What kicked off your motiviation to lose?

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I have been coming on here for about 6-7 months and have managed to gain 6 lbs.! What or how did you get to that point where, no this is enough and start kicking butt on the scale? I will eat right for a few days, see no improvement and it starts all over again. I can't manage to keep in the right mind set that I can do it, that I can lose weight...I

I am just really down about how my body looks, I want to change it, but just hoping anyone could offer some words of wisdom / advice for me!

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  • juicyfruitkk
    juicyfruitkk Posts: 95 Member
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    Each person is different. You gotta just make it happen and put you first.
    For me personally I just had a rotten year and it was just time but put me first again and make working out and eating right a priority.
    I believe you can do it, you just have to be dedicated. Log everything, measure, and don't forget to move!! Remember it didn't take a day to put it on so it's not gonna fall off in a few days either. :) Good luck & best wishes!
  • cygnetpro
    cygnetpro Posts: 419 Member
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    I used to be tall and slender. Then I had a non-weight related serious illness that knocked me flat. Months of recovery (doctor ordered sitting still on the couch), and I had packed on about 45 lbs.

    I'd love to say that it's my health that drives me, but a big chunk of it is suddenly being invisible to men. That, and the fact that I'm physically so much weaker than I was. :-)
  • seehawkmomma
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    I think what happens for me is I get stressed or just really emotional. Being a single mom who works all week sometimes its easier for me to stop in at Red Robin than go home and cook. But I have friends now who we are doing this together. I get texts from them and we talk about things we can change that help in the long run. I have my "thinspriation" right now too, which is a nice fat picture of myself. I dont want to look like that anymore. I want to be healthy and not just for me but I want my daughter to make the healthy choices too!
  • kahlee2000
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    An ambulance ride to the ER after I collapsed at work. Doc tole me I was a walking heart attack and it wasn't a matter of if but when. I don't recommend this course. I would probably choose to commit now before getting to that point again. ;)
  • outtanms
    outtanms Posts: 237 Member
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    I struggle with the same thing every day. I just started reading a book called...skinny chicks dont eat salads. So far it has pretty much told you how the foods work together in your body. and how having the right attitude helps. You may look at 1/2 price and see if they have it. I am only 80 pages in and so far so good.
  • charkendrick
    charkendrick Posts: 74 Member
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    I have been a yo you dieter for years. I'm only 5'4 but last winter I climbed to my highest weight ever--197 lbs. I was horrified to be so close to 200 lbs and my doctor told me I might have to go on cholesterol lowering medication. I'm a recovering alcoholic and have been successful with that, so I apply some of the same techniques. Of course I have to eat, but I stay away from foods that trigger binges. For me that is Mexican food, pizza and sweets. I've done away with all junk food and try to eat "clean"-- lean meats, vegetables, fruit. Just recently I've started getting serious about exercise. It's easier now that I've dropped 37 pounds. And it's becoming a new, healthy addiciton. Good luck on your journey. It is so worth it!
  • Squible
    Squible Posts: 359 Member
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    Oh wow you sound just like me!
    What got me back into it (although I've only been eating healthy for 8 days now) is that I got just fed up with being fed up with something I could easily change and better myself.
    It also helped that I read about the fit2fat2fit guy and he gives meal plans and stuff out and I have been following this for the past 8 days but its has helped so much! The first few days were tough but I didn't want to give up anymore. I was just gettting annoyed that I would get up to day 2 or day 3 and then give up and stop excersising or start binging or just eat bad things.
    I'm now settled and although some days are hard, I think to myself "you've been healthy and good for 8 days, 8 days longer than I have ever been healthy before, don't mess it up now for just a biscuit or a piece of cake" and its worked and I hope it will continue to work.

    Also I freaked out when I worked out my BMI and all the health issues that came along with it and I know I don't want to be the fat out of breath person that goes up to the buffet 5 times for more bad stuff that just hurts myself more.

    I'd say try and stick with a diet for a week going cold turkey on all the bad foods and see how you feel.
    Feel free to add me :) And good luck
  • babykanguruh
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    I have done the same thing for the last three years. I would start a "diet", then about 5 days later completely give it up. Almost all of my jeans are too tight, so I NEED to lose the ten pounds. It's working so far this time. I focused on something else rather than weight--fitting into those old clothes. Money is a little tight right now, so I can't really afford to buy new clothes. I just think, "If I lose this ten pounds it will be like getting 4 new pairs of jeans!"
  • slbeutler
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    I am right there with you. I have been teaching group exercise for 13 years and I gained 70 pounds with my last pregnancy. I went back to teaching long before I lost any weight. Most people were understanding because they saw me teaching while I was pregnant. I struggled way more to lose the weight after this second pregnancy than the first, so it has taken a few years and I am still working on it. The jumpstart I got was when the gym got a new manager and one night he made a comment to me about how much fatter I was than all the other instructors ( in front of a group of people) and how they come in with cute matching workout outfits and so on. I was completely devastated. I almost ran out of the gym as I tried to not cry. I was so embarassed, ashamed and pissed at the same time. I called the owner and said I was going to quit because I was so embarassed and did not want to show my face again. The owner ended up firing the manager the next day and talked me into coming back. From that point on I got serious about my diet. I was always good at the working out part, but I needed to clean up my eating.

    Now I have a few accountability partners that I text daily with, interact on facebook etc. I also have a partner at work and we hold each other accountable for our eating. Everytime I want to cheat, I think about what would Helen say or do.
  • skymichele
    skymichele Posts: 19 Member
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    Hi! I understand where you are coming from, I am the same way. I do very well for a short period of time and then bam, there is a family function, birthday party, girl's night out, etc that throws off how I eat. Then because I feel like I failed, I go a couple of weeks being bad.

    Well not anymore. I have decided that no matter what is thrown my way, I am ALWAYS going to have my goals in mind.

    I finally got tired of making excuses and realized that I am the only person that can make myself fit into the "skinny" clothes in my closet. I am the one person that is going to know how I feel when I look in the mirror. Good self-confidence can only get you so far and then you have to face the music. It is no longer okay for everyone to tell me how pretty I am but know that my BMI is off of the charts.

    I stopped lying to myself and started holding myself accountable. Either you want to be fat or you don't.
  • gdb86
    gdb86 Posts: 156 Member
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    Stop beating yourself up when you do slide off track. We all are human and it's natural to crave every now and again or to not workout here and there. The problem occurs when you use those moments to fuel the rest of the week. Remind yourself that it's okay, don't think about it again and keep moving forward. It is a lifestyle change and it will take a daily reminder to eventually turn bad habits into good ones. Good luck to you! :)
  • lindak71
    lindak71 Posts: 92 Member
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    August 17, 2009...It was 2 months until my 20th high school reunion. What made me think I'd lose a lot of my weight in that short a period of time, I don't know. But, the real reason? My health. I had some high blood pressure readings and hematuria (microscopic blood in the urine) and I went through a battery of tests. I was scared. I didn't want to be sick. Turns out the hematuria is genetic since my mom and brother have it. However, my mom battled bladder cancer this year and lost her bladder to the disease, went through a horrific course of chemo and then had emergency surgery to close a perforated ulcer in her duodenum. I turned 40 this year. I'm never going to be fat again. Running has motivated me to stay fit. P.S. I didn't go to my reunion.
  • michellevt725
    michellevt725 Posts: 190 Member
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    I started back on the bandwagon to help with my infertility. I wasn't following too closely then I went for an eye check up. Over the last two month I've had 2 MRIs. The first one to rule out a brain tumor, the second for further diagnostic testing. I have pseudo tumor cerebri. Evidently PTC is getting more common in women of child bearing age that are overweight/obese. So, trying to prevent having to have surgery to remove the additional spinal fluid pressure in my skull I'm back on the bandwagon. I guess sometimes just losing weight can relieve the symptoms.
    You can do this! maybe take your measurements and don't weigh yourself. Then remeasure yourself in a month. From a weigh in addict, believe me I know how hard that will be. Just try, it sounds like you aren't giving yourself enough time to see a reaction on the scale.
  • sjadams01
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    For me it was when my Dad had a massive stroke. They say the only reason he survived was because he was healthy beforehand. I didn't want my kids to go through life without a parent and the fact that mine almost died way too young kicked me into gear. I have found that working out keeps me in a more positive frame of mind. It truly has to be a situation where you want it. I hope you find your motivation!

    P.S. My weight loss on here is not from day one! I have lost much more than what is listed.
  • Shelly_gurl79
    Shelly_gurl79 Posts: 18 Member
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    For me I was just so upset that I couldn't ride the kiddie rides with my kids at the amusement park. I wanted to enjoy life with them and I couldn't. I picked up a book at Wal-mart called "The real skinny on losing it" by Michelle Mckinney Hammond and her words almost reached into my soul and made me wake up and realize so much. She is a christian so it was from a christian perspective, it just really hit me the way she explained things. I didn't follow some of the things in the book but it made me look at my body and how it was supposed to be a gift from God and How I had been abusing myself and the Gift he gave me. There are so many times when I struggle and have bad days still but I just don't give up. U can do this sweetie hang in there
  • sdguy2002
    sdguy2002 Posts: 84 Member
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    My motivation is that I always blamed the comfort of being with others as my inspiration for not getting up and "punishing " myself. Recently caught my gf with my best friend and decided i need to do this for me to feel better about myself. Its something I believe in and now that I have less obligations its time to be about it and not talk about it.
  • jfurman1974
    jfurman1974 Posts: 5 Member
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    Agreeing with the previous poster, riding the rollercoasters with kids is a huge plus to weight loss. And sitting comfortably on the airplane.
  • AJPTRF
    AJPTRF Posts: 24
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    Thanks for your input! Its nice to relate to someone!