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Is doing it for someone else really THAT bad?

If the point is to be healthy and you lose weight by healthy means... should your motivation really be questioned?

Fri. Jul 21, 7:55am

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Losing Weight

Is good no matter what the reasons. The problem is if your sole motivation is to please someone else then mostly likely you'll lose your motivation and either not be able to maintain the weight loss or gain it right back.

Losing weight to please someone else can be A reason to lose weight but you should have more than just that one.

1) To feel better about the person you see in the mirror
2) To improve your health
3) To gain energy and stamina...

Friday, July 21, 2006, 8:10 AM

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Whatever your motivation for starting, evenutally losing weight will make you feel so good you will probably want to continue for yourself, and not just for someone else.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 8:26 AM

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Ditto the 8:26am poster -- doesn't matter what gets you started because losing weight makes you feel so much better physically and psychologically that you'll keep it up for those reasons and not for your mother or your boyfriend or whoever inspired you to kick it off.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 8:53 AM

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Also keep in mind that if you feel like you are doing this for someone else... maybe the weight isn't the real problem. There may be another issue at hand, and once you lose weight, that will still be there.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 9:21 AM

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Yeah, if someone doesn't love and respect you for who you are (no matter what your weight), losing weight for them isn't going to fix that. And frankly, if you don't love and respect yourself (no matter what your weight), losing weight and keeping it off is going to be difficult.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 10:54 AM

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Nah

I have an event coming up for which I want to look smoking hot.

I like eating healthy foods. I LOVE to exercise and am intermediate/advanced in my cardio endurance and strength training. I also enjoy yoga, but i'm more of a beginner there, despite practicing for 1 year.

But I also am easily distracted and pushed off course, and I have 2 children and work full time out of the house - so time isn't always on my side.

This upcoming event has really helped me approach good habits with laser like focus. And whenever I crave something that will either trigger a binge of overeating or affect the results i'm trying to achieve, I think of that event and I am able to hold the urges at bay. Normally I have a lot of trouble with the urges and general "Yeah, but you want to feel and look great" pep talks don't always work with me.

So I say WHATEVER GETS YOU THERE IS FINE. I do think that the result sthemselves end up being their best reward and motivator - feeling good makes you want to continue feeling good, etc..


Friday, July 21, 2006, 12:02 PM

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I think what most people are saying is - OVERALL you need to be motivated to do this for yourself.

Above poster - So what happens when the event is over and you no longer have your laser-like focus? You yourself state that you like eating healthy and enjoy exercising, but do you only like these things because of this event?

Of course you can have short-term, external motivators and I doubt anyone would deny that they can be very effective, but what happens when that's no longer a factor in your life? When the man you want to look hot for leaves you for a younger, cuter model, when the event is over, when bikini season has ended... You get the idea? If you don't have a strong underlying desire to do this to improve yourself and your life those motivators will come and go and if you lose weight soley for someone/something else besides your health and quality of life you may find yourself adrift if that motivation up and goes away.



Friday, July 21, 2006, 12:16 PM

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i get and stay motivated by remembering that i am an organ donor and what i do to my body may affect others when i'm gone...it has been a real eye-opener.
i also donate blood on a regular basis, and this has helped me to include iron-rich foods in my diet (i am a vegetarian and did not used to pay much attention to this mineral). i went from being turned away from donating because my iron level was too low (around 8 or9) to regularly having an iron level of 13-16!!
sometimes, doing things for others can be great motivation!!

Friday, July 21, 2006, 1:24 PM

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I think it's PERFECTLY fine to do something for someone else. People change habits all the time for their children and why is this bad? Because they care so much about something that they want to protect them? Whatever reason you choose, another person, whatever, to change habits and make positive choices should NOT be judged.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 1:30 PM

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"Doing it for someone else" is a great way to get started. At some point, it has to be about you though, or you will have a VERY difficult time maintaining your loss. Whoever it is you are using for motivation isn't there with you when you're reaching for that second slice of cake, or when you really don't want to get all sweaty and keep up with your workout.

Five years from now, do you want to be going through this all again, or would you rather find your center, for yourself, and take pride in what you are accomplishing and keeping up? By all means, get the ball rolling however it works best, just find YOUR motivation and sense of self involved at some point!

Friday, July 21, 2006, 2:36 PM

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bump

Saturday, August 26, 2006, 9:33 AM

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