What motivated you??

jinkerz
jinkerz Posts: 3 Member
in Motivation and Support
Here's what made it click for me

Replies

  • jinkerz
    jinkerz Posts: 3 Member
    Hmmm it didn't post but I made it my profile pic.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    My health.
  • Ghostofachance
    Ghostofachance Posts: 305 Member
    The untimely death of my father-in-law. He had struggled off and on with his weight over the years. He had two total knee replacements and developed a gastrointestinal issue while struggling to recover from them.
  • jryepin93
    jryepin93 Posts: 73 Member
    I don't want to be overweight like the rest of my family. Someone needed to break the pattern and I decided it was going to be me. Also my boyfriend is very healthy and active and he encourages me by example.
  • teacherspet1
    teacherspet1 Posts: 142 Member
    I joined MFP with a friend in 2011 & this is my 3rd try with them. I have always been a yo yo dieter but a serious health scare did it for me this time. I have led quite a healthy life (or so I thought) taking no regular medication at all until now. In December of 2017 I suffered a mini stroke or T.I.A. I thought I had had a really bad migraine attack as I lost vision temporarily with flashes of light in all colours. I went to my Doctor, who immediately sent me to the stroke clinic as a precaution. A brain scan showed I had in fact had a mini stroke brought on by atrial fibrillation. I was absolutely flabbergasted & when it finally sank in I decided NOW IS THE TIME! There is nothing like a threat to your mortality to make you sit up & pay attention. I have lost 39lbs since January 17th & got my cholesterol down in due course. LIFE IS PRECIOUS & I want to be here & be healthy for my loved ones. I walk & swim for exercise & eat smaller portions of healthy choice foods. You just need a kick in the butt to motivate you & I have certainly had mine!! 😊😊😊
  • MsBaz2018
    MsBaz2018 Posts: 384 Member
    Tight pants
  • OvershareUsername
    OvershareUsername Posts: 36 Member
    I went to the doctor because I have struggled with mild depression on and off for years. I was prescribed an antidepressant and referred to therapy.

    I am a medical professional and read my assessment for the therapy referral out of curiosity. Broke my heart. I didn’t realize how I really present to others, but at the end of the day, the charting was accurate. Also had labs drawn- it was clear from my results that I have been eating like *kitten* and my lifestyle was having significant and quantifiable impacts on me.

    I decided that before taking a medication with so many significant side effects, I would give a lifestyle change the ‘old college try.’ So far, so good!
  • oceangirl99
    oceangirl99 Posts: 161 Member
    Vanity.... to be truthful. Just plain sick of looking blah and feeling even worse. 40 lbs lighter and I have soooooo much more energy. Why didn't I do this before?
  • Kimmotion5783
    Kimmotion5783 Posts: 417 Member
    lessismoreohio wrote: »
    To answer your question .... I don't want to end up like my friends and relatives who required knee replacements, hip replacements, pacemakers and other similar medical procedures related or tied to their obesity.

    Also, I want to take care of myself so I can take care of others (grandchild on the way).

    Congratulations on the expected grandbaby!
  • jillstreett
    jillstreett Posts: 69 Member
    oceangirl99 wrote: »
    Vanity.... to be truthful. Just plain sick of looking blah and feeling even worse. 40 lbs lighter and I have soooooo much more energy. Why didn't I do this before?

    This! OF COURSE we all want to be healthy, but simply not wanting to look like crap and try to defend why an angle of a picture made me "look big." *says to myself* "girl, you were big!" 50 pounds less now and size 6 jeans and shorts are even starting to get loose!
  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
    @Kimmotion5783 Thank you :)
  • StarBright147
    StarBright147 Posts: 26 Member
    Clothes. I love clothes. I went down a size. I’ve been wearing my new smaller size jeans a lot to stay motivated. :):blush:
  • adamwatt305
    adamwatt305 Posts: 35 Member
    Hi my main motivation is health reasons as I’m overweight and not happy with the way I look.

    Also I want to look good in my wedding suit next year.
  • ShayCarver89
    ShayCarver89 Posts: 239 Member
    Being told if I don’t lose weight I’m going to develop diabetes. It runs in my family and I had twice while pregnant so i already have that going against me. My fasting number came back at 115. 125 is diabetic. My doctor told me, if you don’t do something NOW it’s a done deal. I don’t want diabetes. I don’t want to go blind or die of kidney failure or lose a foot.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    I had a pulmonary embolism last fall (exactly one year now), have had ongoing knee issues since 2015. Doctors (finally) told me my obesity was a factor. I knew aesthetically it wasn’t ideal, but I really had no idea how serious it was.

    I’ve since learned I have an alignment issue with my feet and a genetic factor with my blood clot - but lots of people have these things and don’t experience the same (or any) issues because they are lighter, stronger, and more active. I knew my lifestyle had to change. But I really didn’t know how, and that was the big question.

    I still don’t know what the *kitten* I’m doing tbh.

    I started super slow. Despite all of my health issues what really did the trick at the beginning was the financial motivation- pushing myself to stop eating meals out during the week due to laziness & disorganization. I didn’t enjoy it, it was a little sad, and very expensive (when I was unemployed I ran up a credit card by a couple hundred getting meals at school and my dad had to pay it off, which was very embarrassing. I have since repaid my debt).

    Making my own food or bringing meals from home was an absolute requirement. I kind of suck at food so protein bars and an apple with a (measured) baggie of peanuts are my go-to emergency snacks I keep with me whenever I leave the house. I made deli meat sandwiches and froze them, like my dad does for work. I made it as easy as possible and it was still hard. I made it routine. And I do not take well to routines but having a job and a schedule made it much easier.

    Making money and not spending it on junk food made me feel much better about my life choices. I felt out of control, sick, scared, dependant, and stupid. I was very upset with myself and I finally figured out something to do that wasn’t just being sad about it.

    It’s not a small factor so I will also say - I started dating a wonderful, supportive human and took a summer off of school. Decreased mental stress and kind people in my life made it much more possible than it had been in the past. It’s not a cute motivational saying, and it was a ton of combination factors, but I’m very grateful that it finally meshed and came together to help me start changing. (Now I just need to....keep going.....)
  • 73CL350
    73CL350 Posts: 259 Member
    adamwatt305 wrote: »
    Hi my main motivation is health reasons as I’m overweight and not happy with the way I look.

    Also I want to look good in my wedding suit next year.

    And in his birthday suit later that night!
  • thelegendofsakura89
    thelegendofsakura89 Posts: 105 Member
    Aside from just hating how I looked and wanting to feel better about myself...I watched my aunt die at 52 of causes that were 100% preventable. It drove home the point that I need to be healthy and take better care of my body.

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