Are you losing weight to feel more attractive?

1246

Replies

  • Absolutely!

    I think that holds true for just about every person with a pulse - on some level. I have never met a single person who didn't want to feel attractive, nor have I met anyone who didn't feel that shedding a few pounds assists with feeling more attractive. Feeling attractive increase self esteem and self confidence. I'm happy to announce that I feel my best when I'm at my goal weight and fit. Healthy just happens to be a bonus (for me, anyway). :)
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Came for vanity, stayed for health :)

    ^^This. I love you, by the way:flowerforyou: . My first 10 pounds I lost were motivated solely by my vanity. I did cardio only, and a slightly too restrictive diet (both calorie and food type restrictions = sad way to do it, for me, YMMV).

    Then, I discovered strength training. WOW! I FEEL and AM getting so much stronger and healthier. And a healthy, vibrant, fit, strong woman is attractive to me, so I'm going for that lifestyle. Oh, and the food--all the food I get to eat now---I just came for the food, lol!
  • ldnmaggie
    ldnmaggie Posts: 222 Member
    Both for me... Abit more to being more attractive tbh
  • Astraport
    Astraport Posts: 2
    Try the vision board.
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
    I definitely am in it to be more attractive, to others and to myself. It's hard to be confident if you don't believe in the product you are selling. Beyond that there are certain activities like rock climbing that I really would like to participate in but can't because of my excess of weight, and lack of strength.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Just curious, it's a bit of a taboo subject, a lot of people say it's to "get healthy" but some also want to feel more attractive. Which category are you in?

    Both and I proclaim both on my profile page. I see some the the weight related health issues that my parents are facing and I'd like to avoid those if I can. However, it's the log of my increasing fitness numbers (weights/run times) that I think about on a day to day basis, not my long term health. The comments of "You keep looking fitter and fitter everyday." that I get from the hubs is right up there as well.
  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    Mainly vanity, with a side helping of health.

    I never even had a weight problem until around 3-4 years ago. I was a size 6 for most of my adult life, didn't really monitor what I ate, and exercised sporadically. When I did gain, it was around 10 or so "vanity" pounds that came off in short order just by my increasing physical activity.

    When I first signed up to MFP in 2010 or 2011 I believe, I wasn't overweight for my height (5'11"), but I was carrying too much padding for my frame. I lost that weight, but between summer 2012-spring 2013, I gained 40 pounds due to a stressful situation going on in my life. Along with comfort eating, I was too depressed to work out often. I would start, then sputter out. By last May, half my work clothes were not fitting and almost none of my summer clothes did. I knew I had gained, but I was shocked when I got on the scale and it said 195. The highest I'd been in my life to that point was 172. Never had I thought I would ever get in the neighborhood of 200 pounds.

    Anyway, I started exercising again, but it was honestly a half hearted attempt. I didn't really rein my eating in as much as I should have. I'd never been truly overweight before and 40 pounds seemed insurmountable, so I was discouraged (silly, I know). I lost five pounds and regained it.

    After spending the fall feeling like I was stuffed into my clothes, moving up yet another size in jeans, developing the makings of a double chin, thinking about my cute outfits that I could no longer wear and imagining the scale tipping over 200, I gave myself a mental kick in the pants. I realized that getting back to the size I'd been almost my entire adult life was not an unrealistic goal. My frame and structure were the same under the excess fat. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started doing. I'm down 15 pounds (need to update my ticker), have lost two sizes in jeans, am able to fit into 75% of my old clothes, and seeing my muscles again. I'm starting to feel like me again and I didn't realize just how uncomfortable I was and how heavy I felt until the weight started coming off.

    On the health side, diabetes and hypertension run in my family on both sides. I got a pre-hypertensive BP reading late last year that freaked me out given that all my life it had been low normal. That was also a motivating factor. Thankfully, it went back to normal after a couple of months of getting back on track.
  • Alatariel2002
    Alatariel2002 Posts: 65 Member
    Unfortunately for me losing weight will not make me attractive, so for me it is more about trying to be healthier. :)

    This I don't get.

    I get the healthier part. I don't get the :"why you wouldn't feel more attractive"

    Not trying to run you thru therapy here, the comment just jumped out at me and struck me as odd....

    Fsunami

    It's a psychological thing, I do not see myself as attractive, never have, so it is hard for me to believe that losing weight would change that. Feel better about myself, maybe; but not more attractive. It is something I know I will have to work along the way.
  • MrsATrotta
    MrsATrotta Posts: 278 Member
    yup. that's part of it.
  • merfhur
    merfhur Posts: 53 Member
    Yes and no.
    I want to be slim so that I don't look weird when I'm out with my boyfriend or basically so I don't look like I'm punching above my weight, even though I'm not massively overweight (well technically I'm not even overweight anymore) but I've always felt like he's so much more attractive than me.
    I also don't wanna be the fat one in my friend group, which is composed of really slim, pretty women and slim, attractive men who don't ever seem to have to worry about their weight.

    But deep down I know though that whatever weight I am, I'm never going to be completely happy with my appearance, so I wanna lose weight to feel healthy/that little bit better with myself.
  • bobbyguns
    bobbyguns Posts: 33
    Initially, as a young father and husband- errrr 22 years ago, it was definitely for health reasons. Now, as a much older but single guy, it's definitely shifted over to vanity. Oh, and to make the ex a little jealous. Shame on me. :wink:
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I'm already dead-sexy. I just want to be able to do pull-ups and handstands while being dead-sexy.

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  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    of course, but through my journey I have discovered I think I want to be strong even more!!
  • nineteentwenty
    nineteentwenty Posts: 469 Member
    Totally vanity. I want good abs and a good butt, not just abs and a butt.
  • Advaya
    Advaya Posts: 226 Member
    Definitely both.. but they fit together well. When I lost weight before it was strictly for health and I found I did better in school, had more drive and focus. And the fact I felt like I looked more how I wanted to look made me feel more confident.
  • FeraFilia
    FeraFilia Posts: 4,664 Member
    In part, yes. But mostly because I don't want to develop obesity related diseases that (so very luckily) I have not yet developed.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    All of the above! I want to be healthy, I'm married and my husband met me when I was fat and always told me how beautiful I was and complimented me. So I didn't really need to lose weight to be more attractive. I do get hit on way more now than I used to, which is flattering, but I would never pursue or cheat on my husband. The real reason for getting healthy is to control my PCOS and have a kid finally after 10 years of failure in that area due to my poor health, and the fact that I was living in a rundown, moldy (black mold) old house for years! We recently moved by the way.
  • CleanUpWhatIMessedUp
    CleanUpWhatIMessedUp Posts: 206 Member
    I want to lose weight, mostly to look better. Good health is just an added benefit honestly and I feel like most people feel that way, but it's not a proper thing to say.
  • Elif84
    Elif84 Posts: 287 Member
    I initially wanted to lose weight because I felt like a balloon and my doctor kept yelling at me about how overweight I was. When I actually started losing weight and actually started to like what I saw in photos, that was the drive to keep me going.
  • sandy_taylor13
    sandy_taylor13 Posts: 194 Member
    Shawn T. says it best in Insanity..... why do I do the crazy things that I do??? Cause I wanna look good!! :)
  • RachelSteeners
    RachelSteeners Posts: 249 Member
    Reason #1: no longer be pre-diabetic
    Reason #2: look hot when I head to Australia for vacation over summer (Oz summer)!
  • sandy_taylor13
    sandy_taylor13 Posts: 194 Member
    Initially, as a young father and husband- errrr 22 years ago, it was definitely for health reasons. Now, as a much older but single guy, it's definitely shifted over to vanity. Oh, and to make the ex a little jealous. Shame on me. :wink:

    I love the honesty!!!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Losing weight isn't going to make be pretty. Only surgery can do that. As for healthier, my GP said losing weight will lower my BP. 140# later and I'm still waiting for it to drop to a "normal" range. Essentially, I'm losing weight to get my GP to understand weight loss isn't a Cure All for health problems.
  • jstavix
    jstavix Posts: 407 Member
    I want to be healthier absolutely. I also want to go home on vacation to MT next summer and blow everyone away too. So, maybe it's a combo of the two. But, first and foremost, I want to be healthy and normal sized for the first time in forever.
  • ge105
    ge105 Posts: 268 Member
    Started cause boys but met my fiance before I lost most the weight. I was healthy like 15lbs ago (strictly speaking). I looked good like 10sh lbs ago. Now I found I want abs for me...so started with trying to get into peoples pants and it ended in an even more vain and selfish "I just want to look like the best version of me, for me" :glasses:
  • Yes, honestly I know it sounds bad but my health is not really my biggest concerne although I know it should be. I want to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see for a change, I want to be able to wear a bikini to the beach and have guys check me out.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I have always been a healthy person.

    I was chubby since childhood and had hard time to get boys to look at me at high school and college. I used to want to be thin to be more attractive but now I just want to be thin. I have never been a thin person in my life. I want to feel "thin” at least once in this life time.
  • kimberlywbarr
    kimberlywbarr Posts: 1 Member
    I am new here and I would have to say both. While I am actually healthy other than my weight- low cholesterol, low blood pressure, ect, I am obese and I hate it. It took my husband telling me in not so man words that he was not attracted to me because of my weight and hasn't been for a very long time for me to really wake up.
    I've never been a vain person. In fact, I've always been quite the opposite- even before I was overweight. But I want to feel better about myself and I want him to be proud of me. I will get there!

    As far as being healthy- well I would love to be able to hike with the kids without sweating to death lol. I still hike with them, and I still do the hard hikes, but it's probably not good for my heart at this weight. I want to do the things I used to without feeling disgusting after lol.
  • pleasurelittletreasure
    pleasurelittletreasure Posts: 236 Member
    I *wanted* to lose weight to look better. But the final straw was chest pains. I absolutely *needed* to lose weight to feel better. Looking better will definitely be a nice benefit in itself, but if I can never go to the ER again that will be reward enough!
  • Tla0126
    Tla0126 Posts: 207 Member
    Heck yes.