What finally gave you the motivation to stick with losing weight?

[WishingICould]

I'm fed up! I've battled with my weight all my life and I'm now 3-4 stone overweight. I go 3-4 days max eating well, utterly determined to change my body and then before the week is out, I'm throwing a bottle of wine in the trolley and cooking up something lovely. I have this 'one more night off and I'll start afresh tomorrow' mentality that I just can't seem to shake. Meanwhile, I feel very uncomfortable in my body, always wear clothes to 'hide' and am aware that as I get older (mid 40s), it's even more important to be healthy.

Part of the issue is that I really love cooking as it's my way of winding down after a stressful week and I also love entertaining and feeding people. It's probably gotten worse since I had a sudden bereavement too. That's been my 'go to' comfort. When I don't do that, I just feel sad and like I have restless hands! But all the while, I'm just getting fatter.

So can I ask, what gave you the shove to really start and stick with a weight loss journey? How did you conquer the feelings of 'emptiness' around not eating what you want? Would love to really sort this out!

seeing my visceral organs surrounded by fat on a scan. After seeing it and knowing what it meant for my future health. I my focus immediately shifted from denial to losing that fat for good.

High blood pressure, it became more about my health than aesthetics. 2 stone down and my BP is now normal.

Turning 50 and realising it was my last chance to lose weight and also to wear clothes I always wanted to wear before I got properly old. I went from a size 16 to a size 8. Once the weight started to drop it was actually very easy and motivational.

Vanity. In mid-life I developed a taste for androgynous, edgy clothing and it just didn't work when I weighed 15 stone. I looked like Family Guy 🙄

Fed up with not being able to wear any of my pre-menopause clothing and fed up with always feeling tired and lethargic. Fed up with avoiding looking in the mirror, of feeling frumpy and "middle aged", of not being able to cross my legs whilst sitting.

Food shopping is the hardest. Every time I want to put something "naughty" in the cart, I remind myself of how unhappy and guilty I'll feel if I eat/drink it. I've stopped rewarding myself with comfort eating when I'm stressed or tired.

Now I shop with a list and buy only what's on it. And I never shop when I'm hungry or tired.

Giving up most sugar. It gave me motivation in a different way - I just wasn't as hungry. Ate lots of plants and different grains and ended up with a colourful, healthy diet without doing anything drastic. I eat about 1600 calories a day but they are made up of meat, veg and fruit (gave up bread too but because I don't really like it).

This is such a useful thread, thank you. Watching with interest and hope, and really pleased that the pp have managed to make a long lasting change 💪

I had a sugar binge at work one day and decided enough was enough.

I love cooking too. There are lots of healthy recipes on line no matter which style of eating/diet you go for.

Doc thought I was diabetic, bloods came back as 51 so gave me a chance to redeem myself before making a diagnosis.
next test I was down a bit at 47, into Prediabetes range but still right on the borderline of diabetes. I've lost two stone since and hope this will continue. I am hungry and miserable most days but I justb try and push through.

How did you do that @PannaCotta2 it’s impressive!

After decades of occasionally losing (then regaining) a stone or two, last year for some reason I convinced myself that I was going to become diabetic if I carried on (probably warranted, I ate a lot of carbs and am an overeater).

Rather than counting calories, I changed the way I eat, and it worked. I've lost 15kg and kept it off. I also found new ways of working out that I can more or less tolerate (I hate exercise for its own sake, but I do it for my health). Ten years ago, at my heaviest, I had a BMI of 34. Last year it was 30, it's now 24. I have a large frame, so that's healthy for me.

I also love to eat and cook, but that's a good thing on the diet I now follow, because it's all homemade, whole, unprocessed and cooked from scratch.

I retired from a stressful job and realised my retirement would likely be shorter than I wanted it to be if I didn't improve my health.

Lost 3 stones, found exercise I like (well tolerate). Feel so much better.

Join something, SlimmingWorld or similar

I became very aware I was mid 40’s but edging closer to 50 and just getting bigger. DM is obese (maybe morbidly so) on statins, hypertension medication, struggles to walk, has arthritis in her knees and we had DGM in a home because she could no longer care for herself or walk due to arthritis. I see DM going the same way as DGM and I didn’t want to be following along behind.

Using MFP I’ve lost around 3&1/2 stone and am now a size 10. More importantly, I’ve been doing mobility exercises 3 x a week, as well as yoga, to make sure I am able to care for myself as long as possible. I see a lot of old people as part of my job and watching their mobility rapidly decline over lockdown as they were inactive has been pretty alarming.

Pre diabetes. Still trying to lose weight but I've reduced my BMI from 29.5 to 26.5 so far. Still got a way to go, but it's a start.

After a couple of months back at work following covid, I'd got bored of the same few outfits that still fitted and didn't want to buy bigger ones, I wanted to fit into the nice ones I no longer fitted. That was in march, I'd never dieted before, but started slimming world with a friend and I'm down 1.5 stone. And my mentality and taste buds have changed.

It was the lack of fitness for me - getting out of breath going upstairs, not being able to run around the park with DS as a toddler.

I too love cooking and food but I actually prefer the healthier stuff like lots of veg, whole grain rices, tomato based pastas etc. anything heavy in oil/fat and cream or dairy based things actually upset my stomach so as much as I love ALL the cheeses, telling myself I was avoiding a stomach ache made it easier not to binge.

I lost 4 stone and went from a size 16/18 to a size 10 around 9/10 years ago. I had a bit of a blip about 5 year ago where I put a stone back on but I've since lost that plus a bit more and kept it off. Now a comfortable size 8/10.

It also helped finding a sport I loved (triathlon).

So interesting. So impressive these posts!

I read that losing weight is the easy part (though I must say I’ve always found it hard and getting harder). It’s all in the maintenance, apparently. Your body will try and fight back with the hunger hormone ghreglin (sorry spelling) for a long time, and this is one main reason why people put weight back on. I think this calms down after a year or so - if you scrupulously maintain! Did you find you were hungry for a long time, those that did maintain? I’d be very curious to know.

I’m doing Noom now. I’m 60. And it’s for the long haul. Nothing has worked in the last 15 years, as I lose and gain the same 30 lbs in fairly extreme dieting (juices, intermittent etc). It’s got to be long haul. Found peoples focus and achievements on this thread inspiring. My motivation isn’t health especially - though carrying an extra 20-30 lbs can’t be good. I mainly want to fit into my clothes ….

Fear. Very high bp after my second pregnancy, which didn't go down after dc was born. I was convinced I was going to drop dead of a stroke or a heart attack. I'm a 14 but at that point I was edging up from a 16 to an 18.

Finally sorting my horrific periods and doing Noom.

I've lost 10kg since March and am still going.

I'm permanently hungry @Logofur but that's because of all the triathlon training I do (I'm only half kidding, it's a standing joke in our house!)

I eat probably 6 times a day, and I know it sounds counter intuitive but it's helped with keeping weight off !

I basically eat smaller amounts but more often which works at keeping hunger at bay because I don't go long periods between eating.

I fuel up before a training session and refuel straight after. I usually train in the morning so these are known as pre-breakfast and 2nd breakfast

I'd then have a small lunch, afternoon snack, small evening meal and an evening snack/small supper.

Somewhere in the region of 2-2,500 calories split into 6, give or take.

@FrangipaniBlue i have been thinking about smaller, more frequent meals, interestingly enough. When one has been on as many diets as me, you can end up with some new habits and orthodoxies that can also be problematic, eg. from intermittent dieting. I am finding Noom good for that, helping me to see things differently: opening my eyes, albeit slowly.

The triathlon training sounds amazing! Though sadly can’t do anything myself like that as have physical disability. But it must be an excellent motivator and release and interest all at once.