What inspired you to change?

[believe]

When I was at my biggest and lost weight the defining moment was my Dad being diagnosed with Diabetes and I worked in a hospital, most the emergency room, and seen some things that really made me think.

I never did get back to my biggest, except when I was pregnant.

After having the girls I had 25lbs to lose. The defining moment for those 25lbs was being diagnosed glucose intolerant and high cholesterol.

I am now .5lbs away from my goal....2.5 away from what I want to have flex room. It has taken me 1.5yrs to lose it, but I am finally making it.

 

[sm4987]

I don't have one defining moment. I knew that I wanted to be able to play with my kids without feeling like I'm gonna pass out. I wanted to be able to go into a store to buy new clothes without dreading the experience. Knowing that heart problems run in my family and high blood pressure is running rapid in my family right now. I wanted to look good and feel good for me.

 

[glo]

A DISer here on the boards really helped motivate me and inspired me. She took me under her wing, and really helped me improve myself. I will be forever grateful to her for doing that.

 

[jlawall]

My motivating factor was a friend who suggested that we join WW. She needed to lose 20lbs., I needed to lose 70 lbs.! (I hadn't been on a scale in a while and I didn't know how bad it had gotten) You have to be ready.

We are sailing with the Magic in August and this really helps motivate me too.

My clothes weren't fitting, I was down to like 4 pairs of pants. Since I refuse to go above size 14, things were getting pretty dicey! I figure paying for WW is much cheaper than buying new clothes! Also, my insurance will pay for it if I stay on for a year!

So....I've lost 21 lbs. and I'm still in size 14 but that's okay! I'm just glad to wear my clothes again!

I've tried WW before but this time I'm really following it. It has definitely gotten more bearable. I am still appalled by how little I should eat each day. Since I still have so much left to lose, I don't look at this as a diet but a total lifestyle change.

I am definitely happier, more focused and more self-disciplined. I have been rewarding myself every time I reach a milestone as well.

Best wishes to all....YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS!

JoAnn

 

[Lesley]

Back in August I had my bloodwork done and saw my doctor.....I was expecting him to tell me to lose weight, but he didn't. He did tell me that my triglycerides were very, very high and needed to be lowered. So I took his recommendation and started eating a much lower carb diet than I had been used to. And I started losing weight.

After a while though, I started slipping and I realized that my problem was a result of a sugar addiction. But I kept putting off doing anything about it...just telling myself "yeah, I'll do it when the time is right"

In January a friend of mine ( a fellow Disney fanatic/DVC member, not on these boards ) told me about the great success she had following the Atkins diet....and I had heard great success stories before about Atkins. I realized that this was just another form of what my doctor had wanted me to do....and read through the Atkins website very thoroughly. What really struck me was that Atkins gives you a real plan of attack for dealing with carb addiction as well as finding the right number of carbs for you individually. Over the years I have come to an understanding that what is right for one person is not necessarily right for others....and that with everything to do with our bodies we can't compare to anyone else. I'm very put off by any diet plan that acts as if everyone is the same. So it was nice finding a way to figure out what the right number of carbs is for me....since I knew they were a problem for me. And it sets you up to be successful in the long term. I don't like to call Atkins a diet....because its not just a diet. Its how I eat from now on.

 

[bicker]

I feel what inspired me most was learning that you can either pay for or earn interest on how you treat yourself today, down the line. I'd rather have some of that "earning interest."

 

[newmousecateer]

Hi. I am not a regular here, but a lurker. But i definately do get inspiration from this board.

In Januay part of my yearly physical was a blood work up. My triglycerides were very high, and I was also diagnosed as a diabetic. I had been wanting to lose weight for several years and change my eating habits, but never had the motivation. Well, I am now motivated. My levels were such that if I exercise and watch my eating habits and weight, I do not have to take medication. Since this is a life-long illness, I needed to do changes that I will adopt for the rest of my life.

I bought a treadmill, diabetic cookbooks, and informational books. I also just started using Walk Away The Pounds tape for variety. I exercise 4 or 5 times a week.

I have lost 13 lbs since the middle of January! I am at a stall right now, but between a very wonderful person here on the WISH board that I PM, and reading the posts here, I will stick with it.

Good luck to you.

 

[Jenzebelle]

I saw a picture of my from Christmastime (about 20lbs lighter than I am now) and it made me sick to see how disgustingly fat I was and how miserable I am because I am embarrassed about how I look.

And I read a story about a woman that was literally too big to wipe herself when she went to the bathroom. That scared me.
I have hypothyroidism and it is very hard for me to lose weight - synthroid is not working for me. So with my Dr's help, I'm on a diet plan very similar to the Zone - 40%carbs, 30% each of fat and protein.

I am not sure of exactly how much weight I've lost since I only weigh myself once a month. I would say it's been just under 10lbs lost in a month.