[lbs2]

Losing weight = being more attractive and (maybe) more healthy.

Is being more physically attractive worth being hungry and tired? Worth giving up some of your favorite foods? Worth not spending time with your family and friends? Is it worth not spending your time on a more meaningful hobby? Worth compromising your entire life? Worth risking breaking a bone or pulling a muscle (all those physical pain)? Worth being more selfish?

While I'm losing weight, I could be enjoying my life or forming bond with people in my life...or advancing my career.

So why do I need to lose weight? What are your reasons for making weightloss a focus of your life?

[lola06]

The short answer is YES. Losing weight IS absolutely worth all of the sacrifices!

But from my perspective, it doesn't detract or take away from anything in my life, it's only made things better. When I workout and eat clean whole foods, I feel energized and satiated, not hungry and tired. It's a process of letting go what you think satisfies, but it's great once you get to that place.

Losing weight helps you make even more time for the people and things in your life that you love. So for all those times I was binging and eating out, I now explore new interests and spend more time with my friends.

So why do you need to lose weight? Well, I don't know, only you can answer that question. Maybe you don't need or want to, and that's ok as far as I'm concerned. Everyone who's overweight doesn't need or want to lose weight. For me, I started this journey to get healthy. Diabetes runs in my family, and after seeing a few family members die in the worse way as a result of the disease, I decided I was not going to live my life that way.

Good luck moving forward.

[Kery]

Yes.

It's not always easy, and there are even days when it makes things plainly miserable. But I wasn't less miserable that day I found myself out of breath after having climbed the stairs to my bedroom--at the age of 25, no less. I wasn't less miserable when I had spent an evening eating junk food in front of the TV only to realize that afterwards, I felt physically at unease. And when I compare the prospect of pulling a muscle or developing high BP or diabetes, which run rampant in my family, I tell myself that I prefer to pull that muscle by trying to do something against the potential illnesses, rather than just wait and see if I'll get them as well. (I never pulled a muscle or broke a bone, by the way; in fact, the only times I really hurt myself while exercising was when I was very unfit and did things the wrong way because I didn't know better. )

Of course, there are different ways of doing it, and some work better than others depending on the people. I know I wouldn't be able to follow, say, a diet that makes me drink shakes or eat bars or something like that; on the other hand, the day I decided that now I would learn to eat and like vegetables, it opened up a whole new window of tasty possibilities for me, and I realized that, sure, I like having my slice of cake, but I also like having my home-cooked eggplant with herbs and chicken and other little things like that. Eating less of the 'wrong' foods doesn't mean we have to give them up forever, nor that we will never like healthier foods.

I also feel better since I've started exercising--I mean, not only aesthetically, but simply physically. I eat better and move more, therefore I sleep better and can tackle work and school more efficiently (I'm way less tired than when I was living on pasta, pizza and other foods I used to 'love'). I can now wear clothes I wouldn't have dared wear a few years ago, and about which I would sadly dream. I also feel more confident in many situations--for instance, I never hesitate when it comes to doing something physical, because I have no fears of not being in shape/too heavy/whatever. It's a priceless freedom of mind, even if I also have to admit that there are times when counting calories and all that stuff is annoying.

I'm not sure though how losing weight would prevent one from enjoying life. In my case, I decided to consider it like I would any other thing in my life: it would be a hindrance and a bother only if I decided it was (considering things in a positive way indeed made them seem less difficult). What IS a bother is the fact that so many things revolve around food, and that it makes me feel like people are unable to bond over anything else (inviting people for dinner? They easily accept. inviting them to chat while taking a quiet stroll in the park? Huh, tough luck!). So in my case, it's the overeating that I find annoying in the end: I would like to do something else with my friends and family than just, well, eat. If this is the only means to bond, then it's... very sad.

And as a side note: being more selfish is okay. Seriously. When I wasn't behaving in a selfish way, I was miserable because I would give other people what they wanted, but I never got what I wanted. Now that *I* am the priority, oddly enough, people like me just as much, and respect me more. Go figure.

Anyway, yes, it's worth it. Not fluff and roses, but definitely better IMHO than the alternative of not doing anything.

[jillybean720]

I agree with the others that it is worth the sacrifices, but that the sacrifices you mentioned shouldn't all have to be made! I'm sure doing this for more than just to be more attractive. After all, I already have a fiance who loves me at any weight (obviously, since I'm just under 320 right now, and he's still my fiance!).

I went out to a party last night (my company party--formal casino night). They had food everywhere and 2 open bars. I drank Diet Coke all night and skipped all the appetizers and desserts and just had some chicken, beef tenderloin, and veggies from the buffet for dinner. And I had a snack before going to the party so I wouldn't be too hungry. I also go out with friends socially and simply don't drink and do order something not fried from the menu. I have a normal social life and am still able to stay on plan.

Furthermore, of COURSE I'll be healthier for losing the weight! Especially with exercise, and not just cardio, but weights. One of the girls at the party last night was maybe a size 6, maybe even a 4, but she actually has ROLLS I could see even in her dress! I don't EVER want to be thin but still all flabby--I want to be healthy and strong!

I also don't believe in giving up any foods you love. I just eat them in a controlled fashion. I know I can't have certain foods in my house or else I will eat too much, so I get the things I really love when I go out. For example, I'll have a slice of cheesecake out at a restaurant once in a while, but I'll never bring a cheesecake home to my house or else I'd eat the whole thing.

And, with a healthy eating plan and exercise, you should feel energized, not tired! If you're feeling tired, you're likely either eating too little or not eating the right types of foods. Or you're in your very first few days of a new plan, in which, case, give it a few more days, and you'll feel better once your body adjusts.

I'm not sure what kind of hobby you can't persue while dieting, unless your hobby is competitive eating Hobbies are actually great--they give you something to do and focus on instead of overeating. I know a lot of people who pick up new hobbies while dieting for this exact reason. For example, learning to knit or crochet or cross stitch often gives people something to do with their hands while watching TV so they don't end up mindlessly snacking. Other hobbies may be more activie, which will only help to get more exercise into your life.

Losing weight should never "compromise your entire life;" rather, it should enhance it. I hope you were just having a bad day or a negative moment when you wrote your post and that you're able to see things more clearly. Otherwise, I think your weight loss plan may need some adjusting so you don't hate the process of losing weight so much!

[freethetoys]

the only way to lose weight successfully is to make sure you do not loose out on life, you remain happy, and so you will continue to loose. BALANCE=SUCCESS in my eyes.

[linda25590]

is it worth it NOT to lose weight?. looking unhealthy, feeling tired, Not enjoying yourself with family, loved ones and friends, going into a cloth shop and finding nothing that looks good on you.

The one thing is positive is, that while we are not looking after our body by feeding it healthy nutrients , it wont look after us.

WHY ? we all want to make improvements in our life, but weight loss is not only about lbs lost it is valuing ourself and helping to lead a more full-filling lifestyle linda

[freethetoys]

if someones big says to me (like friends often have) do u think i need to lose weight, i always say, if you think it will make you happier. if you are happy the size you are, then that is fine. i think it is always a personal choice. It is a long hard struggle to lose weight, but i think you learn that, its just finding ways to couter balance the pain, by being positive, optimistic, and re-warding yourself in non food related ways, to help u keep going.
i think mylife has got better since i went on a diet, and lost weight. im happier within myself, i dont feel guilty once i have pigged out on food, because it doesnt really happen anymore, and i dont wonder if my boyfriend is un-attracted to me anymore. but they are my personal reasons. reasons i use everyday to ignore a chocolate bar. if you dont have anything keeping u going, keeping u strong, giving u a push, theni guess u have to re-evaluate why u are on a diet? who you are doing it for? and why are you not happy?

[bargoo]

It is absolutely worth it. The health benefits . alone . make it worth it. Ask any doctor the health risks caused by obesity, how about, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes , just to name a few. you do not have to be hungry and tired when you diet, not if you are choosing the right foods. I look at wearing smaller clothes, not having that battle to , hopefully, find something, anything, to fit. Looking better is a nice bonus, too.Being healthy is the most important thing.

[Jelbb]

Is it worth it?

Is being more physically attractive worth being hungry and tired?
To be honest, the more regularly I've exercised and the more I got myself to bed at a decent hour, the less tired I've been. In fact, the more I go the gym, the more energized I find I am!
As for being hungry... I'm never hungry. The point of "dieting" isn't to starve yourself, it's to train your body to want decent, healthy foods. If you do find yourself hungry, fill up on things that are super low/no calorie. Big green salads full of veggies are like a freebie. A couple of tablespoons of light dressing is really low cal, and you can fill yourself right up. Pickles have like.. a whopping 9 calories if you get the right ones, like Dill (ones that aren't sugar-filled). If you binge on an entire jar of pickles, you're eating like.. what, 100 calories tops? You get three times that from a chocolate bar.
I'm obsessed with flavoured rice cakes. White cheddar are amazing, and only 40 calories!
Anyhow, the point is to find low-calorie foods that you love to fill up on when your tummy rumbles. When it does, your body is telling you it needs food, and you shouldn't let it enter starvation mode. Just fill it up with the good stuff.

Worth giving up some of your favorite foods?
I'm with Jilly. You don't have to GIVE UP anything, you just have to suddenly be a lot more concerned about portion control. I ate a Kitkat the other night. I've still lost a pound since then. Now, it may have been a different story if I'd eaten 6 Kitkats... (Which I totally could've done, I love those babies. )

Worth not spending time with your family and friends?
? Is this because you're too busy with gym time? Or because you don't want the temptation you have while out with friends and family...?
I coerced a couple of friends who were looking to change around their lifestyles to join me in my gym excursions. Also, once you've stuck to a diet for a few weeks straight, I've found that my cravings have subsided for the most part. Going out to a friend's birthday, I'm fine just to allow myself diet sodas and a non-fried meal, and a small slice of her birthday cake. If I feel I've binged too much on junk there, I double up my gym efforts the next day, and compensate calorie-wise, filling myself up with lower-calorie foods than I would have normally. (I love Vector cereal, but rice crispies are my low-calorie breakfast. )

Is it worth not spending your time on a more meaningful hobby?
What's more meaningful than adding years to the end of your life? Besides, the more you work out, the more you go to the gym, the more energized you become, the more the more time you feel you can devote to numerous activities!

Worth compromising your entire life?
To be honest... I think my being overweight has moreso been compromising my life. If we mean literally, my LIFE... well, there are so many weight-related illnesses... let's just say I'd like to avoid diabetes and heart-attacks, and as Kery mentioned, the simple tragicness that is being out of breath after climbing ten steps.
If we're talking more figuratively, my social life has been entirely compromised already by my weight. I'm self-conscious when I'm in public, ALL THE TIME. I always feel like people are watching me when I eat and judging me for what I put in my mouth. I sometimes see myself in pictures and cry. There have been nights where I haven't gone out, because I tried on a bunch of outfits and felt disheartened by the muffin-top I had going on above my jeans and the roll visible through what otherwise would've been a gorgeous bar top.
My life is already compromised by my weight. My weightloss.. if anything, is going to help me live life a little.

Worth risking breaking a bone or pulling a muscle (all those physical pain)?
Do your exercises right, and this shouldn't be a problem!
I've had achilles tendonitis before... and that was back in the day when I went to the gym once every three months. ****, I think I'm much more likely to slip on some ice outside and break a bone than I am exercising on the elliptical at the gym. And I think the risks of being overweight are much more severe than the risks of working to get the weight off.

Worth being more selfish?
More selfish in what way?

As a quick addition to my giant rant... I am forming bonds with people. I keep meeting more and more women at the gym, and I've got workout buddies--- girls who live near me who I never really talked to before until we started working out together... the girls who work at the gym are WONDERFUL. Total sweethearts, and we chat every time I go in now!
And while it may not be as significant to some, I'm forming bonds on 3FC. There are people on here who I now talk to everyday. After going to the gym and making an *** of myself in front of this really gorgeous guy, I can't wait to get home to tell everyone on the weekly chat so we can all laugh at myself.

As to your career... I don't know how weight loss is going to hinder advancement in any way.
I've heard of studies where people who looked healthier and thinner and more put-together did better in the workforce irregardless of skills, simply as a result of societal bias. It's unfair, but true.

[Anyhow. Sorry about the rant. LONGEST POST EVER.]

[junebug41]

Originally Posted by lbs2

Losing weight = being more attractive and (maybe) more healthy.

Is being more physically attractive worth being hungry and tired? Worth giving up some of your favorite foods? Worth not spending time with your family and friends? Is it worth not spending your time on a more meaningful hobby? Worth compromising your entire life? Worth risking breaking a bone or pulling a muscle (all those physical pain)? Worth being more selfish?

You've got it all wrong. It's this all or nothing, balls to the wall, "my life is over because I'm going on a diet" mentality that sets people up for failure.

With that said, as I was losing weight, I did become a bit of a homebody, but that was just an EFFECT of my lifestyle. Not a cause. It's also not a requirement. Sometimes, I would go out and be perfectly fine with water instead of beer (I don't do this now).

Also, I'm not sure what a more meaningful hobby is then getting healthy. I mean, this is your LIFE.

I pulled WAY more muscles being overweight and out of shape than I have being in the best shape of my life. I spring up from my chair, bound up stairs and can outrun anyone to catch a leaving bus.

As for being selfish, perhaps you may view it as selfish to actually take better care of yourself, but I think it's also selfish to those that love me to rob them of a Jen that wouldn't be around as long because of health issues related to obesity. It would be selfish of me to deny my loved ones of the best Jen possible- one that is not held up by her weight.

Career advancement? Hmm. Being obese may or may not have affected my career ops. I honestly don't know. But I have maintained my weightloss and accomplished the following:

*Being featured in the press with the governor
*gaining a presitgious internship with the Grammy's (chosen out of literally one out of hundreds- would I have the guts to do that if I was still locked in my shell? Who knows)
*gaining another internship with an international music pub company that I always dreamed of doing.
*landing my dreamjob

Would I even have the energy to do all of the above? Again, I don't know.

There are plenty of people out there that are not held up by their weight and I admire them. But I have accomplished SO MUCH since losing weight, I can't ignore what losing weight has given me... And I don't mean going from obese to a normal weight. I mean showing myself exactly what I was capable of.

[junebug41]

Originally Posted by jillybean720

Losing weight should never "compromise your entire life;" rather, it should enhance it. I hope you were just having a bad day or a negative moment when you wrote your post and that you're able to see things more clearly. Otherwise, I think your weight loss plan may need some adjusting so you don't hate the process of losing weight so much!

What she said.

[veggielover]

Originally Posted by lbs2

Is being more physically attractive worth being hungry and tired? Worth giving up some of your favorite foods? Worth not spending time with your family and friends? Is it worth not spending your time on a more meaningful hobby? Worth compromising your entire life? Worth risking breaking a bone or pulling a muscle (all those physical pain)? Worth being more selfish?

While I'm losing weight, I could be enjoying my life or forming bond with people in my life...or advancing my career.

I don't mean this in an offensive way, but you make it sound as if being full and energetic, having your favorite foods, spending time with your family, having hobbies, having an entire life or advancing your career is mutually exclusive of weight loss. If this is happening to you on your current plan.... abandon it immediately. It sounds like you might not getting the most of your lifestyle changes. Having a diet plan isn't about giving up food or the rest of your life (well, maybe it might be a new focus intitially, but eventually it becomes a habit enough to ignore the healthy lifestyle) but being healthier so that you can enjoy life and your new self! CHeer up doll, you're in it for the long run, and for the better!

[anna36]

you'll never regret it

[Jelbb]

Originally Posted by anna36

you'll never regret it

What she said.

[Reddalice]

I'm not to goal yet, but yes, it is worth every single moment and bead of sweat I put into it. I don't, however, see why all these things need to be sacrificed. I make friends through weight loss, try new foods, eat a larger variety, make it a way to spend time with my family, and get more energy for the positive attitude, exercise, and healthy foods. Since I'm gaining a better life quality for myself and by extension all those that I love, yes... it is worth it.