So I can't imagine I'm the only person on this forum who has as many reasons NOT to lose weight as reasons to lose it. I know it's all about insecurity and fear, and that not one is a good reason. I decided keeping them secret was giving them too much power. So, I'm here to share them and let 'em go.

If anyone else out there feels the same, this is a thread for you.

Reasons I don't want to lose weight:

I'm afraid of being hit on.
I won't be able to blame my failures on my weight.
I don't want to have loose skin.
I don't know who I'll be if I'm not fat. I've been the fat girl for so long.
My fat is like a great big security blanket.
I can use it to keep people away.
I'm so used to being fat that my changing body scares me. Right now I'm still soft and round. What will being smaller be like?

So, if you're like me with niggling doubts that slowly nibble away at your resolve, share them and then let them go!

Reasons I don't want to lose weight/maintain my weight:

1. Skinny women are b$tches--I don't want others to think I'm a b$tch...

hippy27 - This thread is for people to share their insecurities and fears related to weight loss. I don't think losermom was saying that thin women are b*tches. She was expressing her fear of being perceived as such due to prevailing stereotypes. Please keep all posts in this thread on topic, thank you.

I don't want to lose weight because its awfully fun to eat huge quantities of rich food! Granted, this hasn't stopped me, but it's probably my biggest whine

Arctic Mama - I don't think your reason is irrational, like most of mine, but it's certainly one I share.

The husband bakes at least one cake and a batch of cookies a week, so it takes insane willpower to not cheat on a daily basis.

I am afraid to lose weight because; I will have no one to blame if I regain the weight!

I think my major one is not being able to blame every single failure in my life on my weight. Because we all know it's the only possible reason anyone would ever reject me. And honestly, that was something I relied on for way too long. My fat has been my shield, keeping me from making any kind of effort at fitting in, and at the same time, it apparently entitled me to be angry and bitter at the world for rejecting me before even being given a chance.

No more.

I don't want to lose weight because I don't want my credit card debt to increase. I will need smaller clothes, I have more clothing options in smaller sizes and it is more fun shopping when you are thinner. (I know it is because I HAVE BEEN thinner and I was clothes wh*re!)

I could have written this pretty much exactly! And what Taryl said about how much I really do love eating!

I think my biggest, and probably most unjustified fear, is that I will get thin and lose my mind and cheat on my husband and ruin everything in my life that is good. There is absolutely no reason for me to think I would actually do this! I am deeply in love with my husband, I've never ever cheated in a relationship, I've never though cheating was ok. There is part of me that thinks I can't have it all; meaning I can't be happily married to a great man, have 2 beautiful kids, a nice house, a stable life, a good job, AND have the body I want.

I don't know why I feel like I don't deserve it all! Despite this I am doing it anyway trying to keep faith that I can, indeed, have it all.

Reasons not to lose weight:

-My mental health issues won't go away even though I'd be at a healthy weight.

-People expect normal weight people to have it more "together"

-I like the invisibility I get from being overweight, dressing shabby, not doing my makeup and hair.

-I can't use my weight to avoid physical intimacy.

-People commenting on my looks. It's so uncomfortable.

-Food is my comfort blanket and it's nervewracking to lose it.

I don't want to lose weight because it makes life easier for me in some ways. If you are a 200lb chick if you gain, says 2 lb, it doesn't make a difference. But if you are a 110 girl, gaining 2lb will surely make you look bigger, and then a lot of inconsiderate ppl will make comments like "gosh did u eat a cow or something". Happens before with my sister, unfortunately it's our aunts who say that so she can only smile and let it go.

My absolute stupidest reason not to lose weight:

If I lose weight, I'm admitting to the world that I'm fat and I don't like it.

This is a major reason why I can't seem to make it past certain set points. 250 lbs is one of them. I haven't passed that in any meaningful way since I passed it on the way up. Before I was 250 lbs, 230 was my set point. I couldn't lose past that either. That's when people start commenting. "You look great! Keep it up!" As if I'm losing weight for them. I get self-conscious. People see I'm changing, and they think it is right and proper that I should do so. They're saying, "Something was wrong with you a month ago. Two months ago was worse. And you're still not good enough now. You'd better continue restricting yourself until you are acceptable." It's hard enough not liking the way I look. It hurts to have people tell me what they think of my body now so frequently and as if it were a compliment.

Losing weight feels like agreeing with them. "You're right. I'm not good enough and I deserve your censure." I guess I don't mind knowing I'm fat so much. And I don't mind other people knowing I'm fat. I just don't want other people to know that I know I'm fat.

Welcome to my twisted logic.

Reasons I don't want to lose weight:

-My husband prefers big women. Will I get too skinny for his taste?
-I like eating junk food and lots of it.
-My fat insulates me from the world and sometimes render me invisible.
-Loose skin. Oh gawd, lots of loose, floppy, wrinkled skin.
-Losing weight won't change my other physical flaws like my bad skin and thin hair. They'll be more noticeable if people aren't seeing a load of fat first.
-I'll be cold all the blasted time. I'm getting a taste of this now.

Yes!!!

I felt this way exactly, and sometimes still do! I have been blessed to have an incredible husband, great life in general, yadda yadda. When I was heavy, that felt like my penance for being so lucky and "having it all". Bt now that I feel great about my body, it sometimes feels "wrong", like something bad has just GOT to happen, because I couldn't possibly have everything I want for very long. I have noises why I feel that way!

LOL! Now I've found even more reasons not to loose. JEEZ! Anyway. I'm sticking to it. I just did this very exercise in Bill Hashell's book "The emotional Diet" I had a hard time coming up with 5 reasons because my physical pain is such a driving force to keep loosing. Ironically fear that I'll do all this work- loose over 100pds and still be in pain is a real fear. Also- well this is going to sound awful- don't tell my family- but For the 1st time in a 40 yr marriage I'm the center of attention with my illness. Everyone was doing everything for me. As I've lost weight and am doing a bit better I'm not being waited on quite so much. I admitt I have really liked all this attention-positive attention that is.