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?

Two things - one was went for medical in work and told me if kept going way i was going would be in the obese category soon and two a picture of me out walking the dogs with the coat so tight across me it would burst. I was never a women who put o weight - all through my twenties stayed 8 stone and could eat drink all I wanted. My heaviest i was 10 stone 8 and am five feet 5. Went on a keto diet and started walking every day ( lockdown actually helped) it has been very slow but down to 9 stone 2 lbs and stay around that. Have to keep an eye on it though and watch it . But as people say i am sleeping better, have more energy, not as much aches and pains now plus my wardrobe fits me. For me its not about looks as much its more about health, life is short and when i retire i want to be like my mother in law ( 80 this year) who walks 20,000 steps a day - even with both hips replaced, and has a great social life

Lots of things.. both aesthetic and health motivators
Feeling bloated and fat after Christmas over-indulgence
Worrying about the effects of drinking more than recommended amounts
Skiing holiday in March and worrying about not being fit enough
Summer holidays coming up and not wanting to reveal flabby body parts
Contraceptive pill review in March and being over 40 can not have any additional risk factors (i.e. being overweight) or they wont prescribe it
A Friends 40th in a few weeks with lots of lovely looking slim ladies
Not fitting in my favourite clothes
I really enjoy weight loss/healthy living when i get into the cycle of it. IT can be a bit of an obsession, but a good one!

Having a child and the thought that my weight might mean I wasn’t around to see her grow up. Also, the fact that my energy levels were rock bottom and not compatible with having a kid.

Looked bigger in photos thanni felt, despite buying clothes 3 sizes bigger than normal od convinced myself I was just a few pounds bigger lost 3 stone and back to a large 12.

Just had a diet break for a few years now I feel ready to focus and lose the last 2 stone.

First time - I got divorced but wanted a new relationship. I am a dating coach and knew I'd find it harder to attract men because I was a fat single mother over 40. I could only change one of those things, so I changed it! Followed an old fashioned diet and went to a local gym a LOT.

Second time - it was my second husband's 50th birthday and I struggled for ages to find a dress that looked ok. Then I saw photos of me afterwards and just thought, FFS - that's not me. So I joined WW, lost 4.5 stone and now I feel great!!

My wedding was cancelled due to Covid, and I realised I was actually really relieved as I would have hated how I looked. I’ve lost 26lbs so far but still have quite a lot left to lose. I’ve also found that the only thing that motivates me to exercise is by paying for classes. I pay for 8 up front and it forces me to go as I don’t want to lose the money!

@EmmaH2022

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 😂

@EmmaH2022 it was basically a very frank chat about how your body ages and how you are probably going to die. It goes into perimenopause, menopause and then all the long term effects of menopause on your body. She really hammers home on bones, cardiac health and weight. Basically the younger you can get the weight off and improve your fitness the easier ride you will have into old age. I'm early 40s and the book only came out last year and I wish I could have read it when I was 35 and had the kick up the arse sooner. I've got early signs of health issues so want to get ahead of it now. The older you are the harder the weight is to get off, especially post menopause.

I also agree with a previous poster who spoke about mindset. I've wanted to lose weight before, but got nowhere because my head wasn't in the right place. I can only do it if I really want to. I try to go for slow loss by making small manageable changes because big diet overhauls don't work for me. Over time I've swapped to brown rice/pasta/bread, reduced portion sizes, swapped snacks for healthier ones, picked better options, but there are still a few treats in the cupboard if I really want one. I could quite happily munch a few packs of crisps in a day over lockdown, now I'd be surprised if I ate one a week. I used My Fitness Pal years ago which worked for me, now I don't need to as I have a rough idea of where I'm up to without it.

If you are into your 40s your doc should be happy to send you for annual broad spectrum blood tests so you can keep an eye on things likes cholesterol. Mine also regularly monitor my blood pressure and will lend you a device for a few weeks if you don't have your own.

I also keep my snacks in the attic because I have to really want a packet of crisps to be bothered enough to walk up two flights of stairs to get them.

@Wexone glad you lost the weight you wanted but I am shocked you were told that at your work medical. Very irresponsible as you would need to be 12st 13lbs to be obese so clearly you were nowhere near!

@ESSEXLIONESS she didn't say that i was Obese but she said continuing my sedatory lifestyle i was living at the time along with my bad diet and stress at work, in another year or two i would have been that category. Apologies if i explained it wrong. If i put in the small changes now it would be far easier to help loose the small bit off weight and keep the new habits then it would have been if i got heavier. She was actually quiet nice about it and i actually appreciated it as it did shock me as never had a weight issue before. And i did find it tough, its so easy to put on but so hard to loose it .

Covid. In March 2020 when it was all over the news that being overweight increased risk, and I was in the overweight category for BMI. It was like a fight or flight moment. Flight wasn't really an option as i had to go out and about due to work, so it was my way of feeling I was fighting. With hindsight it wasn't necessary really, as my weight would have made no appreciable difference, but it felt like I was doing all I could to protect myself and was a way of feeling some control i suppose. I also started exercising and a much healthier lifestyle, which I've maintained. Its much easier to stay motivated than get motivated I think as now I know what I'd be losing if I slipped.

Fortuna thank you.

I lost my mum to cancer last January. She was only 60 (20 years older than I am now). After she died I found out my nan (her mum)died from the same cancer at 75. Its supposed to be a less common cancer but the biggest risk factor is obesity. Both my mum and nan were quite overweight as are the rest of my family.
I decided I couldn't do that to my kids. Started healthy eating on March 31st and am down over 5 stone so far. 10lbs left to go.
I can't believe how much better I feel. I can walk for miles. Have so much more energy and actually enjoy picking out clothes now.

This thread just makes me feel super sad.

[quote Wexone]@ESSEXLIONESS she didn't say that i was Obese but she said continuing my sedatory lifestyle i was living at the time along with my bad diet and stress at work, in another year or two i would have been that category. Apologies if i explained it wrong. If i put in the small changes now it would be far easier to help loose the small bit off weight and keep the new habits then it would have been if i got heavier. She was actually quiet nice about it and i actually appreciated it as it did shock me as never had a weight issue before. And i did find it tough, its so easy to put on but so hard to loose it .[/quote]
Ah right, sorry I got the wrong end of the stick! Yes it is true that even small weight gains, over a period of time can seriously add up. That’s exactly how I gained my weight… a few pounds here and there. Couple of pounds over Christmas, your birthday, holidays etc then before you know it you have a few stone to lose! Much better to do it the way you did and nip it in the bud early

@Butteryflakycrust83

This thread just makes me feel super sad.

How come?

@Butteryflakycrust83

This thread just makes me feel super sad.

Why? I find it super inspiring to see from a lot of posters on this thread that what really, TRULY motivates people isn't hating themselves or wanting to have a certain visual aesthetic but wanting to be healthier, live better and feel better in their own skin for the rest of their lives.

If you love and respect yourself, why wouldn't you want to treat yourself well by taking care of your body. It's the only one you've got! (I work in climate change and feel very similarly about how we treat the planet we live on.)

Xiaoxiong PurpleDaisies

Because it all comes from a place of such hatred and disgust.

You can take care of yourself without being slim. You can take care of yourself without thinking your body is disgusting.

@Butteryflakycrust83 but this is how people are truly feeling. They are being honest. There are plenty of people who are over weight but happy with their bodies and love their bodies, and well done to them. This is actually good that people are being honest and are allowed to feel this way. Its a combination of things that they have reached this stage to feel this way and i think its great that they have reached out for help in many different ways and made these changes to help them selves.

@Butteryflakycrust83

Xiaoxiong PurpleDaisies

Because it all comes from a place of such hatred and disgust.

You can take care of yourself without being slim. You can take care of yourself without thinking your body is disgusting.

“Disgusting”?

If you read my post you’ll see that I lost weight because my BP was too high. I’ve never hated anything about my body. What a waste of energy that would be.

Are you possibly projecting, @Butteryflakycrust83?

About 4 years ago, I joined Slimming World and lost 5 stone in just under a year.

However, I looked sick - and food became an obsession, to the point that I couldn't eat out without having a panic attack over what 'Syns' might be hiding in the meal. I'm not having a go at Slimming World at all - it was my own though process around it that gave me a bad experience.

4 years later, and all 5 stone (and more) back on - I'm starting again, but this time I'm determined to do it right and not get obsessive about it. I've joined a gym and doing 3 workouts a week (I have never been in a gym before) and I find that by doing the exercise, I'm less likely to want to eat crap and undo the torture.

I'm not saying I have it sorted - I could be in a ball with a tub of Ben & Jerrys by tomorrow evening - but swings and roundabouts.

Bottom line, I was skinny and unhappy. Now I'm far from skinny, but in a better place mentally to want to lose weight just because.

@Butteryflakycrust83Just above you is @astridpeth's story of losing her gran and her mother to the same cancer, the main risk factor is obesity. Above her is @5128gap talking about trying to reduce her covid risk, and above her is @Wexone and @FortunaMajor talking about addressing their weight to head off early signs of health issues and a harder menopause.

I'll let those women say whether they were coming from a place of disgust and hatred but that's certainly not what I take from their posts.

@Butteryflakycrust83

Xiaoxiong PurpleDaisies

Because it all comes from a place of such hatred and disgust.

You can take care of yourself without being slim. You can take care of yourself without thinking your body is disgusting.

I am losing weight as I have been diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic.

I don’t hate my body but I do hate diabetes. I don’t want to risk my health any further by ignoring the fact that what I was eating was not only making me fat but was sending my blood sugar levels haywire and if I didn’t change I was risking long term health implications and possibly an early death. Low carb is the only diet that is healthy for a diabetic which also helps with the weight loss. I don’t want to get to the stage where I am injecting myself 4 times a day with insulin so now is the time to act.

Painful knees, getting out of breath on the school run and general bad health.

I switched my focus from losing weight to getting fit/strong. Met a PT and started a program with her at the gym. I've lost weight doing this and still have 20kg to lose. I'm doing it slowly but because I changed my mindset I have different goals.

Being able to run further on the treadmill, lift heavier weights with more rep. It's exercise but enjoyable exercise.

I'm bad at willpower so having the PT sessions means I have to go, plus the accountability.

The last few years have been hell for me and eating was my “little” treat. Mid July something just clicked - it’s the only thing I have input into that can make my life tolerable and since then I’ve lost 50 ib. Weightloss is hard and to do it you need to be in the right mindset to really go for it. I found when it clicked I was already starting to be more active because of my job (wasn’t sitting doing online zoom lectures all day) and so couldn’t snack and food wise started to eat more healthier - lost a couple of pounds and the happiness I got from that have me the high I needed from being able to make one thing better in my life (weight I can but everything else isn’t possible) and then started calorie counting. I don’t go really low - started on 1800 and now on 1600 but when you start measuring out butter and pasta you start to be more sensible with portions. That’s a key start just being aware of what is going in your body - I never gave any thought on how much butter I would use or pasta or rice etc but it’a just being aware of how many calories are in these which helped me. Good luck - you’ll find that motivation one day!

I'm just sick of feeling a bit crap, and I want to feel strong again. Have been walking lots since the New Year and already can feel I have more energy and more strength.