Having been able to stay committed to this diet (57 days) I thought I would write a post about my motivations.. and since ‘top #’ lists are popular on the web, I am going to make this a ‘My Top 10 Diet Motivations”.. not really a countdown as I am not worrying about the order…

#10 – The Gift of Life
There are no elderly morbidly obese people… Obviously being fat causes your body to struggle just doing what it is supposed to do… and you get all kind of things like Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), etc… Losing weight (being more healthy actually) can help you live a longer life.

#9 – My Family
I have a wonderful family… I am enjoying having a wonderful family.. my wife… my kids… it’s a wonderful life that I am having… I want to extend that as long as I can… I want to be there for them for weddings.. grandchildren.. other major events that I would miss if I died early.

#8 – Being Inspirational
I am hoping that this weight loss will help motivate others… my family at the very least… So when I think about slipping up I try to think that I don’t want to be a bad influence like I have been… I have been following Less of Les… Les has gone from 511 to 184 (327 lbs lost)… No surgery, no pills, just eating right and exercise… he was 45 at the time.. For me he has been inspirational… I follow him on Facebook and one video he posted really hit home with me about sticking to it… If you are on this journey I suggest you see it… HERE

#7 – Public Perception/Appearance
I have said that you shouldn’t care what others think of you… and that is still my belief… but, I will say that being a huge as I have been for as long as I have been really makes you see the way others react to you and your size… When I walk into a room (restaurant, theater, etc.) I see people look at me.. I stand out because of my weight… I am really tall too (6′ 5″) so even thin I stand out… but it’s different… there is no stigma against tall people.. Your height is not under your control… your weight is… So I see reactions… and it does bother me a little… Many immediately think fat people are lazy.. fat people are inferior… we have no will power… Being of a healthy weight will end/reduce those reactions… Also, I hate the way I look… I have heard how Anorexic people have a body image that they are fat, even when they are skin and bones.. I have the opposite… if there are no stimuli that make me feel fat, I have a body image that is of normal size and weight… For example I am home watching TV I don’t feel fat… It’s not something that is in my mind… but If I see a picture of me, see myself in a mirror, am sitting in a booth at a restaurant that is too small for me I then have a body image that is consistent with what my body looks like.

#6 – My Physical Comfort
There are so many times where my size has caused me discomfort… I think the worst time was at ‘The Wall’ concert at MGM Las Vegas – Seats were so narrow that I left there with bruises on both outer thighs/hips… hurt for days after that.

#5 – My Health
I want to be healthy… I take too many medications… I don’t go out and do physical things… mainly because my weight makes it very difficult especially on my back… I want to have the option to get out there and help with something that I cant do now… I want to be able to go for a run… I need to not get winded when I exert myself a little..

#4 – I Need To Pee On A Grave
Hear me out on this.. I have sworn to myself and others that I will pee on a certain individuals grave… that person is not dead yet.. I need to outlive them just so I can accomplish this bucket list item.  I am not going to give details but I will tell the world after it is done 😉

#3 – I Don’t Want To Be Fat When I Die
I really don’t know what caused this thought.. but it has been there for a long time… originally it was so the pallbearers would be able to lift me.. but I choose to be cremated now… I guess I still have this feeling because someone will have to move my body around anyway.

#2 – I Want To Bowl
I love bowling… when I was young that was my outlet.. something I was good at.. I was in league after league… It was awesome because there was no picking teams so I wasn’t picked last… At one point I was in 3 leagues a week… Monday night with my dad.. Thursday with Hillside Jr. High Bowling class and 2 back to back leagues on Saturday… I dreamed of being a pro bowler… Even into my adult hood that was a dream.. now I have stopped bowling… the last few times I went (at least 2 years ago) my left knee ached severely for days after… and now since I have the ongoing back issue I really don’t think I am physically able.. actually I could probably do it, but risk major issues with my body if I did… I miss it so much… I want to lose weight so I can be physically able to go bowling whenever I want.

#1 – Fear of Being Immobile
I have said to myself that I am a small injury away from being immobile… like the guys you see on TV… if I were to become immobile I would gain weight since there would be only a minimal expenditure of calories and I would be depressed.. I tend to eat when depressed or when I an upset… It would be a game changer.. that scares me… the more weight I lose the better my health and mobility will be… every pound puts the fear of being immobile a little further away.

That’s my list… I would love to hear some of your motivations… so comment if you are reading this