is it worth it in the end?

Anything is better than being fat

agree to disagree. being unable to walk and care for yourself regardless of weight, pretty much is hell.

Anything is better than being fat

agree to disagree. being unable to walk and care for yourself regardless of weight, pretty much is hell.

I don't think they meant for that comment to be taken literally.

And YES it is worth it in the end.

I sure hope so...


If the hot chicks don't come flocking to me, then it wasn't.

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?

Always strive to improve your life. That is positive, by definition.

foods not the problem its more so is me having to work 10x harder just to catch up with with the rest. i guess im just venting

Who are you trying to catch up to? People who have already lost weight? People you're comparing yourself to? I read a great quote recently. "Comparison is the thief of joy". Do your best to focus on your own journey and try not to let outside influences get to you too much. What does it matter what someone else's weight loss journey was like? The only thing that matters is that you stick to yours.

Venting is good. Just don't let it get you to think negatively for too long. Hang in there.

You are getting healthy at a far younger age than most people do. Stick with it! You have already lost 21 lbs according to your profile! That is awesome! Keep it up!

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

Always worth it. Always.

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.

don't see how getting and staying healthy would ever be anything but positive