Anyone care to share the reasons why you want to lose weight? And why now? I'll start...
1) I want to know what it's like to be part of the mainstream. I've lived a bizarre life and have always felt like an outsider. Now my life is somewhat "normal" (whatever that is), but my weight is keeping me on the margins.
2) I've been taunted by children. Kids, whom I know, from my daughter's preschool class chanted "Big fat lady! Big fat lady!" when I went to their class for a Mother's Day celebration. My daughter felt she had to defend me to them, which she shouldn't have to do.
3) I've broken furniture. Nice.
4) I have PCOS and the extra weight is making my acne and facial hair worse than it's even been. So, I'm not just fat. I'm hairy and spotted. Pretty.
5) My four-year-old daughter recently asked me, "Mommy, does this shirt make me look fat?" Worrying about being fat shouldn't even be an option at four.
6) I don't know what I look like. I've deformed my body to the point that I couldn't pick myself out of a faceless line up. I try to compare myself, in my mind, to other ladies I see and I have no idea which of them I might look similar to. I waffle between feeling classy and beautiful and feeling like a beast. Losing some of this weight might help my mind wrap itself around my own appearance.
Sorry I'm so negative and @itchy, but I'm being real here. Please share...
ETA: I didn't mention my health, because I'm actually perfectly healthy at this point in time. It's my mental state that the fat is wrecking.
1) My mother and all her living relatives have adult-onset diabetes, and I'm already hypoglycemic. I'm 40 pounds over the "maximum healthy weight" for my height.
2) Two people have asked when I'm "due."
3) My job is being outsourced, which means I'm going to have to look for a new one, which means wearing a lot of suits and "professional" clothes (I currently wear yoga pants and a T-shirt to work most days). Losing weight may be hard but it's a lot cheaper than buying a whole new wardrobe. Plus, don't want interviewers thinking I'm pregnant.
4) Plantar fascitis HURTS.
5) The same eating habbits that made me overweight are also just generally bad for me.
__________________
Choose the devil you don't know.
I want to lose weight and keep it off for my over-all health and apperance and to feel good and get out and about have fun and enjoy life while I'm still young.
First off, MWR, your post made me cry. I'm sorry you've been made to feel so bad about yourself. Please try to remember, everyday you do this, you're getting better. I hope you find that confidence that you need.
My reason is very simple: my son! My husband is overweight. His entire family is overweight. My entire family is overweight. I'm the only one not in the obese category. My extra 10 or 20 lbs that I tend to carry around is strictly diet. I've always exercised everyday. So, because my diet has sucked, I have watched my child eat junkfood and he's starting to look pudgy. I watched all my loved ones be teased about being fat and can't imagine this life for my son. So, I've completely changed our eating habits. We still get a few cheat days, but no more junk food in my house. My son has taken it really well. He's playing sports, we walk or bike ride to school, and we're taking a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. I just hope it's not too late to instill this in him for life!
Thank you, Chevyman and Rubato, for responding with your Whys.
I have more to add:
-I've been practicing yoga for a couple of months. I think I could be really good at it if my belly fat didn't get in the way. I'm flexible, but obstructed.
-Pretty clothes and shoes would be nice.
Keep 'em coming. The Whys are what will keep us motivated when the going gets tough(er). Love to you all.
1) Im getting married and I dont want to look like a whale in a white dress!
2) My uncle died of a massive heart attack...I dont want that
3) Im only 21 I shouldnt have to hide my body, I wanna wear cute clothes!
4) I dont want to be the girl everyone says "yeah she would be pretty...if she lost some weight"
5) I have jeans....they are my inspiration, and I want to look good in them!
6)My maternal grandpa has diabetes really bad, and I see what happens to him and I dont want that when I'm older
Thats all I can think of right now!! I like reading everyone elses "Whys" tho!! keep them comming!!
1.My maternal side has sucky longivity,my grandma died of a heart attack at 53 and my mom died of lung and brain cancer at age 50.I have diabetes and I do not want food and the inability to get my fat self off the couch to be what kills me.
2.When my husband does not feel like being intimate I don't want to wonder weither or not it is because he does not want to look at me naked (he has never said this and in fact says quite the opposite but in the back of my mind well you know...)
3.Energy.I have two kids and nieces and nephews I want to be able to do the things they want to do.
4.Clothes.I was 123 pounds at my heaviest until I had kids now I am at 211 (AFTER having lost a few) and I really miss shopping!!Especially because my daughter is 11 and becoming quite the little clothes horse herself.That would be so much fun to do together.
Thank you both, Supergirl and hgnsgirl. Your posts are helping me add to my own list. Being able to talk about this with people who understand brings my problem to life. If I can't hide from my problem, I'll have to do something to resolve it. Seeing myself in you helps me see myself in me, if that makes any sense.
I know we'd all love to hear from the rest of you, so c'mon. What's your Why?
I agree, this is a great post! Really helps to know what keeps everyone on track!
For me initally it was vanity. I didn't want to be the "fat" girl anymore. The further into it I got, it became about health. My entire family has diabetes and I didn't want that to be me. Plus, the more I lost, the healthier I felt and the more I could do. It was very empowering! And I generally felt better putting healthy food into my body rather than the fried stuff we were used to eating.
The final (and biggest) reason is my husband. We were married at 20 and I just felt he deserved to "enjoy the wife of his youth" so to speak. I knew he didn't deserve a blob who sat on the couch all the time and stuffed her face. Now that I've lost the weight, he's really hitting his program hard and has lost a lot too. It's awesome that I was able to inspire someone- when he was my original inspiration! For or anniversary this past weekend (6 years!!) we opted to go to the park and hike instead of enjoying a high fat meal as we've done in years past. It was the most fun we've ever had.
First let me say I have never actually said out loud or written down the reasons I want to loose weight. Reading the other post have motivated me I am going to post it on the mirror so I see it everyday. Thank you for getting me to do this. The reasons I want to loose weight: Over all health. Everyone in my family is overweight and has health problems from I already have a bad lower back. My neice last Christmas asked my mom, sister and I to stand together and she looked at us and said " I just wanted to see what I would look like when I get older" I want to prove her wrong. She is in college and runs everyday. We are all overeaters and not active. I have started walking my dog 1 mile each night. My goal is to work upto walking 5 miles, have the time I just need to stay motivated. I want to be that mom that is not embarressed at soccer when it is the kids against the adults. I too want to loose weight for my husband. I would like to weigh what I did when we got married, meaning I need to loose 25 pounds and 30 to be at my ideal weight. I would feel better about myself. I want to be a good role model for my kids when it comes to eating right and exercise. Again thanks for motivating me to do this.
Beautiful posts, Seo and Croppingmom! Thank you for sharing your motivators.
Seo, I love that you said you want your husband to "enjoy the wife of his youth". I've felt the same, but didn't know how to put it into words.
And, Croppingmom, you're right about being a good role model. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to care for myself properly so I'm trying to be that person for my daughter. So far, she loves healthy food and exercise, so we're on the right track.
Reasons I want to lose weight.
It took me 25 years to quit smoking(Almost 4 years smokefree) I gained 25 pounds. If I can quit smoking, certainly I should be able to lose weight!!
I want to look pretty.
I want to be healthy.
I want to be more active.
I want to feel good inside and out.
I want to be a role model for someone else!
Hoochie,
Congratulations on quitting. I haven't had a cigarette in 4 & 1/2 years and I have to keep reminding myself why I struggle with this last 15 lbs. If I picked up a cigarette again, my weight would be gone in no time. But, my health is worth more than my vanity!
Thank you. It's nice to know someome understands. It's hard sometimes!! It took so long to get rid of my smoking addiction and now I have to change my food addiction. YIKES When will it end?????
1. I just had my third and last child in June and I'm tired of feeling tired and frumpy for the past 4 years! (children are 26 and 19 months apart)
2. I want to look like the girl in the honeymoon picture taped on the fride door.
3. At age 38, I want to feel like I'm 28 again and live a long healthy life for my husband and three boys! Trust me, I'll need the energy with four red-heads running around the house.
4. I want the tatoo on my behind to look like it did when I got it - right now, it looks like it gained 20 lbs!
5. Finally...In addition to wanting to look and feel healthier... I want to wear that string bikini to the pool next year and have people envy me instead of the reverse!
Everyone who posted on here has some really great "Whys".
For me it is.....
1) I want to look like I used to look 6 years ago.
2) I want to feel and be healthy.
3) I am tired of being embarassed by my weight gain.
and 4) I want to look good in my clothes.
I grew so very tired of waking up and dreading getting dressed. I shall never forget the daily anguish I went though. I use those feelings of despair, misery, and hopelessness to motivate me when I'm working out...I want to get as far away as possible from that place. I have learned that losing weight and keeping it off is a lifelong commitement..I simply cannot eat the way I did. I have also learned that eating mostly protein and eliminating sugar and white flour products does do a body good.
Speaking as someone who has always had a weight problem and now I don't...stop eating sugar and white flour products. Strive to eat low carb...I can't tell you what a huge difference this has made in my life...I always feel satisfied, less bloated, and thinner.... we were never meant to eat all these perservatives and refined products. After awhile, eating this way becomes natural and easy...as it should be. As an experiment, observe what overweight people eat. I can pretty much guarantee it is mostly bread and sugar.
Re: Care to Share Your "Whys"? 
(children are 26 and 19 months apart)
