how many of us....

[CityOfChampions]

How many of us are going through a body transformation phase, what did it take for you 2 make this life changing decision and how do you keep motivated day in and day out ? Do you ever feel like just giving up ?


Its only right that i answer my own question as well , so for me not being able to fit any clothes other then sweat pants really did it for me , the lack of stamina and just wanting to live a over all healthier life. I have been through a lot of struggles in my young life i have lost alot of friends to the streets so i owe it to myself and to those who didn't take full advantage of there lives.

Being fat and wanting the change is motivation enough but as we all know it is hard to stay motivated i personally take it one day at a time , one meal at a time and i switch up my music all the time just to make it different. i also have a work out buddy which helps out ALOT.

Sometimes i really hesitate to work out and there are times when i really DO NOT want to work out but reading alot of the stories on the website and keeping in mind all the people who actually work out that are WAY older then me ,Helps me drag my ass to the gym.

I would like to hear what you all have to say

Thank you

[JVRICHARDS]

How many of us are going through a body transformation phase, what did it take for you 2 make this life changing decision and how do you keep motivated day in and day out ? Do you ever feel like just giving up ?


Its only right that i answer my own question as well , so for me not being able to fit any clothes other then sweat pants really did it for me , the lack of stamina and just wanting to live a over all healthier life. I have been through a lot of struggles in my young life i have lost alot of friends to the streets so i owe it to myself and to those who didn't take full advantage of there lives.

Being fat and wanting the change is motivation enough but as we all know it is hard to stay motivated i personally take it one day at a time , one meal at a time and i switch up my music all the time just to make it different. i also have a work out buddy which helps out ALOT.

Sometimes i really hesitate to work out and there are times when i really DO NOT want to work out but reading alot of the stories on the website and keeping in mind all the people who actually work out that are WAY older then me ,Helps me drag my ass to the gym.

I would like to hear what you all have to say

Thank you

Most of the positive changes in my life have coincided with big changes in my living conditions. I quit smoking the day I left Afghanistan the first time (swearing to never come back). I started my transformation the day I left home (heading back to Afghan). So far so good. I want to live to play with grandkids.

[kalst37]

Dat feeling when yoU walk into a room and everyone looks like a deer in the headlights amazed

[astigos]

So many factors. Backstory: The heaviest I ever weighed was 212 early in senior year HS and by the end of HS I achieved 185 through nearly dieting alone.

March 2011 - Getting dumped by my long time girlfriend and then getting dumped by the next girl that I really liked (both of which happened 4 months apart) really put me into depression. Stress from a job I didn't like and drowning my sorrows in pastries soon followed. This was only further exacerbated by my profession as a chef where I had nearly unlimited access to ice cream, soda, cookies and cakes. This ballooned me up to about 206lbs. Long time friends then dug up my old ******** pics when I was 185 and told me I looked like a different person. Those underhanded compliments and my own promise to myself that I would never again weigh more than 212 finally got me into the gym on Nov 1st 2011.

I started my journey at 206lbs and I'm still going to this day at 178lbs. My goal has been to reach 170lb then bulk, but I'll assess my situation then and if I feel I don't look slim enough I'll shoot for 160lbs.

I used to want to quit when I first started. I used to get sad that I'd never again get to eat the foods I used to love ever again. I know I always could IIFYM, but in reality it'd be wasted calories so I therefore *shouldn't* ever eat it again. Months later those yearns for foods I used to love have waned considerably. Food is fuel and my body is a Lamborghini. My body deserves premium unleaded.

Subsequently this has created a sort of crisis with my profession. It has diminished my passion for food and my work is now less fulfilling to me.

[JVRICHARDS]

Dat feeling when yoU walk into a room and everyone looks like a deer in the headlights amazed

Am looking forward to it. Last time my family saw me in person, I was 278lbs.

[cnh57811]

I have 2 little ones that are going to arrive any day now. One girl and one boy.

I will be a healthy, active dad that can keep up with them for a LONG time.

Oh yeah...I will walk my daughter down the aisle one day too.

[ScaleAndSteel]

The decision started during this past Christmas break. I had packed on lots of weight over the last couple years and was up to around 194 but would go as high as 198. I wasn't happy with it but I kept telling myself that I would get around to fixing the problem eventually. I just couldn't be bothered with it right now because of this, that and the other thing. My brother had visited for Christmas this past year and I could tell he was a bit suprised I had let myself get so fat...I think I could almost see the question in his eyes, "how fat is he going to get before he does something about it?" Needless to say it was embarrassing.

But that was not even what did it for me. I finally, and perhaps because of my brother's visit, decided that I was no longer going to be addicted. I was no longer going to smoke cigerettes. I was no longer going to suck back beer constantly and when ever. I was no longer going to scarf down those super fattening burgers loaded with extra fat at the restaurants. I was no longer going to go completely careless as to what I was doing to my body.

I basically finally decided that I was going to actually take control. This started just over two months ago for me. I don't really know how or why...but I called on the sheer grit, determination and self control it took me to get through law school and pass the bar exam and use it again. I turned the corner for sure and I am still as strong in it today as I was day 1.

I do not crave food nor have cheat days any longer. Food is fuel nothing more. I only view food as fuel now and because of that, no fattening, greasy or carb loaded food even appeals to me. To maintain the workouts I am doing I need solid fuel in my body and I have been doing just that.

Unfortunately I have been learning as I go and have made mistakes. For example, I just started counted calories over the last 8 or so days. I started after reading it a few times on these forums. It is amazing how it opens your eyes.

I am currently down 18 pounds and in a much, much better condition than I was two months ago. I am nicotine and alcohol free. I regulate all the fuel that goes into my body. I am mentally stronger than ever. I feel more energy then ever and am surprised with the workouts that I have ten times as much energy as I used to...my body is starting to show the results, my family visited this past weekend and my brother was literally shocked at how quickly I have been turning this around. I am inspiring friends and family.

Do I have bad days? Sure there are days when I feel my workout isn't as energized as it should be or I am running just to do my run but I am convinced that those bad days...are the ones that make us so much stronger. When you have a bad day but you own up to your goals and get it done, you come out the next day twice as strong for it.

This is getting long so I will leave it at this. After a bit over two months here is what I have learned:

1. If you spend more time researching workouts, nutrition and the like then you do actually working out: your doing it right
2. Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition
3. Nutrition

[v4micajr]

I knew i was a fat p.o.s. more concerned about shovin my face than being healthy. I was using 'StumbleUpon' one night and came across an article written by a member from this site. A lot of good information and advice, so i decided to check this place out. Then i found the Fat to Fit thread, and i was floored http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...59701&page=232

Hours spent in that thread, led to hours spent browsing the forum. Any question i had, i had answered through the 'search function' and gradually eating right and lifting became a natural part of life. I'm now addicted to the results, and have my sights set on great things that for the first time seem attainable.

that was 90 days ago... and 20lbs heavier

Even today i just want to say F it, and skip the gym, but i come back here, and reiterate that patience and dedication will take me farther than i can imagine.

And i agree. It's a daily battle. I have so many dates on my calendar marking future milestones, but the time between now and then is whats important. So i go about life, enjoying the opportunites that have come my way, but still with that voice in teh back of my head keeping me focused in on counting cals or pushing me to get moving.

[CityOfChampions]

very nice stuff guys im glad to see what drives you all and see some similarity's. Keep at it and stay positive

[WIPlog]

causes to lose weight
1.I have 2 kids and when they are old enough to be embarrassed, I dont want to be the fat dad that picks them up at school or sits in the bleachers in their games
2.divorce- I don't lift for the wimmenz but It doesn't hurt to be in shape
3.I use to be a gym rat in my early 20's. old pics and clothes not fitting


motivation to do it everyday
1.old pics
2.a new wardrobe because im too fat is expensive and accepting the fatness which i wont do(down 20 lbs since DEC 27)
3.i keep a pic from my start at my heaviest(261) on my desktop
4.people now starting to notice and comment on what ive lost so far is motivating as hell
5.i work in a corporate environment. i don't care how clean and pressed and nice your clothes are. having a 44in waist(38 now) destroys a nice pair of pin stripe slacks and a tie.

[xf3lixdcatx]

I think what REALLY pushed me to get into the gym was my previous "serious" relationship ending after 4 years. Needless to say, I had plenty of motivation (and still do) to kick start things off.

[brand91]

After highschool I put on weight, but never really realized how much I gained. I used to hover around 160-165 in highschool. During the holidays I hopped on the scale just messing around and was amazed that I weighed 195, and it showed I looked terrible. Down 16lbs now since January, even though I'm not where I want to be yet, I look and feel much better than I did 2 months ago, not planning on stopping anytime soon.

[SynthSolution]

I started the journey due to overhearing my 5yr old daughter telling her friend that her daddy was too fat to play for a long time with out needing to sit down. From the mouths of babes as they say. At 242lbs (110kgs) my work was cut out for me. I got down to 209lbs (95kgs) but a slight hiccup on the road due to a torn muscle from a work injury took me out for almost 3 months. I ate badly during those 3 months feeling sorry for myself, but somehow managed to keep at 209lbs. But as of two and a bit weeks ago, I have come back twice as hard and doubly determined and have lost over 8lbs already. I can see the finsh line nearing and I feel great about it.