that I am unhappy with myself. I consider myself a moderately successful almost 28 year female (well, if you don't measure success by my bank account - lol). If there is something I want, I work my hardest to get it and have succeeded without much trouble, unless it's came to my weight.
**WARNING** I am not bragging.
I am ok with the way I look (that's actually ME in the avatar). I am happy with how I look, my husband thinks I am wonderful (faults and all - he's a strong man), a great network of friends and a very loving family. All these people think I am great just the way I am. I am very blessed and very lucky to feel so loved.
HOWEVER - nobody, aside my best friends, have ever really expressed any concern about my weight. Even they have said "We love you the way you are, don't want to change a thing about you - but please watch how you take care of yourself." I can't blame them, if they were in trouble I would throw them a life preserver, or perhaps share my snack - whichever the situation called for.
My weight is a problem for my longevity, my livelyhood. Again, I am not saying I hate the way I look - but I know my body well enough to know that the older I am getting, the slower the metabolism is getting (hence, why I gain 10 lbs simply looking at a head of lettuce - not really, but it's a good visual!), and how some problems are causing me to just physically feel less than good (I have lower back issues stemming from a herniated disc and a pinched nerve, along with a fatty liver).
(Did you guys notice yet that I LOOOOVE my parenthesisesss or however that is spelled?)
Where did you start to know a change needed to be made? How did you begin your journey?
I think we're very different in that you're so fantastically able to LOVE yourself! Whereas I've spent my life being so.. incredibly down on myself, and self-loathing. It's exhausting!
I feel like your ability to be happy with your life is going to be a major one-up in your decision to change (just your weight, and longevity) for the better. I applaud you for being so healthy in your outlook in life!
I think... it suddenly dawned on me that a major change needed to be made... when I ran out of pants that fit me. And I started having to wear my stretchy sweatpants every day... I visually hadn't seen myself gaining that much until I suddenly had to wear multiple layers of clothing to hide the pudge that had slowly started to spill out over the tops of my jeans...! I've also got family members, aunts and my grandmother... who've been struggling with their weights for YEEEEEARS. And it occurred to me that I'm essentially heading down that same path by being passive in my eating and exercising habits.
Hello! I think we are more alike then not! lol. I LOVE myself. seriously. Everyone tells me that I have a wonderful personality, Im easy to get along with. I also have a WONDERFUL bf who also loves me just the way I am. And a family who has never ever told me to lose weight, and has told me that I was perfect the way I am.
I don't have a lot, less then anything but I LOVE my life.
But for me I've never loved my weight. I've always been on the chubbier side until I suffered a miscarriage and the 20lbs I had gained stayed with me. It dawned on me when I would try on every thing I owned and still didn't like what I saw in the mirror. it was very hard for me. I want to love myself.
I want to feel great in my own skin!
I think that it FINALLY hit me when I had surgery about two weeks ago. I was prepping for surgery, the nurse came in and did the IV and stuff, and I was just alone in that little teensy room in those darn paper gowns. And I was just like, hmm... I need to do something about my weight, my stomach looked HUGE when I was laying on the table. (And after my surgery, I couldn't even see the incision in my belly-button, the only reason I even knew they went in there is because a few days later, I had some crap come out of it from the surgery.)
So, later that week, my fiance' and I signed up for a gym, and I went to my first WW meeting that following Monday. I just can't think how I've been at my weight for over a year and a half now, and not have done something sooner. My family are the ones that were constantly telling me about my weight issues, but I just ignored it, kind of thinking they were just being mean. (because I'm the only one in my whole fam that's overweight) But, I started it, my weight loss journey, and I'm glad that I did... Maybe this summer, I'll actually wear a bathing suit to the lake!!
Hey RB! I think my big moment came when I was looking at pictures of my bf's neices first birthday party. I was wearing a dress I absolutely LOVED and when i saw the pics, I looked like a big tent. ugh, not pretty.
i know everyone and their mother makes the new years resolution to lose weight but i decided to stick with mine because back in Feb 2008, I weighed in at 180. And at the end of the year, I only lost 10 pounds. 10 smegging pounds in a year!!!!
My big motivator was a quote in SELF magazine. Either learn to love your weight or lose it. I don't love my weight so I resolved to lose it!
I am the exact same way as loveLauren!! I`ve always been heavy, well, maybe when I was seven I was a normal weight, but when I started getting bullied around age 10 I just kinda kept getting bigger and I was up to a whopping 202 pounds. I didn`t really decide at new years or anything to lose weight, but I decided a little while after that I was going to give myself 5 months to lose as much weight as possible and give myself a goal to do. SO my goal for this june is to weigh in around 150 and to do a Duathlon right before I take my vacation around Canada Day.
I think my competitive nature took over and I know that I don`t want to be this way anymore. I`m also happier in my life now than I have ever been before. I think that helps too
I love myself, and have always felt like I was a hottie (even when I'm sure I wasn't).
Last summer one of my dearest friends spoke to me at a quiet moment and said he was concerned for my health. I kind of brushed him off, because at that moment it hurt my feelings a little bit. But it stuck with me, and I decided I needed to get healthy. I wanted to be able to do all the physical activities that everyone else did, and I didn't want to feel tired all the time. So little changes by little changes, I'm almost halfway to healthy.
What's that sound? It is a 50 something crashing the thread.
Like you - I loved every aspect of my life - and my weight didn't get in the way or really affect me much for many, many years. Thus, I had little incentive to lose it.
But, you hit the nail on the head when you noted that it will affect the quality of your life. And - some things are not reversible. The damage I have done to my knees for example.
I finally lost the weight when I realized that my quality of life WAS suffering because of my weight.
Do yourself a huge favor - lose it now - so that you don't damage your body the way I did.
And - looking back - If I'm really, really honest - I DO like the way I look even more now. I love my new clothes even more than the old ones. I love being able to hike for hours without getting winded.
So - though I didn't know it at the time - I would have been even happier than I was if I had lost the weight. I wish someone would have told me back then.
How do you begin?
By making one change. Mastering that change and move on to another. Learn to change your lifestyle so that maintenance will be painless and successful.
For me - calorie counting was the answer. I like all things - I just needed to learn some boundaries. That life is about choices. Yes, I can choose to eat that chocolate brownie - but what do I need to do to compensate for that?
Find what works for you - and then do it.
DO IT, being the most important words
Last edited by CountingDown; 03-15-2009 at 04:54 PM.
I'm a little different than most of you, I feel uncomfortable with myself all the time. I even avoid going out because I'm feel so ugly, but at the same time I know that I'm an intelligent girl, I have some good friends, and I am passionate about so many things.
Even taking the first step towards weight loss has made me feel more confident about myself. I feel healthier and happier (and I'm only on week 2!!!) As of yet, I have no desire to go back to my old ways because I don't want to feel the way that I've felt since I was about 12 years old when I first realized my body was bigger than everyone else.
And to answer your question: I saw a picture of myself trying on bridesmaid dresses for my friends wedding and I saw how large I looked, and how round my face was. That was something I never realized was getting big. That's when I resolved to become healthier (and wear a smaller size dress to that wedding!!!)
I knew I had to make a change when I realized that I wasn't loving myself like I should. I, like Jelbb, had spent my whole life loathing myself. I became weakened and insecure because of it. Once I moved to NY to be with my husband, I left all my friends behind and left the comfort of my home. Over time, I started changing and learning how to take care of myself on my own, and I realized that I can't just rely on my hasband to love me and take care of me... that's MY JOB. So, I decided that 2009 was going to be my year. I was going to start doing the things that I had always wanted to do, but never thought I could. I quit my sucky job and am trying to get into a field that actually interests me, and I made a life change to better my health. I have plans to take up dance this year (something I have always wanted to do... but I need a job first so I can pay my class fees) and I really want to go skydiving before the year is done. I am doing all these things for ME... this is the year I turn my life around and start loving ME and celebrating ME. Life is too short to spend every day hating yourself... at least that's how I see it.
Good for you for loving yourself so much! You have accomplished something many others (like myself) need years to accomplish.
Hey there..I knew I needed to do something because I had headaches and body aches all the time..the first (literally)..HOUR of the day I spent with my knees popping and my heels hurting..then, the moment of reality--I saw a photo of myself and didn't know who it was anymore..I knew I must do something
Good insight everyone. I always wonder what makes a person motivated or changes their life, how other people came to their decisions and stuff - I know often times people feel alone or like they've entered some sort of weird wanderlust.
What motivated me was when my size 20 pants were kind of tight on me. I looked around online and somehow or another came across this site. I love this place. Lots of good ideas and people to help motivate you. I started doing doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day shred. I already feel better and I am only finishing my first week of my new journey and day 3 of the shred.
I have been really lackadaisical (SPELL CHECK) with my diet lately, but today I went to try on dresses and the 18 wouldnt fit at all and the 20 wouldnt zip. I wear a size 22 in dresses. TODAY I CHANGE...
I have been unhappy with my weight for awhile now. I have steadily gained weight since sophomore year of college. My turning point was when one of my kindergarten students patted my stomach and said, "What is that? Is that a baby?" Yeah... that did it for me. That was my turning point. That was 2 weeks ago. I am very happy with what I am doing and what I have accomplished so far. I don't know how much weight I have lost yet (if any). I know I have lost inches- it is very obvious in my lower body.
I need to get a scale- I have never wanted one reminding me of my obesisty... but now I know I need to get one!
Now, I am not saying...
I applaud you for being so healthy in your outlook in life!
