Do I really want this?

It's not a matter of "should." You're not a bad person if you don't want to make the commitment to get healthy, any more than you'd be a good person just because you changed your diet and became a marathon runner. This is not tied to "should."

That said, it's a matter of priorities. If your priority is to keep your life the way it is, without making changes, that's valid. But you have to understand that nothing will change if you don't change. If your priority is to lose weight and get healthy, you're going to have to let go of some things and make changes in your lifestyle. It just depends on what you want more. Every action you take involves a choice. Take ownership for your choices, and don't apologize for them. If you choose to continue on the way you are living, that's fine, but you need to own the fact that you are making that choice. it's entirely within your control.

I finally had to recognize that it was my unhealthy habits that were making me miserable. Being overweight made me depressed and eating crap and punishing myself made me feel even worse. I realized that if I wanted to be happy (and I do), I have to stop actively doing the things that make me unhappy. From there, it was easy, just a matter of cause and effect. If I take good care of myself, I feel good and am heading toward my goals; if I do things I know are unhealthy, I feel bad and head away from my goals. I just keep that in mind with every choice I make, no judgments or tricks and find I don't require any additional motivation.

Maybe you actually need a few days to *not* think about it. Maybe you need a little mental break from worrying about it.

Or, maybe it would help to think about small changes that you can make that won't be too difficult. Simple things like replacing one soda each day with a glass of water, or having an apple with your lunch. Take a brisk walk around the block in the evening before you sit down to dinner. Maybe if you make some small changes that are easy, you'll start getting that momentum going again.

I read something on the forums that went sort of like this- When I finally figured out that the secret to all this is an assload of determination (to track everything, to exercise, etc), it all came together. There's no answer but determination and hard work. It helps me to have things easily accessible, aka I'm going to set up our spare room as my workout room so I can sweat uninterrupted, and I won't have to get out my crap. I also have a certain drawer in my dresser for my workout clothes. MFP is my homepage so I see it a lot. I am trying to make it as excuse free as possible.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/743-binge-eating-support-group

Hi Irish,
I think you're focusing on the wrong thing. I am 57 and have to lose weight for health reasons. The last scare was enough! However, I am doing it in a sensible way, thanks to "Pal." I am calorie counting and have only given up pop (soda) and most sugar. I still eat everything I ate before but with "Pal" I am able to decide what meal is more important to me on any given day. If I eat more calories for breakfast, I eat less for the others or skip one of my cheat snacks (100 calorie nutter butter bar). I am always so excited to enter what I've eaten. Most of the times I find that I am not using all the calories I'm allotted for my goal. I have lost 15 lbs in four weeks and not felt more excited. My exercising has been minimal ( walking between 30 to 60 minutes every other day and running in place 10 minutes two days a week). I don't focus on "dieting" and I don't feel like I'm dieting. If you get tested for your metabolism, this also helps. Your doctor can do this in minutes and give you a guide. I am enjoying being more active now and I feel great! My kids are happy that they don't have to worry about me collapsing from exhaustion or high blood pressure and it's been keeping me out of the grip of diabetes which runs in my family. It's not so hard and now, even restaurants post the calories on their menus. You don't have to give up anything, just spread it out. If you want cake, eat less sugar in something else or no sugar making certain you have your sugar allotment for the cake. Don't give up! I'm so thankful to have "Pal" in my life. I will never have to worry about gaining weight. "Pal" will always be in my life!!!! Good luck and get healthy!

I have definitely been there. Sometimes you have to "fake 'till you make it." commit to one week of healthy eating, even if you don't want to, and maybe you"ll find out that you feel better and will want to continue. Last night I did NOT want to exercise. I did it anyway and it was over before I could really complain about it!

Losing weight is hard, being fat is hard.

Choose your hard.

Love this, it hit me right between the eyes. Mind if I make it my profile quote?

And to the original poster, I feel your pain. I've been there too. I can tell you that since I've decided to climb off the "I'm fat and I hate my body but I'm choosing not to do a dang thing to change it" wagon, I feel much better about myself! I strongly suggest you work exercise into the equation ASAP...maybe just a few times a week. The endorphin release is an added benefit and it will contribute to starting to change your feelings about yourself. Then hopefully things will snowball in the right direction from there...