Weight and Other Self-Esteem Issues

[Lucky]

The new discussions on dieting and nutrition took on a new life today as One Finger revealed a group diet effort at his office wherein 4 people were trying to lose at least 100 pounds each. That's a pretty lofty goal, and, hopefully, by doing it together they will reinforce each other's determination.

For me, I was a skinny did most of my life. It definitely affected my self-esteem. Even when I finally put on weight by going to the gym faithfully, I still saw myself as the skinny kid I always had been.

For those hiring escorts, the idea that we get nervous beforehand is common. The reality is,of course, that there is no need to, but, being human, we worry what another person's reaction is going to be when we finally strip down. Thankfully I have pretty much gotten over that, realizing that the escort is a professional, and, even if not, wants my money more than he cares about my looks.

When I grew up, being fat, or overweight, was considered a weakness. One did not need to be fat if one didn't want to be. All it took was discipline not to eat so much. Now we know that being overweight has medical causes, and genetic causes, and it does not carry the same stigma it used to. Health reason prompt many to lose weight when necessary, but when not, many find that self-acceptance is the issue more than being overweight. Skinny people also got their share of razzing.

All of this interests me now because, for one, I am interested in how other people live their lives with the issues facing them, and also because I am getting bigger all the time. I now carry an all-time high weight of 234. At 6'1, not too bad, but I have never had such a belly. My days of discipline at the gym are declining, and I am looking at other ways to motivate me to diet and exercise. We all know how hard it is to get started. And I am right back in that position after years of regular gym work. Getting old and getting bigger, what a combination. (No doubt there are worse things, yes.)

So, I guess all this is to say that I admire people who have the discipline to diet, who succeed with their personal goals, and who, no matter the age, seek self-improvement. I know it isn't easy to make the big changes that the folks at One Finger's office are attempting. I wish them well. I would like to hear other's stories on how they meet, or try to meet, their personal goals. What keeps you going? What stops you? Do you ever give up?

[RA1]

You have a comomon lament that undoubtedly affects us all, but dieting in the usual sense is not the "correct approach". Don't misunderstand, I have weight problems also. However, what I am apparently not willing to do and what is apparently necessary to do, is make a life style change to reflect the current state of calorie necessity.

Many, if not most, Americans are not willing to do that and, to some extent, neither am I.

I do try to eat things that are good for me. I do not use salt in my cooking and avoid it as much as I can otherwise. I do not eat fast food except a VERY few times a year when I would otherwise go without food. I limit fat intake and do whatever I can to promote a "healthy plan of food intake".

That is not always easy or successful. But, the first thing to do is try. I am sure you do.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest CharliePS]

I have always eaten a healthy diet, and for most of my life I was notably thin. In recent years, however, my waist size has expanded to 34", even though I weigh only 40 lbs more than I did at 18, when I had a 27" waist. When I asked my gastroenterologist about that, he said that it is not so much weight gain as sagging muscle tone: the weight has slid down, as it were. Although I can continue to control what I eat, I don't have the motivation to exercise those abs. I enjoy exercise that is fun--playing tennis, biking, hiking, etc.--but not the repetitions in the gym. I know that at my age, no matter what I do, it's not going to make me a hot stud anymore, so as long as my weight is not unhealthy, I will just accept my physical appearance.

[Lucky]

The doctor tells me that ass we age, women develop fat in their buttocks. The stomach muscles weaken with age, and men find their fat moving to this area. the bulge there is almost unavoidable, but I do know older men with completely flat stomachs.