If your weight did not determine how attractive or unattractive others found you would you still be trying to lose weight?

I just wanted to take a moment to post my thoughts and get some feedback.

I was thinking about what my reasons and my goals were for losing weight and one of my biggest motivators is clothing and the way I look. Then I thought to myself, "If your weight did not determine how attractive or unattractive others found you would you still be trying to lose weight?" I would have to say probably not since that seems to be my biggest motivator is to look good! That also seems to be the reason I yo-yo so much is because once I reach a weight where I think I look good, I lose motivation and go back to my old habits! I think a lot of people have this same problem so my question is... how do you measure health?

Also, have you ever asked youself that question?

"If your weight did not determine how attractive or unattractive others found you would you still be trying to lose weight?"

Yeah, I would.  One of the reasons I want to lose weight is because of my knee issues.  I got hit by a car five years ago, screwed over my right knee, blah blah blah, can't function daily, and so on.  I'd done every possible thing I could save having my knee completely replaced to get it to function properly.  It would dislocate if I even took a step the wrong way.

I noticed after losing twenty pounds (unintentionally) that I could walk to and from work without problems.  I watched what I ate, continued to walk, and lost another twenty pounds.  Now that I was no longer over 200 pounds, I had fewer and fewer knee dislocations.

But then, damn it, I met Alex.  Alex loved the way I look, all 186 pounds of me, and he adored my personality and spunk.  One of our favourite activities, though, was getting lost somewhere.  Off the trail in a park, down by the river, in the rural edges of the city, we liked to wander and climb over fallen trees, run across ice patches, jump from stone to stone on the river front, and that was still a lot of work for my knee to keep up with.  I found myself standing to the side and taking pictures more than joining in the fun.

So I lost another ten pounds.  Down to 176 I could keep up a little better with him.  I had to wear my brace, and even though it was duct-taped on from being too big for my now fifty pound lighter body, I still had it on and was still keeping up.

Alex then asked me to marry him.  Whoa, what!?  Marry?  Me?  The girl who was convinced she'd spend her entire life fat, alone, in an apartment in the middle of the city, working as a phlebotomist and confiding her secrets to her hampster? 

This is when I started to lose weight for my looks.  We're getting married in a park, in the middle of an old canal system, and I want all of the passers-by to think Alex is one lucky guy.  Mind you, I'd gained about ten pounds once we settled into our apartment and gave up our adventures to move.  I was 185 pounds when Alex asked me to marry him.

I immediately signed up for a new Calorie-Count account (I'd been a member on a different name years back), read through every article, activity list, and most of the food list to get a generalised idea of what I'm supposed to do.

I gained my seven pounds, getting up to 192 from changing my eating and lost all seven, and then some.  I sit now at 157 pounds, have not had a single knee ache, cramp, crack, or worry in one month, and have stopped caring about looking damned good for my wedding.

I now care about continuing to improve my health.  I get less random chest pains at night now that I'm lighter.  I don't get sick as severely as I used to, or as often.  My hair feels stronger, my skin looks better, my eyes look brighter, even my breath smells better and I haven't changed my hygiene habits. 

I've been on both sides of the line here.  I've wanted to lose weight for my own health and I've wanted to lose weight for superficial reasons.  I look a hell of a lot better than I did a year ago.  Had I still been doing this for superficial reasons, I would've stopped at 160.  I was satifsied with how I looked.  I looked amasing to myself and to my fiance.

Yes I would- because I'm trying to get healthier to live longer so that I can be around for my daughter. I don't want to die young like my mom did.  (even though she died from strokes from being a smoker- she was not obese like me.)

Aww that is such a cute story cellulite!! I have the same problem sometimes. Even though I'm not satisfied with how I look, my fiance is and sometimes that also hinders me from losing weight. Plus, I'm sure he's be even MORE satisfied if I lost these 57 lbs, even if he doesn't realize it now.

I still would try and lose weight. I'm not losing it for vanity reasons, actually. I'm losing it because I want to be healthier and not run out of breath when walking up or down stairs.

Yes.

i think so.  i won't deny that looking good for others is part of it.  but i was such a scrawny kid, and very thin into my early twenties - i think my internal self has always been skinny.  i think i'm just trying to bring my external self back into phase with who i really am.  for me, it's as much a spiritual process as a physical one.  i'm moving toward self-actualization.

Ok, maybe I should rephrase my question:

"If your weight did not determine how attractive or unattractive you found yourself to be would you still be trying to lose weight?"

 The reason I changed it is because even though my fiance' finds me extremely attractive I think I would be MORE attractive if I lost weight.

Oh god yes without a doubt.

Comparing myself now to the me of a year ago, I would still chose the me now. Everyday I felt really really old and my mood, i would say, was indirectly connected to my sedentary lifestyle. I think it was really effecting my health when I started having irregular time of months and when I just couldn't walk for very long periods of time. 

I never really thought about the attractiveness bit until I started noticing the changes. I guess it's the added bonus :)

Yes and no. I would be doing a lot less for how I look and the confidence that brings, and instead only do it for reaching a peak in my athletic performance and health.

I guess it's just hard for me to think of the health benefits because you don't always see those right away. Our society is so set on instant gratification (hello plastic surgery) it's hard to think long term.

lilbory, you don't think of the health benefits right now because you are still young! But when you're as old as I am, or perhaps just as decrepit as I am, and you wake up at night because your knees are aching, and you're winded after walking up a flight of steps, the health benefits become MUCH more evident. After losing 20 pounds (which came off pretty quickly), my knees stopped waking me up at night. After losing 30, walking up a flight of steps became much easier.

Revel in your youth, darlin', and be glad that you can look for the health benefits off in the long term -- even though I could stand to lose more, my knees are happy NOW with the changes I've made!

I'm about to take out a sizeable life insurance policy as soon as I get my numbers in line with what gives me the best rates :)

So far given up caffeine and lost some weight. Need to lose more weight and jog more.

So yes, I imagine I would. 

yes and no. 

yes b/c being this heavy is dangerous to my health and life, and it just plain hurts sometimes! i want to be able to do things people my age can do. hell, i want to be able to do things my mother can do! i want to travel more, hike more, fit into ALL seats, etc. so yes, i'd still be trying to lose weight.

no because my meatspace friends never really make a big deal out of my size or any of our sizes, so it's a nonissue, and i just feel like one of the girls with them, which comes across with the guys (now- long story).  and if it didn't matter (to me or men) how i looked in shorts or a bathing suit, i wouldn't be trying to lose as much as i should.

*(meatspace=opposite of cyberspace; reality)

Definitely yes.

I want to get to a healthy weight so that I will have a decent chance of avoiding the diabetes that plagues my family members once they enter middle age. I want to be more mobile, I want my asthma to go away entirely (it's already gotten better), I want more energy. I want to be able to sit comfortably while all twisted up like a pretzel, at least until my knees give out and my hips need replacing.

Of course, looking better is a motivation too. But even if you take that out of the equation, I'd still want to get to a healthy weight. I'm in a happy relationship with someone who finds me attractive as I am, and my friends don't judge me based on my weight either. Knowing that I will be perceived as more attractive by others does add a little bit of motivation, sure (we all have egos that need stroking, right?) but it's just the icing on the cake, so to speak. (mmm, cake) ;)

Well since I'm not that overweight, and don't have health issues, I probably wouldn't. Though I wouldn't just 'let myself go' either, so I wouldn't end up getting health issues.

For whatever reason I can't simplify this question enough into a yes or no answer.  So far, I've lost about 45 or 50 lbs, leaving me at 136 on my 5'2 body.  Those pounds definitely needed to go, regardless of how attractive I was or felt, because of all kinds of potential problems (heart disease is quite common in my family).  A year ago, I would have been ecstatic to weigh anywhere near 136.  Now here's the thing...I'd like to lose another 10-15 lbs.  And this is mainly for vanity's sake.  I am already very physically fit, and have fairly healthy eating habits.  Anyway, there, I admitted it.  Whew.

I will be the first to admit that as a 19 year old girl who is going to university in the coming year, looks play a major role in the decision to loose weight.

A major role, yes. But by no means the only. My family has a history of obesity and heart disorders and my joints were starting to feel my weight. Which is awful when I'm only 19.

I also want to be a good role model as a teacher (the career I'm going for) in as many ways as possible.

But hell yes, I want to look good :)

Yes, it isn't about looks to me.  It's about being around for my children while they grow up.

looks play a big part, but pulling around extra weight is not fun. Besides, there is a history of diabetes and other health problems in my family, so I dont need to be overweight as that would aggrevate these problems later on should i have them.

Sadly, probably not. I seem to be the only person with this answer, but it's true. I'd probably be happy with my current weight if society wasn't there.
Not saying I would sit around & eat Twinkies all day, but I wouldn't be counting cals like I am now.