This morning in my Weight Watchers meeting the topic was “Top Ten Reasons Why I Want I Want to Lose Weight.” Each of us was asked to write down our own ten reasons and we really had a hard time coming up with more than a few. Five would have been easy but ten made us have to look deep. The reasons that motivated us in the beginning aren’t the same ones that motivate us now. Things change, situations change, we change, and our reasons change, too.
But it’s important to take time time to think about why I want to lose weight now. Here are my top ten, in random order:
- I want to fit into clothes more easily.
- I want to feel better physically.
- I want to look more attractive.
- I want to have more energy and endurance.
- I want to be able to fit comfortably into a seat on an airplane.
- I want to lighten the load on my joints, especially my knees.
- I want to be happy.
- I want to have more self confidence.
- I want a better quality of life.
- I want to feel normal.
What are some of your reasons?
Random Thoughts of a Disordered Mind 
1 – Fit into my size 4s again
2 – Never become obese
3 – Never become unhealthy or diabetic like family members
4 – Get a boyfriend
5 – Feel better about myself
1. I want to play with my very physically active grandchildren.
2. I want to continue to be able to take care of myself, my home and my yard, instead of paying someone to do those things for me.
3. I want to feel confident and proud of myself, instead of apologetic.
1. Avoid the diabetes curse that plagues my family.
2. Find better things to do with my mental energy besides worrying about weight loss.
3. Know that when some idiot yells out of his car window at me, it’s not about my weight.
4. Stop the insanity of trying on everything I own to find something that looks good on me.
5. Be happier with myself.
6. Look great in clothes and have more options.
7. Feel less tired.
8. People will love me more (only half kidding)
9. Finally have only one size of clothes in my closet instead of three
10. Prove that I can do it.
I don’t want to have diabetes. I don’t want to have to take medication or insulin to keep it under control.
I want to be a healthy role model for my daughters. I feel like I have a lot of karma to work off for the years of being an unhealthy one.
I don’t want my physician husband to have to feel “concerned” about me and my health because I am overweight.
I’d love to be able to randomly order clothes from a catalog or at a store and feel pretty confident that they will fit and/or look good on me.
I want physical activity to feel good, not to feel like torture.
I want to have energy, not feel like a couch potato.
I know I will die someday, but when I do, I want to feel that I did not contribute to my death by having unhealthy habits. I used to have a recurring dread nightmare that I would die of a stroke or heart attack, and when they did an autopsy they would find that my heart was encased in fat like a big butterball. And people would shake their heads and say, She brought this on herself. I want to feel that I truly did all I could do to keep myself healthy.
I feel a lot bouncier overall when I weigh less – physically and emotionally.
I want to find better ways of dealing with my emotions other than eating stuff.
I want to not be disgusted with myself.