The reason a person decides to lose weight is very individual and often highly personal. Sometimes it is a very sobering experience to recognize the aspects of your life that you will improve with weight loss. It might make you feel emotional and vulnerable. That’s ok! It’s perfectly normal! Weight loss tends to provoke many feelings, so it’s time to get used to working through them when they come up. It was emotional for me to realize why I wanted to lose weight… there was some crying involved, not going to lie!

I won’t presume to tell you why you should lose weight. But if you’re in the process of trying to do so, I highly recommend taking a few minutes, grab a pen and paper, and write down your reasons. Once I realized why I wanted to finally lose the weight I’d been carrying for so long, the impetus to do the work was automatic! The process of writing down these clear motivations makes it more accurate, and you are much more likely to stick to the program when you know why you’re doing it.

To help you start making your list, here are some ideas. Not all of them apply to everyone. Surprisingly, my biggest motivator is #35; to know what it’s like to be slim/healthy after a lifetime of obesity. I have never experienced it, and I feel that I will be missing out on the fullness of life if I never get the chance. It’s somewhat strange that it works as motivation, but it works for me. Don’t be afraid to choose reasons other than “health.” Our culture puts an enormous emphasis on obesity as a disease and losing weight as the “cure.” However, there are many reasons for weight loss that are social. Most of us want to fit in with family/peers/colleagues, look good, be attractive to the opposite (or same sex) and feel beautiful/handsome. If you are in great shape and still want to lose weight, just pick your motivators and own them!

When your list is complete, post it somewhere you can see it every day: the refrigerator is a great spot, or a bulletin board, on a kitchen cabinet, on your dog’s nose… ok, maybe not there, but you get the idea!

1. To feel more confident.
2. To wear fashionable/classy clothes, not just what is available in plus-sizes (although this has improved a little since I was a child).
3. To have more energy!
4. To be able to exercise, move, and keep up with my children.
5. To improve the effects of a chronic medical condition (heart disease, diabetes, PCOS, MS, arthritis, knee problems, and many others, etc.)
6. To not be invisible to the opposite sex.
7. To not be afraid of booths at a restaurant or the small public bathroom stalls.
8. To be able to bend over and tie my shoes without cutting off my air supply.
9. To be able to sit on the floor and get back up without a struggle.
10. To feel beautiful.
11. To live longer and see children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren grow up.
12. To enjoy sex more and not feel self-conscious when naked in front of significant other.
13. To be able to shave my legs without a belly getting in the way.
14. To run a 5K/10K/Marathon.
15. To wear shorts or skirts in the summer without my thighs rubbing together to the point of excruciating pain.
16. To model healthy eating habits for my children.
17. To be able to ride a horse.
18. To be able to walk around Disneyland/world.
19. To be able to sit comfortably in stadium/theater seats.
20. To improve medical markers of health (high blood pressure, high triglycerides, A1C, high cholesterol) and lower disease risks.
21. To not die of a heart attack at a young age as a family member did.
22. To not be asked when I’m due (when NOT pregnant).
23. To develop a healthy (non-adversarial) relationship with food.
24. To not think twice about accepting an invitation to a social event because I don’t know how far I’ll have to walk to get there.
25. To not show up to events sweaty during the summer (or winter).
26. To not have to tuck a belly into pants and not feel the waistband digging into my skin, leaving red marks.
27. To improve the look of stretch marks.
28. To be strong.
29. To prove to myself that I CAN do it!
30. To play sports that I used to love but physically can’t do anymore.
31. To not always be the heaviest person in the room.
32. To attend family functions (Christmas, etc.) and not be embarrassed about how much weight I’ve gained since they last saw me.
33. To fit into the wedding dress of my dreams.
34. To look fabulous at an upcoming event, reunion, graduation, etc.
35. To experience what it feels like to be thin/slim/healthy after a lifetime of obesity.
36. To have strangers treat me with kindness instead of disdain in public.
37. To be able to do a/more pushups/sit-ups/pull-ups.
38. To run faster and farther!
39. To not be “fat” anymore.
40. To feel sexy!
41. To be able to run a mile without stopping.
42. To visit all the national parks in the USA and enjoy them without being constantly exhausted from the walking.
43. To not worry if I looked like a whale when someone took a picture of me when I wasn’t posing at my “good angle.”
44. To like what I look like in pictures.
45. To be able to conceive a healthy baby (PCOS) and start a family.
46. To be able to wear a bikini or just any swimsuit in public.
47. To get back to pre-pregnancy weight.
48. To not be overlooked for promotions at work because people view fat people as “lazy slobs.”
49. To be able to feel good in my skin.

Now that you’ve browsed this list and compiled your own let me know if you have any motivators I haven’t thought of! ?