A Few Questions about Weight Loss

hookshot88

Hi everyone! I've just got a few questions about losing weight that I'm wondering if you'd be willing to give me a few minutes to answer.

Being a graduate student, I'm naturally curious about things like this. Of course only answer anything you're comfortable with, but I'm genuinely curious as to people's motivations for weight loss. Here are my questions:

What is the main reason you want to lose weight?

What scares you most about losing weight?

What do you most look forward to about losing weight?

What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight?

What triggered your desire to lose weight?





And of course, I'll get things started off:

- What is the main reason you want to lose weight?

I'm sick of looking at myself in the mirror and thinking "wow, I'm fat!" I'd like to one day go towards mirrors to admire my reflection instead of avoiding it like I do now.

- What scares you most about losing weight?

I'm terrified of failing at it. I'm ok at passing classes, at academic stuff, but this is something totally new and I don't want to fail.

- What do you most look forward to about losing weight?

The change in my body, the physical change and being able to be proud of my appearance.

- What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight?

I watch music videos and think "if I stick with it, I could look like that"

- What triggered your desire to lose weight?

I went to a party with a bunch of friends from high school, and we ended up going swimming. I was the fattest one there by far, and when I saw all of them looking slim in their suits I just knew that was enough. I had to do something to get my weight under control, so the next day I started goggling, read about calorie counting, found MFP and started my journey.

kgeyser

Are you naturally curious, or are you asking as part of an assignment for school?

hookshot88

Naturally curious, I'm a graduate student in English Literature, so definitely nothing to do with weight loss!

Kalikel

Being a grad student does not make one "naturally curious" about other people's weight loss.

That statement makes me naturally curious about the real motivation here.

Why are you asking all these questions?

icrushit

This smells awfully like a research survey. If that's what it is, just be upfront, and am sure you will still get the responses you need.

Also, if you're affiliated in any way, or a referrer for some commercial weight loss/ fitness-related company or product, disclosing that would be nice also.

NK1112

Hi everyone! I've just got a few questions about losing weight that I'm wondering if you'd be willing to give me a few minutes to answer.

Being a graduate student, I'm naturally curious about things like this. Of course only answer anything you're comfortable with, but I'm genuinely curious as to people's motivations for weight loss. Here are my questions:

I'll bite ... thanks for sharing and for asking. I;m sometimes nosy also and sometimes like to be asked.

.. What is the main reason you want to lose weight? ... To get more healthy

.. What scares you most about losing weight? ... running out of time and dying before I've lost the weight ... then my family will have to get some really strong arms for bearing my casket ... and I'll be embarassed from wherever it is I'm then at.

.. What do you most look forward to about losing weight? ... Hopefully getting off all these meds I take now.

.. What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight? ... The failure I had yesterday at losing weight. I'm a firm believer of that saying "if you don't succeed at once, try and try again."

What triggered your desire to lose weight? ... It's a funny thiing ... way back many years ago I was glad to be gaining weight as a defense mechanism (sounds sick, but true) ... and then when I wanted to stop gaining weight I found that I couldn't. It's been a battle ever since and .... I don't quit easily ... so I'm still trying to succeed at this.

MelodyandBarbells

What is the main reason you want to lose weight?

What scares you most about losing weight?

What do you most look forward to about losing weight?

What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight?

What triggered your desire to lose weight?

Reason to lose weight was to ditch excess weight that had crept up over the years and get back to my normal self. Clothes being tight and not fitting properly, needing bigger and bigger clothes, getting winded and tired quicker/being out of shape, etc. Also my lifestyle had become really sedentary and I just wanted to get moving and quit eating so damn much food

What scares me about losing weight is whenever I get to a lower weight and wonder if I can really maintain eating the amount of food it takes to not gain. To me it seems like it's one thing to workout hard and lose weight but to do all that just to maintain... And at the same time I wouldn't want all my hard work to be in vain

I've lost the weight and I'm quite fit so I'm not really sure what I'm looking forward to at this stage. The rest of my life, I suppose

Daily motivation? I dunno, MFP cat gifs and Les mills fitness classes? Well now that I think about it, I've actually become a half decent cook due to all the logging and tracking down recipes, so I look forward to trying out even more nomness from around the world and still being able to maintain my weight

Last question seems like a repeat of the first

ChildrenCryinNCoffee

This smells awfully like a research survey. If that's what it is, just be upfront, and am sure you will still get the responses you need.

Also, if you're affiliated in any way, or a referrer for some commercial weight loss/ fitness-related company or product, disclosing that would be nice also.

THIS...and rather than being lazy, you could click to view a person profile and READ their profile... :noway: :grumble:

MelodyandBarbells

...Or those of you who don't want to participate can just move along? Could people who are interested in the topic please post? I'd love to read some great responses.

weightliftingdiva

...Or those of you who don't want to participate can just move along? Could people who are interested in the topic please post? I'd love to read some great responses.

Right? Also, it would be unethical for a grad student (and also odd for a grad student in an English program) to be collecting research surveys with non-random responses off of the internet... So unless they're doing really bad research... I think the OP meant "naturally curious" because people who end up in grad school are usually curious about something, or else they wouldn't continue schooling.


What is the main reason you want to lose weight?
My own personal health, and with that, the ability to do fitness things I can't currently do.

What scares you most about losing weight?
I'm nervous about getting attention I'm not use to getting.

What do you most look forward to about losing weight?
Being an inspiration to my family, and being able to hike/bike/swim/climb more.

What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight?
I have a really difficult time logging everyday and not binging, especially while I'm at college and a lot of social events revolve around food (and beer) everyone else is drinking. I find that exercise keeps me on track - it helps me sleep better so I have better control over my inhibitions. Also, if I exercise, and than eat and drink feel much, I'll feel like I wasted the exercise (which I know is not necessarily true, but it's a helpful way of thinking for me personally).

Off to do C25k week 2 day 3!
What triggered your desire to lose weight?

hookshot88

Thanks to everyone who has answered so far, it's great to get some insight from others!! I find it really motivating to see that I'm not the only person who has doubts and fears about the process.

And to those who think I'm from a marketing company or whatever, absolutely not! I'm legitimately just curious about other people's reasons for trying to lose weight, since I'm obviously not the only person here trying, and everyone has a different story, and I'm interested in other people's stories. Weightlifting has it right, I am naturally curious, that's just how I am.

onefortyone

What is the main reason you want to lose weight?

It has changed over the past 3 years. First it was to look better. Now it is for my health and hope to have more children.

What scares you most about losing weight?

Ack. My deep dark fear is that I will be a 'healthy' BMI but lose another baby even though realistically my weight wasn't to blame anyway.

What do you most look forward to about losing weight?

Looking hot in jeans, running around after the 6 kids I'm gonna have... being nominated Housewife of the Year. lol idk.

What do you use as your daily motivation to lose weight?

I weigh myself daily, and I have a thousand mini-goals. Getting below 200lbs, my Wii Fit not saying 'that's obese' any more, being able to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I also use pinterest to find/share fitness quotes to get me motivated to exercise.

What triggered your desire to lose weight?

I had a lightning-bolt moment when I realised I was still wearing maternity pants about 6-7 months after my daughter's funeral, because that is all that fit me. Now I am working through my pain by facing it, and practicing self-care instead of self-sabotage and self-hatred.

Sorry if that stuff is considered overshare. It is just such a large part of me and my journey.

34blast

If you read enough threads and success stories, and creep some profiles you will get all the answers you need.