I don't care about "losing pounds"... Male v Female?

gchutson

Maybe it's me, but I couldn't care less about how many pounds I lose.

I also don't give a flying rat turd about how I look in a mirror.

Please know, I'm not saying anything bad about those who are shedding weight and/or trying to look better. It's great and I support you. However, I'm more focused on getting lean, and fighting better.

I started a string a few days ago that discussed the reasons most people are here... i.e. training for a sport, etc. 95% of the responses revolved around "running." There were a handful of other sports, and a few the said "life."

Is this a "guy thing?"

yarwell

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

Excellent !

LexyDB

Couldn't agree more.

As the site name and app states, My fitness pal. Don't get me wrong, fitness and weight loss is encouraged but most are obsessed with weight loss instead of losing excess fat and post about binge eating, eating junk and no self control. No wonder they don't lose and body fat.

I do watch what I eat but the intention isn't being stick thin or being able to pose in the bathroom mirror and take phone photographs (thought I was the only one who found that disturbing) but a sensible diet and exercise plan is encouraged and sadly lacking by most on here who are after a quick fix which never works.

dani_1977

I am here for a mix of things

Looking better yes, but more importantly just moving easier and quicker and to fight the bad genes of high blood pressure, high cholesterole and diabetes that run in my family .

I dont want to be a size 4 or 6 or 8 for that matter, lol .. just healthy

Unknown

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chachita7

Everyone does has to start somewhere... however here are the reasons I do what I do -

** I am eating healthy, I am not on a diet -- both parents diabetic, high blood presure, cholesterol, and more

**I work out to battle my depression, not to be skinny -- I refuse to go and get placed on medication for something as mental as depression, to me at least there is no better medicine than a self kick'n in the *kitten* by some weights or the high of some cardio

** I am doing this for myself; not to please anyone else -- being a mother, wife, employee sometimes we forget ourselves, well this is the way of me taking care of me

Weight loss and looking awesome at the age of 36 are only a direct consequence of the above - I will take that consequence any day

Southernb3lle

I myself WANT to lose weight as I am OVERWEIGHT. I am doing this because I want to be healthier. But to me it is all about making better choices..a lifestyle change. I don't want to just be vain and do it so I feel "hot". I want to be able to do activity without being winded..I want to be able to keep up with my kids and husband. Also, Diabetes runs in my family and I'm trying to avoid that as well. I am hoping to work myself up to running.

mcrowe1016

I have health reasons for losing weight (or inches), but I would be lying if I said vainity was not a motivating factor.

There is more pressure put on women to be thin. Notice that they don't sell spanx to men. Look at all the sitcoms where men are "schluby" and the women are beautiful. It is just the society we live in.

cdcro

Notice that they don't sell spanx to men.

www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

kgprice11

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

Hahaha I totally agree too. Also I feel that many people on here are trying to loose weight whether you are male or female, but me for example I am just trying to get back into shape to run a 10k come October and build my muscle back up. I can really care less at how much weight I loose. If I loose the weight good, if I don't it has turned into muscle

kaji13

Hey, nothing wrong with running. Great cardio transfers itself to MANY sports, including fighting (which as you know requires a hell of a lot of cardiovascular endurance if you want to make it past the first round). At least running trains you to run fast (which can come in handy where I live, as we have many bears and cougars around and I hike a lot). Last I checked....you can't ellipitcal away from a bear

Actually, now you can.

jdploki70

Maybe it's me, but I couldn't care less about how many pounds I lose.

I also don't give a flying rat turd about how I look in a mirror.

Please know, I'm not saying anything bad about those who are shedding weight and/or trying to look better. It's great and I support you. However, I'm more focused on getting lean, and fighting better.

I started a string a few days ago that discussed the reasons most people are here... i.e. training for a sport, etc. 95% of the responses revolved around "running." There were a handful of other sports, and a few the said "life."

Is this a "guy thing?"

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

For me it was all about losing weight, getting back into shape, etc. Basically me being vain. With a bad knee and a bad shoulder, I don't see a lot of fighting/sports in my future, which was sort of why I gained weight in the first place.

And I couldn't agree more on the pictures.

tigerlily8045

I would rather look better and feel better than concerned with what I weigh. I can now touch my toes without bending my knees! I am amazed at how much better I feel MENTALLY after I work out, even if it is only spending 20 minutes with Jillian Michaels.

As a working mom and wife, I need that 20-30 minutes to do something for ME. I can be a better person due to working out and getting fit.

IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym

I don't care about weight loss, I am more concerned with fat loss. I'm looking to get down to 15% body fat, so whatever weight I am when I get there works for me.

wyze

My fitness pal happens to be a place where people with various goals including putting on weight are welcomed. Guess your post just reflects that. Methinks at the end of the day it really doesnt matter as long as people are achieving their goals on here :-)

sweetNsassy2584

LMAO.. You're funny

LilRiver

I care about losing pounds - but I have a lot to lose! (started with 100+)

So, yes, I "care" about the pounds, but that's not the focus. To me the focus has always been about fitness and I knew that with fitness the pounds would fall off. When I started, I planned to do it without even stepping on a scale. It was just a measurement that I was not interested in. There were other measurements that were more important to me: my general sense of how I was feeling, my endurance, my strength, etc. As far as a size sort of measurement, i figured I'd get it from clothes (what size fit and what didn't). But then the various apps I wanted to play around with (including MFP) wanted to know my weight. So I went to a doctor's office to step on a scale (I didn't even have one!) for the first time in many many years. And then I bought a scale and became addicted to it. I love stepping on the damn thing not because I care what the specific number is but it's so much fun to watch it go down

Faintgreeneyes

Is this a "guy thing?"

No it's not just a guy thing. There are women here who are more focused on gaining muscle mass, increasing endurance, or lowering bf %. Great thing about a website like this, it attracts all sorts of people, who have different goals and want a way to achieve them

omma_to_3

Couldn't agree more.

As the site name and app states, My fitness pal. Don't get me wrong, fitness and weight loss is encouraged but most are obsessed with weight loss instead of losing excess fat and post about binge eating, eating junk and no self control. No wonder they don't lose and body fat.

I do watch what I eat but the intention isn't being stick thin or being able to pose in the bathroom mirror and take phone photographs (thought I was the only one who found that disturbing) but a sensible diet and exercise plan is encouraged and sadly lacking by most on here who are after a quick fix which never works.

I don't find that true at all. Most of the people I see are trying to become healthier AND lose weight/fat. But let's be honest...for those of us who are overweight or obese, weight loss is a HUGE starting point to fitness.

kristen6022

Everyone has different goals. This site is for everyone trying to improve their health, one way or another. I joined to get the last 10 pounds off - as of now I got the last 13 off...I stuck around because I want to keep improving my body in other ways (making sure I get the proper nutrition per day, logging workouts so I know I'm making my goals, etc) and to keep up with friends that are doing great with their health improvement goals.

BrettPGH

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

Excellent !

When a user post a reply on the message board you will see on the left hand side of the screen that user picture along with there MFP name, also you will notice a small image of a down arrow. If you click on that arrow, one of the options that comes up is "Ignore this user'. If you select this you will no longer be bother of pictures/responses from that particular user. Great function, use it all the time.

And you'll probably need to use it on me. Because after a lifetime of being fat I have finally earned a body I'm proud of and I don't plan to hide it because it bothers you.

13 year old girl... bite me.

Unknown

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marz42

I'm trying to get healthier and stronger and fitter. I am working on eating better, and getting more exercise (both cardio and strength) into my life. I'd like to lose weight too and I already have been, but I'm more concerned with what I can *do* and how my body feels more so than the number on the scale, and I'm not looking to be a size 2, but the high end of average might be good.

I'm 44, and I've been noticing every year things get just a little bit harder. For a while I accepted that as part of life, but then it occurred to me it doesn't have to be (at least not so much). Every year I go camping where there is this big hill I must walk up and down pretty much every day in the bright sun in 90 degree weather..that in particular has gotten harder every year, and damn it,I want to be able to go up that hill without feeling like I'm going to fall over.

A couple things have kind of kicked me into gear.....

First...seeing my dad who is 75 who is now widowed and living alone, and how much trouble he has with things. He doesn't have any of the big bads ...but otoh wobbles when he stands, has a hard time lifting things, struggles to do so much of his daily stuff, has trouble remembering things etc. He never put a lot of focus on nutrition or exercise, but he generally lead a much more active life (ie, a physical job not a desk job like me) and I want to be able to lift my own groceries and clean my own house at 75, and make it to 75 in the first place.

Then, not long ago my boyfriend died of a very fast acting cancer..at 48. He was pretty slim, ate fish and veggies and almost never junk, did yoga and walked regularly and went on really long backpacking trips in the wilderness.....yet it got him (cancer apparently doesn't care). The older I get the more I see people getting this or that illness, and I realize how lucky I've been that despite not putting much thought into it and eating crap, I'm pretty healthy. So I want to improve my odds.

ishtar13

Maybe it's me, but I couldn't care less about how many pounds I lose.

I don't really, either. My goal weight would still put me at a high BMI, with the caveat that I want to be fairly muscular at that weight.

I also don't give a flying rat turd about how I look in a mirror.

Hmmm.

Well, I guess I do. I've been overweight for more than a decade, and I haven't seriously dated in almost 13 years. Having someone be interested in me again would be nice - although I am fairly comfortable alone most of the time.

Please know, I'm not saying anything bad about those who are shedding weight and/or trying to look better. It's great and I support you. However, I'm more focused on getting lean, and fighting better.

My primary motivation is not losing weight to look good. It's to reverse the insulin resistance/pre-diabetic condition I currently have. My mother was recently diagnosed diabetic and I have several other risk factors.

I started a string a few days ago that discussed the reasons most people are here... i.e. training for a sport, etc. 95% of the responses revolved around "running." There were a handful of other sports, and a few the said "life."

Hmmm, I guess I missed that one, because mine is "to be strong and healthy".
Is this a "guy thing?"

BAMFMeredith

As a woman, I feel like we have it drilled into our brains that we need to weigh a certain amount. We grow up bombarded with magazines saying "Drop 10 lbs before summer!" Or "Lose 5 lbs fast!" etc. Men are encouraged more to get fit, get a 6 pack, get lean ripped muscles, etc....but there isn't nearly as much mention of weight.

As much as I KNOW that I don't need to weigh a certain amount and that my body fat percentage/way my clothes fit is about a trillion times more important, I do catch myself commiserating over the # on the scale. I think it's just something women grow up with (in general---of course there are exceptions to both sides of this generalization).

It's a process, getting past that mentality. I'd like to say that once I am in what is considered in healthy weight range for my height and frame size, I'll stop worrying about it. But I can't say that with 100% honesty. My hope is to be able to look in the mirror, be satisfied with what I see, and totally bypass the scale altogether. I've gone from weighing every day (I know, obsessive), to once a week, and now I'm slowly working toward weighing every other week. Eventually, I'd like that to only be once a month.

maab_connor

i don't think that it's really a male v female thing. i think it's a fitness level thing.

you have a lot of ppl like me on here. many have 100+ to lose - i have over 200 to lose - and for us it IS about the weight. but the weight is just the cause of the effect we're trying to get around. you know, that effect where you're in a box six feet down before you ever had a chance to blow out 40 birthday candles. yeah. that effect sucks. and we're trying to avoid it.

then there are those here who are building. they care how they look in the mirror and how the clothes fit b/c at first, it's hard to trust the scale.

then there are those who are competing and/or training. most eating at a surplus, watching every macro, and killing it in the gym.

males and females in every grouping.

and let me tell you - when i am anywhere NEAR goal, you better believe that i'll be posting mirror pics. not b/c i want to feel like a 13 yo, but b/c i will have earned the hell out of a rockin' bod.

mcrowe1016

Notice that they don't sell spanx to men.

www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

I was wondering if this was a thing....But I suppose the idea that most people don't know they exist still helps prove my point. :ohwell:

Thanks for the link.

dobarber

I really don't care about losing pounds(technically), I actually care about not being able to play with my kids. After losing the weight I have so far i can now be more active with my kids and run and do a lot more things that I couldn't do before. I'm more into getting myself back into being healthy and if that means losing pounds then that's what it means. As for the people looking for a quick fix then they need to go somewhere else(and will eventually) because this site provides the information that you need to lose weight the right way. I'm proud to say that I lost 61 pounds so far and plan to lose at least 39 more pounds before I'm done. Currently I am focused on running and will be lifting soon to tone things up so I'm stronger and can perform better for my kids.

BTW Yes I do find it annoying about the pics. I guess tonight I'll take a pic of my man boobs to see if they find that equally as appealling LOL!

VoodooLuLu

:bigsmile:

sandrajayne09

Hi This is my first time ever of posting-but I had to smile when I read your post about touching toes-for the first time in years I can actually see mine-next goal will be touching them!

sel254

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

LMAO!! Love this!!