Do you ever wonder, why bother?

Dont think of it as a "diet" but more of a lifestyle change. IMO it sounds like you have an unhealthy relationship with food and body dysmorphia, especially if you thought you were fat at 120 pounds. I dont think losing weight is torture either, i rather enjoy eating well and exercising everyday. It makes me feel strong and healthy (the key word is = HEALTHY)

Yeah - I too look back at photos and wonder - I wish I was as fat now as I thought I was back then! Definitely think of it as a lifestyle change - That's what I have told my kids and when I say the Dreaded D word - they correct me - especially my 8 year old. He is the best. Is it worth it - sure thing - Is it hard - yep - but so is being heavy and out of shape! I'll take better health hard, than laying on the couch hard. Took me a while to come to that conclusion and this time I am sticking with it - I have support from a good friend and I like MFP - so that is working for me so far!

Do you best and decide which HARD you want.

I've seen this topic a lot today in various forms.

Honestly for me, it's worth it to the extent of staying at a relatively healthy weight to keep problems (health etc) at bay, to fit into the world better, to feel better about myself, etc.

But I lack motivation that would take me down the road of rock hard abs, living in the gym, and pondering cosmetic surgery for my least favorite bits.

For me looking halfway nice in some skinny jeans with boots and a one piece swimsuit is like "sweet!!" and simply put...enough. I could happily live at about 170 lb forever and be cool with it.

We all have different levels of motivation.

Hey everyone. I'm new here, well, kinda.


I created an account today and I picked a positive name and an inspirational photo but in reality I always wonder why I bother worrying about losing the weight. So lets say I drop my 40lbs, now what? Will I be happier? Will I really feel that much better? Will I think I look better? When I was younger and weighed 120, I thought I was fat back then!

Is it worth all the torture we put ourselves through? All the ups and downs of dieting, the guilt when we over eat, feeling hungry.... sorry to be so negative but I really think about these things.

I would love to hear your responses, hopefully positive ones as I have been in such a slump for almost a year now. I wasn't always like this. Fitness was my life and very important to me at one time.

Why do you view taking care of yourself torture???

Hey everyone. I'm new here, well, kinda.


I created an account today and I picked a positive name and an inspirational photo but in reality I always wonder why I bother worrying about losing the weight. So lets say I drop my 40lbs, now what? Will I be happier? Will I really feel that much better? Will I think I look better? When I was younger and weighed 120, I thought I was fat back then!

Is it worth all the torture we put ourselves through? All the ups and downs of dieting, the guilt when we over eat, feeling hungry.... sorry to be so negative but I really think about these things.

I would love to hear your responses, hopefully positive ones as I have been in such a slump for almost a year now. I wasn't always like this. Fitness was my life and very important to me at one time.

Why do you view taking care of yourself torture???

I just wanna say I agree with this too.

It doesn't have to be torture. Maybe if you feel that way you have set too difficult of a goal for the beginning.

For some people (myself included) it's much easier to set smaller goals so that you have the constant success of reaching those goals. Then you may be ready for bigger goals!

I do it because I'm worth it, and because I'm physically capable.

If the number on the scale doesn't motivate you, find something else that does. For me, having a goal is what keeps me going. Now that I am closer to my goal weight, I am finding lots of new goals to reach. It might be running xx miles without stopping, or going up in squat weight, how long you can plank, or even healthy eating challenges (see how "clean" you can eat for a day/week, try to get 100% of your nutrients, etc.). For me, it's about that accomplishment.

I realized fairly soon into my weight loss that becoming a smaller me wasn't going to change the me inside. I'm still the same person just in a not-as-fat body. Being 120# will not change who I am, only how others treat me.

Yeah, I do think about why I'm still tracking food and eating at a (supposed) deficit. I reached most of the weight loss goals I set for myself - 100# lost, buying clothes from "normal" shops, fitting into chairs/booths. I would be fine at the weight I am now. I still get to hear from family and medical professionals about how unhealthy and fat I am and how losing more weight will fix my HBP and high cholesterol (despite having the latter 2 since I had my first blood pressure measurement).

The only reason I have to continue is it's a daily habit, like checking my email.

Hey everyone. I'm new here, well, kinda.


I created an account today and I picked a positive name and an inspirational photo but in reality I always wonder why I bother worrying about losing the weight. So lets say I drop my 40lbs, now what? Will I be happier? Will I really feel that much better? Will I think I look better? When I was younger and weighed 120, I thought I was fat back then!

Is it worth all the torture we put ourselves through? All the ups and downs of dieting, the guilt when we over eat, feeling hungry.... sorry to be so negative but I really think about these things.

I would love to hear your responses, hopefully positive ones as I have been in such a slump for almost a year now. I wasn't always like this. Fitness was my life and very important to me at one time.

I've been thinking this lots today too.. I can't lose any more weight and I've worked really hard in the gym but still don't have the abdominal area I want except now I don't have the body and I can't have any chocolate at least before I could have treats haha

Torture, guilt? Seems like you may be approaching this from a wrong angle.

As to why it's worth it, well feeling fantastic sort of makes me happy.

I used to think that, when I was like early 40's. I had the attitude that yeah, you get older, you get fatter, you get frumpier, this is just the way it is so accept it and be happy. I didn't like dieting or exercising. Figured that was never going to change. But it did. Now I do it for health. I want to be strong so I can continue to ride my Harley. I want to preserve bone density so I don't get osteoporosis. I may never get rid of all of this middle age tummy, but it is better than it was, and just think how big it would be if I hadn't been working on it?

I've felt that way before. It was when I was on the verge of giving up entirely, and just accepting that this is the way I was. It sucked, and I hated it. I hated wearing the same 2 pairs of pants every day because the rest didn't fit.

So for me, yes, it's going to be worth it, if only to feel better about how I look in a polo on the golf course, or at the pool, or not having to wait for the "fatty" seat on the roller coaster (or worse, not being able to ride).

Secondly, I want to give my son a better role model. He's 5 now, and I don't want to die of a coronary before he has his own kids. He'll never get to meet my father, who died when I was 20 (smoker, not weight). I want his kids to know their grandpa, and not just hear about how cool I was.

But finally, though the journey is hard (if it wasn't, we'd all be thin), the success stories on this site should be proof enough on how great people feel when they make it to their goal, or even make progress. I guess it'll be up to you to appreciate your body when you make it. I'm in my 40's, so I don't have any delusion of getting back to high-school weight. But if I can get to a healthy body fat number and lose my man-tits, I'll be happy with mine.

Don't feel guilty about a bad day. Kick yourself in the butt and get back on track. Keep reading the success stories on the blog for motivation. I can't wait until I can post mine.

Is it worth all the torture we put ourselves through? All the ups and downs of dieting, the guilt when we over eat, feeling hungry.... sorry to be so negative but I really think about these things.

First, yes it's worth it and you will feel sooooooo much better. If you read some of my profile and what inspires me to stay fit and eat responsibly, you'll see part of my inspiration comes from witnessing so many of my family members being miserable because they didn't take care of themselves. So I would address your question, not, "Will I feel much better is I do" with "How much worse will I feel if I don't."

Second, the guilt of overeating. It's nothing you want to boast about but nothing to get down on yourself as long as you re-commit and re-commit. I blow it on stuff everyday. One of the short prayers I pray daily is, "God, please don't give up on me." And then I go on.

Addressing the torture: It doesn't have to be. Some people's whole life is consumed in fitness. It's an important but it's not everything. Find something you enjoy doing. My neighbor lost 49 some pounds by committing to walking every day and having a healthy normal diet, not diet in the way we think, but diet that this is the way I will for the rest of my life. My wife and adult daughters are very active. My wife plays soccer at 53 years of age. My daughters run and do cross fit. To me, that's torture. But what I do would be torture for them because they don't like Nordic Track Skiers and push ups like I do. We were created to move. That's why we have arms and legs. Just discover what you love to do.

You think of this as a diet. I think of this as a healthy lifestyle change. Maybe that is the difference. To me, yes, a healthy lifestyle IS worth the bother.

I feel better about myself at this weight/size/fitness than I did when I was bigger and less fit. Yes I would still have a fulfilling life without focusing on these goals, but I think they make me a better person and happier with myself. That is why I bother.