What made you decide that its time to lose weight?

I know where you are coming from. A good few years ago I was quite a heavy smoker and tried loads of times to stop and found it agonising and always started again, I tried every stop smoking thing but never succeeded. Then one night I said to my husband, I'm not going to smoke any more, it was like the mist had cleared and the next day I got up and threw my cigs away and I have never smoked since. That was 5 yrs ago now...... I am having a similar experience with weight loss, I have tried every diet there is and most of the time I lose, but then I put it all back on again and more!!!! A few weeks ago I decided I was dieting ever again and I wanted a life style change. I have since combined my life with exercise, healthy food and occasional treats and I have lost 8lb up to now.
Usually when I am on a diet I agonise over food and crave all the bad stuff, but I'm not having that this time, if I want chocolate I have it, but I often have to earn it through exercise.

Hopefully I've figured out the miracle of losing weight, which is......... Move more and eat less!!!

When I started to 'outgrow' my maternity pants.

I had years of denial but realized that I didn't want to hit 30 overweight and unhappy. I might actually make my goal before my 30th birthday!

I didn't want to lose weight. Until, my fiance and I started talking about our future children. We decided what age we'd like to start trying, and I realised I had five years to go, and would not allow myself to tell myself I loved a child if I was willing to start their life inside an unhealthy body, and would then spend their childhood not teaching them the value of looking after themselves. I knew I'd be taking it slow, and five years seemed like a pretty tight deadline, so I got started. I'm going to be two years in towards the end of this year, and I'm happy that I'm on track.

I have so many illnesses in my family but it never really clicked that I am at risk

However as time goes on and you get older, you do become wiser

About to hit 35 this year and I want it to be the best birthday and start the second half of my life fit, healthy and happier

I had years of denial but realized that I didn't want to hit 30 overweight and unhappy. I might actually make my goal before my 30th birthday!

Wow - look at the difference! I know it sounds all 'nothing' as it's said so much, but way to go!

For me personally it was like, i felt men called me fat and looked at me negatively. And i started taking myself negatively. I decided that i was going to drop 30 pounds first. I knew it was going to be hard but i was determined to do it. I started eating differently i got serious about my health and fitness. I lost 24 pounds so far!

I am a a clinical therapist, and a some asked me when I was going to adress my food addiction.








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Well, here's a little background info-probably similar to many of you folks out there. I've always had weight issues...I did weight watchers and had great success...until I couldn't afford the membership dues...My insurance company paid for wellness stuff (I can't remember what it is called) and I did great with that...until the insurance no longer covered that. I've done many of the fad diets with huge success...until I started eating real food again...What prompted me to join MFP was actually my sister-in-law. She is an awesome inspiration to me. She is not nearly as big as I am, but still needs to lose a little weight. In 60 days, she has lost over 20 pounds. She truly is a phenomenal woman. This time around, I really took a deep look within myself and even deeper at what I am teaching my children! My boys mean the world to me and I was teaching them that it is ok to eat a huge bowl of potato chips and eat fried food 3 nights a week-or go out to a buffet...Not exactly what a mother should be teaching her children. Also, my boys are getting older and want to do more things outside with me. I cannot keep up with them! I decided that I can do MFP because of the extra support AND the fact that once I meet my goal weight, I can continue using MFP to maintain the weight loss. It's free, easy and all of the people that I have been in contact with are super supportive!

I have been overweight all my life and have compensated by being a fun person but inside I never really felt that way. I have tryed every diet in it, including starving myself and not eating at all. Over the years I have developed a really unhealthy relationship with food which is based I feel around a "punishment" and "reward system". This relationship has lead to other health implications and also the fact I feel that I have held myself back in life due to my weight. I am turning 40 soon and would like to try one last time for a family and I don't want my life been ruled by my relationship with food any longer. Does that make sense?

I am a logical person, I know to eat less and move more but yet I seem to fail. Anyway's, here I go again and this time its a change for life!!

I have always been bigger than most women, but was never what I consider "fat." Somewhere along the lines of moving back home in the middle of college, meeting my husband, having our daughter, getting married, I lost myself. Now when I picture myself in my head, its the college body me, not the mirror reflection me. I don't feel healthy nor comfortable in my own skin. I feel unattractive, slow, sluggish, etc. I suddenly just had an epiphany one day that if I didnt start taking time to care for myself, I wouldn't be here much longer to care for my husband and daughter. so I joined a gym, started counting calories to 1600-1700 a day and working out 4-5 days a week. I'm in week 2 and already feel better about myself, because I am finally doing something for me.


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What really changed me was when my mother-in-law, who I was really close to, die at the age of 63. She was very much obese and had many issues with diabetes. She married a farmer and that is when her obsession with food really started. She learned to love cheese, milk, meat, homemade deserts, etc. Yes, these can be good for you, but in moderation. She learned to cook very large meals since she was feeding 4 kids who also worked on the farm. She was a wonderful woman and the world's best Nana to my kids. I miss her everyday. I don't want my kids to look at me and tell me that I shouldn't eat that because it is not healthy for me. They liked to try to help my mother-in-law all the time. They are 7 and 6...so this was quite a shock to us all when we noticed what they knew was good for them and what wasn't. It has been a very long road so far, she passed on January 3, 2012. I want to be around to see my grandkids and my great grandkids, so this is why I am starting my life over again in regards to controlling my weight. I also plan on having another child, this would make 4 (I have a 10 month old also), so I want to try to control myself while I am pregnant so if I know the kinds of foods are best for me, I can do this.

Our baby girl just turned 9 months old. I realized one day that she's supposed to be trying foods from our plates, and with the crap we were eating on a regular basis, I didn't want her touching any of it. Then I realized that I've been wheezing every time I play with her or walk up and down our stairs with her, and it hit me that I've felt bad about my weight for a really long time... but this time I have the motivation of wanting to be able to keep up with her as she gets older and make sure she doesn't fall into the unhealthy lifestyle I did.

I went to bed one night and had my usual fantasy of where I got off my fat butt and lost the weight. How everyone thought I looked great. How my medical issues disappeared and I felt and looked great. Where I could keep up with my kids. Look great in clothes. Be able to breath when walking up stairs. And then I thought "....well why don't I?" I remembered how much success both my mom and sister had when they exercised and counted calories.

So the next morning I googled "free calorie counters" and MFP was the first hit. It has been all downhill from there.

I went from 262lbs in Feb 2011 to 195lbs in Feb 2012 :happy: when I found out I was pregnant. Already this pregnancy has been different from my others. I actually CARE about being healthy, fit, and eating right. I have gained some (5lbs) in 11 weeks...but I am healthier and have more energy.