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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

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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 lookin like Jabba the Hut's kid sister... LOWLIFE

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realising that my clothes hadnt shrunk in the wash and that i couldnt do up my shoes without suffocating. SCATTYNATTY

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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