oooh
1. A handheld calorie counting devise that lists nutritional data for absolutely everything. Restaurants, take away, dinner parties with friends etc
2. Cheap fully equipt gyms close to where I live
3. Tight, stretch mark free, smooth complexion, mostly hairless body :)

Thank you for making me realize how lucky I am! I love my gym which is only a 5 minute drive- and I have a personal trainer- although more time with him would be beneficial.

I am liking what I cook and prepare for myself but the best support would be for my family to eat the same meals as I.

Of course- no matter how much weight I lose I still will need a BOOB job.

Not to be a downer, but I realized something very important about myself recently.
I don't need anything "extra" for my weight loss to be successful. All I need are my two arms and my two legs and a strong frame of mind.

i dont think any of us think we need any of these extra things... theyd just be so nice and lovely to have, make it less stressful if not less difficult lol

i dont think any of us think we need any of these extra things... theyd just be so nice and lovely to have, make it less stressful if not less difficult lol

ITA. I meant this as a very lighthearted thread. ;) Plus, I think there's an obvious connection between having a lot of extras and losing/maintaining weight. There are a lot of statistics out there that poorer people struggle more with obesity. It's not too surprising when you consider that if you have money you can afford going to the gym, sitters that can watch their kids while they work out, better ingredients etc (and, honestly, there's such a better selection of healthy foods if you go somewhere like Whole Foods vs. a grocery store in a lower income neighborhood).

Sure, you don't NEED a lot of these things but it sure does make weight loss/maintenance much easier. We stayed with the in-laws for two months who basically live in a ghetto. There it was not safe to run.. at all, the grocery stores were horrible, and there was also a cultural bias against eating well/working out (they all thought I was crazy). My weight loss decreased during that period (surprise, surprise). Now that we moved and live in a better neighborhood and have a gym in our apartment complex it's been much easier to eat well and lose weight.

1. Time to work out two to three hours a day ( I would if I could... But I just don't have enough time ).

2. Lots of money to pay for all the healthy vegan food I could want.

3. That I could eat out ANYWHERE and not have to worry about: animal product, gluten, sugar, calories, carbs, etc.

Ah! Not alot of people think about or notice that stuff.

Walk into West Philly or North Philly... they don't have grocery stores. They have little bodegas that sell a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but they are no bigger than two rooms of my house, the fresh fruit is beyond "fresh". etc etc.

Philadelphia recently was trying to pass a soda tax to help "curb" people from drinking soda, etc. But really.. it was about trying to balance are stupid budget. And truly I had a meltdown about it. My mom was like "What's wrong with you? People drinking less soda and sugar is good!"

Yes it is. But if you are poor, poorer, or even just struggling a little bit (which I am sure a lot of us are doing these days) And you walk into a grocery store (if you are so fortunate to have a real one) You have limited funds, and several people to feed. Are you going to buy the $5 gallon of milk? or would you buy 5 2litre bottles of soda? Which goes further? Are you going to buy $3 package of apples, or the $1 package of cheese doodles.

It is truly a shame that the food that is the most good for us, it so out of reach for many... and eats up a good portion of my own budget. So I'm sure an unlimited food budget would be awesome for dieters. Because it costs money to lose weight. In order to eat the good food, we have to pay up.

Ok, off my soapbox now. :soap: Sorry. :blah:

LR

I often wish for more time in the day to exercise..

But... I'm afraid I'd just sleep through it. :lol:

LR

1) Amazing kitchen (larger, better equipment, MORE ROOM!)

2) Someone to clean said kitchen after I use it!

3) New workout clothes every 6 months magically appear in my closet

Oh, yes!

1. I'd like a big new decked out kitchen and a restaurant sized fridge to store all my meals.
2. A paid leave of absence from my job to dedicate myself to attaining my personal goals
3. The ability to bottle the high I'm on at times (when you feel like 'wow, i'm DOING this!) so that I could pull it out when the weight loss is slower and I need a little oomph.

It is a nice thread. I agree. It's interesting to see what everyone would wish for. What I was saying is that for ME, my 2 arms, 2 legs and strong frame of mind are the 3 things I need and wish to keep. Nothing special or expensive. As kids, we were dirt poor, and we were thin. We didn't have anything special. Just our arms, legs and imaginations.

I completely agree. I can't imagine how much harder my weight loss effort would have been for me if I didn't have ready access to stores with excellent food, a car to go grocery shopping, etc. I know that many people are able to lose weight without those kinds of luxuries, but I don't think there can be any doubt that it's a lot harder. Which, really, just makes me that much more impressed by those who are able to lose weight without the luxury of convenience.