Archive for March, 2008
Some Benefits of Losing Weight
Why do you want to lose weight? Sure, to be healthier. To feel better. But what are the more personal benefits of losing weight for you?
One thing for me — I want to be able to learn to belly dance. I tried, in the privacy of my own home (complete with DVD) about 40 pounds ago and I couldn’t get through the warmups! I don’t think I’d ever really want to do a belly dance in public, but I think it’s cool, and I’d love to be able to do some of the moves.
I know this one lady who wants to be able to get in and out of her car without feeling like a contortion artist; her car is on the small side and her weight makes it tough to slide in. Getting out is also a feat that leaves her tired and sore.
Another one of the benefits of losing weight for me is getting into that little black dress David has promised me, once I reach my goal weight…and the cruise that goes with it! You know, he’s promised me that for 5 years now, and up until recently (maybe the last 30 pounds) I don’t think he ever thought he’d have to actually pay up!
A friend of mine doesn’t have any children of her own, but is close to her young nieces — she wants to be alive to watch them grow up and get married some day. To be able to be a part of their lives, instead of sitting around in the background.
One more for me; I want to age well. To have a great quality of life as I grow older. You know those commercials where they have those wonderful over 100 year old people still dancing and playing in a band? I want to be one of them. And I know I can’t, unless I take care of my health now. Or they invent time travel (I’m not getting my hopes up on that one).
So, personally, what’s on the top of your benefits of losing weight list? Come on and share!
Tags: Dieting in America – Has it Come to This?
As a nation, we’re obsessed with dieting. We’re either on a diet, thinking about dieting, going off a diet…you get the picture. (I guess I’m not helping matters any, am I?)
Is there anyone left in America who is a normal weight?
And aren’t the messages we’re getting so conflicting? One commercial tries to tell you that it’s good to be full or otherwise SuperSize you.
The next commercial is for a dieting program.
A third tells you about a new candy that because it has dark chocolate, it has less fat. Now that may be true, but the insinuation is that the candy bar is almost, well, diet when it’s far from it!
Dieting in America is a national pastime, and the scary part is that it’s not about losing 10 or 15 pounds anymore to look better. No, now we’re fighting for our lives and having to lose 40 or 80 or a hundred or more pounds. And yes, I fall in that category (although I’ve already lost 70 – yippee!).
It’s hard enough being overweight at 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years old. But what happens as we age even more? Will we be able to walk around — or will diabetes have robbed some of our senses and put us in a wheelchair? And for that matter, will we be able to find a wheelchair to fit into? Take that one step further — can we even get up out of bed without help? Scary thoughts.
We’re into instant gratification — or at least fast. We want to lose weight the same way — go to sleep fat and wake up thin. I really wish it worked that way…but it doesn’t.
Dieting. Hard word. But doing it successfully can make the difference between a good quality of life as we get older, or one where we have to watch everything and everyone pass us by.