I have been thinking about this all day today...What is your motivation for losing weight?

Every time that i think i don't want to hop on the elliptical or pick up the weights i think about DH. I want to be the confident girl that is happy going out with his friends without feeling like the "fat one". I know he loves me as much now with the weight as he did then but i want to be that girl again. I also think about my 2 little boys and how they deserve to have a mom that can play outside with them without getting tired or winded. I want to be the mom that can play tag for an hour and still have enough energy to get through the rest of the day. I so want to be able to throw on a tee shirt and jeans and go, but i cant...i stress about everything and how it looks bad because it doesn't fit.

So whats your motivation? Kids..significant other...health..that red dress thats currently 4 sizes too small...all??

The first and foremost reason I finally "decided" to lose the weight was for my health. I was terrified that I was setting myself up for some dreaded completely avoidable diseases by having all the increased weight on me. There are no gurarantees in life, at any weight, but knowing that I have given myself the very best shot at avoiding some of those diseases is very comforting to me and was a big motivator for me and will continue to be.

I was also sick and tired of lacking energy, stamina and strength. Of being somewhat depressed, lethargic, unproductive and just downright unhappy.
I was sick and tired of having a poor selection of overpriced clothing to choose from. I just hated, absolutely HATED how I was forced to dress. I felt so inadequate and terribly unfeminine.
I was sick and tired of dreading social event after social event.
I was sick and tired of fearing "seats" and "chairs". Of not fitting iinto them and if I did, well then breaking them.
I was scared to pieces of not being around for my daughters (that would go under the health category, I suppose).

The added weight was affecting me in every single aspect of my life. My quality of life was very poor. I simply got tired of settling for second best, when first best was within my reach.



And that is really just the tip of the iceberg.

great thread!
more than anything else, my motivation is my health.
at 250lbs I didn't "look" that heavy, but I felt it, and many of my poor choices were starting to catch up to me - high cholesterol, bad skin, i just had this general look of poor health all around me. depression, constant yeast infections, the list goes on. i got sick ALL the time. colds, the flu, i was constantly in a state of poor immune health - and i didn't really even realize it.

I started losing weight because I could not mentally bear the thought of actually purchasing clothing in the next size up. I was wearing 20s, but definitely should have been wearing 22s.
After I dropped 50lbs, I settled for quite awhile and was starting to get comfortable, but I was definitely still not the vision of health i knew I could be.
along my journey, I've discovered that most of my problems stemmed from depression and that i'm an emotional eater. As soon as I started working on that, weight started dropping again... and the most recent 20lbs i've dropped have made all the difference in the world.
I feel better about myself, and that motivates me - if i feel this great NOW, how awesome will I feel at 150 when I can really show off all the muscle i've worked so hard to build up? I'm thinking pretty darn good.
The fact that my rear end is starting to look good in anything i wear is pretty motivating, too. If it looks this good at a size 10, how great is it going to look in an 8? or a 6? lol!!!

that itzy bitzy tiny weenie yellow polka dot bikini

I first started this year by saying to myself things like: "Do I want to eat a cookie or do I want to have babies?" "Do I want to eat Cheesy dip or do I want to have babies?" (My DH and I are hoping to give it a try in October)
Every time I ask myself that question - I always get the same answer!
There are so many things that can go wrong during a pregnancy that I have no control over - Why wouldn't I do something to fix this one thing I CAN control.

But things have changed a little for me - I am actually ENJOYING cooking healthy recipes, trying new foods, joining a running group, feeling healthy, feeling good about myself... etc. There are jsut TOO MANY reason to lose weight and be healthy... and almost NO reason not to. Sometimes it seems hard, and I think it would be easier not to worry about it - but how would it be easier? I would have to worry about health problems, I would continue to worry about fitting into clothes, I would continue to feel like crap...

Ok... I am done now!!!

I want to look hot and be healthy. Plain and Simple.

Congrats on the weight loss!!! Thats so great! I can't wait to be in a size 10 again!!

HAHA thats a good one too!!

OOh good luck!! I love babies..lol

I am finding that i actually like cooking healthy too and to my surprise, my kids like the food!!

My biggest motivator right now is that I don't like the way that I look, so I want to look and feel better.

ooh jillybean720 i think those are great motivation!!!!

I have a lot of overall motivations, but lately what has been a HUGE motivator for me is looking good in my clothes.

This last week I went to a baby shower for a friend and I wore a cute springy skirt and a clingy silk sweater and I looked GOOD. Even in the photos of me that were taken ... for the first time I looked at pictures of me and didn't want to turn away and pretend it was someone else.

The outfit above I bought in a size 12. I just bought a new pair of jeans in size 12. I bought two misses tops in large (not womens 2x). I bought a pair of brown slacks in 12.

I haven't worn a 12 since I was in college.

So right now to be able to put on an item of clothing in a size I never thought I'd wear again and to look at myself in the mirror and say "hey, I look good" ...

That right there is my biggest motivator any time I feel like falling off the wagon.

.

Amen!!! LOL