What is your motivation?

[enviroTodd]

I’m just asking this question out of curiosity. When I had to lose weight, it was because my health depended on it. I was very fat and it was starting to put me in danger of a lot of conditions, despite the fact that I’m not old.

Of course, the goal of weight loss is to drop certain pounds of fat, but what is the motivation behind your efforts? Are you doing it so that you will be healthy – the same reason I did it? Are you doing it because you want to look better? Do you have a “wedding” or “bathing suit” or something else that you want to fit into for a specific event?

Please let me know because I’m curious. I’ve been on this forum for a while now and that sort of thing helps me know the people I’m talking to.

[Bethie]

I do want to be healthy and that is a really important driver for me to lose weight but I have to admit that I want to look good. I’d say that 45 percent of what I’m doing is for my health and 55 percent is for looks. I really don’t like confessing that but it’s the truth, so in the spirit of being honest on this forum, I’m saying what I truly feel.

[Whirlybird]

I think I'm trying to do both. I do want to be healthier and that's what really forced me to start my diet, but I am looking forward to looking better, too. I like getting compliments!

[TammyBear]

I just want to look good. I'm tired of feeling ugly

[TeensyTiff]

I'd love to say that i do it for my health, but mostly I do it because I want to look better. That's what helps to keep me motivated.

[Janet]

My motivation is my health.

[Tony1968]

My motivation is my family. I figure if I can't do it for myself, I might as well do it for someone else I love.

[JennyR]

I do it for my health and to look good. I find that both motivate me at different times. Sometimes its my health that drives me and sometimes its the desire to look good in a certain outfit for a certain function. I use both to keep me on track all of the time.

[TaraNorth]

Looking good in the summer is always my motivation hahaha. In the winter I tend to gain more weight cause I wear more layers of clothes so I'm less motivated to look my best. However, when summer comes around, it's a lot harder to hide behind baggy warm clothes hahaha.

[MeSarah]

I'd have to say that my motivation is definitely vanity. I care about how I look and if I don't like the person in the mirror staring back at me, I need to find a way to fix that. The plus side is that in my quest to look good, I improve my health at the same time.

[BabyButtons]

My motivation used 2 be my looks but now i am far more concerned about my health. I want to not only live a long time but feel good while im at it. I want 2 be 1 of those people who climbs mountains in their 70's!

[enviroTodd]

My motivation used 2 be my looks but now i am far more concerned about my health. I want to not only live a long time but feel good while im at it. I want 2 be 1 of those people who climbs mountains in their 70's!

That makes sense to me since you have no reason to worry about your looks, BabyButtons. So it’s great that you aren’t wasting your time worrying about that and you have moved on to focus on your health. I think that with an attitude like yours, you will certainly by climbing mountains, running marathons, and doing all sorts of impressive things, right through to a ripe old age. You are going to be able to do anything you put your mind to with a determined attitude like the one that you have.

I hope that you know that you may have motivation in your health to keep you going, but your positive attitude is also motivational to other people around you. Just the way that you are is very encouraging and it is inspiring. By reading your words, it is easy to get the drive back into an effort that had previously looked too tough.

[BabyButtons]

Thanks envirotodd u always know how 2 make me feel good about myself. I agree with u. A positive attitude does help. I hope ur keeping up with ur own goals & r staying motivated!