Why are you losing weight? First and foremost, for me, to become healthier. I don't want to be diabetic, and I don't want to spend my 20s fat. So it's a mixture of health and just WANTING.
But my biggest drive lately? Bitterness. It's probably not a good one, and it's probably not healthy, but I don't care. I can't wait to see the looks on those jerks faces who made fun of me, even when they KNEW I was losing weight, because they expect me to fail. It's the thing that makes me say no to that extra helping of something even when I really want it, or the thing that tells me to do 5 more, or 10 more.
1. Because I'm sick and tired of being the "giant" girl.
2. Health (I'm not THAT overweight, so it's not the #1 concern for me)
3. Energy... I find that when I'm eating healthy foods and lower calorie counts of it... I have SO much more energy, and for me... when I usually need at least 10 hours of sleep just to feel NORMAL... it's good... I'm now waking up at only 8 hours feeling refreshed... which is AWESOME.
4. Clothes... I'm tired of never being able to find clothes... and when I do... they aren't clothes that I WANT... they're clothes that FIT.
5. I want to be able to do things, I want to be able to enjoy doing random things without worrying if my belly fat is showing, if my legs are too big, if I look absolutely stupid (though I'm sure I'll still kinda worry about this one... I have a tendancy to look stupid doing a LOT of things). I want to be able to have fun. I want to be able to run with my dog without getting too tired out (and I did this... and it was my DOG who got tired... not me... ). I want to be able to ride horses without looking like the giant girl who has little control over what she's doing, and bouncing all over the place.
6. I want to prove to everyone else that I DO have self-control, that I CAN do things. Mainly to my parents. Who... in my eyes at least... have always seen me as someone who starts and then "fails".
7. I want to see my friends and be the good looking fun one for once... not just the sane one that everyone shares their troubles with because they know I don't do anything like that.
8. I want to be able to wear a dress without worrying about a rash on my thighs...
8. I want to be able to wear a dress without worrying about a rash on my thighs...
.
You had a lot of good ones - but THIS.
I remember the summer before I lost weight, I had gone to Portland with my boyfriend at the time. We were supposed to eat dinner at an Ethiopian place (love Ethiopian food!). We got to the restaurant, but they only took cash. So, we had to walk all over to find an ATM machine. I had put on a little dress because I wanted to be that woman who could wear a cute dress in the summer and my inner thighs were in AGONY from the chafing. Raw, red flesh...the only way I could walk was to tuck the skirt between my thighs. I finally had to stop while he found a bank machine and came back to where I was waiting.
Painful, embarrassing -has not happened one time since I lost weight and I wear skirts and dresses all the time now! Definite HUGE BONUS.
Health all the way. I feel so much better when I eat healthy and exercise. I just feel silly that I never did it sooner, or if I tried that I didn't stick with it. I guess I just had to be ready for it. My main health reason is to have children, and be able to be an active mom.
I want a baby. We have to do IVF because my husband has a very bad genetic disease, and so it's going to cost us $15K to roll the dice even once, and we are not wealthy people. So I am going to make damn sure that when we try, I have done everything I can to tilt the odds in our favor.
Also, now that I've lost the bulk of the weight, I realize how much more capable of taking care of a baby than I was before. I have actual energy, and can get across a room much more quickly!
My husband is semi retired, we're pretty much empty nesters (kids between college semesters sometimes) and (IMHO) we're still young enough to start having some FUN! If I lose the weight and get stronger in the process then we will be able to travel. I can go to the theatre and fit comfortably into the seats. I will have more energy to do more things in general.
And, my biggie--I DO NOT want to be a diabetic. My dad has diabetes and I see how hard he works to keep it under control. If I can't keep what I put in my mouth under control now, I think diabetes would kill me. Why not do all that work now and avoid it all together if I can?
So, health first, being able to do lots of fun stuff with the hubby comes in second, and a little vanity thrown in there too--last. Who doesn't want to look better if they can? But, honestly, if I make vanity my first priority (like I have in the past) I just can't stick with a plan. It never happens fast enough for me, I guess. Health first, then losing weight and looking better happens to be a lovely side effect of all my hard work! Maybe having that attitude takes the pressure off?
I am doing this for...
1st.. Health
2.Better and cheaper clothing
3. Be taken off my medication for high blood pressure and mental.
4. to have a flat tummy!!
Most of us will say health. And that is one of my reasons. But the biggest reason? My kids!
My husband is 46 and I am 45. We had never had any health issues or family history of anything. We did both smoke. Out of the blue, in the summer of '06, one week before my husbands 42 birthday, he had a heart attack. Luckily he is healthier today than before. And so am I. We both quick smoking and started working out. Well...... he worked out. I "kinda" did.
Then in '08 my mom passed away while in surgery. During the time between the heart attack and for almost a year after my mom passing, I ate to drown my sadness. I gained 45 pounds!
One morning it dawned on me that I needed to be in top shape. "What if my husband had another heart attack?" I didn't want to be in bad health, left with two boys to raise.
So I started working out 3-4 days a week and 6 months after that I joined WW. I am down 22 pounds and feeling wonderful.
I remember the summer before I lost weight, I had gone to Portland with my boyfriend at the time. We were supposed to eat dinner at an Ethiopian place (love Ethiopian food!). We got to the restaurant, but they only took cash. So, we had to walk all over to find an ATM machine. I had put on a little dress because I wanted to be that woman who could wear a cute dress in the summer and my inner thighs were in AGONY from the chafing. Raw, red flesh...the only way I could walk was to tuck the skirt between my thighs. I finally had to stop while he found a bank machine and came back to where I was waiting.
Painful, embarrassing -has not happened one time since I lost weight and I wear skirts and dresses all the time now! Definite HUGE BONUS.
My thighs have always rubbed together. Except, when I was about 18 I staved myself down to my lowest all time weight, and size 6. I remember I was going to see a friend I hadn't sen in a few years, and a shoved myself into these size 6 capris. I probably should have lost another 5 pounds before attempting them, but anyway I remember putting them on and walking and my thighs not touching. I felt like I was going to fall over because I had never walked without my inner leg resting up against my other inner leg, it was the strangest, most wonderful feeling...shortly there after I stopped starving myself and binged and my weight climbed right back up. I've love to reach that point again only in a healthy lifestyle way that I can maintain.
Definitely for my health. It's a shame I wasted so much of my life being obese.
All the elasticity has gone from my skin. I wear the same...same...SAME...clothes again and again. I'm the 'intelligent' one.
If I could talk to the younger women, I'd say, "DO it NOW!"
The years fly by sooooo fast and you 'waste the pretty' as they say. The younger you are when you lose that excess weight the more hope of your skin bouncing back.
When I lose all I want to, I know there will be much excess skin, and I don't foresee being able to have cosmetic surgery.
MissNibs
Last edited by MissNibs; 06-12-2010 at 07:01 PM.
Reason: cc
Why do you do it?
I have a tendancy to look stupid doing a LOT of things). I want to be able to have fun. I want to be able to run with my dog without getting too tired out (and I did this... and it was my DOG who got tired... not me... 
). I want to be able to ride horses without looking like the giant girl who has little control over what she's doing, and bouncing all over the place.
