What motivated you to lose weight?

[Ste23321]

Nothing has helped motivate me so wondering how others got motivated. My health is deteriorating so you would think that would be a big motivator! But it’s not. What motivated you?

My then 5yo saying ‘mummy is there a baby in your tummy?’.

No baby, just fat 😭

I got diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic with blood sugar levels in the dangerously high range and needing medication.
Now I eat low carb, no sugar and check my blood sugar levels before and after every meal and don’t eat between meals.
I wasn’t massively overweight but did carry post menopausal fat around my belly. Now with my new eating regime I am losing the fat, my blood sugar levels are coming down and hopefully once everything is under full control I can reduce my meds if not come off them altogether.
Without these changes I was risking fatty liver and heart disease, poor kidney function, eye problems leading to even blindness, circulation problems and neuropathy which can lead to loss of limbs and considerably shorten my life.
The diagnosis was a wake up call that I listened to.

I’ve done it twice, not massive amounts to loose, it was around a stone and a half each time, but when I pack on the pounds, it really shows on my face and thighs.

The first time I lost weight it was for my wedding, the 2nd time after I had DC.

I just feel better with the weight gone, my clothes fit better, I feel more confident and I feel like I have a spring in my step.

Being weighed for a pre op appointment and remembering how much easier and safer the procedure will be if I lost abit of weight (plus the thought of colleagues seeing me half naked and overweight).
I then thought about my age and the the fact that it's supposed to be harder to lose middle age spread so didn't want to have that issue when I came to it.

What hasn't worked: upcoming wedding/holiday/event; vanity/clothes not fitting; health

What has worked: joining a team sport (back to netball), so I've found a sport I enjoy and I'm motivated to get better/faster lighter. It works as a catalyst, so I'm more likely to eat well and go out running.

Vanity and health

Fortuna "Then I read Dr Jen Gunter's Menopause Manifesto. It scared the bejeesus out of me."

Can I ask what was scary please? I need all the motivation I can get 😂

Caught a glimpse of myself from side view while having sex on top of my husband, I was mortified

My friends are all gym bunnies and I started hating group photos of us because of how I looked.

I was never hugely overweight but my friends are and always have been very slim and I wasn't happy as "the fat one"

A health crises. I think a short sharp shock healthwise is possibly more effective than a slow deterioration but I was hospitalised and felt awful.

Gave up booze and caffiene, got more exercise and more sleep. Started focusing on myself, rather than running myself ragged after others and using chocolate biscuits/ coffee to keep going. My BMI was 31 and has now come down to 27. I don't diet but I avoid sugar and only eat when I'm hungry.

Dieting because you hate yourself will never ever work. If self hatred was a big enough incentive, then there would no fat people.

If you feel your health is suffering, then that's your first stepping stone. Because you LOVE your body, in every stage it looks, because you want to do things that make you happy. Move in ways that bring you joy - swimming, dancing, running - what makes you feel great? Focus on lovely nutritious food rather than calorie counting. Do not try and restrict yourself. Do things that are sustainable for you long term.
Dont pick misery and hatred as an incentive.

If you want motivation , summer bodies are made in winter and being fat in summer is shit ! Sweaty , uncomfortable and miserable ! Having to wear naff linen trousers and maxi dresses because you embarrassed of your flab .

Watching my Mum’s retirement play out motivated me to get and keep my weight under control. She was overweight/obese all my life but I can’t remember it limiting much when we were kids, but as she got older the consequences of type 2 diabetes kicked in, reducing her mobility, which then meant she put on more weight. Now at 74 she is pretty much housebound, trapped by her own body, she falls and can’t get back up and has never been able to be on her own with her grandchildren, let alone do something like take them to the park. That is not what I want for my future. I refuse to become a prisoner of my own body, from what I can see it gets harder and harder to fix the older you get. In some ways I feel fortunate that I have a daily reminder of what the alternative future looks like if I eat whatever it is I want.

@gunnersgold

If you want motivation , summer bodies are made in winter and being fat in summer is shit ! Sweaty , uncomfortable and miserable ! Having to wear naff linen trousers and maxi dresses because you embarrassed of your flab .

Yes, I'm trying to think of this. I was so relieved last summer wasn't hot. Tbh I find it hard to dress now and am knackered after doing what felt like a lot of walking yesterday.

I don't find linen trousers naff 😂 but as my clothes get bigger, I feel worse. As I said, it's hard to focus on looks as it can be too depressing but it is probably the way to go for me.

I had rapidly gone up 3 dress sizes. I was feeling more and more unwell. I found myself and eating 5 jam doughnuts in one sitting. Was getting agitated if I didn't have certain sweets in the house. My ulcer was getting worse as was my reflux. Was eating late at night. Portion sizes were getting much larger and eating takeaways 2-3 times a week. My dh decided he wanted to go low carb. As dh is the cook I went with it. I lost weight, felt better, and realised I'd had a serious problem with carb. It's become a lifestyle that works for us. I would highly recommend finding a lifestyle change as opposed to dieting. No matter what you choose cut sugar and read the ingredients on packets. I'd done that for the food I bought the kids, but never thought to do it for myself. Anything ending in ose is a sugar. Watch for the high amounts of sugar in fruit. Regardless of change choice, try clean cooking as in starting from scratch, portioning out and freezing.

Looking at old photos.

Remembering how fab I felt when I was slimmer and had loads of energy.

I like clothes but it'd got to the point where I wasn't buying anything as there didn't seem any point as I'd get upset in the changing room and nothing looked good.

I know some people hate this saying but "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" is something I repeat to myself when I fancy a cake!

@EmmaH2022 fair enough , I hate linen trousers and feel like they are thr clothing of people without choices but we are all different . I love the heat and wearing shorts and a vest on a boiling day is the best feeling!

Haven’t lost weight yet but I started my diet and hopefully stick to it this time, what motivated me? My mother buying me maternity clothes for Xmas despite the fact I’m not pregnant 😶

I read Eating Less by Gillian Riley and it was such a shock to see myself in those pages described as being "addicted to overeating". It described me and my thought processes to a T, as if she was writing about me personally. It's completely changed my mindset about food and my health, I can't recommend it enough.

PS I'm not on a diet any longer, having yo-yoed for years. I just eat a balanced healthy diet without the second helpings, and try and focus on anything OTHER than my weight, so:

• having more energy
• sleeping better
• no indigestion after fried food
• setting a good example to the kids
• not having my left heel hurt like it does when I am heavier and more weight presses down
• can wear more of my clothes again as they fit, I am saving money and "shopping my closet"
• I feel in control each time I take a sensible portion of healthy food without seconds, and see it as respecting my body and myself by treating myself as well as possible

After IVF and thankfully a failed suicide attempt I had gained roughly 10kg.
Then the person I dislike most in the world texted me this .....
'It's laughable how much weight you've put on. You've always been ugly inside and out, but at least you had your enviable figure as leverage to get your own way. Now you don't even have that'
I've lost 6kgs, very motivated to drop the final 4!

It's just so uncomfortable in so many ways. This time last year I had a massive lump of back fat that pressed down on my neck when I slept. None of my lovely clothes fit, even that 'fat' ones. I was basically living in muumuus (see Homer). I felt awful and unhealthy 24/7. Constant migraines and could barely walk to the shops without needing to 'rest'.

I lost 4 stone in the first 6 months and was back in shorts by summer. I lost 5 stone in total. I exercise most mornings now and my migraines have gone down to one a week or so.

Start now and you'll be in a much better place by summer.

I lost weight successfully twice in my life. Once for my wedding and to look good in my wedding dress. Started gaining weight again on my honeymoon! The motivation was very short lived and I went back to my old unhealthy ways.
Second time beginning of first lockdown. Lost over 3 stone and kept it off. Want to lose around another stone to feel my best. This time part of my motivation was vanity but mostly for health reasons. I was beginning to get symptoms of peri menopause and knew the weight would be harder to lose after menopause so wanted to lose before that happened. Unfortunately aged 43 I hit full blown raging menopause and weight loss has been slow and hard with everything else going on. But it is more important than ever for my future health. This time I have made permanent changes to my eating and established a regular exercise routine. Not wanting to be ill or immobile into old age is a big motivation for me, I also don’t want to die prematurely from cancer or heart disease.

Health and just generally wanting to improve anyway
Saying "fuck you" to a couple of people by losing some weight as a bonus
Not liking my body and wanting to look better in general
Looking back at old photos and finding them upsetting
Not wanting to be a fat bride. This is a huuuuuuuuge motivator!

My leg was broken by an idiot driver and my appetite was killed by the pain and drugs, which caused some weight loss

Once back to "normal" the rest was willpower and the wish to avoid extra stress on my joints - plus the fact I felt and looked so much better

Scales creeping up, dress size creeping up to a number I thought was only for truly fat people, double chin in photos, upcoming civil partnership, just being fed up of constantly putting on weight