Buy Walking VideosQuestion of the Week: Does Being Thin Make You Happy?
I have wondered for a long time what use it is to be at my goal weight? I remember those rare times when I was thin. I wasn’t any happier back then than I am now. Why should I work so hard to be thin? Gretchen Rubin writes on her weblog, The Happiness Project, that people do feel happier when they feel more attractive:
People are willing to admit that their happiness depends on having friends, feeling close to their family, being satisfied with their work, etc…
But I think there are other elements to happiness as well—elements that we might not want to admit.
And one of those things is feeling attractive.
There have been times when I have felt attractive and they had nothing to do with how much I weighed. Learning to take care of myself and enjoy my appearance no matter what I weigh is an important step toward my goal. There were times when I was thin and beautiful, but I felt fat and bloated. It has nothing to do with how I actually look and has more to do with how I feel.
What can I do to make myself feel better about my appearance?
What will happen if I get to goal weight and I haven’t been able to like my appearance yet?
What if I loved the way I look right now? Would that stall my weight loss? Do I have to lose weight from a point of disgust or can I love the way I look AND lose weight?
How can I feel attractive right now? Is there something I can do with my hair, nails, face or clothing that will improve my opinion of myself?
It seems that I only get fired up when I feel unattractive. The problem with being “fired up,” though, is that I lose weight in such an unhealthy manner that I end up bingeing later. There has to be a better way.
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April 2nd, 2007 at 8:32 am
That is really true. I keep thinking, once I am thin, everything in my life will be okay. I will be beautiful. Although, I am finally starting to feel beautiful & sexy, just by losing some of the weight & by wearing smaller sizes. Maybe it’s the exercise. To quote one of my favorite movies: Legally Blonde “Exercise creates endorphins. Endorphines make you happy. Happy people don’t kill their husbands!” Great post, Laura!
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:33 am
I dont think it’s actually being thin that makes me happy. When I work my but off at the gym and eat a strict diet I tend to feel hotter whether I am losing weight or not. It is just how I feel and when I feel good then I think I look good too.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:05 am
I promised myself to not take on any activities that were only to help me lose weight. Everything I do must “pay off” in some other way. I find ways to eat better that make me feel more energetic. I excercise because I like the extra energy or the social aspect of it. I drink water to see my complexion clear up. I avoid sweets because I hate that slump that comes after a sugar high. My weight is coming down slowly but, effortlessly. I’m focused on my quality of life. And I like myself (big or smaller) when I am enjoying my day.
April 2nd, 2007 at 11:05 am
Many people crash diet them selvsobese when they didn’t realise how great they looked they saw a fat person there that wasn’t. I think being happy is key to keeping it off and losing it as well. Being thin just made me thinner.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:45 am
I just saw a picture of my chubby self and was suprised at how much weight I have gained. Yet, I often feel attractive (and thought I looked cute in the photos I saw.) and am overall quite happy with myself and my life. I would like to be more in shape so that I can dance and move more easily, and there is still a part of me that would like to be more in shape just to show people that I can be- in a competetive sense. I wish I didn’t care about that at all.
When I look back at my high school pictures I am stunned. I was truly gorgeous with a perfect slender hourglass shape, yet at the time, I hated something about every inch of my body -literally- from my toes to my hairline. Too bad I didn’t know how to just enjoy the skin I was in yet.
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I think that makes sense. When you’re more content with your body, you’re usually less interested in changing it. I’ve tried to go around that by not working toward just losing weight and looking different, but getting healthier and more fit, so I can enhance what I already have.
April 10th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
If people say they are happy being thin, how thin is that, because i’ve been trying to gain for as long as i can remember, and i’m no way near of being happy of being thin, i look at other girls with women hour glass body , and am like wat cnt i be like that, i aint happy that i’m thin! bt i dnt want to be fat fat, just want to be fit! being fit makes u lively and bubbly! as much as people say u should ignore people comments, the very same comments can boost your moral and confidence if there are positive comments
April 13th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
a person should be happy about their appearence and try to lose weight by healthy tactics eat healthy foods and excercise even though it would take long for you to get thin but you would be happy and healthy and seriously enjoy life as you are if people have something to say they should keep their motuhs shut if u think ur beautiful u are
August 26th, 2013 at 9:56 pm
I like my body. I actually feel attractive in it and I also have a good life. A happy relationship, friends etc. I am currently at a healthy BMI and very active. But I still want to lose weight – 10 to 15lbs. I’ve dieted enough before to know that this is not an answer to the problems in my life, that it’s hard and awful sometimes and that it’s not going to improve my health (won’t detract from it either). The reason I want to lose weight is because I feel like…I only have one life. I look good now, but I think I would look better a bit thinner — not too thin. I’ve done that before, and it doesn’t look or feel good. I think you can come at dieting with a healthy and realistic frame of mind and make it work. Look at the thing realistically – know what it is you’ll be getting out of it. If you want to be happy, you need to look at your life and see what’s making you unhappy. Losing weight is not a magic fix.