your stories everyone!!! Glad we all found something to kick our butts into shape!!
  • thiswillhappen
    thiswillhappen Posts: 634 Member
    edited May 2018
    I lost almost 40 lbs about 3 years ago, which I was happy with. Then it started to creep back up when I got settled into a happy relationship, stopped watching my calorie intake, and I stopped weighing myself. After Thanksgiving 2017, after a total binge fest, I realized my clothes were starting to get tight on me again, and I couldn't wear everything I had previously been wearing, so I weighed myself and was SHOCKED that I had gained about 20 lbs back. Seeing the visual of the MFP progress scale and realizing that I was halfway to undoing my progress, and all my hard work, was really what motivated me to get back on track. I started watching what I ate, allowing for occasional treats, and working out and trying new exercise activities. I've lost about 16 lbs since the fall, slowly but surely, and I am much closer to my goal weight, and I think I will be there for my wedding in August! Feel free to add me!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    first time around, i didn't want to be a fat bride and i had an autoimmune disorder so the healthier i am the better i feel and the less meds i need.
    this time around, i have unique modeling opportunity and i need to get in fighting shape to compete against 20 somethings and skinny minnies. i'm aiming for fit. and i don't want to live on meds to survive if i don't have to.
    i have about 30lbs to go

    what happened inbetween? i stopped moving as much and didn't adjust calories accordingly
  • pattitate1
    pattitate1 Posts: 1 Member
    I got a DNA test at ancestry, ran it thru Codegen and found out I have several genetic mutations for heart disease and stroke. I immersed myself in researching whatever I could find on how to live heart healthy. Some things I could change immediately (adding 90 minutes of exercise a day, changing what I eat to only heart healthy items) and losing weight is something that will take some time .... but I'm doing all of this basically because I don't want to die right now, and with that sort of motivation, there's absolutely no chance I'd be tempted to "cheat" or give up. Absolutely none.
  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
    Really I started the whole journey for mental health first and foremost but here are few of my catalysts for the weight loss portion:

    1. I was over the weight limit for some things and that really got in my head. If I was a healthy weight, I could have rationalized it but the weight limit was above my healthy weight range.
    2. I tried to paint my toe nails one day and could barely reach my toes.
    3. I was starting to have a hard time gently sitting down and definitely struggling to get up, even from regular couches.
    4. I was straight up exhausted at all times.
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