Oh, I feel you on the shift work! I know the pain of being awake for several days, and sleeping as much in a week as some people get for a night.

Stay strong, the shift work can't possibly last forever!

Advantages: I have a great OH and he is very supportive even though i get tetchy and often snappy when i am not in form to listen to advice.. have my wedding to look forward to and mu honeymoon for motivation, love fruit and veg

Disadvantages:
Tore ligament in my calf while exercising , and also tore muscle when running always afraid now to push it too far in case of further injury,

When injured tend to say sod it ill eat whatever i like...
i am having more ciggarettes then the odd one.. after 3 Years off them..

Merilung, I feel ya' with working odd shifts and being on-call. For me it was really difficult to do any type of planning as far as meals or exercising because there was never any type of set schedule in my life. It was always changing and interfering with something. It's a tough road, but it looks like you've been able to adapt much better than I! Keep it up!

Why focus on "disadvantages" ... that won't get anyone anywhere! Excuses, excuses... that's what I call them.

Advantages!~
* I have a rockin' positive, optimistic attitude!
* I have a great support network of friends and family
* I've always been healthy and am currently injury-free!

(edit: whoops, just looked at the support group title... I'm not a 30-something but I hope its OK that I posted anyway)

Disadvantages:
* I love salt.
* I have terrible willpower when it comes to fast food.
* I have terrible willpower when it comes to getting my butt to the gym.
* I seriously LOVE salt.

Advantages:
* I really don't like sweets of any kind. Never liked chocolate, never crave
candy.
* I am on my feet all day and my classroom is up 3 flights of stairs.
* I really love boxing and once I am there, I love working out.
* I love any and all veggies and fruits.
* I love to cook and I'm actually pretty good at it!
* I like learning new and healthy recipes or healthy changes to old
recipes in my family.

You know, seeing more advantages than disadvantages is pretty motivating. Great topic!

Disadvantages:
I lost at least 90 pounds two years ago, and gained all plus some back.
I did it again, and lost 80 pounds, then regained 30 of it back.

Advantages:
I'm following a doctor-prescribed diet that allows me to not have to think. That works for me.
I only have me, myself and I to plan for, so I don't have to worry about what my husband, kids, etc... are going to eat.

Advantages:
I love to exercise. I can be on the elliptical the whole day! Have run a couple of half-marathons
I cook everyday.. So i can really plan ahead!

Disadvantages
Time constraint, i am a SAHM with 3 kids... Running around them hardly gives me time to workout
Easy availability of junk food... Cookies, cupcakes, crackers because of the kids!
Stress eating: lately have been under a lot of stress and i binge on all junk... So i calorie count all the time stay around 14-15k everyday and boom one day its like 1000 calories snacking... And everything goes down the drain!!

What a great, interesting thread!

Okay so my DISADVANTAGES are:

*I take some medication which caused or causes me to get extra hungry at night and I gained about 15 lbs on it, but the good thing is that it helps me in other ways

*I am a middle of the night eater, bad habit which I have tried to break, gotta work away at that

*I have some health restrictions which make it hard for me to work out on a consistent basis


My ADVANTAGES are:

*I have an incredibly supportive boyfriend who wants to eat healthier and lose weight too! I was able to help him eat healthier, so we complement each other My family is somewhat supportive too.

*I really WANT to lose this weight! Earlier in my life, I was in denial but now I know I want to do it for ME!

*I have a reasonably priced gym membership with a gym near me

*I have lost a good amount of weight before, so I can do it again!

It looks like my advantages outweigh the disadvantages so perhaps I am off to a good start!

This is an great thread for reflection

Advantages
I have access to a really great network of Gyms at a low price
I enjoy whole foods, vegetables, fruits
I don't enjoy processed fast food, especially KFC, mc'donalds, yuck
I enjoy cooking most of the time and have loads of healthy recipes in my head
I have ankylosing spondylitis which is a constant motivator to be healthier, the illness would be made worse by being heavier so I have motivation to be lighter, not just healthier. Its also a constant reminder that life is a precious gift and we shouldn't take our health for granted.
I have access to many healthy fast food options close to my work (salad bars are a godsend)
I'm self motivated
I've adopted an "I don't want that" attitude rather than an "I musn't have that"

Disadvantages
I often get bored of tracking
I travel a lot for work and attend a lot of catered functions, I struggle to control what I eat on the road
I have sleep problems which can derail both diet and exercise plans
I have a sweet tooth, I always end off the day with a sweet despite my best intentions
I have a tendency towards self flagellation
I have a sedentary job
I am a 'live to eat' person, I always want to try new things, especially unique, artisinal local products. I am fascinated by how different cultures approach food. I see food and eating as an important social activity and feel its rude to refuse peoples hospitality if they want to feed me, because I travel and meet so many new people this can lead to weight gain, I enjoy it so much though and would rather find a way to fit it into a healthy lifestyle if I can.
I use food to soothe, comfort.

Disadvantages
I’ve been overweight my entire life
I am addicted to pop (but have given it up cold turkey)
Desk job with really long hours half of the year (like 60+ hours a week)
A boyfriend who is overweight, also not a great eater/exerciser and we enable each other
Thyroid issues since birth
Can’t quite afford the gym/classes I want to take right now
Hate to cook (but am slowly changing this)
Tight budget is a bit of a pain

Advantages
I’m tall, which allows me to carry weight better
I am still reasonably young (35) and my metabolism isn’t quite dead yet.
I live alone, so can control the food in my house 100%
I own an awesome rowing machine (Concept 2) and I actually enjoy rowing
Live in Ontario, Canada so free access to a Dietician on the phone and my mom is a nutritionist
Boyfriend lets me rant about food as much as I like and he loves me no matter what
I like the outdoors and hike a lot in good weather
I genuinely enjoy healthy food, plus I am good at trying new foods (chia seeds!)

I am afraid to even write this advantage down, but for the first time ever, I just have no desire to eat junk food, sugar, pop, fast food, processed food or anything I didn’t make myself from scratch with whole ingredients. I had 2 weeks of **** when I started this journey, detoxing my body from the crap, I thought I was going to lose my mind, but suddenly it is all 1000x times easier. Who knows how long this will last, so I am just being thankful for it each day. The only “bad” eating I do is going slightly over my daily calorie goal with healthy foods and I eat a little too much cheese!

Disadvantages .. I don't like working out ..I'm short and my cslorie count is low
advantages...I'm disciplined and stay under my calorie count.. I have gym equipment at home...I cook and never eat alot of junk food...

Advantages: I am a man. So I can integrate exercise into my lifestyle more easily. For example, I can walk to work, mow the lawn and lift heavy things fixing the house at the weekend. There is no way I could exercise for the sake of it, I simply do not have the inclination.


Disadvantages: I am a man. I love beer. And I can't tell anyone I am on a diet else I get embarassed. So it's me, myself and I. And the 3fatchicks mens corner.

Disadvantages:
Full time desk job
I drive to work
Addicted to chocolate + chips
My friends love going out/drinking/eating at restaurants
I've been overweight since I was a child, so odds are against me
Low self esteem

Advantages:
I own a treadmill
I enjoy long walks/hikes
I’m tall, which allows me to carry weight better
Me and my boyfriend are both interested in eating better, so we've been buying lots of fruits/veg/lean protein when we grocery shop
I do enjoy cooking and putting together healthy meals

Disadvantages:

I have an ENORMOUS appetite and a stomach that is capable of accommodating Godzilla sized portions. Whole pizzas? Check. Entire box of Nutty Bars + Triscuits? Oh yeah. A quart of broccoli cheese rice? You betcha'! Sometimes, I think I missed my calling as a competitive eater.

I can make "clean food" dirty, real fast.

I'm pretty lazy, and I hate to workout for the sake of working out. I prefer purposeful exercise (eg. walking to the GROCERY STORE ).

I hate gyms. I had a membership to Gold's, but I quit. I prefer outdoor activities with the sun shining on my face (eg. walking to the GROCERY STORE ).

I'm not able to do any type of heavy weightlifting. I have hardware in my back, and my doctor told me to never lift more than about 40 lbs.

I get bored easily, and when I get bored, I get HUNGRY.

I'm an angry eater. When I get mad, I love to chew while wishing it was the bones of my enemies being ground between my teeth.

Advantages:

If I can abstain from cheating for more than a few minutes, I lose weight really fast.

I love healthy food as much as I love junky food.

When I can scrape up the motivation to get off the sofa, I enjoy punching on my heavy bag.

I have a Total Gym (The bad news: it's collecting dust cause I've never used it).

I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. It's just a matter of wanting it enough.

I'm surprisingly strong for a lazy couch monkey. Decent biceps.

I'm not carb sensitive, gluten intolerant, diabetic or anything like that. I can lose weight eating pure crap. For instance, I lost a great deal of weight IF-ing on McDonald's food, and have only gained back 20 of those pounds.