Is a 'perfect' body worth it?

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  • loriefolk
    loriefolk Posts: 352
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    I think it's unhealthy for you to think that way in the first place :( You won't have to say no to those things forever. If you have a goal weight in mind, obtain it. When you get there, maintain it by making smarter choices. Hotdogs and icecreams and slices of cake aren't going to make you fact. Eat in moderation and enjoy life!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    To me this whole process is about quality of life. I've got to where all my health vitals are healthy. That's a huge step. However, part of my QOL is being able to be outdoors, and being able to do everything there is to do outdoors. I honestly like intense exersice and challenging myself. If doing that doesn't get me a perfect body I'll be OK with that.
  • fiercegoddess
    fiercegoddess Posts: 12
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    That is why I posted this topic in Nutrition. It is going to take, little to no dry carbs, high protien, little to no cheese, lots of veggies, no alcohol, no sugar, no little cheats here and there....we are talking egg whites, grilled chicken and broccoli for the majority of the time.

    For those that are at a similar point, I ask....is it really worth it? Is it worth saying no to drinks with the girls (or guys), no to pizza night, nachos at the game, or an ice cream on a hot summer day???

    A healthy diet includes carbs, protein, fruits, veggies, and dairy. Even sweets and fats have a place in a healthy diet. Depriving yourself of something, not only makes it more likely that you will relapse, it can be detrimental to your health. A healthy lifestyle isn't about eating 0 fat, 0 sugars, 0 carbs, it is about making healthy choices (fruits, veggies, complex carbs and unsaturated fats in moderation) more often than unhealthy ones. You can have alcohol, nachos, pizza and whatever else you want as long as it is in moderation and have an awesome body. I watched a video where Beyonce enjoyed a bag of chips and some juice and she looks amazing to me. Don't be too hard on yourself and don't beat yourself up. Even if you slip and eat a whole pint of ice cream, forgive yourself and go back to better choices. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Everything in moderation.
  • Bermudabarbie
    Bermudabarbie Posts: 568 Member
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    I don't think anyone has that "perfect" body. It's a matter of being healthy and fit. Yes, we all have different weight loss goals. When I was 80+ pounds heavier I used to think that I was "big boned" and if I made it down to 155 pounds that would be just fine as I am 5'8 1/2." But I am not big boned. I am medium or small boned. Just tall with long legs and size 9 1/2 feet! So at my maintenance weight of 133-138, I am fine. But a "perfect body?" No way!

    I don't personally know anyone who feels she has that "perfect body." But good health and fitness -- yes it's worth it. For sure.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    I am at goal weight and not perfect-I know it would take getting strict with my diet and you can tell (if you want to look at my diary) that I cannot get strict on food-although I find it pretty easy to stay within my maintenance cals.
    So I guess I have made my decision, I want abs, but I want pizza and wine more;)
  • Kalee34
    Kalee34 Posts: 674 Member
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    Nope, not to me! My family comes first, and living like that takes me away from them. If I have to work that hard to stay at a certain weight then I was not meant to be that weight! That's just my 2 cents!
  • juliana1977
    juliana1977 Posts: 153 Member
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    I don't how you lifestyle is, I know you are young, and 10 years ago I could go out to bars and club pretty much every night. Today I don't do like that anymore. It is 2x a month when I really have something to go that I know I will drink too much and eat a lot, and gues what: I DO eat and I DO drink!! After going thru all teh beachbody stuff I don;t think you will go to a party and eat a whole bag o chips and a whole bowl of nachos. I trully think you can have a killer body and enjoy your life at the same time.
    Some wrote here on one of these posts that our body works like a bank acc. One day you will overdraft but make sure to make that deposit the next day. Meaning that if you eat too much today tomorrow you make up for it by doing an extra hour of cardio and eating lighter. I like that concept. For me is just easier, bc first I don't go out that often and second I cant blink and my cholesterol go up to the sky and I am not taking any med for it yet.
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Absolutely not! Not saying that out of laziness or willpower or anything. You need to enjoy your life! That doesn't mean eat a dozen doughnuts, eat a bucket of fried chicken!

    Life is too short, I feel like if I want to have some drinks or some dessert or whatever I will. I also know that my body needs exercise and good food!
  • Ding724
    Ding724 Posts: 791 Member
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    You can't deprive yourself of things to a point that it may cause you to totally fall off the deep end. If you totally deprive yourself of things that you enjoy you may totally resent your lifestyle and start eating the way you used to. You also at the same time don't want to give into those little cheats here and there and then it become an every day occurance. As long as you portion these things and don't make it an every day occurance you should be fine!

    I agree with this whole-heartedly...and of course you can just burn a few extra calories & it will all even out :happy:
  • brittanyscherich
    brittanyscherich Posts: 355 Member
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    I don't really think the last five pounds is worth being an outcast and recluse. Be with your friends, have fun! It's just five pounds. And you still look hot.
  • jen0619
    jen0619 Posts: 414
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    Enjoy life! Why restrict yourself from some of life's simple pleasures. Enjoy nights out with the girls and nachos!

    I like to enjoy my life not tell myself no all the time. To me that makes a person slightly no fun. If you can't loosen up a little every now and then good luck with that!

    Everything in moderation :)
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    I am far from "perfect" nutritionally but I think I do a pretty good job. I had lost a heap of weight and now have put some back on but more of the good kind :) To me, it is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. As long as I am improving then I am happy. It is great to get compliments from time to time as well. Certainly helps with motivation :P At the end of the day, do you want to be average or extraordinary? And it is fine to be average as long as you are happy with yourself.
  • howardrw
    howardrw Posts: 80 Member
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    Nope......
    Life is just to short and for some of us it can be shorter than we thing.
    Enjoy yourself.
    Just enjoy the moment as well.......
  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
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    I posted a topic earlier today about my struggles with the last few pounds. Part of me knew it all along, but I think I know what I need to do. Being that I am close to my goal, not a lot of weight to lose, never been that small in my adult life, not 'naturally' thin, etc....I need to be close to perfect in my eating.

    That is why I posted this topic in Nutrition. It is going to take, little to no dry carbs, high protien, little to no cheese, lots of veggies, no alcohol, no sugar, no little cheats here and there....we are talking egg whites, grilled chicken and broccoli for the majority of the time.

    For those that are at a similar point, I ask....is it really worth it? Is it worth saying no to drinks with the girls (or guys), no to pizza night, nachos at the game, or an ice cream on a hot summer day???

    Other of my friends here on MFP were just talking about becoming a little crazy about food when you get on a roll. That you almost don't want to eat anything. Or you look at a normal dinner or small portion of homemade lasagna and cringe.

    I have seen people who live a closed life because their diet doesn't allow for error, but they have amazing rock hard bodies.

    So it is worth it????

    I think it is worth it for periods of time, but impossible to maintain forever.
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
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    No, I don't think so.

    To gain and maintain a perfect body will be costly elsewhere - people will find you obsessive and creepy if nothing else!
  • td_ssam
    td_ssam Posts: 32
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    I was actually thinking about that lately.
    I haven't started dropping much yet but with food I'm starting to borderline get worried about what's in it. Like tomorrow some friends have invited my bf and I to dinner (out to eat) and I'm already thinking of what I'm going to order. My portions are smaller, I'm looking at labels.
    I do think it's worth it in the end. You'd have made a completely different and healthy lifestyle change. While I think you should splurge reasonably once in a while, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and becoming concerned with what is in your food is totally worth it. That's what is wrong with people these days, not caring about what is in their food.

    Great before and after pictures :)

    *takes a bow, drops the curtain*

    Nuff said
  • erikblock
    erikblock Posts: 230 Member
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    Answering this question with a "no" has been the root of my weight-loss failure every time I've tried. I generally do pretty well with exercise and diet for 2 or 3 months....lose maybe 15 pounds or so...and then I end up deciding that I like eating what I want more than I like being thinner, and I go right back to my old habits. Then, after gaining the weight back, I decide that the hard work is worth it. Repeat the cycle.
  • ronjaa
    ronjaa Posts: 65
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    When I want to go out with girls and eat pizza or icecream or anything.. I feel guilty, but next day I go rollerblading, running, exercise a lot.. So I like to think that I'm fixing it that way. We only have one life, we should enjoy it.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    I think it is worth it for periods of time, but impossible to maintain forever.

    Yeah, I pretty much agree with this.

    If you've ever seen competitive bodybuilder in the off season you can see that some of them let themselves go. After periods of severe pre contest calorie restriction they binge until it's time for the next cut.

    I think people need to bear in mind that the images of fitness models they see are well light and carefully posed to show maximum definition. In addition they are simply a snapshot in time. In other words many fitness models cut down to low levels of BF% for a shoot but then raise their BF% to higher levels the rest of the time. Most of them do not look like that ALL the time. To maintain that type of physique all year is simply unrealistic for most people as it requires a lot of sacrifice in day to day life.

    I think I would trade off is to maintain a reasonable level of BF for most of the year keeping you slim and trim. This means you don't have to eat super healthy all the time and can enjoy social events etc without stressing.

    Then if you have something special coming up (beach holiday etc) you lean out in good time for it. If you are already at a reasonable level then this could be done with about 6 - 8 weeks of strict dietary discipline and exercise programme. 6 - 8 weeks is doable as it is not an overly long time to be on a "diet."
  • happybunnysbabe57
    happybunnysbabe57 Posts: 191 Member
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    i want to have both the perfect body to me and the fun, i think if u make this a lifestyle to lose the weight and eat healthy that u can cheat and be able to stay focus to not gain a bunch of weight. i want to have my cake and eat it too lol.

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