I don't care about "losing pounds"... Male v Female?

Couldn't agree more.

As the site name and app states, My fitness pal. Don't get me wrong, fitness and weight loss is encouraged but most are obsessed with weight loss instead of losing excess fat and post about binge eating, eating junk and no self control. No wonder they don't lose and body fat.

I do watch what I eat but the intention isn't being stick thin or being able to pose in the bathroom mirror and take phone photographs (thought I was the only one who found that disturbing) but a sensible diet and exercise plan is encouraged and sadly lacking by most on here who are after a quick fix which never works.

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I myself WANT to lose weight as I am OVERWEIGHT. I am doing this because I want to be healthier. But to me it is all about making better choices..a lifestyle change. I don't want to just be vain and do it so I feel "hot". I want to be able to do activity without being winded..I want to be able to keep up with my kids and husband. Also, Diabetes runs in my family and I'm trying to avoid that as well. I am hoping to work myself up to running.

Notice that they don't sell spanx to men.

www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

Hey, nothing wrong with running. Great cardio transfers itself to MANY sports, including fighting (which as you know requires a hell of a lot of cardiovascular endurance if you want to make it past the first round). At least running trains you to run fast (which can come in handy where I live, as we have many bears and cougars around and I hike a lot). Last I checked....you can't ellipitcal away from a bear

Actually, now you can.

I would rather look better and feel better than concerned with what I weigh. I can now touch my toes without bending my knees! I am amazed at how much better I feel MENTALLY after I work out, even if it is only spending 20 minutes with Jillian Michaels.

As a working mom and wife, I need that 20-30 minutes to do something for ME. I can be a better person due to working out and getting fit.

My fitness pal happens to be a place where people with various goals including putting on weight are welcomed. Guess your post just reflects that. Methinks at the end of the day it really doesnt matter as long as people are achieving their goals on here :-)

I care about losing pounds - but I have a lot to lose! (started with 100+)

So, yes, I "care" about the pounds, but that's not the focus. To me the focus has always been about fitness and I knew that with fitness the pounds would fall off. When I started, I planned to do it without even stepping on a scale. It was just a measurement that I was not interested in. There were other measurements that were more important to me: my general sense of how I was feeling, my endurance, my strength, etc. As far as a size sort of measurement, i figured I'd get it from clothes (what size fit and what didn't). But then the various apps I wanted to play around with (including MFP) wanted to know my weight. So I went to a doctor's office to step on a scale (I didn't even have one!) for the first time in many many years. And then I bought a scale and became addicted to it. I love stepping on the damn thing not because I care what the specific number is but it's so much fun to watch it go down

Couldn't agree more.

As the site name and app states, My fitness pal. Don't get me wrong, fitness and weight loss is encouraged but most are obsessed with weight loss instead of losing excess fat and post about binge eating, eating junk and no self control. No wonder they don't lose and body fat.

I do watch what I eat but the intention isn't being stick thin or being able to pose in the bathroom mirror and take phone photographs (thought I was the only one who found that disturbing) but a sensible diet and exercise plan is encouraged and sadly lacking by most on here who are after a quick fix which never works.

I don't find that true at all. Most of the people I see are trying to become healthier AND lose weight/fat. But let's be honest...for those of us who are overweight or obese, weight loss is a HUGE starting point to fitness.

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

Excellent !

When a user post a reply on the message board you will see on the left hand side of the screen that user picture along with there MFP name, also you will notice a small image of a down arrow. If you click on that arrow, one of the options that comes up is "Ignore this user'. If you select this you will no longer be bother of pictures/responses from that particular user. Great function, use it all the time.

And you'll probably need to use it on me. Because after a lifetime of being fat I have finally earned a body I'm proud of and I don't plan to hide it because it bothers you.

13 year old girl... bite me.

I'm trying to get healthier and stronger and fitter. I am working on eating better, and getting more exercise (both cardio and strength) into my life. I'd like to lose weight too and I already have been, but I'm more concerned with what I can *do* and how my body feels more so than the number on the scale, and I'm not looking to be a size 2, but the high end of average might be good.

I'm 44, and I've been noticing every year things get just a little bit harder. For a while I accepted that as part of life, but then it occurred to me it doesn't have to be (at least not so much). Every year I go camping where there is this big hill I must walk up and down pretty much every day in the bright sun in 90 degree weather..that in particular has gotten harder every year, and damn it,I want to be able to go up that hill without feeling like I'm going to fall over.

A couple things have kind of kicked me into gear.....

First...seeing my dad who is 75 who is now widowed and living alone, and how much trouble he has with things. He doesn't have any of the big bads ...but otoh wobbles when he stands, has a hard time lifting things, struggles to do so much of his daily stuff, has trouble remembering things etc. He never put a lot of focus on nutrition or exercise, but he generally lead a much more active life (ie, a physical job not a desk job like me) and I want to be able to lift my own groceries and clean my own house at 75, and make it to 75 in the first place.

Then, not long ago my boyfriend died of a very fast acting cancer..at 48. He was pretty slim, ate fish and veggies and almost never junk, did yoga and walked regularly and went on really long backpacking trips in the wilderness.....yet it got him (cancer apparently doesn't care). The older I get the more I see people getting this or that illness, and I realize how lucky I've been that despite not putting much thought into it and eating crap, I'm pretty healthy. So I want to improve my odds.

As a woman, I feel like we have it drilled into our brains that we need to weigh a certain amount. We grow up bombarded with magazines saying "Drop 10 lbs before summer!" Or "Lose 5 lbs fast!" etc. Men are encouraged more to get fit, get a 6 pack, get lean ripped muscles, etc....but there isn't nearly as much mention of weight.

As much as I KNOW that I don't need to weigh a certain amount and that my body fat percentage/way my clothes fit is about a trillion times more important, I do catch myself commiserating over the # on the scale. I think it's just something women grow up with (in general---of course there are exceptions to both sides of this generalization).

It's a process, getting past that mentality. I'd like to say that once I am in what is considered in healthy weight range for my height and frame size, I'll stop worrying about it. But I can't say that with 100% honesty. My hope is to be able to look in the mirror, be satisfied with what I see, and totally bypass the scale altogether. I've gone from weighing every day (I know, obsessive), to once a week, and now I'm slowly working toward weighing every other week. Eventually, I'd like that to only be once a month.

Notice that they don't sell spanx to men.

www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

I was wondering if this was a thing....But I suppose the idea that most people don't know they exist still helps prove my point. :ohwell:

Thanks for the link.

:bigsmile:

On a related note... Men who pose shirtless in front of their bathroom mirror, and use their cell phone to take a picture like a 13 year old girl... bother me.

LMAO!! Love this!!