Weight loss obsession

nesian_twin

Apart from good health and feeling good, I can admit my no.1 reason has always been vanity, wanting to look good. That is my main motivator. Why is the world so obsessed with looking good? Is it wrong to be this obsessed? and this -
The global weight loss & diet management products & services market was expected to be worth $390.3 billion in 2010 and is estimated to reach $671.8 billion by 2015; growing at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2010-2015.

minipony

I can't answer for anyone else but here are my motivations. About 3/4 of exercising is to look good and the other health is for my physical health. I'm not overweight and don't have to worry about weight related healthy issues. However; here is how I justify my "vanity." When I go to the gym and look in the mirror and like what I see, I feel proud and strong. When I'm in my best running shape, I can perform well and feel confident. It is really important for me to feel good about myself because I suffer from depression. Exercise is ONE way that helps. Meaning I do other stuff too. Plus, if I'm not healthy and in shape, I find it very difficult to help others and be of service. Yes, I should be able to help others and contribute to society and our earth no matter how I look, but for some reason I always want to crawl up in a hole and want to hide from the world.

So in short, my workouts are for vanity, but it helps me feel great about myself, which in turn helps me to help others and be less consumed with myself. Maybe the is a crazy way to think about it lol, but it's just my story and I'm stickin to it.

SergeantSausage

nesian_twin wrote: »

Apart from good health and feeling good, I can admit my no.1 reason has always been vanity, wanting to look good. That is my main motivator. Why is the world so obsessed with looking good? Is it wrong to be this obsessed? and this -
The global weight loss & diet management products & services market was expected to be worth $390.3 billion in 2010 and is estimated to reach $671.8 billion by 2015; growing at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2010-2015.

Because "Natural Selection", and the hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary advantage of "looking good".

Turns out - if you look good, you're more successful at attracting mate(s), and more likely to succeed in passing your genetics (and desire to look good) on to future generations.

Whodathunkit, right?

It's an evolutionary advantage to want to look good.

TimothyFish

Is it wrong to be obsessed with looking good? Yes. Is it okay to want to look good? Yes. People who obsess over looking good tend towards eating disorders.