What was your excuse before "getting serious"?

That it didn't really matter. That one more huge plateful of food or bag of chips or box of cookies wouldn't make a bit of difference to the weight that I'd become.

I finally had to come to terms with the fact that, in a sense, that is true. And all it really means in the end is that losing weight isn't easy. It's a little at a time. Once I accepted that a little at a time is how it's gonna be and a little at a time is okay and that a little at a time adds up to a lot, I got serious.

1. I already have trouble sleeping and can't exercise until 9PM so I'll have more difficulty sleeping.

2. My hair will get messed up.

#2 too! "I already showered today"

I had some too...It's funny to see that our excuses are globally similar:

- "I wear it quite well."
- "I get compliments; my friends tell me I am not overweight, so I am not." (Friends are fabulous, but sometimes they make some mistakes being kind...Of course they would not tell me that I had put on weight: they're KIND)
- "I still have the muscles I gained when I was swimming when I was 12!"
- "I've always been fat, my mother kept repeating it all the time...So let it be this way, nothing will change anyways." (False: I was 58 kilos when I was 16. And yes, my mother already told me I was fat, although I had already reached 173cm.)
- "It's just UNFAIR, I don't want to deprive myself while others can eat all day long anything they like without getting fat! I love to eat too!"
- "By the way, I don't put on weight easily, I can eat that and that, etc."
- " I cannot exercise, I will be ridiculous and therefore it would not work since I am not good."
- " I was wrongly built, I would be ugly anyways."

I have a peculiar sensation writing down all these excuses that used to be in my own mouth, and in a certain way, convinced me: it's a very weird blend of self-pride and lack of confidence...Because of course, it did not work so well. Mirrors are cruel, and it not possible to avoid seeing, one day, what you've done, what you've become. I had some breakdowns when I was trembling in front of my reflection, ceaselessly uttering "What happened? What have I done? It can't be me."
"Getting serious" was also a way of reconciliation with my image. I don't hate my current body anymore, even if the mirror did not become kinder towards me. I am a "work in progress".

For me, it was always "it's <fill in the blank's> birthday party this weekend, so after that"..... or "I don't have time" or "I don't look like I weight THAT much"

I'm too tired and I don't have time.

That I didn't look THAT bad.
That I would just gain it all back.
That it would be too difficult.
That it would be pointless because I've never known anything other than being fat.

This exactly! Especially the last one. I think that one is the most terrifying reason.

I really don't eat that much, I'm not really heavy and also its too cold out, its too hot out, my feet hurts, I'll start tomorrow, my 80 year old Mom says, " honey, you don't need to lose weight, you are just big enough to look good", excuse after excuse, I had to get it in my head and my heart what I needed to do and low and behold I've lost 13 pounds. Yea me !!

I love to cook

I collect cook books

I like to eat out & eat good food.

Maybe next wk I'll cut back

etc,etc,etc,just one excuse after another

I was SOOOO lazy!

Wow this thread is pretty powerful. Almost everything typed here, sans depression, are ways I rationalized being overweight in my head prior to August 2009. I was resigned to being the jolly fatman because that's the way it was.

Now, while I'll there are more fit times than others what I really fear is falling back into that mental state. Instead I'm always looking for the next challenge.