I was reading an article/review of Judith Beck’s book, “The Beck Diet Solution,” this morning. What sets Beck’s book apart is that it brings the principles of cognitive behavior therapy into the field of weight loss. One of the exercises the author asks readers to do is write a list of 15 or 20 reasons why they want to lose weight and read the list every single day. I thought this might be fun for us to try. I also think that it could be very motivating. If you can’t list 15, try 10 or 5. It doesn’t matter. Anybody want to play along? Why do YOU want to lose weight?
1. I want my ex to be aware of what he’s lost the next time I see him. I’d like him to eat his heart out.
2. I don’t ever want to buy a larger size than I am wearing – ever.
3. I want to have a holiday picture taken with my children this year and I don’t want to be afraid of the camera and I don’t want to see a double chin.
4. I want to look less pregnant than my sister who is eight months pregnant.
5. I want to feel good about myself again. I’ve had enough of the self-loathing. It’s time to move on. It’s been three years! Get over it.
6. I want to be fit again. I really do. I used to run and bike and play golf and play softball. Not that long ago either! Why did I choose being a sloth over doing these things I like?
7. I want to be able to bend over to shave my legs in the shower and not have my belly get in the way. I know that’s a weird one but something thin people take for granted. I used to be one of those thin people.
8. I want to be the young, cool, pretty mom again. That’s what my kid’s friends used to always tell them.
9. I want to not be afraid to date. I want to be able to see this guy (a doctor) who has been pursuing me, but hasn’t seen me in two years. I want to be able to accept his invitations and I want to knock his socks off.
10. I want to get all of those clothes out from the back of the closet. You know, all those clothes that still have the tags on them. The ones you’ll wear when you loose the weight. I want to wear them. Most of them are pretty amazing.
I want to be fit. I hate being out of breath or winded from stair climbing or other day to day activities.
I want to shop in the “normal” sized stores. Granted I am thankful for Lane Bryant and Avenue (because in general I can find something I like and feel fashionable in) but I would rather be wearing an 8/10 versus an 18.
I don’t want to avoid big events because of the ordeal of having to buy clothes and thinking about how everyone else there will notice how big I have gotten since the last time they saw me (and don’t get me started about avoiding taking pictures).
Some people have ex-boyfriends, I have a snarky ex-friend that apparently loves to comment about me and my weight… so I want to give her something to talk about (or something to shut her up, lol)
I would like to have another baby in two to three years and while I had a fairly easy pregnancy the first time around, I would like to ensure that I am at the healthiest weight and fitness level.
I want to wear heels again. It’s funny but before I gained the weight I lived in 4 inch heels without any problems… and as time has gone on I avoid shoes because my legs hurt or it’s hard to shop for a nice pair that does what I need them to do while being fashionable.
I want to enjoy next summer and include trips to the beach or the amusement park.
I want to enjoy my 30s instead of thinking about how I need to do something about my weight --- when I have time, I need to make the time NOW.
I need more energy.
I want to live a more physical lifestyle. I would like to try new things like rock climbing, rollerblading, etc without being self-conscious.
I do like the challenge idea. I am doing a similar challenge on another thread. Mondays are fine by me as well. I weigh in on Saturdays for The Biggest Loser thread so I'll use that weigh in... (unless of course Monday's weigh in is better ) I am trying to get away from weighing myself every day as I get discouraged that way.
My good news for the week:
I have lost 10" in 15 days!
Got weighed in WW meeting today. Lost 3.4 pounds. Yay! I worked really hard and hope I can stick with it. Walked every night. I try to walk in the morning but can't motivate myself to do it before work. I love walking at night but get nervous walking by myself sometimes.
Loved your lists everyone. I have a new incentive to add to my list. Ex- boyfriend is engaged and I want to look fabulous the next time he sees me. (Have to go to the wedding b/c he's marrying my sister's best friend.) Yikes! Gotta love small towns. Hopefully, I'll be confident and a new me by next October at their wedding. Maybe I"ll even have my own handsome date on my arm!
Also, it was my Grandma's birthday today and we took her to a cider mill/pie pantry. My biggest problem is sweets. Put a cupcake or cookie in front of me and watch out b/c I'll run you over. I had a glass of cider and lots of water instead of the rhubarb pie ala mode I always get (and was so desperately craving!) Overall, glad I didn't give in to my weakness but boy, was it hard! Good luck to everyone this week!
It seems everyone is doing great in their quest. I am bit sad. I miss my country and folks. And thinking about my family I realized it was soo easy to maintain your health then. We occassionally had fast food. Mom used to make everything from scratch, her food was so tasty. And there were very few processed food around the house. The only bad pointer was we ate rice too much.
I came across a diet named my pyramid diet. maybe you all know about that. But I realized how I can incorporate more fruits and veggies in my diet. Hope it'll help me.
I also thought Monday would be splendid for weighing in. But I am not sure about the 900 min challenge. See you all around.
JC, great job on your weight loss. 3.4 lbs is awesome!!
Andi, 10 inches in fifteen days, WOW! What are you doing girl? I want to do it too!!
I had to think about the list for a while.
1. I want to be healthy.
2. I want to wear the skinny clothes in my closet.
3. I want to run/jog. I used to run a little and while I was never fast, I had great legs!!
4. I want to wear heels again. Like Pink, I love heels and it is true that the heavier your are, the less comfortable they are.
5. I want to look hot on the beach next April, when we go on vacation. Just for my hubby. I had surgery on my leg a few weeks ago, I know I am still going to have a very angry looking scar in April as the incisions are quite large. ( One is straight, the other looks rather like Zorro was here!!) so if my leg looks like crap, the rest of me needs to be better to compensate!
6. I want to wear a bikini on that beach.
7. I want to have great tank top arms. I am very aware of the lack of tone in my upper arms.
8. I want to look in the mirror and love what is looking back.
9. I do not want to have a "butt in the front" or a shelf butt anymore.
10. I want to look good on a motorcycle or bicycle again. I hate my butt hanging over the seat.
Good morning everyone! How is Wednesday treating you guys? I am unfortunately sick, I have a serious cold going on (thanks to this ever changing weather) but I am at work just trying not to snooze at my keyboard. I hope to be better so I can start our challenge on Monday
Andi - congrats on those 10" I too had limited myself to twice a week on the weighing in (Mondays and Thursdays) because I become discouraged with the numbers (even though losing inches is more impressive imo)
JC - congrats on 3.4 pounds! and on your willpower (I have to agree with Cindy when it comes to pizza... it's one of my weaknesses, so I just try to avoid it all together until I can enjoy it in moderation)
I hate Wednesdays even more than Mondays! I'm just feeling blah today. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well Pink. Don't over-do the exercise while sick. I've done that before and it always made me feel worse.
I walked on the treadmill this morning before work again. I think I'm going to keep that up, in addition to the evening walk. It can't hurt and hopefully I'll see results even faster.
I made sausage and cheese stuffed mushrooms last night (I'm doing low carb so those things are good) and they were very good. I think I'm going to go home for lunch and have some left over roast turkey. I made my daughter a toasted turkey and colby jack sandwich to take to school for lunch this morning and I swear, I could have eaten every single roll in the bag. They smelled so good. There was some melted cheese on the tray after I wrapped the sandwich. I started to pick at it and my daughter said, "mom, don't!" "There might be bread crumbs in that cheese." I ate it anyway.
What a dreary Wednesday here in Michigan. Cold and rainy. Makes me want to lounge on the couch watching tv all day. I never know what to do with myself on rainy days when I can't walk outside. I don't know what I'll do this winter when I can't walk outside. I hate workout videos, I never end up doing them.
I love love love Weight Watchers. I don't mean want to sound preachy but it's simple to follow and easy to stick to. You don't deprive yourself of anything you want and you just follow the healthy guidelines. (Lots of water, veggies, and fruits. Whole grain foods, 2 servings of milk, healthy oils, and portion control.) I hated diets and have tried everything and I'm really having a good time eating healthier and creating a change for life.
Andi- Congrats on your 10"!
Farah- more fruits and vegetables is the hardest part of the WW plan for me to follow. I don't cook very often so it's hard sometimes. I hope your day starts looking up and you are feeling cheerier soon.
Pink- Hope you are feeling better soon! Lots of soups and fluids. Maybe a good movie or two.
Cindy: I'm impressed you walk 2 times a day. I wish I had a treadmill to walk on while I watch tv/movies.
1. I want to be healthy by my 30th birthday next year.
2. I am tired of being overweight, I want to be skinny for once in my life!
3. I want to have the energy to run around with my son.
4. We are looking at becoming within the next year or two and I want to have a healthy pregnancy when that happens.
5. I want to enjoy like I did when I first met my husband and weighed 70 pound less.
6. I don't want to have another double chin picture taken!
7. I want to look good in a swimsuit.
8. I want to no longer have cottage cheese looking legs.
9. I want to shock my family next time they see me (@ Christmas)
10. We may be moving to San Diego in '08 or '09 and I want to be healthy looking so that I can enjoy the beach in a tankini and not worry about people looking at how big my legs and arms are.
Thanks girls for the grats on the inches lost! The support means a lot to me as most of my friends and co-workers have no idea how hard I am struggling and want to lose this weight!
Mothermavis all I am doing is sticking to my exercises and eating low calorie (between 1000-1500)! I work out at least 30 minutes a day, either on the treadmill or doing Turbo Jam. On the weekends I try to work out more. My husband is in grad school so I either have to workout late at night when he gets home (treadmill at our apartment clubhouse) or after I get my son to bed (Turbo Jam in the living room). I used to wake up early to exercise (last time I lost the weight) but can no longer handle getting up at 4:30. When I lost the weight for my wedding I used to get up at 4:30 to either do lap swimming with my best friend (she was getting ready for her wedding as well) or walk 2 miles with my mom (we rented my parents basement before our wedding), it was so easy back then because I always had someone relying on meeting me. After my husband and I were married, we moved 6 hours away from our family and friends so now I have nobody to work out with in the mornings so instead I work out at night now and am able to stick with it!
We'll see how well I do today. I went to work for 2 hours and left feeling ill...shaking and cold and really tired.
JC - congrats on 3.4 pounds! and on your willpower (I have to agree with Cindy when it comes to pizza... it's one of my weaknesses, so I just try to avoid it all together until I can enjoy it in moderation)
Hey pink - when I was dieting a few years ago I used to make a pizza that really got me through some rough days. I made a whole wheat dough in my bread machine. I topped it with olive oil, broccoli, and parmesan cheese. It's really healthy and really good. Parmesan has little to no fat!
) I am trying to get away from weighing myself every day as I get discouraged that way. 
And thinking about my family I realized it was soo easy to maintain your health then. We occassionally had fast food. Mom used to make everything from scratch, her food was so tasty. And there were very few processed food around the house. The only bad pointer was we ate rice too much.
within the next year or two and I want to have a healthy pregnancy when that happens.
like I did when I first met my husband and weighed 70 pound less.
