RomansFiveEight

Many of us here on this section of the forum are in the process of, or have, lost quite a bit of weight. LOSING weight happens for one real reason; a change in lifestyle. Those of us who have lost a lot of weight; started out with a lifestyle that had some kind of combination of too much food, and not enough exercise. There are probably a few exceptions around this part; but let's use those assumptions for the purposes of this thread.

The question I'm pondering on is, what motivates you? And what keeps you motivated? Just a light-hearted thread, to satisfy my own curiosity of why people do what they do. In other words; what made you change something in order to become more fit. Whether you lost 200lbs, or are just getting into better shape.

I'll start with my own experience. I was 342 pounds. I'm a Pastor, and of course a part of what I do is be with those who are at the end of their life. I visit nursing homes, spend time in hospitals. I perform funerals and spend time with family members when a loved one has passed. It can be tough, at times, but it means I spend a lot of time, perhaps more than most folks who aren't in the medical field, with the dead and dying. Or at least, with those at the end of their life (whether that means the last 10 years or the last 6 months).

Overwhelmingly, and almost without exception, I saw such an enormous difference in how the quality of that end of life was. In my congregation I have a 97 year old woman who is thin and always has been, eats well, and was very athletic. In fact, she only stopped bowling 3 years ago and only stopped running a couple times a week 5 years ago (she still walks). She lives in an assisted living apartment; which is basically a building attached to a nursing home where she lives by herself with a kitchen, dining room, etc. (as opposed to a hospital room environment with a roommate eating her meals in a cafeteria like many nursing homes). But she's also not far from help if she needs it because, face it, she's almost 100. She still drives herself to church, is a hard worker. Has a cane, uses it sometimes. She's fit as a fiddle.

I also recently did a funeral for a man who was in his late 70's. I had been visiting him in a nursing home (hospital room with a roommate) for a couple of years. He could barely stand without getting out of breath. His last two months were, to say the least; miserable. Constant pain, everything swelling. At one point he begged to die. His heart was failing but it hadn't quite "failed". He was alive, but barely. And it was like that for weeks. (At one point they called me and told me that it was going to be his last night, he wouldn't make it to morning. That was a month before he died. He was anything if not a fighter. And a truly great man. Just, not healthy; ever in his life) Over his lifetime he had several heart attacks, bypass surgeries, valve replacements. He was diabetic. And obese most of his life; and yes, the Doctors told him that's what caused most of his medical problems throughout his life. About a week before he died, I was sitting with him and he mentioned the weight I had lost; and he told me that he wished he had done the same, and sort of eerily said "But it's too late now". He was a trucker. Hard worker, but sedentary. And told me once that he attributed his weight to being a trucker, and eating fried chicken in diners and eating buffets all the time. And then sitting for 18 hours and then going to bed.

Now flash forward to about 3 months ago when I visited an 84 year old Parishioner; who is an avid cyclist and runner, in the hospital. He had to have open heart surgery. Surgery was on a Tuesday. He was in church on Sunday. Back on the treadmill within a couple of weeks. Doctors told him it was the quickest recovery he had ever seen from that procedure in someone his age. This guy, at 84, was running a 7-minute mile pre-surgery. The best part? Every man in his family had died before 60 (according to him), including all of his brothers, his dad, his grandpa, his uncles, etc. All from heart related health issues.

These things all affirmed the decision I made a year and a half ago. Simply, to be healthy. For me it wasn't about looking better; it was about feeling better. Not being so out of shape; and also, not having the sort of health problems Obese people have as they get older. We all have to go sometime. My mantra used to be that I should eat what I want because we all die anyway. But now I realize that it's not about adding a few years to your lifespan. It's about making those years worth living.

So how about you? What motivates you to get in shape and stay in shape? What sort of things do you do to keep you motivated? I keep a picture of the "old me" on my desk at my office. And, believe me, it takes the appetite for a cheeseburger right out. Not because I was so ugly (I'm plenty ugly now); but just because it's a constant reminder of what I've accomplished! And no FOOD is worth undoing everything I've done!

How about you?

vesteroid

hmm...

Was 272 in 11/2010 Starting running and riding all the way through 5/2012. I was 211 then. Ran half marathons, and rode centuries. Fell off the wagon and gained back up to 264. Was sick and tired of seeing my fat but in the mirror, and associated things that came along with it. Getting fatter and fatter clothes, not wanting to be in pictures anymore, and seeing my wife go do athletic things (hiking skiing) and me staying home since I knew I could no longer keep up with her. I had all kinds of excuses to myself, but I knew deep down it was I just didnt want to put in the effort anymore.

11-2014 I got off the couch again and started running riding. Here I go again. I log everything, weight, miles, duration, power etc. I can see clearly over all that time exactly how weight and exercise correlate.

Its like Kevin Spacey said in its a beautiful life "I just want to look good naked!" No, not really, but I do like doing active things and pushing my limits physically. And Riding is the only thing I can do long term. I like the scenery change...the heck with going to a gym every day of my life.

LGHT

Wow very interesting stories and to see first hand the affect of weight on a persons well being is motivation in itself. For me it's my newborn son. He just had his 3 month B-Day Saturday and when I found out I was a father I starting thinking about how long I have. I'm 44 now which is pretty old for a first child so I MUST be diligent in my health and I don't have time to wait it's now or never!

1loosemoose

I was told last April I was diabetic. I threw the pills they gave me away and purchased a bike. Now I have two bikes. I've lost 63 lbs and my last blood test was normal. I had a heart scan done in October and my calcium score is 550. The did a stress test and the dr said all looks fine. I now eat a plant based diet thanks to somebody on this forum posting about diets for folks with heart disease.
I'm not looking to live forever but I do want quality while I'm here. I'm 52 years old and I feel fantastic thanks to my bike, my wife who always supports me, and the knowledge I've gained here.

RIDE ON!!!

Sullalto

Lots of little things added up.

My physical self image is of a skinny distance runner, not a fat sedentary nerd.

I'm no longer married to a larger woman who encouraged me in habits that made me fat, because me being thinner was bad for her self image, and me being bigger helped.

I got outworked helping somebody move...by a size 0 girl. I'm a 6'4" man, btw.

Friend got diagnosed with diabetes for his 30th birthday...and I was 28 and probably less healthy.

Speaking of age, peers genuinely complaining they were getting old. Seriously y'all? Physiologically, we should be in the prime of our lives...I should get fit while I can still attain peak fitness. We aren't even halfway through our lives, hopefully not even a 3rd. We can't be old.

I noticed I felt tangibly better after eating healthier for a few days.

Following that, being homeless makes you really worry about your food habits. They've improved.

It's easier to eat healthier if you decide to adopt cooking as a hobby.

Moved. Then bus schedules changed. 50 min commute changed to two hours, on a quick day. For 4miles. 70+ minutes for 5 miles? That I could do all on residential streets by an extension to 5 miles? **** that ****, I'm getting a bike.

Wow, I'd forgotten how much I loved riding a bike.

MUP opened up that lets me do my entire commute on residential streets, downtown(lots of cyclists) or on a MUP/empty rural roads? Hell yes, let's cycle all 15 miles, both ways.

To give an encore to a common theme: watching people age badly scares the crap out of me.

Hearing people talk&brag about their running times, when I was minutes faster in the mile previously-much less the longer distances.

I developed carpal tunnel. Hard to have instruments and computer games as a hobby when your time with those things is so physically limited. Already figured out I like riding bikes, so let's make 'being active' a new hobby.

My mental health is SO much better with regular exercise. I'm not sure I could get through a workweek without it.

I like the social aspect of group rides/runs.

One of the things I love about playing instruments is the acquisition of skill, the tactile involvement in playing. Swimming is a surrogate for that.

It's fun noting objective improvements. More weight lifted, faster speed, distance comfortably traveled, etc.

Buffalo Buff

My goals are different but my reasons might not be. I'm looking to gain weight.

I've always hovered around 190-200lbs @ 6'4, ever since high school.

I've never had excess fat at any point in my life, so that's never been a concern.

I've always wanted to be bigger though. Bigger, stronger, faster etc.

About a year ago I made a few unwise choices. Fell into a rut, wasn't as active as I used to be, stopped hitting up the gym, drank way too much etc. I've been working hard to turn things around.

One of my goals has been to get in the best shape of my life. Biking plays into this by giving me a fun way to work on my cardio. Also helps keep my legs in check, but to be honest a day in the saddle is cake compared to squat day.

I guess my motivation is mainly a desire to end the days of wishing I was something I'm not. I'm done with that. I'm going to be exactly what I want to be, no excuses. I'm going to have the exact body I want, the conditioning I want, the appearance I want etc.

I don't have anything in mind I'm training for. I just want to be in top level condition in every respect because that's who I want to be. I can't stand the idea of being fat, having **** cardio, not being able to squat or bench hundreds of pounds, not being able to do more than a few pull-ups, not being able to run around a block without gasping for air etc. I never want things like that in my day to day life to challenge me again, as long as I can keep it that way.

Like another poster mentioned, it helps mentally too. I feel better at the end of the day commuting by bike vs car. I feel better after a hard session in the gym. I feel better spending my day off outside rather than inside.

ray.garza

Good reflections and reasons for getting fit. I have several reasons to get fit and one of them is to get rid of the ball and chain of the CPAP machine. So many times I wanted to do do overnight trips cycling but I always had to consider the CPAP machine and I how I was going to get it where I was staying it. Besides overnight cycling trips this would open the door to camping. Something I've been wanting to do for sometime, hike and camp.

Other reasons to get fit is to get off the meds for HBP and Diabetes. Like many those has been a long term goals and like many my weight has yoyo'd but this year I hope to finally push through. So far I've made some good progress and I know there will be some life hiccups that will throw roadblocks in my way. I hope to persevere and stop the yoyo effect.

RomansFiveEight

I LOVE the way I feel after a good workout. The tingling in my muscles, etc. Heck, I even love the feeling of soreness and stiffness in the morning when I get up after a particularly tough workout. Once a week I usually do my longest and hardest ride of the week, and so Monday morning I usually wake up.. let's say... "aware" of what I had done the night before. And I LOVE that feeling. Because it's the feeling of progress, accomplishment, of being alive. It's a feeling of no longer being the 342 pound guy.

And the energy has been a huge benefit. I remember people telling me that losing weight gave them more energy. But I had no idea, really. I mean it's little things; like not being tired at the end of a long day of running around who knows where. Or like taking my dog for a long walk without being out of breath and playing fetch until HE gets out of breath and has to lie down. I feel better than I ever have in my life.

Drew Eckhardt 

Fitness feels good, gives me more energy, means less snoring with fewer hours in bed, and makes mental white space for creativity I can use to drive shareholder value. While backwards, executives notice my fitness more than my seven figure impact on recurring revenue.

The sweaty crease between my man boobs and belly was uncomfortable when I was sitting on my couch.

I finished 2013 at over 200 pounds with a 36" waist, rode 5226 miles in 2014, started 2015 at 52 pounds under 200 with a waist under 30", and my favorite jersey from 1997 is loose in spite of being a race-cut size medium.

jsigone

fitness motivations? To survive the donut ride, but the sweet taste isn't some deep fried dough dipped in yummy glaze. It sweet sense of accomplishment, sense of speed, being faster/smarter than those that got shelled, being able to get out to the front w/o getting yelled at. I used to be that guy that got dropped every Saturday, but I'd be back the next week. But one day I wasn't the slowest guy anymore.

WANKMEISTER: TAKE A BITE ? Peloton

mapeiboy

My motivation come from daily surrounded by fat/obese people .

Judi

A year ago I was over 400lbs. I had made a habit of avoiding doctors, even once I had health insurance. I was sleeping too much, had trouble walking, sweated way too much, and had vision problems, all of which I just ignored because I didn't like going to doctors. Then I hemorrhaged and couldn't avoid doctors anymore. I was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia (precancerous changes caused by obesity), had to have a couple of transfusions, then was scheduled for surgery. During the blood tests before surgery, I was diagnosed with diabetes and the surgery was postponed until the diabetes was under control. So I made a major change to my diet, limiting carbs and calories. I also started taking metformin and Januvia. I was on two blood pressure meds. I lost 40lbs before my surgery in March, but I still had complications with the anesthesia because of my weight, and ended up in a coma for a few hours. In April I saw an endocrinologist, who switched me from Januvia to Victoza. Victoza is an injection for diabetes that delays gastric emptying. So basically it makes you feel very full a lot of the time. Once I started taking Victoza, I quit feeling so hungry and lost interest in food. I eat now, but I eat to meet my calorie goals for the day, not because I enjoy the food a lot. I still cook good food...can't let the hubby starve after all...but I don't need to overeat. I can take a bite or two of something and be happy with it.

I've lost 180lbs. I was off both blood pressure meds by the middle of the summer, because my blood pressure started going so low that I was fainting. I ride 6 miles a day, hula hoop for 30 minutes, use the bowflex machine every day, and use the elliptical 4 or 5 days a week. I still take the diabetes meds, because I want to take them, but I'm not really sure I need them. I'm planning to take metformin for as long as my doctor will continue to prescribe it, because I really feel like it makes my body work better. Before I took it, it was a real struggle to lose weight. A couple years ago I started riding a bike every day. I weighed 365 then and only lost 20 lbs, riding twice a day for six months. Year before last, I tried a diet, counting calories and eating less carbs, and didn't lose any weight, even eating 1200 calories a day for a couple of months. As soon as I started taking metformin, I was able to lose weight, and especially weight off of my belly. It worked so well for me that my younger sister got her doctor to prescribe it for her, and she lost weight too (until she got pregnant). My dad is the same way, he was enormously overweight until he was diagnosed with diabetes and started taking metformin. He lost more than 100lbs and has kept it off. I saw that the other diabetes med I take, Victoza, has been approved by the FDA for weight loss (under the name Saxenda) so I'm hoping my sister will be able to start taking it after her baby's born, and then she and I can get healthy together. We always used to compete about our weight, but I'm too old for that anymore. I just want to be healthy so I can be around to watch my kids grow up and have their own kids.

GravelMN

Got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

It hasn't been a smooth road and there have been a lot of rolling hills on the way to my destination, but I'm getting closer every day. I keep the wrist band from my last stay in the cardiac ward in my wallet as a constant reminder to stay on track.

Jarrett2

I don't have an interesting story. My family has been obese for a few generations. We are weird in that we can be 400 lbs and not gravely ill. I just got used to the idea I was going to be categorized as "morbidly obese" and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Then my brother showed me the LoseIt app. I did it. It worked. I got excited that something actually worked. So I lost 152 lbs.

Now I just feel better and don't want to go back. So I try to either maintain or lose more everyday. What motivates me is knowing how much better I feel after losing 152 lbs and wondering how much better losing another 20, 30, 40 pounds might feel.

dr_lha

My motivation to ride came before my motivation to loose weight. I always rode a bike as a kid, and into my mid 20s. I was never a skinny guy, even as a kid. Things happened and I stopped riding my bike. I got a car, a girlfriend (now wife), kids. A few years ago my wife, probably motivated by realizing that I was a little larger than I used to be, suggested that I should start riding my bike again, and got my old Specialized serviced at the LBS for my birthday. I didn't take the bike out for another 12 months after that, just never getting around to it. Then I realized what I was doing: I was driving to work 1.5 miles every day, were clearly I should walk or ride. So I started commuting on my bike. It was a small step, but it rekindled my love of riding.

After a while I started going for a longer ride home from work by taking a longer route (6 miles). I started using Strava with my iPhone (which being a nerd, gave me motivation to ride more as I could obsess over the rides I've taken per week). I started doing one longer ride a week (16 miles). By the end of 2013 I had gone 600 miles and felt a lot better about myself. I had done my first local charity ride, a 28 mile ride. The heaviness I felt in my chest from doing minor exertion had gone. The muscles on my legs had become more defined. I apparently hadn't lost any weight though, sitting around 280lbs. Still, I felt good and this is important, I had 2 young kids (now 4 and 1 year olds), who I needed to keep up with. I realized that fitness was something I probably should be keeping an eye on.

I convinced myself that I wanted a road bike. I had had a Dawes (a proper quality British one, not the Bikesdirect crap you get here) 10-speed when I was a teenager and loved it, but I was concerned about my weight on a modern road bike. Someone suggested a cross bike as an alternative, and in December I found a deal on a DiamondBack Cross Bike for $680 (about half price of MSRP) and the wife said "yes", so now I've got a "proper bike" for the first time in years.

Xmas takes it's toll and by Spring of 2014 I'm @ 290 lbs. However, I'm keen to go out riding my new bike, and keen to start doing longer rides, I did something that changed everything for me: I joined a cycling club. Now I was regularly doing 20 mile rides, and longer. I did my first metric century, and then later in the season a full century.. and loved it. I'm getting compliments from my fellow riders, although they're still "you're fat but quick" style comments, but importantly I'm keeping up with guys 100lbs less than me. Still by the end of the season I'd ridden 2500 miles and gone down to 250lbs, and I have not "dieted" at all. Not only that, but I'd gone from a 12mph cyclist to a 18 mph cyclist, I even managed to break 20 mph average on a 20 mile loop once last season, which I was extremely proud of.

Now into the dreaded winter, I remember how hard getting back into riding early in 2014 was, and how I put on 10lbs over the winter, so I bought a trainer, installed the TrainerRoad software, and I'm determined to maintain my fitness and weight over the winter and to do a 76-mile charity ride in the spring. Now my fitness has returned, I'm starting to think more about how to start bringing down my weight more. I haven't figured it out yet, but for now my plan is: more riding, more miles, more training.

spdracr39

Same story for me. A1C went from 11.2 to 5.4. I am a picture of health and feel better than I have ever felt in my life.

Yendor72

My story go back to when I was 18 (42 now) and graduating high school. I'm 5'6" and at that time weighed 114 lbs (that's not a typo). I was a wrestler until my junior year and back then making weight was a big deal. I was in excellent shape, my strength was of a man much bigger than me and I had cardio for days. But I was little, too little in my mind. I nearly needed a waiver to join the Navy due to being under weight. I quickly began weight lifting and eating more (<--key part of my issue). I was up to 160 lbs within a year, but by this point the mental issues of always being the little guy had kicked in hard. I wanted to be bigger, but I was at the weight limit for the military for my height.

Once I got out of the Navy and got settled in with a good job I went back to the gym. I was able to pack on an additional 20lbs of muscle. My job at the time had very little travel. That changed, I gave up the gym for my job. I had a bag ready to travel at a moments notice. But my wanting to feed a 4 day a week 3 hours at a time work out schedule didn't go away so quickly. It didn't take long to hit 200 lbs, and it wasn't muscle.

A couple of years ago my older brother was diagnosed with diabetes, he is about an inch taller than me and said he was over weight and that helped to cause his issues. By that point I was 230 lbs, he was a mere 170 lbs, I knew I was into something bad. I was more than twice the size I was at 18 years old. That began the change of my diet and watching and thinking about what I was eating. This was the same year that my FIL began diabetes meds as well.

The last straw was my MIL (who was not obese) being diagnosed with diabetes. It was a rude awakening for my wife and I. We have to do more than just change our diets, time for a life upgrade.

I always liked riding a bike, there is a freedom that you can't seem to get any other way. My wife was never an athlete and was skeptical. We've been riding since last May either outside or on our spin bike ever since. While neither of us have lost much weight my last fasting glucose test was at 65, the previous year it was 111. I will get an A1C done soon for my yearly physical. We are both getting in better shape and are being patient about the weight loss, we watch our intake and try to make the healthiest choices we can. It will happen, we're in this for the long haul.

Thank you all in this forum, I know these stories are what make us who we are and I know we can continue to motivate each other.

dagray

Well back in August 2012 I was diagnosed with Diabetes with an A1C of 7.3 ... the VA handed me the metformin and said 'now go away, but come back in three months'. Well I knew diabetes was a sugar disease so I quit eating sweats, drinking alcohol, drinking soda, but knowing diabetics need more liquid I started drinking juice by the gallon. In December 2012 on my three month diabetic check I was with an A1c of 12.4 and a glucose level of 576.... you guessed it "here's your insulin, now go away and come back in three months". No education other than don't eat this, don't drink this, you're gonna die. I got hooked up with diabetes education through my doc, and my doc told me to get the insulin significantly higher than the VA said...(VA wanted me to start at 15 units and increase by two unites ever third day until my sugar was under control; my doc said go to 50 units and then increase). I ended up at 78 units per night of insulin and 2000mg Metformin daily to be almost close to my fasting target.

With that much insulin I couldn't lose the weight by walking every day and ballooned from 340 up to 400 pounds. So I bought a bike in March of this year, but didn't ride it much until a couple months later (I had a mental block as I had the expectation of being able to ride like I did when I was much younger, and couldn't even make it 3/4 of a mile without a long rest). in July I bought another bike and rode it a little, and in August took my bikes and my son's bike to the coast for a week vacation and I rode all of nine miles. In about July I had the doc put me on Victoza (which worked, but had some methane side effects that didn't work for me), but I was able to see my glucose go down with riding. So September I rode 58 miles and switched from Victoza to Invokana (much better fit for me), October was 85 miles, November 107 miles, December 65 miles, and January 110.5 miles. I am only on 50 units of insulin at night now and have lost 40 pounds (I am down to 361 as of the other night).

I also started taking a health supplement made by It Works in March that basically is eight servings of fruits and vegetables with some potassium, magnesium and B vitamins (I feel better and haven't been sick much this year).

I have dropped my Cholesterol med just before starting the Invokana, and as Invokana can be hard on kidney and liver my doc scheduled labs one month from me starting the invokana... those labs showed my cholesterol to be at or lower without the Simvastatin and with exercise than with the Simvastatin without exercise.

I went to a Cardiologist who worked with me to get a Blood pressure med that doesn't cause edema, and I am working to get off the meds, be more fit and have a better life.

I quit smoking in November 2009 as my wife was having my baby, and now that that boy is four I figure I need to be able to keep up with him

Oh and a few days ago I picked up yet another road bike, and gave the road bike purchased in July to my oldest boy (he is 14), and will be riding the Tour de Cure in Spokane, WA in May this year.

Also to add that I am 44 and will be 45 in mid April this year.


Keep them pedals turning,
Dave

TrojanHorse

I want my kids to think that's the way people should live! It's caught on with my son... not so much with my daughter. Oh, and I didn't enjoy seeing pictures of myself. For some reason, you can look at yourself in a mirror and think DAMN that there is a good looking, slender guy but the split second you see a picture of yourself that opinion changes.

I restarted using myfitness pal the other week... I normally work at home, so I can control what I eat pretty well, but was out yesterday and needed some lunch so I thought - hey, Chipotle is pretty good, so I decided to look up what the food was BEFORE I ate it. MFP had one of their burritos at 1400 calories, so I skipped it and went out for a sandwich instead. A regular too, I always used to get the large (at Togos). I didn't have time for a bike ride yesterday but I went for a short 7 mile ride anyway. I have a bad habit of waiting too long to go for a ride and running out of time, so I'm trying to adjust that behavior as well.

My parents are both skinny and active well into their 70s. My mother ran a marathon at 69, the nut.

Judi

That's a great point about the kids! Especially for those of us dealing with diabetes, type 2 diabetes is hereditary. I hope I can get my kids to love exercise and to learn to eat in a way that will help them stay healthy. They're doing pretty well with the exercise but my 9 year old eats sweet things constantly. I quit buying sweets and she started baking for herself, with the excuse of, "It's for my daddy."

TrojanHorse

I use that same excuse. "Honey, I need a new bike - it's for the kids"

RomansFiveEight

MyFitnessPal has been essential for me. When I hear people tell me "I just can't lose weight", I ask them what they are doing. Many will try some form of "exercise" (maybe walking a little bit or something), and will try to "eat better", but you find they aren't trying very hard. There was a study done a while back that basically found journaling food was almost essential for most people to lose weight. People who journaled their food almost always lost weight; and people who didn't almost never did in this study.

I'm convinced the "cheat meal" is one of the biggest culprits. A 7,000 calorie deficit per week is around 2 pounds lost for most folks; and as you discovered; it's VERY easy to eat that back in just a couple of meals. Especially if you snack and don't keep track of it. I don't eat anything that doesn't get written down in MFP. EVEN when I do overeat. (I don't 'cheat', or any other sort of cutesy euphemism. I sometimes overeat. Say it like that instead of buttering it up; and you'll do it less!). Say, at Christmas. I had some pecan pie and a few other things, and ended the day at like 2,400 calories (I usually eat 1,640 a day). But I wrote it down (in MFP) and that helped me to not balloon to several thousand calories like most of my relatives.

Writing it down in MFP (or somewhere else); and striving to be accurate, is just essential. I mean it's amazing how little folks know about diet. I ate lunch with some friends and one was telling me she was trying to lose weight. So, she got a grilled chicken sandwich. GREAT! Except, she had fries with it, and 3 or 4 glasses of sweet tea with her meal. Truth is, if she had gotten the cheeseburger, that wouldn't have been the worst part of her meal! If I eat it, it goes into MFP! I also bought a digital scale for at home; to help me measure out portions and be accurate with calories.

I think another big problem (that MFP helps) is people using wild guesses for calories. There's some (BAD BAD BAD) internet wisdom out there that you should eat some arbitrary number; like 1,200 calories. Which can cause all sorts of problems. Not least of which, is your body starving and begging for food and convincing you to overeat and 'cheat' all the time. So then people say "I don't know what's wrong!". Instead, calculating a safe level of calories that creates a 3500~7000 calorie deficit, is the way to go. The best part is, the bigger you are, the higher that number is going to be. Because your body uses a lot more calories than someone smaller (more tissue to feed). I started out around 2,700 calories a day. And since I eliminated sweets, sweetened drinks (those are a BIG killer, empty calories that you can easily consume a lot of.), fried foods, etc, I was actually struggling to GET 2,700 calories a day. And I was losing like crazy doing it. And as I lost, I lowered my caloric intake based on what MFP told me. And here I am at 1,640 calories!

1242Vintage

I'm motivated by virtue of the lousy genetics I inherited for heart disease. Both parents! Daily exercise, weight loss, preventive doctors visits, and improved diet is necessary if I am to overcome these genetics.

bassjones

I'm motivated to get fit because I'm insanely competitive. I was a college basketball player and also could have played baseball or ran track collegiately (middle distance, mainly 400M). I was also a fairly competitive swimmer and loved to cycle. And I HAD TO WIN! Then came a slew of knee injuries that ended my basketball career, then 60-70 hour work weeks, mild bouts with depression, overeating, no exercise and BAM!! I'm 44 years old and 420 lbs (6'5")... I am motivated to lose the weight because I started cycling, swimming and run/walk/jog/"slogging", and want to do triathlons. I don't want to just do them either; I WANT TO WIN!!! And that means getting my weight down, WAY DOWN. Had gastric sleeve bypass in October after getting down to 400, and have lost over 80lbs total so far. This winter, I'm concentrating on swimming because it's great for overall cardio fitness, core muscle strength and very low impact. It's also my weakest leg of the three. I'll start hitting the bike and run/walk portions hard once spring weather hits. And my goal is to be in the top 60% of my class (Clydesdale/Masters Division) in my June Sprint Tri.

TerraCottaGamer

This was a great thread to read. Very cool. My story mirrors that of many. In September last year I was having chest pains. Went to see the doc at the local clinic for foreigners and he told me to go to Thailand to get tests done immediately. End of story, no heart issues but my issues were attributed to quick onset diabetes.

Came home and immediately changed my diet. I dropped from 170kg to 151kg in just a couple months doing that. Then when I started to workout I was faced with a couple of gout episodes that the doc said was being brought on by impact and heavy muscle fatigue. He suggested finding something low impact.

I had cycled in the past - a decade or so before - and so it made sense to go that route. Bought a bike in December; got really serious about it in January and put 233km on it last month. I am dropping weight again and am down to 147kg now.