I am 41 and I ain't gonna be smokin' hot at this point (although seriously, I think I saw a guy in the the gym LOOKING at me last week, which hasn't happened in ... a long time. But then the high school soccer team came in for their workout and that stopped, ha.)

And I've always been a dork and wouldn't know how to dress myself if I were hot. My hairdresser seems to have other ideas, though, since she decided it was time to give me a new hairstyle, which my students approved of too.

I thought I wanted to be fit and be able to keep up with the tough guys on the long hikes while carrying 2 gallons of water on my back (which I can do now) and stay fit as I age.

But now, OK, I have discovered in the last month that I am vain in this: I'm a teacher, and I want to be able to write on the board wearing short sleeves and not have any wobbly bits in my upper arms. One of the hiking tough guys last week, when I admitted that, told me that wasn't possible any more "at my age". But he is growing himself a pretty good beer belly, while I am doing the reverse, so what does he know?

So I am confused, and I don't remember what letter that is anymore.

OK, I just went back and checked. Sybil. Definitely sounds like Sybil. Anyone else picked D yet? Can I be Zuul instead?

Good thread

I would have to say A with just a bit of B. My goal is to ease my back pain enough so I can return to work and get off the blood pressure and diabetes meds. I just want to "fit in" and be an average healthy person who doesn't turn heads either for being too fat or too smokin hot. I do want to feel pretty and better about myself but not so much that it calls too much attention, maybe just a tiny bit lol . I am happily married and I don't really like other men looking at me too much. That makes me feel too self conscious.

Yeeeeeeah, I'm not going to lie here~
B.
B.
B.
B.
B.
When I was growing up, I lived under quite a strict roof, so I wasn't fortunate enough to have nice hair, or decent clothes when I needed them to fit in at school. I think as a result of this, I had no confidence, I mean, looking back now, I have a mental and physical cringe when I see how I used to look like, as little as a year ago. (I'm seventeen now, so, it wasn't that long ago that I was a lost cause!)
But losing weight has given me so much; I have confidence to be friendly and bubbly with people I don't know too well, whereas I used to only have that confidence with friends. I used to dress down, horrible flared jeans and ugly tops, in denial over my mounds to TUBBINESS.
But now I LOVE shopping; I have cute dresses and outfits because I have a body which I am satisfied with. People at my school talk about me behind my back now- to say how different I look, and how nice the change is- IT'S AWESOME!
I exist <3
So yes, I'm not going to lie. I want a hot body; I want to be confident and walk around knowing that I shouldn't be embaressed if people are looking at me. I want to feel like I'm overall, prettier with my confidence and bodyshape <3

C with some B thrown in... back when I was skinny, I actually worked at a Gold's Gym. I love working out, and I love muscle definition. And personally, I think C is like B, muscles are hot! I already have the money in my saving account: if I don't like the way my boobs are when I am at my goal weight, I will get them done.

This is an interesting thread.

When I was much younger, the answer would have been "b" and only "b." The only purpose weight loss had was vanity. When I wanted to lose weight, I just didn't eat much for a few weeks. (I never was more than 5lbs off of ideal.)

Then, after my girls were born, it was "c" and only "c." I was the trainer that was told, "I want to look just like you." Heavy lifting was my life. I didn't have a job, so I was a mom and a lifter.

In the years between (college and beginning a career), I kept trying to go back to c and couldn't get there. It took me a long time to finally say, okay. Even so, nothing happenned. I didn't do anything.

Then, when I hurt my ankle and realized that I potentially had a life of immobility ahead of me without weight loss, all of a sudden "a" became the ultimate motivator. I started for sure, with "a" and nothing but "a."

As I have come along in the journey, I have noticed some pleasant changes in my appearance and so "b" is playing a bigger and bigger part the more I lose.

Then, last week, I started the C25K and all of my old "c" feelings came rushing back in. I LOVED the feeling of pushing myself and how strong and amazing I feel when I do something that I think I can't.

So, yeah, I am a classic Gemini - I take "D" - all of the above.

I'd have to say B, but it's not because I want to turn heads. I just want to stop looking like a beast. I don't think people who are the same weight as me look anything like beasts, but there's just something about the way I carry my weight. :/

I've already accepted that I'm never going to look "hot", and that's okay. I'd be thrilled just to look normal. And that's why my GW is higher than you'd expect. I'm okay with being chunky. It's not uncommon these days. But I think I'm probably going to lower my goal to 150 when I make it to my current goal. It's less overwhelming this way.

Don't get me wrong, I think big people are beautiful too. Some are totally gorgeous. My problem is that I've got nothing going for me, physically. Ugly hair, ugly face, and ugly shoulders just stand out more on girls my size I think.

I'll be honest, I don't think the way I'm going about my weight loss is the absolute healthiest. But I eat a lot more healthily than I ever have. Maybe when I'm at a lower weight I'll feel less desperate and start making some adjustments.

At first, I just wanted "to be skinny." I didn't care about my weight, I just wanted to be smaller than I was. I also wanted to be able to shop at stores like Forever 21 and Wet Seal and stuff. That was when I was in high school. I guess being reallyyy small, and hot, was also something in the back of my mind, but I didn't think it was possible. I just wanted to be smaller. Oh, and I wanted a boyfriend. I thought no one would like me unless I was skinny (hello, was I wrong lol.)

Now... I guess I identify most with C. I do want to be smaller and more average looking, but I also want to be an athlete. I don't know why, I just want to push myself to do things I never thought possible. I'm on that road. I jog now. Which isn't much, but I've never been able to run more than a lap, so the fact that I can jog for 20+ minutes straight is a huge accomplishment for me. I sometimes get emotional when I run, or lift weights, or I'm at the gym. 2 years ago if you told me I was going to be running my 5th or 6th or 7th lap, or I would be at the gym, I would have laughed hysterically in your face. But now it's real!

So yeah, that's my goal.

And rhythm, that makes me sad that you talk about yourself like that. You're beautiful, you just can't see it.

I am mostly A with a tiny bit of C thrown in.

I mostly want to be a stable healthy weight for my body. I want to be a weight I can maintain eating reasonable amount of calories and a reasonable amount of exercise. If eating 1500-1800 calories a day and exercise 3-5 days a week doesn't make me super skinny, then so be it, No matter what I'm a **** of a lot better off than I was at 270 lbs.

The C Part comes from me always wanting to improve my workouts, I like getting faster/stronger and I always want to work towards that, I just can't ever see myself wanting to workout for hours a day, or any heavy training and what not, but improving my workouts, that rocks!

I guess I'm a little of all three.

The main overwhelming motivation was that I wanted to look normal, which is A. I did not want to be that weird looking fat lady with the frizzy hair and the weird clothes that people wanted to back away from. I was tired of leaving meetings where I wondered if people were judging me because of my appearance. I did not want to continually think of reasons to avoid face to face meetings, and worry that when somebody did meet me in person (and see how fat I was) their opinion would change.

So, I could never be a Victoria's Secret model-- I was thin in my 20s and although attractive, I'm not a natural beauty. But I DO want to look like one of those fabulous, smart, capable, high-achieving women in their late forties. I want to be the lady who rocks the chic little suit and can command attention in the room. I don't have to be smokin hot in the sexy sense-- I want my looks to convey authority.

Regarding C-- I used to be an athlete, and I gave it up slowly, piece by piece with my weight gain, and I honestly believed that those abilities were gone for good, and now, I'm finding with great joy that my body is kind and it is forgiving me for years of neglect and it's still happy to run and work out and do all kinds of things that I thought I'd NEVER do again. That has been a joyful and unexpected blessing. But it was not the POINT. The POINT was to look my best.

I am so B. I have such a great figure and I think it's unfair that it has to hide behind these 50 pounds!

I wanna wear tight dresses with no spanx, mini skirts with no hosiery, low rise pants and halter tops! Call me conceited but, I hate seeing women that don't look half as good as I do, getting the attention I should be getting, just because they're thin. Not cool