Lately ive been thinking about that kind of idea..I have a sister-in-law that is very health concious. Like me, she cant have wheat or gluten. She had a baby probably about 6 months before i did and she had gone on a quest to lose weight after that. Her along with my fiancee's mother are like a hawk, they watch me..everything i stick in my mouth...Well, its been awhile since ive seen then, but ive lost about 17 pounds since theyve seen me and ive changed my lifestyle completely..and lately ive been thinking about how we can have this mentality of " i just want to lose weight to prove to them, that i can be better then them..and make them eat there words, there thoughts etc". Ever felt that way before? Ever want to prove to your family that you can be better than they think you are?

i did, but i've come to realize that even if i did lose the weight they'd find something else that's wrong with me, and the cycle will never end if my goal is to be happy.

plus, i'm slowly moving away from the idea that a woman has to be thin to be a "good" person. the only approval i need is my own, not society's or even anyone-close-to-me's.

yes, Porthardygurl i understand what that's like.. and when u meet your goal u will feel like yes i did it i told u. but i also agree with plasticfoodwrap they would just find something else to complain about...

I'm not trying to be a jerk I am genuinely interested in how you came to be 300 lbs if you can't eat wheat or gluten. Large amounts of candy and soda?

I have no comment on your relatives. It wouldn't be fair without having their side of the story as well. Having said that we find our motivation where we can so if showing someone up drives you for now than go for it.

This and many other thoughts like....if I lose weight my husband/wife/boy-girl friend will love me more.....If I lose weight all my problems disappear.....etc etc etc normally leads to all the weight lost coming back and them some. Revenge isn't the answer. It has to all center about you and how you feel and the amount of healthy you want in your life.

I think that wanting to prove that you're better than someone thinks you are is just fine. But I think it can easily cross a line from "I will demonstrate that I am a better person that you previously believed" into "I will prove that I AM BETTER THAN YOU ARE".

Fact is, long lasting weight loss comes when you decide that you want to make a change for YOU. If you're staking your desire to lose weight on things like "then I'll prove to my MIL that I'm worthy" or etc, when she finds something else to criticize about you when you're at goal, it can be easy to let that demotivate you and result in regaining the weight back. If your motivators come from INSIDE, then no one and nothing can take them away from you, you know?

Oh, and to JohnP, can't speak to the OP's post, but there are gluten free alternatives to just about every product made with gluten...breads, pastas, cookies. My grocery store has 3 different kinds of gluten free, ready to bake cookie dough (like the Nestle Tollhouse refrigerated dough, but made gluten free), not to mention a wide selection of pre-made gluten free snack foods, cakes, etc. So cutting gluten doesn't necessarily mean a cut in calories, or even in carbs.

I know what you mean. I once was told I will never be where I want to be as far as my weight loss because I always cheat. During my workouts I remember that comment and how much it hurt my feelings at the time. It motivates me to push harder but in the long run I now realize I am doing this for me. When that comment was made, I slipped up a lot and ended up gaining weight. Now I am totally committed to my new healthy life style and feel great. Sometimes though, that comment pops in my head and I push harder.

I don't think wanting to stick it to someone is necessarily a bad thing. Anything that can keep you from reaching for that treat you shouldn't have.

Yes! Now that you mention it I recall my initial foray into this whole weight loss/exercise/health thing was spurred by hate and anger. Tapping into that dark side gave me motivation and dedication I had previously lacked.

After a while, I had developed good habits and educated myself so as the anger and hate faded I found I had plenty of other motivation to keep going.

Whatever gets you moving in the right direction can't be a bad thing. Imagine those relatives admiring your future skinny bod and get going!

Yea I'm no expert on this issue as I am fortunately able to eat any macronutrient and lose so long as I'm in a deficit. My primary question had more to do with wheat than gluten. Does gluten free also mean wheat free? If so what do they use in it's place?

Gluten is a protein that occurs in wheat as well as some other grains (rye, barley, a few others). Going gluten free means forgoing all of the grains that are high in gluten. There are plenty of grains that don't have gluten (rice, tapioca, quinoa), and lots of gluten-free flours that can be used as substitutes.

I can't speak for the OP, but DH could definitely eat bricks of bacon, butter, red meat, and cheese. I don't think any of those contain gluten. Oh, and one of his favorite things is to go to the Mexican market in town and buy a tub of their fresh chicharrones, which is some sort of bite-sized fresh pork rinds. Disgusting. He'd dip them in hot sauce and eat them.

Gee, I wonder why his cholesterol used to be high...

I personally want to prove to my family (extended moreso than immediate) that it's NOT our genetics that makes almost every female in the family fat. There's maybe 2 girls/women in my family that aren't obese and they're always called "lucky" and told they got the good genes. And most of my family isn't joking when they say it. I just want to show them all that even one of us with the "fat gene" can be healthy and fit with the proper attention to exercise and nutrition. I've already told them as much, now I can't wait to show them.