Has your journey influenced those around you?

Has anyone around you started to change their habits (eating, exercise) since you've started your own journey?

I'm curious to hear different stories about the power of a good example. I hope that one benefit of my efforts is that the changes I make will inspire those who are close to me to make changes in their own lives.

My brother was the one who inspired me to start this  journey.

Now, my mother wants to join a gym as well, and she has gradually improved her eating habits.

In my case, the thing that called my family's attention, was that I'm doing this by myself and not by following a program or a fad diet. Also that I'm able to eat whatever I want, but just keeping portions checked. They used to believe you're either in or out of a diet, and not that is a lifestyle you learn to manage.

I started my weight loss / healthy journey at my previous job in 2006.  Everyone noticed my progress, and I was eventually asked to write a brief article in our company newsletter.  It was a simple, 2 paragraph thing that basically came down to "eat better, move more."  I really didn't think anything of it.

I was laid off this past January, but a couple of weeks ago I received an email from a former coworker, who was also laid off that same day.  He was a rather large guy, and he informed me that my article inspired him to change some things, which led to a loss of 80 pounds.  His doctor said he added about 20 years to his life.

Don't underestimate the impact you can have on others!

My husband was really not enthusiastic about me trying to lose weight at first.  Ya, I'm sure he'd be happy to have a hot skinny wife again, but I think that was overshadowed by absolute fear that he was going to be forced to eat rabbit food and rice cakes for the rest of his life because "the cook" is not cooking his fatty comfort foods anymore. But he reluctantly agreed to support me because he knows how much it means to me and that my health may be at risk.

Well, I've really started to look at things as more of a weight loss adventure than a diet and that includes getting really creative with the healthy food. We've been trying stuff we've never had before, ethnic foods, all sorts of grains, different seasonings.  I still have the same passion for food and cooking, but now that focuses not on fatty rich foods but healthy and delicious nutrients. 

Tonight he came into the kitchen rubbing his belly and he says, "You know, with all this good healthy food around, I bet that if I stopped drinking I could get rid of this beer belly."  Alright...now that might not seem like a lot to you but its huge in my eyes!!

My inspiration comes from my mom.  I always used to be the skinny one in a family of heavyset  people, but when my dad was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year, my mom became a woman on a mission.  She researched the disease and all the ways to control it with diet & exercise and got to work throwing out all the junk food and making-over their lifestyle.  The two of them have lost so much weight, my dad's diabetes is under control and I could not be prouder of them.  But that meant that I was no longer the "skinny one."  It wasn't until I saw some photos of my mom and me together that I realized how badly I had let myself go.  I knew that if they could turn their lives around...so could I.

Santonacci, I love your hitchhiker's icon :-) 

Nope. They all just say good for you and go about their business.

And yeah, Don't Panic FOR LIFE!

Original Post by heatherkparks:

Santonacci, I love your hitchhiker's icon :-) 

 Thanks - have been a long time HHGTTG geek, but I also thought the sentiment would be appropriate on a site where we routinely encounter "OMG, I ate a piece of cake", "I gained 5 pounds yesterday", "what do I do when I eat out"...etc.

I met a coworker in a training class and long story short, I gave told her about my weight loss journey and gave her a list of my resources including this website.  I am not sure if she ever got on here, since she works in another building than me and I don't want to bug her, but I wish her the best!

Some other coworkers got really concerned and thought I was sick, so they asked my boss if I was ok and he told them I was losing weight on purpose.  They came over to ask me how I did it, but when I told them diet change and exercise I think they wrote it off haha.