What was/is your excuse?

Mine was genetics.

So was mine.

I overcame my excuse with love, or more accurately lust. I first started rowing and then weights because I was young and desperately in love with a girl. I wanted so badly to make her mine.

Well now that girl is long forgotten and a tiny corner in my mind. I never did get her but in the battle for her love I found a much greater prize: a love and acceptance of myself.

And with that acceptance came peace.

Although I don't think I have blamed my obesity on anyone but myself, but I do blame my "shape" on my genetics. My grandmother always told us girls that wide hips were good for carrying babies...ha-ha-ha!! Maybe that was just to help us feel better about being big hipped. Alas, I do blame my obesity however on my failure to keep up with consistent exercise after I got out of college. I was always a sports nut in highschool and college and very fit throughout. Graduation came and I got a job sitting all day, stopped exercising, didn't alter eating habits in fact probably took to eating worse, drinking more, partying more and enjoying the single life. Here I am now 30+ post years of that and finally deciding that I do not want to be retired and so out of shape that I can't enjoy it. I see too many people that let that happen including some in my own family. What a waste!! That will not be me!! Although I am not at the weight I want to be at, I am proud to say I no longer drink or smoke, I have good healthy eating habits, exercise is becoming more enjoyable and less of a chore/dislike. I think I am well on my way, just pissed it took me so long to do something about it!!!

When I was younger I got sexually assaulted and I got alot of attention from men. I became depress and gain weight. Not intenionally. Got help but at a price. All is good now.

Genetics.

My grandparents died of heart disease (Under 60). My dad died of heart disease @ 50. My Uncle died of heart disease @ 55. My mom struggles with heart disease.

So I'm gonna die of heart disease..... Took a little longer than I would have thought to SCREAM: FU@% THAT!

My excuses were: I'm not fat, I have a big frame. It's genetics. It's okay to be a plus-sized girl, I am happy in my own body! And my favorite: '"m not really plus-size, they are making clothes smaller these days.

Oh yeah...I used them all. The funny thing was, I was trying to CONVINCE myself that I was happy being heavy. I was trying to justify it and make it okay. And really...I was miserable. I was unhappy with myself, I was tired, I was having chest pains at 32 years old!!!! OMG!! I felt lazy, unmotivated, and FAT. BUt, I still made excuses and still tried to convince myself that it was okay to be plus size, it was okay to b overweight, and it was the world's fault for pushing "skinny" in my face everyday!

When I got on that scale almost 1 year ago (dec 28th, 2010) and saw how very overweight I actually was....I was crushed. I felt like the world stopped. I ran my numbers and measurements online and my computer told me I was Obese.

Almost 1 year later I have reached "normal" status for my weight. I still have work to do. But, my focus is being healthy. Eating healthy, exercising.....I want to be strong! This past month I started running 5K's on the treadmill. I am weightlifting. And I have started a local Challenge (support) group to help others. It takes time and hard work but it is worth it!!

I don't think I have had an excuse other than laziness. I knew deep down that there was something I was doing wrong; I just didn't know what it was.

Now that I know all I need to know to lose weight, when I don't lose weight I know it's because I'm not executing the plan as I should.

Mine was....I'll do it later...when I have more time...when the kids get into school full time...when life slows down...HA!

Luckily a trip to the doctor last year woke me up. I was the only one in my immediately family NOT suffering from type 2 diabetes, but I was on my way. And, I had early onset coronary artery disease. YIKES! At 34, really?

From 230lbs to 170 now...and losing more and more each week!

my kids make me take them to Mcdonalds every single day.

"I'm big-boned." My dad is still trying to sell me this bill of goods.

"No matter how much I exercise, I will never look the way I want to look. My body isn't the right "type" to be in shape like that."

I hear that kind of thing all over the boards from other people now. They set their goal for 150 pounds, not because they honestly want to get to 150 pounds those are not the ones I mean!!! But they set it because even though they want to be 125 pounds, they think that "big bones" or "large frames" or whatever is stopping them from ever reaching that goal so they don't even try. It's sad really. How do you know what you can do if you never try?

And just wanted to reiterate, I am not talking about everyone with that goal or similar ones! But there are some people out there who set their goals high because they honestly think they'll never make it to the lower ones. I used to be that way, too! My goal was 145 pounds. When I got down to 128, I couldn't believe the scale. :bigsmile: But I was proud of myself for trying and achieving!

No time and I had five pregnancies so I should embrace my "mommy" body. (BTW my family is also mostly obese)

No excuses, not then, not now.

I've always taken full responsibility for my body. I was fat because over many years I ate very slightly more than my body needed for the exercise it was getting, and I knew that.

When it got to the point that I wanted to do something about it, I did.

No time and I had five pregnancies so I should embrace my "mommy" body. (BTW my family is also mostly obese)

5 kids? R u kidding me?

My excuses were: a genetically screwed up spine, allergies that make me feel like a truck ran me over most of the year, a borderline low metabolism (not quite bad enough to medicate, but definitely not normal), a history of crash dieting and diet pill popping, and frankly not really wanting to live anyway. Well, I certainly don't intend to go on living like this. It's time for me to get in the best shape possible and then get the heck out of this region of the country, because I truly am ill here most of the year, and I'm done putting up with it. If that means packing up a sleeping bag, tent, and backpack and heading out of here on foot, so be it, that's what I'll do. And that's going to require me to be in very good shape.

My mom inducting me into the Clean Plate Club - had to sit at the table til midnight, and if my plate wasn't clean, I got it for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day until it was. Still sometimes find myself feeling like I have to eat everything on my plate.
Alcohol, LOTS of alcohol. Since I got pregnant with my first in '94 I rarely touch it, even less when I found out how it affects your metabolism.
Strattera (ADD med that added the last 50 lbs), have since switched to another.

Thanks to sites like this, and doing lots of research, I'm prepared for the future, and no more excuses!

And seriously, SeaSiren, SIX?!?! Are you secretly a seahorse and your husband carried them for you???

Had to edit for SeaSiren's #6!