Do it for urself- sorry, not convinced

Reaverie

I use to have the same issue. I didnt care about doing it for "myself"..nor my health. For once I do and for once Im doing this the right way and not for anyone else. I was never motivated for just myself before. I like that I am now. I feel like it will stick. Even when I screw up. Before, when I was doing this to be pretty enough to attract someone, I would give up if I slipped up for a day. My whole diet was RUINED. Now.. Im great. I slip up and Im ok with that. Ill restart tomorrow cause this is for me.. not them.

annmareeofoz

Well you have to do it for your own reasons. You just have to find those reasons. If you don't have any good reasons that you truly believe in, then I am afraid you're destined to fail, or at very least get to a point and just not be happy and start to feel hopeless, and regress backward.

Sounds like perhaps you are at an emotional and psychological block point where counseling may be beneficial? I'm not saying that to be mean at all, I am not snidely saying "you're crazy" I have absolutely been there myself - I have anxiety and depression and I am very socially awkward, I myself needed help to change my attitude, my mindset, etc before I could even think about starting on my physical health and weight goals.

Your health will only stay with you for so long, especially as you age. So I agree with the posters above that said the old adage of 'fat people can be healthy' is only going to be true for so long. My own experiences mirror that.

After hitting 30 and being overweight literally my whole life, Previously all my health-checks were quite good. But I started noticing simple things getting tougher: getting up stairs, long walks, easily puffed, getting sore, feeling dizzy, heavy in the chest, menstrual problems etc... This years checkup showed abnormal cells that could lead to cancer, infertility, as well as quite high blood pressure. So I knew I had to change. I didn't want those health risks to become worse, and get piled on by numerous other things that were borderline in my results.

So in short: Yes - Do it for you, your health, your family and own personal strength and happiness. That's the only way it will stick. That's my mentality at the moment, anyway! It's definitely about a lifestyle change - changing bad habits into new good ones! I detest the word 'diet' and certainly don't obsess over the numbers on the scale either. It's about being better than yesterday, and knowing I am making steady progress.

fiddletime

In my 60's and if I'm 25 pounds overweight my knees hurt and I'm not as agile as I'd like. Keeping in shape to avoid injury and keeping my weight where I feel the best is important to me.

I would suspect that if you did get to your goal weight you'd feel better- physically and mentally. A lot better. It's why you came to this site I would imagine. It's why many of us have been here for years, trying to get support and get to a good weight, even as life throws is curveballs and many of us regain previously lost weight. Feeling great is pretty addictive.

freedom2016mfp

Look in the mirror, that's your only competition:) Take on the challenge until you like what you see.

Alatariel75

You do you. You'll either find a reason or you won't. I'm doing it for me, and for my health. Just because i was a healthy fat person doesn't mean i was going to stay that way. In fact, circumstances have indicated i most certainly wouldn't have, and probably won't be a healthy slim person but the being slim and strong will sure as hell help in the long run.

LAMCDylan

Well, when you do it for others then you are seeking external vaidation. And you will always be at their mercy. You will tie your worth to whether or not they approve of you. Not a healthy way to live. A person with good self-esteem would do it for themselves they also don't seek external validation. BTW, your looks and how you think and feel have nothing to do with worth. Worth is KNOWING and this comes from inside. Most of the people on this site have unhealthy shame issues. Your post is a great example of someone who has low self esteem and probably feels very little worth and has to earn it in some way in the form of validation from others. Weight loss is not going to help with this.

eok902

Having read these boards avidly for 8 months, I get the impression the majority of people posting here aren't doing this for external validation/admiration. Our reasons are as varied and complex as we humans are.

Ps. I was one of those people who thought I was a healthy fat person because I ate 'healthy' home-cooked food, walked everywhere and did regular exercise. Now, having lost 42lbs and still going, I realise now that I wasn't really that healthy after all.

R_is_for_Rachel

You know what, ive been overweight for years-only by 3-4 stone so not morbidly obese. And mostly i didn't give a fig about being accepted and because i was young it never affected my health.

However Im now 39 and i do have health issues. I have gastric reflux from the weight around my belly and eating too much and I'm prediabetic.

So maybe you are like what i was like, but don't take for granted you'll be one of these illusive fat healthy people- i think they're an incredibly rare thing. It all catches up with you in time