Do you make sure you look nice everywhere you go (even if it's just to the grocery store or laundromat)? Do you thoroughly enjoy getting your picture taken? Do you loooove looking in the mirror at your newfound sexy, fit self? Do you take it one step further, looking into the mirror AND striking poses? Are you just as motivated to stay trim and slim for vanity reasons as you are for good health?

Yeah. All of the above definitely apply to me.

I was vain when I was thin, though after my weight gain, I decided I was too fat to care and became lazy. Now, I feel like I must be extremely full of myself because I look in the mirror and think I'm actually kind of... attractive Not only that, but I'm devoting a lot of time to body sculpting. I promised myself I would NEVER be like my formerly conceited thin self again. I really dislike it when people are completely obsessed with their physical appearances... so I guess I have this silly fear of turning into one of those.

So... how vain are YOU? And do you call it vanity, or just taking care of yourself and being confident about it?

Honestly, I am not thin yet, but I'm shocking myself by suddenly caring about all these things. New clothes, nice hair, clean skin, cute accessories...and I check myself out in every reflective surface I can find! Who knew that you could check yourself out on the side of a toaster?

Vain...I don't know if it's vain. I've just avoided really looking at myself for so long, it's like I'm making up for lost time!

I knew about the side of the toaster! I also knew about spoons, sunglasses, and windows!

YES! Is it bad that I asked one of the trainers at the gym to show me some poses? I really did...so my time in front of the mirror has drastically increased! The only thing that is keeping me grounded right now is the fact that I have ZERO boobs (like 34 barely A)...I guess 16% body fat will do that to you. Now if I get a boob job...I might consider that vain.

16% huh, Cookie Monster? good JOB! you must be seeing your abs at least somewhat now, eh?

yeah, a lot of really fit women no longer have their racks. So if you actually DID want to get a boob job, I wouldn't blame you! I'm aiming for a lower body fat percentage myself, but I hope my rack still stays in tact... or at least gets no smaller than a B cup (the "girls" are small D's right now at 22% )

No I still think I look disgusting. Sometimes I look in the mirror in stores to see how fat i look. Sometimes I cry because my body is so deformed from being fat. i thought at my current weight I would look like I was in shape but thanks to all the extra skin and cellulite I look horrible. My thighs look like they belong to fat ******* after he got gastric bypass surgery. I'm only 26 and I look like I've had 90 children. It's so disappointing.

Phyllis, was 166.5 your highest weight ever, or did you come from one much higher?

The reason I ask is because I would imagine that after losing 31.5 pounds, your body would not have all that much loose skin and cellulite. There may be a tiny bit, but it will decrease and potentially disappear after time and exercise. If I remember right, Fat B@$t@rD went on the Subway diet like Jared, no?

Hopefully you're one of the lucky ones! Nursing both children for a year didn't help "the girls" any...I know women complain about saggy large breasts but trust me...saggy miniscule "breasts" are much worse! I think if I did get a boob job...I'd only want to be a full B/small C.
Although I am thoroughly enjoying my super flat stomach...not nearly as defined as kaw's but still working on it. I've found that since I'm so tall, and a lot of my height is in my torso...that my flat stomach is more a product of genetics. Anyway...I thought about joining your club but I have no pictures at the moment...maybe I can get DH to take some tomorrow (I have to dress up like a biker chick)

Isn't it fun focusing on sculpting and BF% (note sarcasm)? It was so much easier using the scale to set goals...for me anyway. I can't lose anymore now or else I look skeletal!

I think I'm rambling...

In some ways, I lost weight because of vanity. I didn't have the confidence to start losing weight until I had already started taking care of myself better.

I have mixed feelings now. Sometimes I have "thin" days, where I will stand in front of the mirror and turn around and dress up extra cute. Sometimes I have "fat" days where no matter what I wear and which mirror I look in, I just feel like I look fat and ugly.

Yeah, Jessica, part of my reasoning for weight loss was vanity, as well. It was a 50/50 equation for me, really... then, the health equation got broken down again: 50% physical health, 50% mental health I have my fat and ugly days, too, but I just suck it up, deal with it, and think, "Ok... well... I would need to gain a total of 21 pounds to be overweight again, and 40 more to be where I was!! Self, you're HOT!"

Cookie Monster... biker chick? Niiiice! Yes join my club. NOW. You don't even need to post pics... if you want to, you can, and it's encouraged considering your stomach probably looks wayyyyy better than mine! It IS more difficult focusing on body fat percentage because I feel like I have to be more meticulous than I was while losing. When I was in losing mode, I just had to limit my calories and eat a reasonably balanced diet. Now that I want abs, I feel like my diet probably has to be impeccable at least 85% of the time (hee, one or two slip ups a week maybe - not total slip up days, just single slip ups). My exercise regimen has changed quite a bit, too, as I'm focusing a lot more on weights and high-impact cardio (stairs, spin, stuff like that), whereas before, while losing, distance biking and running became my things.

kaw's stomach is SO ripped... I don't want mine quite THAT ripped... I just want to see some lines. she's, like, fitness competitor fit... which is awesome, but I want some of my curve fat-ness.

lol yeah maybe he did do the subway diet Shane I forget. Um no my heighest point was 200lbs when I was about 12 years old. I started gaining weight really fast in first grade and then continues to gain until about 7th grade then I began losing just from becoming more active. Lost a little more in highschool and ended up at 166.5 till I reall started trying to lose weight a couple years back. I don't think there's any hope for my thighs they are so gross looking. I have stretch marks all over. I got them when I was like 9 or 10 and didn't know what they were. then my mom told people will think I had a baby. I didn't know why she said that until later.

So there we go....that is how I will set my body fat percentage. I have DD's at ~ 22%, I'll keep going until C cup and stop Cheaper than a boob reduction. Although after 2 kiddos I would still need a lift.

I was feeling somewhat vain for a bit (I even bought ...MAKEUP ), but now I am not. When ds was 6 months old a lot of my hair fell out (this is kind of normal - you get more hair when you are pg and at ~ 6 months it returns to normal). But as it turns out, it wasnt just falling out, a lot of it was breaking off and now I have 2 1/2 inch scraggles all over my head....it looks like really BAD bangs in front. And I look dreadful with short bangs. Plus they are grey, I have had a box of haircolor on my bathroom counter for MONTHS waiting for the time to do it. But I have yet to be able to chisel out a childfree hour where I couldnt be doing something better like sleeping!

For me if I am working the plan, I feel good about me, size becomes pretty irrelevant. If I am not (like now) I dont care. I've been struggling to get out of sweats lately (and my eating is crap and I am afraid to get on the scale)

I can honestly say that vanity had only a tiny % of motivation for me to lose weight. I think I could use a little right now.

I'm vain about my face... and trying to work on loving the rest of me.

There's a little mirror in the wall at the end of my corridor at work that I always used to preen in. I didn't discover until I'd been there for three months that it was actually a window into the Security Office, and you could see everything from the other side!

There is definitely a lot more self love floating around my house now that I have lost/still losing those last couple kilos!

I wouldn't say it's over the top "oh I am just so hot" vanity though - more being proud of being able to stand in front of a mirror in my birthday suit and look good! Took a lot of work so it's nice to flaunt the results a bit.

I now enjoy going out clubbing in short shorts and listening to guys with new (for me) pick up lines revolving around how toned my calves are...or how nice my um, shorts, are :P

Cookie - I feel for you! I'm just barely an A cup myself - I have considered a boob job but eh...having no boobs makes running very easy no bounce and jiggle lol and I dont have to worry about expensive support bras! I really like that as I develop and tone my muscles my chest muscles have at least made what little there is very perky :P It also means I don't worry about dropping my body fat and loosing boobage since there was nothing there to start with!

Sigh. Ok, you asked so here goes. Yes, yes, yes and YES. This is kinda embarrassing to admit but I might as well come clean with my nasty little secret. I didn't start this to be healthy and I don't continue my plan for my health. It is purely, 100% for vanity. I want to be hot again. There, I said it. I want men at my feet on my every whim. I know I'm married but it doesn't hurt to have them wanting what they can't have. That's my dirty little secret. I spend a lot of time in the mirror, yes even striking poses (ugh, how embarrassing to admit ) and yes, I do love getting my picture taken now.

I've spent over seven years being the old, FAT, wife and mother and I'm tired of it. I want to ME again, I want to be a WOMAN who happens to have a husband and daughter. Does that make sense? I do not think it's conceited, nor do I ever think I could be, my self esteem is too low for that...but, I am incredibly vain and don't care anymore. I hope I'm not obsessed with it and hope I never get obsessed with it, but I have no problem saying I'm vain..I deserve to be, I've worked hard and sacrificed a lot. That goes for everyone else here as well! WE ALL DESERVE IT!!!