HCB's Journal, 21 Aug 12

well, I haven't had any motivation to change for a couple years. I've wanted to, but have only maintained. What got me the first time was a crush on a boy much smaller than me. So Romance? If I can get thinner, it will make me a more appealing mate for a larger portion of the men out there. More guys would date a girl who is 10#s overweight vs. 100# overweight.  

I'd say independence tops the list for my motivation but romance is up there, too. Power (over self) is another strong motivator. Great list, HCB. 

Sometimes I find that the motivation stems from creating a healthy habit. Bad habits are hard to break, so I believe that can be switched to making the healthier one to be harder. From your list: curiosity and order.  

All of those motivations are in me somewhere and different ones surface for different situations. I'm not really sure what order of importance I would put them in - but independence and acceptance would rate high as would order and physical activity. That list is a real "thinker"!  

What motivates me? The desire to improve my body image and body performance. Getting into shape has definitely raised my self esteem and confidence. Now it's curiosity to see if I can achieve the all wonderous washboard abs! So looks like it's acceptance and curiosity for me. 

For me it was strictly health, if I didn't lose weight I could destroy my knees and end up in a wheelchair. As well as high blood pressure, potential heart problems etc. When I was younger I used romance as a motivation to lose weight but that caused relationship issues and I would end up gaining it all back.  

For me, it was a combination of health and Romance. I got a huge diabetes scare that set me on this path 8 months ago, but that alone is not enough to keep me going. I want to look hot! I am perpetually single and the kind of men I am attracted to are not attracted to overweight women. They're just NOT. Trust me, I tried for years overweight with this and I can assure you the kind of dudes I'm into just don't care for overweight women. It's super shallow but it's the law of the jungle. I look a lot better but I'm still not where I want to be. It's nice to look better and get some male attention instead of none at all, but it's not quality male attention, it's just random horny guys. All of this keeps me in the gym and keeps cookies out of my mouth. There's really not much to my psyche. I want to keep my diabetes in check and attract a tall, goodlooking, smart, decent, non religious age appropriate white man. 

Aside from the obvious ones such as health, family, etc., which actually got me started down this path, one that's missing from the list is vanity. Not an attractive self-assessment, is it? I almost wrote "when I was younger..." But if I'm truly candid, I guess I'd have to say I'm still vain. I hated photographs of that "other chubby person," often refusing to participate in group pictures. I took a long, hard look at one taken last year, and it's not pretty. At the end of this road will I be a healthier vain person? Maybe. Hopefully I will have learned a little humility along the way, though. 

From your list - independence and order. I have a need to take control of my life back.  

Ay Yi Yi!! The honesty here is just too much! :-) Jenkie may have the best answer of all. Who among us isn't vain? Even when we're motivated because of our health, we still sure get a kick out of hearing how great we're looking...I will add fear and anger to the list. FOL touched on fear without actually using the word. But anger is a very powerful emotion, and frankly, I was angry with myself for allowing me to get so out of control! Having said that, however, anger all by itself will NOT get the job done. It must be harnessed into a plan which leads forward to a solution. Well, here I am. It worked for me :-) 

For me this journey is motivated by fear of immobility and death. HEALTH! Vanity is definitely not a reason for me. At my age, the more I lose, the worse I look. I will NEVER again look HOT. I have the skin of two people and a whole lot less body to cover. The draping skin makes me look so much older. I used to look 20 years younger than I was. People were always in shock when I told them my age . . . no longer. With mobility comes freedom. Freedom is one of my motivators. My weight has never kept me from romance, love, power, social influence or status. I think that the issues people have in their own heads are what make these an issue. I never had them. People (including men) have loved me at whatever weight I was. They continue to love me now. I love my life. That's my motivation. I WANT MORE OF IT. LOL! 

My motivations were more selfish. I had problems with quality of life issues, in the bedroom (sex), and taking care of myself (wiping my arse). Getting myself moving hurt. Plus in the 40's, all the additional aches and pains. When I was not taking care of myself and much more obese I had more pains and felt crappy on a daily bases. Oh, and lets not go into the whole mental issue. Being obese causes mental issues for many of us, sleep problems, etc.  

The three words I most embrace in life are adventure, joy and creativity. From your list (which is rad) I think my weight loss drivers are social status and curiosity. I want to know how food works and exercise power over my flabby self to get to where I want to be by choice rather than consequence. And I see myself judging fat people (awful, I know, but I feel that I can tell the truth here) and fail to fully appreciate that I am also in that category.  

I am so glad you listed romance and sex. Those two are so important to me and i have been longing to address sex as a topic for one of my journal lists for a while. However I have worried about propriety. Maybe now I will have the courage to embrace -- the topic -- that is. Weight loss enhances these motivators in such a powerful way. Your list is fantastic and it really lead me to think. Thanks so much! 

Correction. I meant to state "Professor Reiss' list." Your deference to his expertise seems truly commendable.  

My journey definitely started with the need for Acceptance - but not from others...but from myself....I needed to learn to approve of myself first. Now I'm getting there, it is definitely leaning towards Romance and Social Contact. 

What a great journal HCB! I read all the comments and think I can relate to all at one time or another. jenkie5 got me thinking about vanity which I thought was probably huge for me but maybe not since I have allowed myself to be overweight now for the last 15 years. I've been happy EXCEPT for my weight during that time. Curiosity if very motivating for me now that I have the FS tools to see WHAT exactly I am eating - ie. Cholesterol, sugar, fiber. I'm trying to design my menus for optimum weight and especially health with a little bit of pleasure too. 

Motivations: better health, better sex drive (it has been improving) and ability to wear my pretty things, I want to take my daughter dancing when she turns 18 - I need to feel thinner and be thinner to have the confidence to do that. The dancing was what kicked me over the edge to really committ to weight loss and exercise. My improved sex drive is helping me keep steady with my calories counting. Sadly, health is number three but the most important in the scheme of things. Sometimes, I know I am my mother's daughter - far to vain. HCB - thanks for making me think. I will exercise today! 

My kids motivate me... no doubt. My family all struggles with weight and I want to be around as long as possible for them. I can do so much more and keep up better with less weight to carry around. I constantly worry about their weight but as you can see from the pics they are healthy and not sticks lol. My son is almost 11 and of course he has treats and foods I can't anymore but instead I use them to teach him balance and portion control. He doesn't always get it right but he does a lot more that I did at his age! There are other things also like wanting to look better (esp when I hit 40!) and other selfish reasons (hehe) but my kids are def NUMBER ONE! 

WOW - what thoughtful, deep and wonderful comments. We all are on this path together and this brings us to an understanding we are not alone in our little battle of the bulge! THAT is the FatSecret - community, connection, and information sharing is so effective in creating success for all us! ROCK ON, my Buddies!