Why do you want to lose weight, get in shape, etc

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  • jperrysunlover
    jperrysunlover Posts: 96 Member
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    #1 Reason - Health! You cannot escape family genes, but you can do your best to avoid the affect they will have on your body!
    #2 Reason - My husband! We both love to travel and plan exciting new adventures. Being healthy and fit leaves all options open, regardless of our age!
  • georgiag111
    georgiag111 Posts: 424
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    Many reasons - Look good, Feel better and be there for my kids / family - I am tired of looking unhealthy no energy and just miserable
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    For me, the question is backwards, as I have been overweight for most of my life. Why DIDN'T I want to lose weight for all those years? Well, I was too lazy (was true, but is changing); I thought I wasn't that big (false); and I thought healthy food = yucky (also false). Once those three things were out of the way, everything else just fell into place.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    This got long. But...

    Why did/do I want to do this?
    1) to see if I could a) lose weight in a healthy, sane manner (as opposed to the wacked out eating disorder stuff I did in the past)
    2) to see if I could stick to it
    3) to see if I could work out more often than I didn't work out
    4) because I HATED being overweight. I hated my clothes not fitting most of all, because I would rather have extensive dental work than go clothes shopping. (My dentist loves me. Full length mirrors do not.)
    5) I want more years with my DH. He's older than me by almost a decade, so we may never hit the 50 years together mark (well, maybe we will. Who really knows anymore?), but I want to give us as many chances towards it as possible.
    6) to have a healthy relationship with my body, food, and Mr. Scale.

    That's really it. I CAN lose weight safely, healthily, sanely. If it was just about the scale I could have blown this out of the water in a month. It's been - ? - 100 days and counting. Yes, I've lost a bunch of weight, but not as much as a lot of people here and I've had my days where the scale hasn't cooperated. But I'm learning not to care what the scale says on a day to day basis, and that's huge (see # 6 above.)

    I've stuck to it thus far. I haven't guilted myself about it, if I go over calories or haven't exercised. No need to. As someone here said (and I wish I could remember so I could credit you!!), "Guilt doesn't burn calories." And anyway, my body will tell me when I'm not being kind to her.

    I DO work out more often than not - me, the self-professed hater of exercise! I've skipped 3 days now because of health issues, but that's the longest I've gone without a workout in a REALLY long time. Usually I do *something* every day. It's not always big-time scary intense, but I get moving.

    I'm loving being a healthy weight. LOVING. I stop in front of the mirrors and flex my muscles (that I never used to have!) rather than sticking my tongue out at my reflection. I'm wearing clothes that show off my shape rather than conceal it. I run up the stairs rather than trudge. I smile more.

    For the record, I still hate clothes shopping.

    DH is getting healthier too. But...that's his own journey and if he wants to share, he will. :tongue: I'm just excited for and proud of him.

    Mr. Scale and I are learning to get along. It's rocky, but it's really a lot smoother than it was. The sun doesn't rise and set based on what he tells me on a daily basis, and I don't scream obscenities at him if he tells me something I don't want to hear.

    I'm getting better about food. It's fuel, but it's really yummy fuel. It's okay once in a while to enjoy it for that reason, not just for the good things it's going to do for my body. However, those times are the exception, not the rule. I'm also learning to give my body *enough* fuel to function. It's not just about making the scale numbers look good; it's about true nourishmnet for the mind, bones, muscles, etc. That takes more than 300 calories a day. (Eek. But yeah, that was me.)

    I'm learning that as the caretaker of this body, what I do to it MATTERS. Because it matters, I'm kinder to it. Because I'm kinder to it, I don't hate it anymore. THAT's worth this whole process.
  • sharonsjones
    sharonsjones Posts: 574 Member
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    #1 Reason - Health! You cannot escape family genes, but you can do your best to avoid the affect they will have on your body!
    #2 Reason - My husband! We both love to travel and plan exciting new adventures. Being healthy and fit leaves all options open, regardless of our age!

    I'm with you, both my parents died from cancer. My dad had high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure before the cancer got him. I am bound and determine not to be in that kind of shape. My husband and I both love to travel and hike and were almost child free!! one more year! then we can do all the hiking and traveling we want. Don't want to spend my second childhood going to doctor's offices and taking meds!!
  • Sue_Smiles
    Sue_Smiles Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your responses. You've helped me remember why I'm here in the first place. Like I said, I have no intention of quitting, I don't recall when I weighed what I do now, but it was probably 20+ years ago. (right after I got married) I'm learning to like me and still love food. I :heart: cheese :smile:

    Again, all of you have helped me today and I really appreciate it.

    Thank you so much

    :flowerforyou:

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