[Inkrid]

Crazy Reason #1: Just got Netflix and have started watching Desperate Housewives again. Back in the day (20 + years ago), I would have played "Susan" I was that skinny and had that look. I'm all, "That's what I can look like at 40 now! I can do this!!"

Crazy Reason #2 (approaching Real Reason): A few years ago one of my guy friends was joking around with me and said that my husband said that I'm so fat "No man would ever want you." Keep in mind that this friend is fat himself, falls back on "forgetfulness"("I never said that") and "I was just joking". I called him on it right away: "****, please, DH would never say that!"

P.S. I use the term friend loosely here.

[rubidoux]

Wow, what an *ss! I'm sorry someone said that to you.

I have been thinking about some weird motivations lately. I don't think they're weird in general, but they were not my original motivations at all. Now that I've lost over 60 pounds, I guess my perspective is changing.

Anyhow, I really want men to flirt with me! lol I am rolling my eyes at myself as I write this. I am happily married, but I still want men to turn their heads. Hmmmm... Well, I was doing my walk today and thinking about this and whether or not it might be f'd up, lol, and when I got back to my car, the guy in the car parked next to mine found a reason to give me his card! I can't decide if it counts. I talked to him first and he may have just thought I was flirting and why not. I wasn't, though, I swear!

It isn't crazy if its YOUR motivation for losing. I go to Huffington Post weight loss success stories a lot. They follow a 'canned' format but infinite variation within that format.

Anyhow they always have a 'breaking point' part. Mine came when a conference I go to once a year I couldn't come close to closing a suit jacket I wear about once a year.

But underlying that and vastly more motivating is that I am a 48 year old dad of a 3 year old. I will be 60 when she is 15. I had to get healthier.

Then as I started to lose weight I feel so much better than I ever thought possible so that is becoming my motivation now. I want to keep feeling this good and feeling better and better.

But I have my own weird one. I was watching Hard Knocks over the summer. HBO series on the Bengals training camp, they flip to a different team each summer. Well the opening montage with the music is so inspiring. You see them working out how awesome they look. Maybe a football player in shorts is a dude's motivation for looking better like the Housewives were to you?

[Jacqui_D]

Crazy reason #1: My daughter's wedding in April. When my son got married in 2011, I was the fat mother. The mother-of-the-bride was thin and fit and looked great in her dress and in all the photos. I looked huge. I don't want to look like that for my daughter's wedding. Those photos are forever!

Crazy reason #2: I want to look good for my class reunion. I was thin and attractive in high school. Now I can't bear the thought of seeing my old classmates looking like I do. I know it's just a silly vanity thing, but I don't care, lol. I want to look thin and attractive again! Not teenager thin with a young attractiveness, mind you, but a more mature, more rounded thin with an older attractiveness, but still, thin and attractive all the same!

[mariposssa]

Well, the most unconventional goal I can think of at the moment is to be able to take off my wedding band. I'm not in the market for a divorce or anything. I would just like to be able to remove it again. I know it hasn't been off since before my youngest was born. He's 9 now! The other day in the shower with shampoo and water it was SO close. I can spin it around. It hasn't ever been tight on my finger. I had it almost to the center of my knuckle in the shower. But, that was it...it wouldn't budge over the widest part at the center of my knuckle.

[Inkrid]

There's nothing like a wedding to motivate a woman!! That's when I got laser-focused and got down to the 150s... and I still didn't look thin in the pics!! I didn't look fat, either, but the **** camera LOL! I joked with the relatives that when this "Next Generation" is of the age to get married, there will probably be a wedding every other year. ( children, nephews, steps' kids, cousins' kids ~ 17 to potentially look forward to!!)

[skinnyki]

Crazy reason why im doing this..that is a good question.
#1 I want to look good again and to gain some confidence. I am beautiful now but I dont feel confident at this size. I have lost 60lbs before and I know how awesome I look and feel smaller.
#2 There is this guy I used to date. He used to hint around abt how I need to lose weight.
I think he was ashamed of me. He would ask me over late and we never did anything in public. He broke it off saying he could do better. It was after that when I started getting serious abt losing weigh not to het him back ..bc he still calls me now and I shoot him down but in the back of my head im thinking I cant wait to lose this weight and hopefully I will see him somewhere so he can see what he missed out on..but he already knows bc he keeps randomly texting me.

3# I love clothes I love how you can play with fashion and have different looks like costumes and the plus size section is no fun at all I know there are some stores that have really cute plus size clothes but the selection is still slim to none.
#4 My small rewards for meeting goals are nice!! Like diamond s and trips and new clothes so im like a little kid waiting for Christmas. .I cant wait!!

[lilsquirrel]

I think I have a few reasons too...

#1 I'm tired of feeling like the fat friend. I want to be able to go out and not feel like somebody's last choice
#2 I want to feel good about my body and look good in the clothes I want to be able to wear
#3 I refuse to be overweight when I graduate
#

[naturalt81]

1. This is the largest I have been in my life and that just has to change
2. Getting a divorce and nothing says eff u like looking good
3. Have a birthday in Feb and want to get down to a size 6 i was wearing a few years ago
4. Going on vacation with skinny chic in a few months and i am not going to be "the fat one"
5. My mother is the anti-fat (size 4-6 at age 58) and I just want to shock her into shutting up

[linJber]

Great reasons, everyone! I'll get to mine in a second, but I have to say I LOVE this from Jacqui:

I want to look thin and attractive again! Not teenager thin with a young attractiveness, mind you, but a more mature, more rounded thin with an older attractiveness, but still, thin and attractive all the same!

I'm certainly going for the "older attractiveness" thing, too!

My real reason, as with all of us, was to get healthier. That was tough for me because even at 250+ I had no health problems that are usually attributed to weight. So I like to call the superficial (even snarky) reasons my "motivation" to lose weight, not my "reason." Does that make sense?

1) I committed to this with 4 friends and was determined that I would not be "the one" who failed at it. (Four succeeded, one is still struggling.)
2) To prove 2 friends 100% wrong who told me I was crazy to give away my clothes as they became too big ("No one ever keeps weight off - you'll be sorry you gave that stuff away.")
3) At the point where I was down about 30 pounds I got a notice in the mail that my high school class was having a "60th birthday party" in 6 months. I was determined to be close to goal by the time of the party. (I was within 2 pounds!)
4) When I had been maintaining for about 8 months I was visiting my newly engaged daughter in NC (I'm in PA) and we decided to just look at dresses for me. I found one that I absolutely loved at a fantastic sale price that fit perfectly. I bought it. It still had to fit 14 months later. That helped me keep the weight off.

Do whatever it takes, even if it's the not so noble idea of proving someone else wrong or letting them see what they missed out on.

Good luck, everyone!

Lin

[Psav]

I was the same as linJber....weighed 245 but have never felt "not healthy". In May, I decided that I was finally at my heaviest and couldn't stand it any longer. I had 2 vacations planned in July/Aug, 1 week in Cancun and then the next week on a cruise to Alaska. I never really travel but the thought of having to buy new clothes in larger sizes made me sick. I decided right there that I would lose weight and shop in my own closet! It worked and I have been continuing. I am now at 210 lbs.
My family has been excited for me that they are even motivated themselves. We started a friendly competition in weight lose on Sept 1st and everyone has been losing. Both my parents recently passed away within 4 months of each other and weight was always an issue with them. I laughed at natualt81 response #5 because I would have loved to be able to do the same! I know my mom and dad are looking down smiling at us all.