My last poll question asked what motivates you more to lose weight. Health? Or vanity?
Of the 11 people who voted, 9 voted for health. I was one of the 2 who voted for vanity. Oops. Apparently I am vain.
If I can extrapolate the results of my tiny poll over the population of overweight people in general (which I am sure would make my statistics professor cringe), then that means that 82% of you have your priorities right. The rest of us...well....maybe not.
So what is my deal? (And the deal with the other person who voted with me?) For me I think my putting health in the backseat behind vanity is because my health hasn't been affected directly by my weight (Yet!). Even though I turn 40 this month and am almost 180 pound overweight, my blood pressure is good (122/75 when I had it taken last week), cholesterol is fine, no blood sugar problems. So even though I know I am headed down the path of destruction staying at this weight and that eventually it WILL take a toll on my health, I have not seen the tangible health consequences yet. I have never been told by a doctor to lose weight. Although that is probably more a sign of neglect on their part than it is good health on my part. In any case, it is hard for me to be motivated by health reasons.
On the other hand, I have had direct experience with the negative consequences to my vanity. I have suffered the embarrassment of having my friends and co-workers watch me gain so much weight over the course of just a couple of years, I don't look good in anything I wear assuming I can even find something to wear. I can't even by shoes at a regular store anymore because my feet have gotten too wide. I have been embarrassed by my profuse sweating at the slightest exhertion (althought I guess that's probably a sign of poor health, isn't it?) And because I have these direct experiences, they motivate me more.
What about you? How have your personal experiences with your health or your vanity affected your motivation to lose?
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12 comments:
Oh I totally want to LOOK better and wear nicer clothes and get more attention and all that, but something about lying on a hospital bed in the ER having 10 people racing around you in chaos because they think you might be having a heart attack IN YOUR 30'S makes health #1. Especially with five children. And seeing my best friend suffering some very dire consequences of uncontrolled diabetes is also very sobering.
I'd rather be healthy and ugly than thin and beautiful, so I guess I apply that to weight as well...
Well at first I was vain but now I have so many health problems that I have to lose the weight and get healthy. I don't think there is anything wrong with losing the weight for looks and appearances. You have to find what motivates you to do what needs to be done!
You know, I didn't even see that poll on your blog... :o( Having said that, I would have been torn between which option to vote for. Perhaps you should have had a 'both' button! ;o)
When I recently weighed in at 349lbs, I was trying on clothes and NOTHING could make me look even half decent... Alhtough my health was a strong motivator, looking good was equally important to me. I'm the kind of woman who won't put the rubbish bins out without some mascara and lipstick on!
It was weigh-in day today on my blog... :o)
Sure, I'd love to fit in my skinny jeans again, but health is MUCH more important. Have you ever watched anyone die of congestive heart failure??? NOT a pretty sight! Kidney failure followed by dialysis OR a slow death by poisoning (due to renal failure) if dialysis is refused. Some days, my grandmother hallucinated that she was being scalped. NOT a pretty or quick way to go.
That's in my family ... and my mother is hovering on the verge of that process, too. I can't keep myself from dying someday, but maybe I can make the process a little easier on myself.
I probably would have said "because I want to look better" as well. I'm still/have been always healthy, despite being so overweight. The worst part is probably the hit my confidence has taken over the years in regards to relationships. I have never been the most confident when it comes to the opposite sex, and being overweight just makes want to hide, because "no one would like/love me at this weight". My ex, while a great guy, is more overweight than I am! So anyways, I hope when I lose weight, that besides the wonderful health benefits, I'll become more confident and feel better about myself.
If my health wasn't so totally crummy, I'd be right with you, sistah! I'm definitely vain and hate looking like this. However, at the moment, my health issues override my vanity issues. If they were gone, I'd be all about shrinking to be hot! :D
Bethany
When I tried (and lost 50lbs) about 6 years ago it was to look better...but then as soon as I looked better, I went back to my old ways.
Now that it is health related, I slip up here and again (HERE a lot) but it is much easier to get refocused.
I had to really think about this one and I'm really torn. My appearance is really important but the bottom line is my health. Without that, forget it. The rest is irrelevant.
I just want to be alive long enough to see grandchildren one day. My kid is 14 right now, but I would love to see future grandchildren go to college. I would also like to look hot once again!
I was thinking about your health or vanity question... and then for me I hit on that just maybe it's a bit of both, not an or but an and.
seeing 40 on my scope I made the choice of if not now, when. but there were other factors. I think it's a whole package, being more in control translates to how you hold yourself... the confidence and more.
Maybe for me too is I'd honestly like to turn a few heads... or at least get the chance to talk to women. I guess being single has some advantages but I don't want to be alone all the time either.
At foolsfitness we should be sponsered by the local chinese buffet... or at least get a volume discount- Alan
My weight loss journey is mainly for health reasons. Don't get me wrong .. looking great is fuel for my fire. I just don't want to die, leaving my hubby & children with out me. My children are young & still need me. I also once had a dream that I was so heavy that they needed some type of tractor or lift to carry my coffin. I know I'd be dead ... but I could feel the humiliation as I woke up. Hmmm ... is that a vanity thing?
For me, both are important. Like you, I never suffered direct health consequences from my weight, but I felt like they'd be there in the not-too-distant future and that scared me. I don't think wanting to look better is just vanity . . . it has a huge impact on my mental state and the way I interact with the world. For me, being morbidly obese made it really difficult to be open to new people and new experiences. A lot of things were difficult or uncomfortable - traveling, shopping for clothes, etc.
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