What is your "Why"?

[jlou]

A lot about being successful on Cohens is about understanding and unpacking the reasons WHY you are doing this and examining them and adjusting them along the way if they don't work for you anymore.

I have started this thread as a place for people to share their "WHY" and really open up, regardless of how far along their journey they are.

For me it was about being the healthiest version of myself I could be after watching my Mum battle and survive cancer. I didn't want my son to go through that with me if I could do something to prevent it. I wanted to be a role model for him and run around and keep up with him.

Cohens has given me that. I am not the same person I was. 3 1/2 years ago. I have energy, we run around, I wear my bikini at the beach with him !

And this weekend I ran my first half marathon on an injured foot: I ran it fundraising for a charity I am on the board of (volunteer) - we provide practical support to mums with cancer. Every painful step I said to myself " it's not as bad as chemo" and that kept me going.

I looked back in my diary from August 2011 and I was contemplating running my first 5km - and I just did 21.1.

Not everyone will want to run. Everyone has their own "WHY"

What is yours?

[LiquidIce]

Hmm, my why... I think because my weight has cause so many problems. Not health wise, but emotionally. I have a very very low self esteem. My mom used to tell me I could not wear mini skirts as my leg were too 'fat'. I used to weigh 49kg in high school. Looking back at pictures of me that age, I did not have a gram of fat. My road to fatness started then. My used to dish up plates and plates full of food. I just complied, because I was already 'fat'. Because of my weight I have issues with jealousy as well. If my husband dares to look at someone else skinnier than me, the green monster pops out.

then there must be some health issues. As I said, there aren't any yet, but all my mom's brothers are obese, as she is as well. Two of them has diabetes, all of the brothers has had heart surgery, my mom has a pacemaker, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension for which there is no cure, she is on permanent oxygen, and I can carry on and on. I have a stinking suspicion that weight must play a huge roll in that, and I do not want that to be my future. I want to play outside with my kids in the pool, walk around the block with them, go on bike rides with my husband. I want to enjoy life!!

that is why for me...

[Reenna]

I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life and I'm tired of it. I lost the weight two years ago in Cohen,maintained for a few months, had a horrible 2012 and early 2013 and gained all the weight back. So i buckled up and bought a new program so I can lose the weight again and hopefully,maintain it this time. I never want to be apologetic again every time people ask why I gained weight. I don't want people looking at me with pity and judgment in their eyes. I don't want to feel defensive that I have lost 4 kilos in my 1st week of Cohen only to be met with disbelief.

My biggest motivation now is not that I want to be skinny - I just want to look NORMAL again.That's my why.

[sammi]

my why is similiar to Reena - I did it before and I felt good. I liked me for me. I felt comfortable going out and about with my skinny friends and maybe not bikini on beach but at least bathers and not tshirt and shorts or long dress next to the rest.

I want to feel fit and healthy - I want to learn to run and enjoy exercise like I have done in the past. Active me got out and about every weekend seeing doing and exploring. Fat me sits in front of the TV hiding.

Health wise as I get older Im more concerned problems could arise so this is a preventative too!

[Karen_B]

My why....
Cause my BP was going up, up, up and the Dr basically told me that I wasn't going to see my daughter become a teenager (she had just turned 6 then)! So I knew it was really time to do something! I was tired of being so big, not being able to buy clothes, tired of my feet being so sore, tired of not being able to sit in some chairs... you name it I was over it!!
Loving being lighter, loving being smaller, loving being more active (incidental exercise happening every day), loving being able to have races with my daughter, loving being able to go on her trampoline, loving shopping and buying clothes!
I just need to stay on track (really struggling these days) and get to goal! I can do this and I so want to do it!!

[aPpLe*]

My why changes daily- first I just wanted to give my self esteem a boost, wear short and be a normal 26 year old... I do hide a lot, I'm so ashamed of my weight gain and the yo' yo-ing of my weight and being so insecure. Infact my weight has cause me bigger emotional issues, and I have now also started believing that it's the reason for a lot of things going wrong.

But since I've started it's been about taking control of my life back, being able to stick to something and look forward to a very long 6 months and what I can achieve with only depending on my own motivation is like TAKING BACK my power as a woman and doing something so special for me. It's about giving myself the unconditional love and sacrifice that I deserve, to live!!

It's a day to day step, to me it has also become a spiritual journey because Jesus also gave up food for 40 days, it's a sense of accomplishment and what I can do for myself.

I love my WHY's, they are special and I can't wait to discover more on this journey!

[Nutmeg]

I started cohens because i could never enjoy summer. I would hide inside or feel like a idiot with a jersey on at the beach. i wanted to fit in and i hated myself for squandering my 20's being so fat. Some girls asked me to go to the races last year and i had to say no because finding a nice dress with long sleeves ? not happening

at the point of losing 20kg now it is 80% about health and 20% about being able to wear what i want and feel comfy. I dont want to have something bad happen and it was caused by being overweight OR be held back by something like infertility because of being overweight. I wouldnt be able to live with myself knowing it is self inflicted