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

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!!

<-- Thirteen year old girl reporting for duty

I have been cutting for a bit and this is the best way to show progress.

I just this morning was thinking about this. I look in the mirror and realize that what I really need is tone, with that tone I know the weight will come down but it's more important to me to be lean. If anybody out there could help me with some advice and motivation please add me!

Maybe it's me, but I couldn't care less about how many pounds I lose.

I also don't give a flying rat turd about how I look in a mirror.

Please know, I'm not saying anything bad about those who are shedding weight and/or trying to look better. It's great and I support you. However, I'm more focused on getting lean, and fighting better.

I started a string a few days ago that discussed the reasons most people are here... i.e. training for a sport, etc. 95% of the responses revolved around "running." There were a handful of other sports, and a few the said "life."

Is this a "guy thing?"

It's not a guy thing. I do care about losing extra fat, because hauling it up a pole, or over my head is effing hard. While I do have a "weight goal," I'm far less concerned with the number on the scale than I am with my physical strength, stamina, and agility. All of that said, it would be a complete lie to say I don't care about my appearance, but my appearance goals (a muscular/athletic body) happen to be compatible with my fitness goals.

I don't have a problem w/ the shirtless guys or bikini girls. It's called a progress pic.

I'm here for general fitness, concentrate mostly on weights since I'm generally considered thin, but I'm really skinny fat. I mix HIIT cardio in w/ my weight workouts.