is it worth it in the end?
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Well, you know, it's only food. And you're still going to be eating for the rest of your life...so it's not like you can't eat. You can, and you can eat the things you like, just less of them.
Plus exercise can be fun if it's something you like doing, and there must be SOMETHING, even just a nice walk in the park.
The plus side to losing weight is way bigger than the negative side. So yes, it's worth it in the end.
I love this answer!
OP, it may be that you're viewing it as a negative thing for a result that's really not that worth it. I went years where my goal was to just get "skinny" and it just wasn't a worthy enough goal. The thing that really hit home for me was to have more of a goal of fitness and health. Once you tackle those two, the weight loss falls closely behind.
And I totally agree that there's no need to cut out the foods you love. That's a great way to set yourself up for either a binge or a completely shut down on the diet. Don't think of it as a diet where you have to eat as little fat as you can or as little carbs as you can. Here's the thing - both fat and carbs are good for you if you eat the right choices. Healthy fats and essential for certain body functions and healthy carbs give us energy and fiber. Instead of thinking about the things you CAN'T have, think of the things you CAN have.
Finally, yes, it is totally worth it. I started out wanting to lose 100 pounds. I've shed about 85 of them in 3 years. I probably could've done that in a year or two but I'm honestly in no big rush. I'm making healthier changes every day and am very active and that's what really counts. The rest of the weight will come off in time...
Even the little things add up - like being able to paint your own toenails and tie your shoes without feeling like you're going to pass out. Walking around with friends on a nice day without feeling like you need to take a break every 15 minutes. Being able to shop in the "normal" stores. Feeling 5 years younger instead of 5 years older than I really am - and looking as young as I feel. Mostly though it's the fitness goals I've accomplished. Even in high school I hated running but last year I participated in two 5k runs and ran plenty of 5k distances all on my own.
You can do this and it can be worth it - you just have to find the thing that works right for you - that spark that keeps you going. If nothing else, just start making those small changes so at least you're improving your health through better eating and a little activity. In time it'll become habit and you'll still be better off than you were last year, right?0 -
Yes! Yo ullllllllllll0
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If you need a mental boost and a concrete indication of just how far you have come, pick up something that weighs the amount that you have lost and tote it up and down the stairs a couple times or around the block. You can decide whether it's worth it. If I hadn't started and then kept going, I wouldn't be riding my horse every day for the most enjoyable exercise ever, because I would be too heavy for him. And that doesn't even begin to mention the health benefits.0
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sometimes i start to think is it really worth it, why i am i trying this hard, what am i really going to accomplish at the end of all this. will it be a positive change or a negative change in my life. how do you guys deal with this?
If you are asking yourself this then no it’s not worth it for YOU... I know it's worth it for ME.
You're stressing over an outcome that you have yet to receive... that mentality confuses me....
Work is hard; quit.
Marriage is hard; get a divorce.
Eating right is hard; drive thru.
Stairs are hard to climb; take the elevator.
Standing hurts; sit.
So, is it... is it really worth it? You tell me...0 -
A couple months ago I fell asleep in my comfy chair with the TV on, and when I woke up there was informercial on for one of those home workout programs (might have been P90X, but it doesn't matter). One of the shills related one of the most personally motivating ideas I've come across. I don't believe in fate, but it was a coincidence I'm happy I stumbled into. This guy said he made a list of all the reasons he could think of to make a healthy lifestyle change as well as a list of all the reasons to just keep living the way he has been. He then compared the lists side by side, and all the great reasons for him to eat better and get in shape made the reasons for him to phone in the rest of his life look silly by comparison.
If you're wondering whether it's worth it, sit down and make up these lists, then put them up on your fridge or closet to remind you. Since you're still young, you might need the wisdom of some of us older folk to see reasons you might not yet see yourself ("Set a positive example for my children" or "Improve the chances of me being there to help my children when they're starting their own families" or "A more successful, confident image at work will help me be taken more seriously by my boss, coworkers, and clientele"), but I'm sure you can come up with a couple dozen good reasons already ... a number of them already mentioned in this thread.
Good luck, dude!0 -
Yes it is worth it. I have had three years of difficulties and yes it is worth every bit of pain. I am able to wake up every morning, I am able to get out of bed and know that I am healthier. I will be here longer for my children, husband but most of all for me. This is for me. I want to be healthy and if losing weight is a benefit of that great!! If not, I can move, I can eat, I can be ME. I started seriously to get healthy last November, I had enough pity parties for myself. I realized the only thing I can control is ME and how I perceive everything. I am working on being healthy, positive and happy. Everything else around will fall into place.0
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I can run, play with my daughter, go up and down stairs without being totally winded, I can get on a zipline without fear of it breaking, I got to dress up as santa and run down the street with 1999 other santas enjoyed my free beer and pizza, did the warrior dash, I'm not just thinner, I am not confined to inactivity...
That's why I've gotten in shape, that is why I will be able to keep the weight off and maybe living long enough to have grandchildren is a definate bonus.0 -
yes it is worth it to make your life better. to be healthier (i assume this is about weight loss)
Also, it shouldn't be a miserable experience. I looked at it as an adventure. I burned calories hiking to the tops of mountains. I burned calories surfing. I burned calories riding my bike in the sunshine. I burned calories running my dog. I burned calories dancing with my friends. I burned calories chasing my kid around. I burned calories rock climbing. I burned calories back packing.
Dang!
I had a lot of fun losing 50 lbs!
AND i ate chocolate every single day!
It can be done. Changing a course that is set in motion requires force, fortitude, determination...but it does not require misery.
So stop feeling bad now and do something FUN. You got this one wild and precious life, NOW LIVE IT.0 -
Definitely worth it for me. I was upwards of 350lbs four years ago when I turned 30 and I slept with a breathing machine because I had sleep apnea. I'm 225ish now and this past Feb 9th when I turned 34 I ran my first 5k officially (I'd done it a few times practicing). I'm up to 4 miles now and working on my 10k and dropping those last few pounds.
You're actually near where I was around July of last year before I tweaked my diet, even considered running, and before I started lifting weights. Not sure if it will apply to you but my advice is to make whatever you do to reach your goal something you want to be a part of your life after you reach your goal rather than just a chore you can't wait to stop.0 -
It is absolutely worth it. I didn't realize how much being "big" affected my quality of life until I lost the weight. I avoiding doing all sorts of things so that I wouldn't be embarrassed or draw attention to myself. I think my quality of life is much better now.
I wish now, that I would have made the decision to do something about it much earlier in my life. You have that chance!
It is a lot work to lose the weight, and maintain that loss, but overtime it has gotten easier for me. My new eating habits are second nature now, and it is much easier for me to eat a healthy diet now, than it was 2 years ago.0 -
Always worth it. Always.0
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YES, its totally worth it
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Last week I took some clients of mine out to a park we walked all around the park for a couple hours, went to the beach, then went shopping, then home. My coworker said to me that Im just to full of energy and need to slow down. My coworker is the same size I was a year ago and she just sits around at work and is tired/sluggish all day and has constant back pain. I never realized until last week how much of life really passed me by because of my weight. I spent to much of my life watching life on the sidelines, now I want to be apart of life and that is the best motivation of them all!0 -
will it be a positive change or a negative change in my life.
What could be negative about eating right and getting exercise? I'm just curious what negative association might be there.0 -
yes it is worth it to make your life better. to be healthier (i assume this is about weight loss)
Also, it shouldn't be a miserable experience. I looked at it as an adventure. I burned calories hiking to the tops of mountains. I burned calories surfing. I burned calories riding my bike in the sunshine. I burned calories running my dog. I burned calories dancing with my friends. I burned calories chasing my kid around. I burned calories rock climbing. I burned calories back packing.
Dang!
I had a lot of fun losing 50 lbs!
AND i ate chocolate every single day!
It can be done. Changing a course that is set in motion requires force, fortitude, determination...but it does not require misery.
So stop feeling bad now and do something FUN. You got this one wild and precious life, NOW LIVE IT.
great point!0 -
don't see how getting and staying healthy would ever be anything but positive0
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b0
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