Anybody else losing fat...TO LOOK GOOD?

So_Much_Fab

My take is that people won't admit it because it's not the PC thing to do these days. If you say "I'm losing weight just to look good/better" than you can be criticized for being shallow, vain, not loving yourself in your own skin, etc.

Jestinia

Judging by how I feel this year compared to how I felt last year, I'd say it's been all about looks for the last thirty pounds, possibly to the slight detriment of my energy levels and overall health. I was perfectly healthy at 150 and fitter than I am now.

KHalseth

I won't deny it. I want to be able to order clothing from Heavy Red once again. And that is, in many ways, a stronger motivation than controlling diabetes, lowering my blood pressure, and releaving the pressure on my joints and feet. I have certain fashion feeds on my Facebook page that helps my desire to lose weight by showing me clothes I love and want to be able to wear again.

darrensurrey

I can only speak for myself but the only reason I am here is to look good naked. I don't need a food diary to eat healthily or do regular exercise. For the purpose of stripping fat and building muscle, a food diary like MFP means I can more closely manage my macro intake and calories.

timberowl

Of course it has to do with it. I've been chubby since birth. I've been marginally "overweight" (from a medical standpoint) before, but spent 90% of my life in the upper part of the "healthy" range.

Looks are the ONLY reason I'm working my butt off to lose 43 lbs.

nellie1965

I grew up as a fat child also and have all my life felt as though I did not look good when others thought I did. I am 54 now and still am losing to look good because I also am not comfortable in my own skin. There is no shame in wanting to FEEL good about how you look. Self esteem is as important as being healthy in fact it can effect your health in a bad way leading to poor emotional and mental health. So Keep up the GOOD WORK KUDOS to you!

ILoveGingerNut

nobody looks good by chance :huh:

bogo_baby

For me, the health and wellness aspects are really secondary.

My major motivation is to look good and feel good for myself.

When I started, I lied to myself and said it was for health reasons and so I could be a better runner/athlete... but once I accepted that I really only wanted to feel like I looked good, then I started making progress.

When it comes to your motivation, being honest with yourself is very important. I am motivated to do this in the right way, the healthy way, because that makes it more permanent... I am not trying to look good for only one day.... I want to look good forever... and a lucky bonus is that it's healthier for me, and I work on my athleticism while I am losing the weight... those are also goals of mine, but not the main motivation and main goal.

Be honest with yourself, and do whatever it takes to stay motivated to do this the right way

mboromom

Hell yeah, I'm right there with ya OP!! I want my outer to match the sexy beast I am inside!!! :-P

Chain_Ring

Everyone wants to lose fat to look better. I didn't even know this was up for discussion, I thought it was a given.

Shriffee

Looking good is a motivator for losing weight, but I'd like to think there would still be a lot of people working on their fitness even if it didn't change the way they looked. A good example of that is smoking. Quitting smoking doesn't change your appearance initially (it improves your aging process in the long run...), but people still do it despite the extreme difficulty in order to better their health.

I don't think wanting to look good is bad.

battybecks

I think some people worry that if they say they're losing weight to look better, people will judge them. They'll think that they are vain, or superficial, or whatever (people aren't actually as nasty as we fear!)

Also, one thing I've come across is people saying "but you look amazing as you are". Pointing out to them that you're not a healthy BMI, or that you're at increased risk of type 2 diabetes because of your waist size, or whatever, is a good way of avoiding that kind of comment. They can't argue with health facts, but they can try to convince you not to lose weight because of aesthetics.

So, saying you're losing weight for health and not for looks can be a way of protecting yourself, and warding off the saboteurs (who usually think they're being helpful).

Obviously some people ARE losing weight purely for health reasons, and don't care what they look like. However, I'm pretty sure that most people have a little insecurity demon who criticises their appearance when they look in the mirror - and admitting that you have this demon is a scary thing ...

chachabear79

Yes obesity and fatness can be heath deterints.

Me personally, I watched family members die slow, sad deaths due to it's ravages. So fighting it in my own life is imperative from a health standard.

But come on, an enormous piece of the puzzle for me is to look good. I grew up as a fat boy and that image absolutely destroyed my self esteem. And it wasn't the potential health risks, it was the fat body. The fact that I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin.

Having been overweight and normal weight, I feel better, and LOOK far, far better with weight off. And I think losing weight to give yourself a body that looks the way you feel authentically, that reflects the best of you, is life changing. You can not underestimate the power of living in a body that is visually pleasing to your OWN eyes.

And yet I see this notion constantly villainized. Why am I seeing more and more often this idea that you should NOT lose weight for looks, only for health? And what's worse is that I think this is clearly a lie. Would most of us really be busting our buts to widdle down our frames if our new bodies didn't visually change?

What's with this sham that losing weight to look better, which consequently might help you feel better about self, is somehow bad?

kaotik26

It's a big reason why I do it. I want to walk by a mirror and say "hey sexy *****!!" because that is what is going to bring me more confidence in myself. I want to be my husbands Trophy Wife! It's vanity at it's best, but letting myself do it is what helps me succeed.

timberowl

BE ADVISED **Something that not many people who need to lose more than 50lbs (not sure if you do but this IS important) are made aware of is that skin integrity becomes an issue. You reach your goal weight and are like "Well, this is wonderful when I'm *clothed*..." That is why toning is so important, even when you are still larger.

Thank you for this. I just had an argument with a friend yesterday about this. She said it's pointless for me to work out if I'm just going to eat back my exercise calories--that I may as well not work out at all. I'm trying to lose 43 lbs (23 left to go) and she's trying to lose about 200 (I believe 140 left to go). She never works out because it's "pointless" when she can create a calorie deficit without it. She loses like 5 lbs a week and I lose 1.5-2.

Amitysk

I would say its 50/50 for me... On the health side, being strategic about not succumbing to any disease that runs in the family and on the looking good side, well its about knowing I look hotter at 40 than I did at 20!

addieblue

I won't lie. My BMI is in the upper range of normal, my blood tests are OK and I don't look bad, I just wanna look awesome. :laugh:

Same here I want to get back to my former weight from 2.5 years ago (50-52kg) not only because I want to fit in my old clothes, but also (and mainly) because I want to look even better than before - slim and toned )

alpine1994

I originally lost weight because my insomnia was so bad that it was ruining my life. I tried every prescription sleeping pill on the market over the years and it they either didn't work or made me feel hungover (without the fun night). My doctor PROMISED me that if I exericsed reguarly I would sleep better. I took her up on that promise and never turned back. Of course to exercise regularly you need to eat right. A run fueled by a burrito and chips doesn't work out too well, so my eating habits changed and the weight started coming off...which made me realize that I CAN BE HOT. I always just kind of assumed I would be overweight forever. So then it became my goal to be hot by 30. I was overweight my entire life. Now here I am, 7 months away from my 30th birthday, feeling and looking better than ever. Oh, and I sleep like a giant baby too. No pills.

Allterrain_Lady

I definitely do. Or did, at first. I wanted to be hot, get sexy clothes, everything!! That was the main goal at first. Still is, in a way.
Strength, health, well being and feeling so much better came along so process and I'm so grateful about it.

The goal isn't important, after all. The journey is so full of surprises!

chachabear79

absolutely I'm losing weight to look good,even losing a few pounds makes my face look different.and who doesn't love that feeling of buying a pair of jeans a size smaller and then they fit.so the fact that exercise and healthy diet makes you healthy and makes you feel better ,is an added bonus. but the one thing I try to keep in mind is, don't be in such a hurry to drop that weight to fast, the healthy way keeps it off.