What was your moment of motivation???

[babyphat2012]

Originally Posted by marieze

I went to sleep weighing 175 and woke up weighing 360

Too funny! But that's the story of my life.... anyhoo

My moment of motivation seems to be "repetitive" because I keep having these "snap" back to reality moments. In a nutshell, I am just sick and tired of being sick and tired of not being happy with myself...not to mention I have high blood pressure and anything "sugar" laden actually gives me jitters and a racy heart... I am VERY sensitive to carbs. I am restarting yet again..and I guess "can't stop, won't stop"...until I get this thing right! I went shopping for Spring/Summer clothes a few weeks ago to give myself a bit of a boost... I do not want to out grow my clothes....

[Britt1975]

I wish I could say that it was for health reasons - because while I'm surprisingly healthy for someone of my size - I know that I'm a ticking time bomb! However -there were three things that happened that finally pushed me over the edge - it was just a slow push.

In July we took a vacation and went tubing... my tube rode so low in the water (and I got stuck so frequently) that it took me almost an hour longer than everyone else to complete the tube run. In September we went to a theme park, and I was unable to fit in the seat on a ride I wanted to go on. It was humiliating to be told that I would be unable to ride with my family. Finally in November, I took a trip to visit my husband's family for Thanksgiving. I'd met some of them before, but I was meeting most of them for the first time - and holy cow, are they camera happy!!!

I've avoided having pictures taken for probably the last five years - I've become an EXPERT at getting out of the frame. They would NOT let me get away with it. I was constantly being drug into photographs!

A week or so after New Year's we got a late Christmas gift from DH's cousin -it was a photo album full of pictures from the weekend. I couldn't believe how bad it was. I was at least twice as big as anyone else there. My face was swollen and blotchy - I had JOWLS!!! How had I not seen this in the mirror - how could I have lied to myself so horribly??? I was so ashamed at what my husband's family must have been thinking about the woman he had married. It was probably the lowest point of my life.

That day I threw away all of the regular coke I had in the house. I spent a week dealing with caffiene withdrawl and then I started low carb. It's been 47 days and I've lost 32 pounds.

We are planning to go back to visit his family again this Thanksgiving - and I can't wait to see them all again. I had so much fun last time - but now all my memories are clouded by images of how horrible I looked - so I can't wait to go and make all new memories!

[Beeb]

My closet with a zillion lovely things I couldn't fit into anymore!!

[avid]

Originally Posted by baileygirl3

Mine was being at the beach feeling really disgusting in my bathingsuit and deciding then and there to get serious about my life and woe...been going strong every since! Determined to feel good this summer in my swimwear

Looking good in a bathing suit.
without a doubt the number one diet motivator!!!

[svenskamae]

Originally Posted by Britt1975

I wish I could say that it was for health reasons - because while I'm surprisingly healthy for someone of my size - I know that I'm a ticking time bomb! However -there were three things that happened that finally pushed me over the edge - it was just a slow push.

In July we took a vacation and went tubing... my tube rode so low in the water (and I got stuck so frequently) that it took me almost an hour longer than everyone else to complete the tube run. In September we went to a theme park, and I was unable to fit in the seat on a ride I wanted to go on. It was humiliating to be told that I would be unable to ride with my family. Finally in November, I took a trip to visit my husband's family for Thanksgiving. I'd met some of them before, but I was meeting most of them for the first time - and holy cow, are they camera happy!!!

I've avoided having pictures taken for probably the last five years - I've become an EXPERT at getting out of the frame. They would NOT let me get away with it. I was constantly being drug into photographs!

A week or so after New Year's we got a late Christmas gift from DH's cousin -it was a photo album full of pictures from the weekend. I couldn't believe how bad it was. I was at least twice as big as anyone else there. My face was swollen and blotchy - I had JOWLS!!! How had I not seen this in the mirror - how could I have lied to myself so horribly??? I was so ashamed at what my husband's family must have been thinking about the woman he had married. It was probably the lowest point of my life.

That day I threw away all of the regular coke I had in the house. I spent a week dealing with caffiene withdrawl and then I started low carb. It's been 47 days and I've lost 32 pounds.

We are planning to go back to visit his family again this Thanksgiving - and I can't wait to see them all again. I had so much fun last time - but now all my memories are clouded by images of how horrible I looked - so I can't wait to go and make all new memories!

I can really feel the pain in your message, Britt. Congratulations on tackling the problem--you are doing great! I love your attitude about looking forward to seeing your in-laws again, feeling better about your size this time. My guess is that your in-laws did not think harshly of you because of your weight the first time; they wanted to include you in pictures and you had fun, right? But I'm sure they will be happy that your DH has a happier and healthier wife now. Have a wonderful time and keep up the great work!

[SadieJack]

I have gotten so fat that someone took a picture of me at Xmas and it's STILL printing!

Honestly, what did it for me was having to ask for a seat belt extender on a plane. Totally embarrassing!

[springalong]

Subscribing for the encouragement.

This should be a sticky!

[Katrina_GQ]

Great thread.

[juliekaboolie]

My defining moment was that I was coming down with more and more ailments...like my body was falling apart...I was hungry all the time, but I knew that wasn't a normal way to feel. In January of 2011, I heard about Gary Taubes' new book "Why We Get Fat..." and I 'gobbled' it up in a day. It changed my life. I didn't want to die, and I was so afraid that I would be dead before 60 at the rate I was going and how I was feeling. I rarely have that feeling anymore.

[shelby'snana]

Mine was at an old job 1 1/2 yrs ago. Background : A sweet man that worked auxillary (volunteers ) at the hospital kept calling me by a co-workers name. I would just say hi or whatever without correcting him so he would not be embarrassed.

This co-worker outweighed me by 60-80 lbs and was only an inch or so taller than me. We laughed about it when he called me her name, not to be mean, just kinda funny to see other people's faces when he did it. They knew that was not my name. We just smiled.

One day after I had gained to 173lbs this co-worker was explaining to someone about him calling me her name, and she said "well, it's not like we can have a FAT ..... and a skinny ......" Pretty much saying I was just as big as her. ;/ I really looked at myself after that and realized how far gone I was. Big wakeup call for me

[GME]

My Costco has a sloped parking lot. I unloaded my stuff one day and the cart got away from me. I ran 10-15 yards to catch it before it hit someone's car. I was gasping for air after that short run. I have two kids & was an elementary school teacher. What if a child needed me somewhere very quickly? What if I had to get to, or away, from something?

[DesertRose]

Last Labor Day, after a very busy late summer, I began to crab at everything, nothing was right or made sense, lost some time where I didn't know what had gone on (like did I shower or not?). Tried to tell someone what was going on and they laughed at me, not understanding. Scared, I turned to the old standby, low carb, to straighten out my system. Soon after, returned to LCF to read and get encouragement; find out what was new. Discovered the higher fat version of what I'd been playing with since the 70s and tried it out. My mind rejuvenated almost overnight. Energy went sky high. Dreaded tasks got done without thinking. I was a new person.

I had never gotten to what I would call a high carb WOE, but the higher fat was different. I had not gained a lot of weight, I thought, but my scale began to falter and then die at the same time. I was about five pounds higher than I thought and that was about ten above where I'd been for some time. I'm not talking 25-50 lbs, but my mind was what needed attention. I'm now thinking that the reason we have so much dementia nowdays is because of the low fat craze. Our brains are starved. I have a low fat phobic sister, 4 years older, in a home with dementia. An additional worry about my mind for me. No longer. I have since lost about 18-20 inches around my body, in just the areas I've measured. But no pounds. My body is rearranging. I turned 71 the day this thread was started. I'm enjoying my new body. I don't need to lose lots of pounds, but I do need to keep eating fat for my brain/body. Don't be afraid, it works.

[snowdancer79]

I gained 42 lbs my last pregnancy, and for over a year, didn't lose an ounce. It was so awful having 1 or 2 pairs of jeans that (barely) fit, and people kept asking me when I was due again (so embarrasing). I knew from past experience that I needed to wait until it "clicked" in my head that I'd be able to restart LC and stick with it. On October 1st, I felt that "click", and haven't looked back. I've lost 32 lbs, and can't wait to lose another 20 or so.

[Just Beachy]

Like someone else mentioned, I was tired of being tired all the time. I never felt well, and I never wanted to do anything. I was just very unhappy. I was kicking myself for all the time I was missing out with my family, but I just couldn't do anything to really change. One day I went to the hospital with heart pains. I was 45. I decided then to finally do something about the weight. I started eating "healthy whole-grains, lean meats, and plenty of fruits and veggies." I was cranky because I really don't like a lot of those foods. When that didn't work, I cut back on calories and started eating "clean." I bought oat bran and made my own protein bars, made my own whole-wheat breads, etc. Now, I was hungry and cranky. Next I added in exercise. I did crossfit workouts 3 times a week and karate 2 times a week. I also walked/ran on my treadmill on the other days. Now, I was cranky, hungry, and sore. I also found myself at my all time high. I really didn't know what else I could do and was considering surgery. I mean I was doing everything right and I was still gaining weight. (I should also add that I cheated quite a bit because I found the food so unsatisfying. However, I did not cheat enough to gain weight.) I also knew that even if I should start losing that I wouldn't be able to maintain. I really was at the end of my rope.

One night I was reading on a homeschool message board a thread about Taubes' book "Why We Get Fat. I was intrigued and I watched all the videos people linked and posted in the thread. I decided to try it. After all, what I was doing wasn't working. The next morning I got up and prayed for protection over my body and health for what I was about to do to it - still not convinced that all that fat could be good for me. Within DAYS, my soreness, hunger, and crankiness were gone. I felt better than I had in a long time. Once the withdrawal symptoms subsided, I was sold!!! I felt like I had come home. The food was so good!!! It wasn't long after that that I knew this was not a diet but a way of eating that I could absolutely sustain for the rest of my life.

I can't say that I will never eat another piece of bread or another sweet ever, but I can say that those will be occasional (very occasional) additions to it and that I will get right back on track.

Beachy

[muncheechee]

I've been on and off lc for about 10 years. I'd have some success but eventually would go back to eating junk for one reason or another. My motivator this time is infertility. Though dh and I had no trouble getting pregnant with our son, for reasons unknown we haven't been able to have a second baby. If we're not pregnant soon IVF will be our last resort. HOWEVER, when we were discussing our options with the doctor, he told me my bmi was too high to meet their anesthesia requirements at the clinic. That's what made me really commit this time. Around the same time I read The Diet Cure and that book made a huge difference for me. Right now my bmi is just under their threshold and I have about 6 more weeks to keep losing before we may face ivf...I'd love to reach the goal my doc set of 235 before then.

[abitobeef]

Knee problems back problems bad skin. Tired all the time. my boss at work gave me the atkins diet book. and another "no carber" was born.

[sweetpoison]

Originally Posted by abitobeef

Knee problems back problems bad skin. Tired all the time. my boss at work gave me the atkins diet book. and another "no carber" was born.

So.... hows it working for you?

[inspiration]

Well for me it was finding out that i'm going to be a father for the first time this summer. while I am sure there were probably some minor health issue with smoking and the weight gain and none of my clothes fitting properly anymore none of that really motivated me. My little girl to be was really my inspiration. I didn't want her to be born thinking that it was alright to not live a healthy lifestyle so ya she was definitely my inspiration to get fit and healthy again and maybe when she gets to an age to understand things i will be her inspiration to always live a healthy lifestyle.

[Demonica]

Mine was the way my clothes were fitting (too tight, looked hideous in shorts, major muffin top) What shocked me into deciding to lose weight was a picture of me sitting on DH's lap...*shudder*. My stepmother had lost 60 lbs on a general low carb diet (I had actually forgotten how I got the idea to do LC...old journal entries can be a life saver), so originally I decided to try Kimkins because I was so desperate to lose weight. (Thank the Goddess I didn't!!) I started out googling information about general low carb, then found Atkins, then, this board. This board was where I learned alot of the information about Atkins, then I found DANDR at Hastings and read all of it in one day. I was hooked from then on.

[CTIgrad]

140 days...

On my initial success 5 years ago, my motivation was my future career. Graduating college, I was deathly afraid that my weight would prevent me from obtaining a medical clearance for my job. Within 6-8 months I dropped 100+ pounds. Fast forward to now, my career is firmly in place, yet the stress, sedentary nature of my job, apathy, and a lack of time has led me back to where I was plus some additional baggage.

Last night, I couldn't sleep, (fairly common for me) and was cursing old facebook photos. I happened across one of my then girlfriend (now fiance) of our first vegas trip in 2009 where I was at or near my lowest. I dont remember exactly what it was, but damn I looked good. WTH happend...



The later pic is from the recent 5K we ran with some friends. I have 140 days till our wedding. I know getting back to 210 is probably unattainable by Aug 3rd, but I'm going to kill myself trying.

[Nancypie11]

My moment was when the dr said I am insulin resistant, hyper insulin, and if I don't eat low carb I will have diabetes in the next 2 years. Lol!

[lisamt]

I used to make excuses by telling myself that even though I was overweight, at least I wasn't 200 lbs. Then one day late last fall I got on the scale and it showed 200. That's when I knew I had to get serious about losing weight.

I also turned 50 last year, and am determined not to spend the rest of my life being fat.

[Katcando7]

My moment was when my ankles starting retaining fluid. I put my boots on just recently and could not zip them up. I was so disgusted with myself. I, too have a closet full of fat clothes that were getting tighter. I decided right then that I don’t want to go through another summer hiding behind a jacket/vest when it is hot outside. Making excuses for not going out with the family when they wanted to go to the water park. Missing out on events because I did not feel comfortable in my clothes.

It's nice share this with you all.

[Gretalyn]

This thread is really inspiring. I'd like to thank everyone who shared their stories. Whatever the source of motivation, this kind of change is difficult, but also so GOOD and rewarding, both for ourselves and our loved ones. And I'm particularly impressed with those of you who mentioned changing yourselves for the sake of your children and family. What a beautiful, selfless motivation!

I've done LC off and on for years now, but what finally made me start to stick with it consistently was realizing that I really could not "afford" to be out of ketosis.

In ketosis:
IBS symptoms disappear
Blood sugar stays steady
Colds and other viruses rare, and don't affect me badly

Come out of ketosis, and IMMEDIATELY:
I'd get a cold and be sick as a dog for a week, then get a secondary infection and have to go on antibiotics
IBS returns
Hypoglycemia returns

It finally dawned on me one day that if these are the things that I notice immediately, what else is going on in my body that I'm not aware of, and what else could happen long-term? It was rather scary to think about what my weaker immune system might mean in the years to come, or that my hypoglycemia could develop into diabetes, or that my digestive problems could escalate, etc.

As babyphat mentioned, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, and realized that the only way for me to be healthy was to STAY in ketosis. So I've been turning those test strips pink/purple for two years and counting now.

I haven't needed antibiotics once in those two years. And while that may seem like a little thing, I personally count it as a big victory.

[tttmom]

Chronic gallbladder/liver pain and attacks. I have tried all the different conventional ways to try to help myself. Didn't work. So, I started researching and found that almost everyone who has been tested for gluten intolerance that also experiences gallbladder problems, tests positive. Well... decided to go paleo/primal (sometimes I consume ghee and dark chocolate dairy free chips) and within a few weeks of no grains, no dairy, no beans, I have NO PAIN! I'm getting leaner, and my skin is clearing up.
Bottom line, my motivation was to get rid of pain, save my health, AND lose weight

[raindroproses]

I'm also one of those people who had a few different motivators. I'd never been happy with my weight... ever since I was a kid, I was picked on and told I wasn't good enough and I'd be lying if I said that pain didn't stick with me into adulthood. Whenever I hit 200 pounds, I'd panic, realize how bad that number was for me, and then crash diet until I got about 20-25 pounds of it off. But surely enough, every single time, I'd yo-yo back up. Whether it was emotional stress or just sheer boredom... my cure was to eat, and eat all the wrong things. I knew that needed to stop, but I didn't know how.

Then a few years back, I watched my mom die at a really young age... she was only in her 50's, and only now am I realizing that along with her struggles with her weight, she also very likely had the conditions I've been diagnosed with in my life already... and I didn't want that to be ME. I wanted to live!

But even still, through all that, my REAL wake-up moment only came recently when (on top of my PCOS I'd known I'd had for so many years already) I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I FINALLY knew why it'd been so freaking hard for me to lose... but I was tired of being a victim! In January I decided to stop making excuses and start kicking my body's butt into gear. I won't give up this time!

[ecguy]

All of these stories are unbelievably inspiring, motivational, and heartwarmingly genuine. I am astounded by everyone's sheer determination to change our own lives; this site is truly an amazing collective of amazing people!!!!

[BecBelle]

My first start back in 09- 03-10 was this: my PCOS symtoms ruined an important event. The only way I keep PCOS under control is LC.

This restart now is this: I live an area where there is 90 to 105 degree weather for 6 months. I can't take the heat this fat. It has to come off.

[kiwistars]

I got to a BMI of 20 in 2004 with Atkins but put it back on with an unsuccessful attempt to quit smoking.
I had long been miserable and lost all confidence as my skinny clothes suitcase overflowed and my wardrobe shrunk to a couple of pairs of jeans and some baggy tshirts but then after making friends with a 25 year old model and seeing 40 approaching I had a midlife crisis.
I have already quit the smokes,I am going to lose the 50lbs(over 8lb down in the last couple of weeks) and then I can get back to my usual manic,outrageous artistic self that is in hiding somewhere...
I will dye my hair colours not found in nature and wear inappropriate clothes.It will be great