I wish I had a sister to motivate me! I just joined this group in hopes of finding people who have to exert effort to avoid overeating. I love to eat. It makes me feel good...for a little while. I'm not sure why I do it. I want to become apathetic about food instead of focusing on it constantly. Any ideas???

food can be like any addiction. it makes you feel better immediately, but then it makes you feel like sh*t (just like people who abuse drugs/alcohol). some people use it as a means of escape from problems, depression, anxiety, etc. I used to eat a whole large pizza before each final for a couple of days straight. or when I would feel anxious I used to eat a lot. it take some effort but it's possible. i live alone because i'm in college so I dont have any support, but this forum helps a lot. the best of luck!

I love to eat, cookbooks and cooking magazines are my porn - cooking gadgets are like my sex toys ... Cooking has been someting I've loved to do since I was tall enough to reach the knobs on the stove... Eating is something else I enjoy very much.. Some people eat to live... I'm one of those that lives to eat... to try something new, or to play with a spice combination I haven't played with before is fun and totally enjoyable for me... I don't see me ever being apathetic about food... I have, however, over the past year, learned a lot about portion control and moderation.. There's nothing I won't have anymore, but I will go for quality over quantity, and am still teaching myself to slow down whilst eating so i can enjoy yhe flavor and appreciate the quality... rather than shovelling the food i as fast as possible.

It's not been an easy thing to do, and it challenges me every single day... but the rest of my life is a long time - well sort of anyhow, so I can be a little patient...

Wow Mal,
Great post. Describes so much of what i feel, i 110% live to eat, and I have along way to go to sort out the relationship food and I have to get to where you are now, but it is kinda nice to hear someone else put into words exactly what is in my head.

I also think trying to stop myself cooking, experiment and enjoying food which i seem to be doing at the moment is all wrong. I must go back to loving food, but loving it sensibly in moderation. Thanks!

As for my motivations. The simple one is my health, not only am I fat, Im majorally unfit, and both of these are things I want to correct.

I am heading back out to india in July, and i really want to be a hell of a lot fitter than right now, and a little slimmer so that I can enjoy my time there to the full. I have pictures of when i was there last year, and I hate to look at the ones at the beginning of my trip, because I hate what i see, and this time, I dont want it to be like that, I want to like what i see in the picture/the mirror etc.

I want to fix me head, and stop using food in all the wrong ways.

This isnt a diet, this is definately a new lifestyle. One that right now is blooody hard for me to stick too, so feels a lot like a diet, but i wont give up, and it will one day be the norm, and my messed up food attitude will be fixed, i;ll be fit and slim, it will be a happy day

K x

Hi everyone! I feel like we are all in the same boat. Maybe most of us grew up without any real discipline in the food/exercise area of our lives? I know I did. Im going to graduate college in a year, and since Ive been away from my house Ive realized just how twisted my family is when it comes to eating and not caring about being fit. My sister is GORGEOUS, but she gets no attention because she is so overweight. My dad battled cancer, and lost weight for a while, but now he's back to his heaviest. It frustrates me to no end to see them live the way they do. Im the only active one in the family, and its ironic because Im also the only one who is not very very obese.
My deal with my weight is the same as most- Im uncomfortable with myself, and I shouldnt be because Im 20 years old, and I should be enjoying my body while Im young! Im a very sexual person, but I hate that I can't enjoy it the way I want to because Im always so self-conscious. Everytime I go out, I get frustrated with myself and end up depressed, after which I definitly dont enjoy the night I set out to enjoy. So, Im probably doing this for vain reasons (not necessarily to rid any health problems quite yet), but it's something that makes me happy and proud of myself. Im a biology major, with intentions of medical school in a year, and I work SO HARD to be a competative medical college applicant and a competative student at Villanova. So why do I let myself go physically, and why aren't I competative with my body and looks?

This is a great question. Growing up me and my brothers were in sports, parents have always served nutritious meals. But each of us became fat at different points, basically no more exercise.

My motivation/inspiration is to achieve that toned body I have always envied, not just being thin, that is my vanity. But, I want to be myself again. I did not hardly take my 2 young ones anywhere last summer, I felt too disgusted with myself, not my norm. I also have inherited a kidney disease from my mom (she's post transplant) and want to decrease my risks for blood pressure problems and potential damage.

Reading with great interest!

My motivation before was a print out photo of myself sitting on a bench in a beautiful park eating I stuck it on the treadmil to remind myslef but it did not work. Just made me feel more sorry for myself lol so i will read through and pick up what everyone is sayin

There are many things that prompted me to start shedding some pounds and taking better care of myself.

#1. The scale: I hit a number that I always swore I would try to avoid

#2. My romantic life: As I newlywed, I "should" have a healthy "life in the bedroom". But recently, poor self-image has gotten in the way. Despite the fact that my hubby loves the way I look, I feel embarrased without any clothes, so much so that it affects my libido. (sorry, don't know how else to put it). I really don't want this to become a problem. I never felt this way in the past, only since gaining some extra pounds.

#3. My career: I'm in a position where I interact with people often: networking, media, etc. I want to feel good about the image that I present. I want to be able to throw on a cocktail dress or suit without any worry.

#4. Myself: I'm a control freak and it drived me nuts that I don't seem to have a handle on my own body anymore. It has been a blow to my confidence and an upset.

#5. My friends: Perhaps it is vain, but I'm tired of feeling like the "chubby one" anytime I go out with my girlfriends.

I'm brand new on this site and inspiration is exactly what I need right now. So thanks for this thread -
I'm doing this because I hate being fat and out of shape. I've always struggled with my weight - I yo-yo - and right now I'm a big blob. I have been very fit in the past though - and I miss it so much. I miss how it feels to move and be strong. I miss 6 mile runs and long days of kayaking - right now I can't take a flight of stairs without getting seriously winded. It makes me feel depressed and ugly and weak.
What inspires me? Reading everyone elses stories and struggles. That, and the memory of what it feels like.

Why am i losing weight? Because i was obese! Now just overweight (oh so close to 'normal' though ).
Also:
I want to look good
I don't want to have a 'beer belly'
I want to feel good about myself
I want to grow old healthy (well this isn't a guarantee but i don't want weight related health problems put it that way)
I want to be able to wear a business shirt without my gut hanging over my pants (ugh)
Yes i have some self image problems but to be honest i think i deserve them, i let myself go now i have to fix it.

I'm doing this for myself and myself alone, i need to achive my goal as the alternatives are not an option i am willing to take. I haven't had a 'cheat day' since i started my diet this time (early march) and have lost 13kg to date, i can't see my self breaking my routine as my motivation to lose weight is the highest i have ever had. I truly am sick to death of being fat and unhealthy and will do whatever it takes to become healthy.

Thats my rant in anycase

My self-esteem is really bad. I figure that if I shed a few pounds, it'll help. Also one contributing factor is diabetes is common in my family, my mom, her mom, her dad.. not me.. yet. I wont allow it to happen. I'm also tired of breaking a sweat just walking to the other end of the house.

I want to be 50, 60, 70 years old and still be able to play sports and be active. I don't want to mistreat my body so that I spend my retirement on a couch watching tv. I want to stay active for the rest of my life and taking care of my body now will give me that opportunity.

In the short term, competition helps motivate me. I'm very competitive so I created a website called thintopia.com to create weight loss competitions with friends and family.

Check it out here.

A big thing that motivates me to eat healthy and exercise is I stop and consider the alternative...doesn't take me long to realize the alternative kind of stinks!

Being only 16 , im still in high school. As my luck is so great every year more and more a$$holes that are protected from ridicule for one reason or another move in.

I am aware that no matter what I do other than ecoming one of them nothing will ever remove them form my life (at least not until school ends and they're cast into the real world)

But I figured , they love to sculpt insults out of the materials they are givin , so hwo about I take some away


less fat. less to make fun of the way I see it. Being a much more tchnological world nobody cares if your a nerd like me. It just means you can only have nerd friends.

Soooo many reasons I want to lose weight... I'm vain. I'm tired of not being confident. I need the endorphins lol. I'm tired of not fitting into the majority of my clothes. I'm tired of not wanting to buy new clothes because they all look better on the hanger.

My inspiration is seeing results. Seeing other people that have lost weight and are losing weight. Talking to people who are going through the same thing and can understand how I feel. I'm a visually-oriented person, and seeing other people's weight trackers helps me see what *I* can do.