So we are all doing this for health.. But what is your "vanity" reason?

vespiquenn

So it's pretty safe to say that most of us are here to gain a better understanding of health or maintain our good health. But is there another reason that you aren't so quick to admit?

Maybe it's feeling more confident naked, or maybe you like how certain things start to look (I love clavicles way too much).

So if I had to chose my one vanity reason, it would probably be my upcoming wedding in March. Although my fiancé obviously finds me attractive, I really want to "wow" him in my wedding dress.

arditarose

I was decently healthy when I started this. I did it all for vanity/sexiness. Oh, and strength.

marybeth062

Because my face looks fat when I get over 150 lbs.

ninerbuff

30 years ago it was for vanity. Now I do it just to keep in shape. Not that I'm a schlub in the shape department though.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

angelexperiment

Bc I want to see my clavicles and I think they are sexy!

GreenValli

I want to look better when I look in a mirror.

marsinah1

So once again I like what I see when I'm naked in the bathroom mirror.

ttfnweight

Vanity for sure. It would be FAB if I could just like what I see in the mirror as I am but that being said, I wanna fit into the jeans that made my *kitten* look like a million bucks! I felt so good when I was thinner.

Annr

I think its important to take the time to "mentally take in" what you see in the mirror. Throughout this whole process. There is a certain amount of body acceptness that is important. I am overweight, I understand this. Do I love myself presently? You betcha! It doesn't mean I don't wish change, it means that I will not put any negativity toward myself in this journey. I am not full of myself, and gaze at mirrors periodically during the day. It means I embrace the bits of me, conscienously realizing that I am evolving. To look in the mirror nude and pray that this or that goes away, kind of sets you up for negativity to rear its ugly head you know?

mfcarley2

oooo this is a good one. i just want to be able to get dressed more easily ie no spanx, and be able to wear the cute clothes I want to wear. I also just generally want to feel more confident

BrianJohnson2015

I want abs that look like waffles, chicks love waffles

jbuzzed

I wanted to fit my skinny clothes again!

TrailBlazzinMN

Used to be for vanity. Now it's to stay in shape. Gains in strength and body comp transformation will happen naturally whether I choose to worry about them or not. Too many things going on in life (actual important things that make a difference) for me to worry about every little aspect about my body. I'd rather be remembered as a philanthropist than a narcissist.

Annr

Agree TrailBlazzinMN....no one is going to put on your headstone..."She had Firm Arms" or "She Dieted Really Well"

pauldm1

Pure narcissism really. I like walking in a room and looking better than 99% of the average joes in there. Life is too short not to experience these feels.

Annr

Well your are looking better than 99% of the average Joes, but its spelled "Narcissism". Just needed to point that out. Don't take my criticism too hard... (I lived with comedians in the 1980's, I'm old...its what we do.)

Vune

If you look at it a different way, beauty *is* great health. We buy products to cover our skin imperfections or make our hair more voluminous because glowing skin and lustrous hair are signs of good health. Before cosmetics, beauty came from a diverse diet, adequate exercise and rest, and a lower stress environment (to scratch the surface, but you get it). That alone helps motivate me!

But I also have the deep, dark desire of a tinier waist. A healthy body wasn't in the stars for me, but I managed to inherit a waistline that's about 25" at a squishy 5'6" 130lbs. I'm excited to see what it will be when I manage to get my body fat % down.

Annr

@Vune as long as you don't take out a rib or something....like those corset-loving ladies I have read. Thats just crazy. You need to forrage thru the retro clothing...there are some amazing outfits with the side-boning that are quite classic :-)

pauldm1

Vune wrote: »

If you look at it a different way, beauty *is* great health. We buy products to cover our skin imperfections or make our hair more voluminous because glowing skin and lustrous hair are signs of good health. Before cosmetics, beauty came from a diverse diet, adequate exercise and rest, and a lower stress environment (to scratch the surface, but you get it). That alone helps motivate me!

But I also have the deep, dark desire of a tinier waist. A healthy body wasn't in the stars for me, but I managed to inherit a waistline that's about 25" at a squishy 5'6" 130lbs. I'm excited to see what it will be when I manage to get my body fat % down.

This is well put and it touches on something pretty important which is that the appreciation of and desire to achieve a certain standard of physical attraction isnt just superficial fluff but rather is rooted pretty deeply in the human brain for good reason. Not saying it should be at the expense of having compassion or empathy for people but the power of having a good body is very real. Being able to command respect and say a thousand things about yourself without saying a word is almost magical which is why nobody should neglect this aspect of life. Its late and im rambling a bitbut oh well.

yasminara

Jeans. I hate stuffing myself in jeans lol!

hamptontom

i feel like i've said this before in other threads, but...well, it's relevant.

i spent most of the 50 years i've been walking this planet literally not giving a $h!t about how i looked. i loved food, so i ate. end of story. in fact, i had this standard little diatribe i'd go on if it ever came up - something along the lines of "dieting is for lazy people. anybody can stop eating...it takes dedication to stick to it...i don't always want that second helping of mashed potatoes, but i eat it because i'm committed..."

that sort of crap.

but then i found myself at a point in my life where i needed a distraction...badly...and started walking.

and kept walking.

it was the only thing that really centered me.

and one morning, i noticed my pants weren't so hard to put on.

so i got a bike and started riding the bike...and that was pretty much "game over" for me.

i went from walking to biking to finding this site...to logging my food...to joining a gym in hopes of maintaining some degree of muscle mass as i was losing weight...

and that pretty much brings us up to date - 47 pounds down since Memorial day, and finding new reasons every day to enjoy this that never occurred to me. maybe they're vanity reasons, maybe not...but here are a few:

* I can look down and see my belt buckle.
* I just donated damn near ALL the clothes I've been wearing for the past five years or so to Goodwill.
* I've replaced them with clothes (also bought from Goodwill, 'cuz i'm hoping to outgrow them too) that feel good when I put them on...and create the sensation that I'm folding someone else's stuff when I do laundry.
* FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I'M STARTING TO FEEL SOMETHING RESEMBLING NORMAL.

fiddletime

I'm 60 and refuse to accept that all of us older folks "are thick in the middle". Why is that? We eat too much and we drink too much. We don't work out enough. I want to feel strong and confident for as long as I can, as 10 pounds ago I felt weak and "old". Now I feel lighter and stronger and agile. It feels great, like turning back the clock. In 10 more pounds I can work on maintaining, and then getting even stronger.

OneHundredToLose

I just want to not be embarrassed to take my shirt off in front of people.

eggmoni

My vanity reason is because I want to feel and look better in my clothes (and just my body in general)! I used to be at a very healthy weight for my height and I was very comfortable with myself. Then I gained a little weight and was still fine, then I kept gaining weight and 3 years later I'm about 40 pounds over what I used to be.

I feel like my weight does not suit me. Some people still look lovely with a bit of weight on them and are healthy, but I just look so pudgy. I do not look or feel healthy. My face became too round after gaining weight and my arms/shoulders look so chubby that I never feel like wearing t-shirts because of them. I'm really looking forward to buying new clothes after I lose weight. I used to feel confident with my body, but after gaining quite a bit of weight, I always just want to hide myself. I, of course, want to be healthy, but I also want to feel good in my own skin and not feel so self-conscious about my arm fat, or a double chin, or how my stomach looks when I sit down.

Qskim

Is wanting to look capable of "ripping your arm off and hitting you with the soggy bits" if you touch my family vanity?

mwyvr

My vanity reason: I wanted to resemble the person I remembered before I got fat; in the mirror I thought I saw that face every day, but in photographs... quite a different story. Oh, I also wanted to see my genitals while standing up or laying down. Just to be sure they were still there. Is that a vanity reason or a practicality reason? I'm just not sure.

More seriously... for me it really is all about health. I've seen what too much weight does to people as they age, even in my own family. I've no desire to live an increasingly poor life, plagued by mounting health issues and reduced mobility.

Maybe the ultimate vanity is wanting to be able to truly live life to the fullest and not be restricted physically from doing or trying anything.

That I also look better naked and can see my genitals and toes is simply icing.

carlyp79

I have a lot of cool, fitted style girly tees that I don't fit anymore - I want to wear them again and not feel so frumpy.My favourite concert t shirts, funny or cute tshirts that reflect my interests and personality not just whatever baggy shirt fits me.
I have spent many a year being overweight and uncomfortable, but just prior to having my babies I was in great shape and felt so confident for the first time in my life. I want that again, especially as I will be looking at returning to work after a number of years child rearing.

middlehaitch

Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.

I love being back in a bikini, that it is the same size I wore at 20 is a plus.

Rocking it in a slinky backless dress, and being told I had the back of a 30 yr old. (pity the face didn't match)

Being able to hike through a jungle and rappel down a waterfall with people decades younger than me.

A soon to be bride asking how to get arm definition like mine so she will look good in her strapless dress.

All vain things, but heck if that is what it takes to keep me healthy and fit into old age, I will freely admit to being shallow.

Cheers, h.

mwyvr

@middlehaitch , lookin' good! Vanity suits you very well... but all kidding aside wanting a healthy life is simply not vain but smart.

Hiking through a jungle and rappelling is hardly vanity, it's the spice of life!

steponebyone

Jeans, leggings without noticeable dimples, to feel really good again, and not feeling like I have to hide.

Cahgetsfit

Ah yes. Vanity. I want to wear my old clothes again, I want to be able to have my stomach on show and it be flat and nice not a big round ball, I want to actually look hot in my bikini again (I wore it even as a fattie because beach and tan lines are more important to me than how whale-like I looked in said bikini) , I want my *kitten* to go up and be rounded. I want to flex and go "wow!". And now that I've gotten a taste for lifting I want to be able to lift as heavy as possible for me just to say "yeay! I can deadlift 100kilos!" ( not there yet. Sitting on 65-70).