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Best of the Boards:
Motivation
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What was your last straw??
I just thought it would be a bit interesting to see what
finally motivated you all to lose weight!
For me, it was about 6 weeks ago when I went to House of
Fraser on Victoria St and I spent almost 2 hours in there,
looking for something to wear - and there was nothing that fit
me! I thought, blimey, it comes to something when an entire
department store doesn't contain clothes to fit me. Thought I'd
better do something about it before I could only get my knickers
on prescription!!
ELFRIDA
My best friend had a heart attack at age 40 on Good Friday of
this year. I looked at myself and thought "Right, if any one is
a heart attack candidate, it is me" as:
1) nearly 15 stone 13 lbs. at 5' 6"
2) high blood pressure
3) took no exercise
4) smoker
So, we decided together to get fit and get on with it for a
change. I have lost 2.5 stone since beginning of May and have
another 3 or so stone to go.
Also, I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left ankle and I
have been advised to lose weight to reduce the load on the
arthritic joint.
Oh, and I got tired of looking like Jabba the Hut's kid
sister...
LOWLIFE
realising that my clothes hadnt shrunk in the wash and that i
couldnt do up my shoes without suffocating.
SCATTYNATTY
Getting some holiday pictures developed from our holiday in
France last year and seeing myself standing next to my lovely
slim son and then shortly afterwards going to a works party
where we everyone around seemed to be slim and beautifully
dressed. I felt dowdy and fat in comparison and I vowed then and
there that I would lose the weight so that I never felt like
that again.
I now have, so hopefully I won't (if you know what I mean).
DANISH COOKIE
A couple of things but initially one of my closest friends
telling me in 2 different conversations that 1) He was looking
for a girl with a personality (with lots of emphasis) just like
mine 2)That blokes, our age anyway, care so much about what
their friends think of a girl that they wouldn't go out with her
unless their friends thought she was fit. Reading between the
lines he wasn't interested in me because I was fat despite the
fact that I had feeling for him. I'm not losing weight to 'get
him' because I realise that I wouldn't want to get involved with
anyone that shallow but it did give me a big push.
Lots of other things, always being the 'fat one'; finding my
size 18's were getting very tight and refusing to buy anything
in a 20. After this had all been building up, coming home from
university, weighing myself and finding I was over a stone and a
half heavier than I ever had been before.
I am so pleased now though that I found WLR. 3 months later
and I'm 1 1/2 stones lighter already!
KATIE123
I have multiple sclerosis (relapsing/remitting) and the
relapses are getting closer and more pronounced, although not
yet very disabling. Treatment options on the NHS are limited,
and mainly steroid based. And basically, my neurologist told me
she would be reluctant to prescribe steroids for me with my
weight as it was.
Having three weeks of pain, numbness and general ickiness
from inflammation in my left arm (I'm left handed) which would
have been eased by steroids is quite a motivator!
BEEBARF
I got fed up with hating what I saw every time I looked in
the mirror - it used to make me very miserable. And I had a
wardrobe full of clothes I couldn't get into any more -
certainly wasn't going to replace them all. Finding WLR was my
salvation - not quite sure why but it motivated me like nothing
else ever had before.
SARAHWOO
It suddenly dawned on me at in a few years time I would be 30
years old and I have always wanted to lose the weight before I
hit 30, so it came as a shock to realise that time had crept up
on me very quickly. Also I want to have a baby within the next
couple of years and I didnt want to be a overweight, unfit mum
who teaches her kids to eat junk and not do any exercise. Gave
myself a short sharp slap and decided it was basically now or
never.
HBROOKES
My ex was quite big and we both ate alot—you know how it
happens you get comfortable. We had the most awful break up,
awful things happened, it completely messed me up and i wasn't
eating properly and i lost quite a bit of weight.
when i started sorting myself and my life out i noticed how
much better i felt being a bit lighter. i started eating
properly again and put weight on but decided that for once i was
going to do something about my weight. i spent years not caring
about myself. i now feel excellent! and im definitely not going
to let anyone control my life again!
i have the power!!!!!
EMILY23
Mine was when I realised that I weigh more than my husband -
and he's a 6'2" strapping great man! I had always had a rule
that I would never go out with a man who wore smaller jeans than
I did. As I don't want a divorce, I will have to get the weight
off and into jeans considerably smaller than my husband's!
Also, I have always loved clothes and it really depresses me
that I now have to wear what FITS me and not what I would like
to wear.
Good question!
SDB
Yeah I like this question too. For me it was two
things...finally realizing how unfit I was (couldn't even walk
ten minutes to the shops without it exhausting me) and the
realization that if I wanted to wear clothes I could breathe in
then my actual size is a size 20. Neither of those two were
acceptable to me. So here I am. Very highly motivated and after
four weeks having a steady weight loss of 4lb
Great Question!
LUPILIZZY
Very good question.
Feeling tired and told, not being able to climb stairs and
not being able to wear most of my clothes, I was wearing one
black skirt all the time - think that did it really. Ha, Ha, 5
months later I can wear everything and have even bought some
nice new things.
WENDYTHEWAIF
One Christmas my mother-in-law telling me I had got really
fat in front of a room full of people, who all thought it was
highly amusing!
FLUFFY
My best friend was getting married and wanted me to be
bridesmaid, the other 3 were all size 10 and I was 18 stone and
a size 24! By the wedding I was a size 16. It took a further 5
years to lose all the 8 1/2 stone but I am so thankful she asked
me as I think I would now be 22 stone. I personally think its
all about clothes for women.
CHRISTINE97
Started going out with a boy who weighed a few lb less than
me (despite being a few inches taller). Ex was very tall and a
bit overweight so I was always *much* smaller than him, but for
the first time I felt big and awkward alongside my skinny man.
Am now a stone lighter than him and feel much more in
proportion. Wanted to lose it for myself anyway, but that's what
spurred me on.
LILY1
Clothes not fitting right. I'm a skinflint and I'll be
buggered if I'm going to buy a whole new wardrobe in a size (or
two) bigger!
DHD
Hmm, for me the last straw was seeing that [1] I was getting
close to the limit on my scales and [2] seeing that the limit
was very close to 20 stone, a weight I really didn't want to
hit.
Had been on WLR for a couple of years on and off and read
various PCOS books (including PCOS diet book) but had only half
heartedly been trying, but it was the sudden realisation of how
things had been going (and how much weight I'd piled on in the
past few years) that prompted me.
So many reasons to get down to a more normal weight, daft
ones too like going on rides at theme parks, developing the
confidence to do learn a martial art, fitting in aircraft seats
more comfortably and not looking like a heffer when we tie the
knot in Vegas next year! Not to mention the joy there will be of
being able to buy clothes that I like rather than ones that just
fit, hope bust follows trend of dress sizes, not much choice in
a 38J, think I'm down to a 36HH now at least, bit better.
FRUITYLOOPS
Not feeling comfortable in my own skin. Whilst I know that I
was never obese and no one I know ever thought I needed to lose
weight (although one person did say 'well, you did look a bit
chunky!!!!) I wasn't happy and I didn't feel good in the clothes
I wanted to wear. I lost 1 stone and a half for my wedding (down
to 10st/size 10/12) in 2003 and felt great but then slowly put
on a stone over the next two years. Now back to 10st and feeling
great again - just in time for the summer!!!
Summary - clothes not fitting like they should and not being
happy in my own skin, for me not for anyone else........
JACQUI99
I've spent about 3 years yoyo dieting, and decided enough is
enough. I made a decision 3 weeks ago that this is my last
chance. If I can't do it this time then I can obviously never do
it, so must just resign myself to being this size. That seemed
to do it for me.
Finding WLR was the best thing, it really came at the right
time, in sync with the click in my head, and now I don't feel
restricted by being on a diet because I have what I want when I
want (within reason) and its working. 3 weeks into this and 5lbs
down, and still going strong :)
DINX
Going wedding dress shopping with my mum and size 16s being
too small for me. She didn't say anything but the look on her
face (which she tried to hide) said it all, and then suggesting
I get married in a suit...
BABYSPARK
Been wanting to for ages but pretending everything was ok
till boyfriends pal and lovely slim girlfriend decided to come
on holiday to the dominican with us....no way can i have anyone
who knows me see me in a bikini in this state - i'd be mortified
- i don't think my best mate of 10 yrs has ever seen my legs!!
strangers i can deal with (just about) as you never see them
again.
i'm off 6 weeks today...1 stone down, 3 to go so i'll see how
much i can lose by then and hopefully not have to hide all day
for 2 weeks....plus i would love to walk into a shop and try
stuff on without feeling fat and depressed afterwards.
THEGAIL
Hitting 12st and being informed of my son's wedding at the
end of August. Not wanting to look fat and dumpy on the photos
(all my kids & partners tower above me!). Lost 7lbs so far still
some to go! Hoping to at least get into a size 14 for the big
day!
JAYBIRD21
When I came back from university last christmas and I had to
sew up my skirt that had been loose when I bought it, because I
was splitting it with my big fatness! In the same night, my dad
saw me wearing the skirt and told me I had thighs like my
grandmother and asked if I was sure I wanted to wear it out. i
cried a lot and realised that I was a big hefter, and was just
eating crap a lot. Took me ages to loose weight, I just though
as long as i go to the gym, i can eat what I want. This meant I
was working hard, but not loosing anything. This led me into a
horrible cycle of binging and feeling bad and frustrated.
Last summer I joined WLR and I can really see where I'm going
wrong, and so now I am much slimmer and fitter (although still
have half a stone to go before i can be classed a slim jim). I
ignored my weight gain for ages, and it just takes that one
shoocking moment to wake you up.
BEE
Well I've wanted to lose weight for a while but never seemed
to get real motivation. I would kinda eat well and healthy for a
bit and then relapse - I always knew fad diets were not the way
to do it. Anyway after many months of looking at photos of
myself and hating them, and not being able to wear the clothes I
want and of being self-conscious all the time.
I decided that I really wanted to lose weight healthily and
keep it off, I really can see a way forward and downward with
this site I think its fantastic!
I want to be able to run and play with my kids and I want to
set a good example for them in the way that I eat too, don't
want them feeling inappropriate for being over weight too.
I want to do Karate (something I've wanted to do for ages)
but never started because I knew I wasn't fit enough.
ANNA5479
I think what did it for me was that I had a very bad dose of
flu and couldn't get out of bed for 5 days. Naturally, I lost
quite a lot of weight because I wasn't eating and I suddenly
realised how good it would feel if I actually carried on losing
it, and could keep it off.
The next week I went back to work and of course started to
put the weight back on again, and I thought NO NO NO. This time,
I'm doing something about it. Something just clicked in my head
and I've never felt so determined in my life. This time I know
I'm going to lose it AND keep it off. So far so good!!
ERIN123
A friend sent me some pics of me on a business trip to the
States. There is one on my
success story and that is far from the worst! Never again!
RACHAEL REYNOLDS
Why Do You Want To Lose Weight?
Just wondering what
everyone's motivation is to lose weight? Health or beauty or
something else? Is there a situation that happened that prompted
you to want to lose weight for good? I think my motivation is
just on the beauty side really - I'm fairly young and would like
to fit into whatever clothes I want. I want to choose clothes
and not let the clothes choose me! I also want to lose weight
because of family pressure. Just thought this might be a good
chance for everyone to get to know eachother a bit better. So
why do you want to lose weight?!
MATHSWIZ
My motivation is psychological! Basically, for 2 years my
hubby was suffering from depression, then as he came out of it I
sank into it a bit as well.
Through a number of ways I managed
to get myself out of it.
Last February I finally decided that I
felt good about myself again internally - self confidence etc.
So I looked at myself and decided that the only thing missing
was that I was a size 16 - 18 and I didn't like it. So I joined
WLR about 24 hours after deciding to do it, and here I am -
currently at 10st 6lbs and aiming for 9st 7lbs. Feeling a lot
more positive about myself now and starting to get some really
nice compliments which make me even more determined to carry on!
CHRISHTA
Because im fat lol!
I had a baby nearly 4mths ago now and i
piled on the pounds throughout my pregnancy putting on well over
2 stone. I felt uncomfortable with my weight and always wore
baggy clothing and wouldnt go out because i thought everyone
would be looking at me and thinking what a fat cow.
Ive lost 1st
6lbs so far and although im still not completely satisfied with
how i look at least the baggy tshirts have been thrown out.
NEWMENOW
I had been to Tenerife for new year 2 years ago, and when i
saw the pictures decided that i had to do something (had been
talking about starting to diet for months before hand).
The photos were the kick i needed.
NICOLA24
I only have about 10lbs to a stone to lose and its purely for
cosmetic reasons, so i look better, well that was the original
plan, however i have recently been sufering from bad bouts of
IBS bloating, trapped wind wont go into the gory details. Last
week i got so fed up with my symptoms i decided i was going to
very carefully watch what i eat and eliminate certain foods so i
can better understand what foods trigger my ibs. I am already
feeling much better in myself. However i have been very
determined for only a few days now. I have to admit i love food
(chocolate and chips etc) i don’t really have any other vices.
So that’s my reason.
SUPAHOTCHICK
Been a few more down-beat messages and threads than normal in
the last couple of weeks, and it got me thinking about what I
want to get out of this site.
I'd spent 2 years trying to "lose
weight and gain muscle" and very unscientifically I was trying
to eat lots of protein while reducing my calorie intake. Nett
result was little weight change (and very little strength change
either). It was only at the beginning of this year that I set my
single goal:
I want to get down to the correct weight for my
age/height.
That's my primary goal. Nothing else. Fitness is a
bonus, and extra muscle mass is a bonus. Toning my body is a
bonus. Running a marathon next year will be a bonus. Getting to
chat to some great people about health, fitness and nutrition is
also a bonus. However, my main goal is to lose weight. When I
hit target weight (which should be by the end of August if all
goes well), I'll re-assess my goals.
I can't help thinking that
some people people here are trying to do too much too soon, and
have mixed/poorly-defined goals. You can't reach a target if you
haven't defined it, nor can you reach a target if it conflicts
with another target.
"Lose weight and get fit" - they are not
the same thing. Which is your priority?
"Make friends while I
lose weight" - great, but which is the target and which is the
bonus?
"Lose weight and tone up" - again, which is the main aim?
"Make me happier about myself" - too general, too hard to
measure. How are you going to do it?
So it's time to focus guys:
of all the reasons you are here, which is your MAIN goal, and
which are just positive side effects?
BEERMATT
Purely and simply to get to a suitable weight for my height.
My weight had been creeping slowly up over a period of a few
years, my portions sizes were getting bigger and I was eating
lots of takeaways.
WLR seems to be working so I think I'll stick
with it, even if it is slow going. Partly my fault as I do like
to eat all my calorie allowance and sometimes a bit more. This
site has also managed to get me eating fruit which is a minor
miracle!!!
STAFFITAXI
I'm here because this helps me stick to a calorie allowance,
(within reason), to help me lose weight.
Can't stand slimming
clubs cos i can't stick to the diets.
And the added bonus is all
the fantastic people on here! It's great to be able to talk
about dieting and how much weight we've lost or haven't lost
without boring other people silly who are not interested!
FOXY
At the moment my main goal is to tone up. I want to be firm,
that is my aim. Initially I suppose that my goal was to lose
weight, but I didn't really think of it as that - it was to "get
thin". I had planned to do exercise to lose weight but now
fitness is as important to me and losing weight.
RUMPHALINA
This question intrigued me so much that I have been thinking
about it a lot this morning and I have suddenly realised my main
objective now is to get fit - and all the other things
(including weightloss) are bonuses. So I am not going to get
upset when I stand on the scales as long as I feel well (which I
do and it is a new experience for me).
This self analysis is
good!
ANTAN
I'm here because I happened to run across this site while
looking for information about eating less carbs as a way to
improve my mood.
Anyway, I got to thinking that if I was on a
low-carb diet I'd lose weight, which Id been on and off
attempting for ages with no luck, so I had given up.
So, I
started with one goal, and have moved to another. I've become
mainly focussed on healthy eating as a way to drop a stone and a
half that Ive been carrying around too long. My mood has
improved as a consequence of a better diet and the fact that I
am Taking Control! And Its Working!!
DELANCEY
This is a really good post - just the sort to get you
thinking abouts the whys and wherefores. Well done
For me, to
lose weight is the primary objective. That main object will
"lead" to others, increase in energy, less strain on joints,
feel good value etc. The secondary benefits will then motivate
me to increase overal fitness.
Thank you
DAMANDBLAST
I was trying to lose weight for a while but nothing was
happening. I stumbled across WLR and it made me realise that you
have to have a balance of food, including fat and I had been
trying to cut out too much.
I stuck with this site because it
didn't tell me what to eat or not to eat but made me realise the
choices I make aren't always good, but you can equalise them
with exercise......and it's working!!
JACQUI99
A lot of people are here cos they imagine that wlr have some
kinda magic wand and that by tomorrow we'll wake up and all be
skinny minnies. half the fun of this site is the fact that we
CAN and we WILL change the way we deal with food...after all we
are surrounded by it day after day and there arent many
overweight people who are comfortable around food. personally i
need to be regimented in the way i eat healthily, i never DIET
cos the simple word DIET seems to set me up to fail as its such
a sparse word and reminiscent of deprivation and soggy lettuce
leaves. :0) so i have ahealthy eating plan and am helped to
follow it by wlr helpteam and all you lovely and inspiring
people..take a bow folks cos without you all i wouldnt have lost
almost 3 stones in weight. your inspiration has motivated
me...and hopefully others too to improve the way we all look and
ultimately the way we all feel about ourselves and our body
image.keep up the inspiration you really are a great bunch of
lads and lasses.
AMY12
Thanks for making me think....
I thought i could answer this
one easily with 'lose weight till my BMI is around 22' because
that's what i thought my goal was.
But now i realise i've
changed my mind... i don't care so much what the scale says -
it's just a tool to help me monitor progress.
What i actually
want is to look and feel healthier - what that means to me is
that i want to lose some fat, look leaner, be able to run
further and faster.
I want to fit into my size 12 clothes
easily, throw out all my size 14s and hopefully fit into some
10s too. I also want enough base fitness to be able to run 10k
any day i choose without specific training.
LYNS
I'm going to stay here until I can put on size 12 Topshop
jeans without thinking, knowing they will fit. I dont really
care what the scales say.
When I get there I will go to maintainance. I have always done lots of exercise and I actually
had pretty healthy eating habits. For me, as I have found
through this site, I just always ate too much of all the good
things. Too much advocado, nuts, seeds, fruit juice, lean meat
etc.
SEXYSUZIE
You're absolutely right about having a specific goal, Matt
and mine is definitely to lose weight to get within the healthy
range for my height. I know that toning will need to come after
that but my primary aim is to lose the weight.
The support I've
had from WLR members along the way has been a major bonus and
I've made lots of friends too - which is something I didn't
expect but I'm really chuffed about. Learning to improve my diet
and lifestyle is also a bonus.
SARAHWOO
Losing weight was definitely my target. The exercise was just
a means to the end for that - so I could eat more and with a bit
more muscle would burn more. I'm pleased to say the site did it
for me and now the fitness goals are more important.
RACHAEL
REYNOLDS
I am here because one morning I stepped on the scales and
they swung far too close to the highest value that they would
measure. Not that I didn't want to lose weight before, because
having been a member of WLR already for at least a year I was
very eager too, but just not motivated enough to be successful.
My goal is to be a 'normal' dress size, a size so that I can go
into most shops and look at the clothes without anyone batting
an eyelid, but without looking scrawny or skinny. I don't care
if I'm in my correct weight range or not.
I want to walk down
the street without kids shouting and humiliating me because of
my size.
To not get stuck in chairs with arms or worry about
airplane seats!
To stop the unidentified pains that happen now
and again and scare the living daylights out of me.
To go on
fairground rides and buy furniture and bicycles without worrying
if they will withstand my heft.
To look good when we go on our
big holiday to america next year and get married in Vegas.
And I
also want to do it because I'm hoping I might get my self
respect and self confidence back (tho I can't remember ever
having any!). I don't get depressed on weeks when I lose,
because I know now that it varies so much from day to day, but I
do still get depressed about my weight because it can't all just
fall off in a day.
I think my goal is reasonable, I started a
size 24/26 in February this year, am currently a 20/22ish and
would like to be a size 14/16 by next August when we go away :-)
Thus my goal I think is 1 stone every 2 months, give or take.
The friends thing is something I didn't expect when I started,
but is definitely a nice bonus and will be something I miss WHEN
I've lost the weight and I say goodbye to WLR.
FRUITYLOOPS
My main aim is to lose weight but to do that happily I HAVE
to tone up cos there's no way I can be a happy slim person with
flappy arms, legs and belly so I think really it goes hand in
hand - i can't separate the 2 because if I can't wear strappy
tops and show my legs once in a while being slim cos the skins
too flappy then I rather stay the same weight and at least fill
the skin I've got!!LOL!
LINDSAY1975
Blimey bit thoughtful before 8am. But have to say you've got
a bloody good point. I know I'm certainly too impatient and want
everything, I want to be superslim, superfit and the next
supermodel LOL
Seriously got me thinking, I know what my primary
goal is now. To be "normal" weight for my height on that dreaded
weight chart.
My bonuses... shopping on the high street instead
of big ladies shops, hopefully being fitter and being more
confident, being "normal" oh and getting rid of my thunder
thighs, although sadly I fear they are always going to be out of
proportion to the rest of me LOL RACHW01
You made me think this morning and you are right, the main
objective is to lose weight and it has certainly worked for me.
I have gone to a lot of slimming clubs to lose weight and it
hasn't worked.
The difference is in the bonuses which happen
quite naturally; I have made great friends, started exercising
for the first time in my life, feel much healthier and a lot
happier and more confident.
So lets drink to losing weight with
bonuses. (In something low cal and non alcoholic of course!)
ANTAN
Hmmm, bit profound for this time of day. lol
I think most
people's primary aim would be to lose/maintain weight and
anything else a bonus.
I have met some great people since being
here, but instead of clouding your priorities they give you
extra strength to reach your goals, and then the two end up
being part of the same thing.
Whoa, now who's being profound?
ZELRIK
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