I'm an average size average height woman who does to need to lose weight but I'm not as fit as I used to be. I get really dispirited that all these sites etc seem to focus on what weight you are and what you want to lose. Health and fitness is so much more than weight. I'm aiming to lose an inch or so all round and just tone up. Am I the only woman on this planet who doesn't know how much she weighs or more to the point even cares!
By the way I made up the weight on my profile because it wouldn't let me progress until I entered something!

I know exactly what you mean.
I spent New Year with some really good friends and while I was there realised how much healthier they were than me. They drank >2 litres water a day, rarely binge on food or alcohol and eat masses of fruit and veg. They are both really fun, outgoing, fantastic people and it made me feel extremely unhealthy! I want to get healthy, and if pounds fall off so be it. But I don't want to get thin eating low-cal fat-free e-number food and be totally unfit. What's the point in that?

Me too. Despite my username! I actually want to add weight! But in the form of muscle. I think they've just gone for the majority I suppose...can't blame them, but if there's lots of people like us, it might be worth forming a group...?

I'm all for losing inches! It's a generic thing I guess talking about weight. I'm sure if I weighed the same but in muscle mass rather than fat I would be a very happy girl. At least I know I would feel a lot healthier and fitter and leaner. But saying that, I must admit I do want to lose about a stone.

Glad I'm not the only one! Well I'm going to aim for the inch loss rather than weight. Su, go for the inches it's a lot less dispiriting than counting every pound! We all fluctuate normally anyway and most people have a weight "range" that is healthy and comofortable, its when you can't get the jeans done up you know you are in trouble.
Matt, would be happy to form a spin off that moves away from calorie counting and wieghing. We could start something big! If so My idea I get the money, book rights, film...... (Ok a little bit dramatic )

Hey Amanda, the inch loss count really does make more sense. It even makes me feel like I've done better at the gym as well knowing that I am toning up rather than just losing a bit of water retention here and there from weighing myself. Saying that, I believe I haven't actually done that for the past 2 months anyway. It just becomes obsessive then doesn't it?

I mean the great thing about measuring inch loss and fat loss it that you do automatically feel better. Clothes fit better and for me I certainly feel less wobbly. Just the last month having done loads of spinning and squats, I swear my thighs were turning into steel lol. It was great and even more motivational than weighing myself where I would then think, great it's time for a treat in the form of some stodgy chocolate. Ok, so I admit a bit of chocolate can be good for you haha. Why deny one self eh?

just like to point out...its not about going for the majority!!..its probably to do with the fact that majority of people who signed up post christmas do want/need to lose weight!!..think yourselves very lucky that you have a head start on the rest of us..!!we're all at different levels of fitness.....my prime motivation IS to get healthy/healthier.. to lose inches..and improve my body mass index...to improve my mental/physical/emotional well being...and unfortunately weight loss is sometimes linked to that......I know the theory!! but as you get older your body lets you down and so its more difficult to maintain the motivation...up until i was 35 never had to worry about my weight...but to be honest with myself....I have become less active..! so anyway i hope we all achieve our goals whatever they are..good luck to you!

OK I'm junping in. I used to be terrified of stepping on the scale and didn't know how much I weighed. I started eating differently and asked someone else to record my weight. I also told them that when I reached a certain weight that they could tell me and I would take over the weighing. After that they were allowed to tell me my start weight number.

I have to say it has helped me to weigh myself once a week now I have got over my phobia but simply because it gives me an idea of how I am doing and if I need to get more serious - as time goes by you do get a bit more lax about your eating habits and holidays can be oh so tempting a time.

BUT - big but coming up (hope it's not MINE) - what has helped more is how I feel and the tape measure. An important thing for me to consider was that even when my weight has stayed stubbornly the same, the measurements keep going down.

Bottom line, I agree to a point. The scale is not everything. Much more important is how healthy you feel AND how lovely your clothes feel compared to when they pinched and made me sore.

I'm not planning to weigh myself more than once a month. I have lost a little weight and I know I could be healthier if I lost about 2 stone. I also have hips and knees that are beginning to be noisy so it would do me good to get some weight off them. I have also begun to lose a little bit round the middle and I am sure that I have swapped some fat for muscle since I started walking regularly. There also some lovely dresses/suits that I have been too fat to wear for some time and I'm hoping to be going to some functions where I could wear them if I could just get into them again!

I need to lose 2 stone and want to get fitter. I'm heading towards mid fifties and it really annoys me that I'm STILL not the weight I'd like to be. Need all the help I can get. Aim to go to the gym 2-3 times a week, starting Tuesday. Bought all the right foods this weekend so not temptation to eat high calorie sandwich etc tomorrow. Need some quick results tho or I'll lose motivation.....

This is more my forum too - I have no idea how many calories I am eating and was hpoing to enter details of what I've eaten so that the software can tell me. Sure it must be too many but with no big weight problem that isn't my motivation. Doubt that I shall last the week. Good luck to those that carry on.

Hi I've just looked at some of these responses to various sites and I again am disappointed that my site JUST LIKE ME is classed in this vain. Yes the idea is losing weight but I was trying to say when I set up the group is also being happy with our bodies. and for the people who wish to lose weight to give support but not just looking at how many llbs we have lost. perhaps you could add some of your concerns on the site.
elaine

I was hoping for help about how to get fit. After a lifetime of sport, I have now gradually given up most activities and am getting flabby. I am doing a 10k run in May and need any help I can get. I am not really interested in losing weight though that would be a bonus

Not disappointed as such, or surprised either: it's a fairly common goal of many, especially at this time of the year. I am surprised that it is such a focus in the personal details/goals etc.

I'm far more interested in dropping a dress size, eating more healthily and getting fitter. I do weigh myself as I find it can motivate me, but not more than once a week, sometimes less. A friend of mine does it once a day: I can't see the point of that at all.

Of course it`s size, and fitness, not actual wieght that matters. But they do go hand in hand

I get fed up of seeing pics of women who are supposedly the same height and weight as me but at least 2 dress sizes smaller and those who are supposedly the same dress size as me but much heavier! it`s all very confusing but ultimately, its how you feel.

I know I`ve put on weight when I can`t wear certain clothes, so I have to lose it again or buy new, which I can`t afford to do. Unfortunately I seem to have developed a bit of a yo-yo effect but this year I`m determined that i`ll lose the weight for good through sensible eating and better exercise and hopefully feel a lot better for it.

i have just put a weight in but my intentions are to run a half marathon. i'm not intending on losing any weight would just like to tone up a bit and get fit.
nice to see other people not too bothered about the weight
good luck to everyone upon your intentions.

I lost four stone last year and want to lose a further stone so I think weight is a major measure for a lot of people. In fairness to Times' though there is quite a good customisable tracker so if you wanted you could track any numeric data.

Anyway, give em a bit of slack they're probably trying to find out what people want at this stage and then will customise it accordingly.

hi
i don't think anyone should be disappointed by this. more often than not being on a 'diet' means eating healthily - except for those restrictve silly diets like cabbage soup etc. yes that's a quick fix but that's all.
for many people starting the healthy eating and learning to control it is a great way to start being healthy.
i didn't use a tape measure when losing weight but did keep trying on clothes that i had not been able to fit which was an added incentive for me as well as being weighed.

looby

I do think we all need to focus on a healthy lifestyle of an optimum amount of exercise and healthy eating and then all the health benefits will naturally follow.

It really is so simple, which reminds me, I must get off my b*** and go and do something more active instead of reading posts on here.

Gym here I come!!!

Amanda, you make a very valid point to start this thread. I have worked in the fitness industry for many years and unless I'm dealing with an obese client (where weight can be a very important issue), I'll tell my client to throw away the scales. Knowing how much you weigh (if you are not in the obese or above categories) is irrelevant. Knowing your body fat percentage is a far better indicator of health. In losing 2% body fat, one may increase body weight as the proportion of lean tissue increases. Having a goal of losing an inch round the middle is far better than trying to lose weight. Good luck.

Hi there
I an actually quite thin but have high blood pressure and dont deal with stress very well, also I was drinking way too much. I have gone on the wagon and am doing regular exercise but need motivation!! Also, what I do eat seems to be quite sweet and high in fat, so it's not all about weight, for me its trying to feel generally healthier and happier.

Well I know I weigh more than I used to and that is my initial motivation. With what comes with losing weight - dress sizes and a healthier lifestyle, that is all good and important too, but having a target weight for me is a good way to get exercising.

Hello,
Just so you know, we (at The Times and Times Online) are very aware that the Health Club is a bit limited to weight loss at the moment. The site will be developing during the year, and this is one of the areas we're looking at.
Tom (Communities Editor, Times Online)

I also had to guess my weight as I haven't weighed myself for about 6 months. However I will be 60 before next Christmas and want to maintain a good level of fitness so that I can enjoy my retirement.
I currently do three aerobics sessions per week and am more concerned with keeping myself flexible and my skin as supple and wrinkle-free as possible.

If having a target weight motivates you to exercise then use it. Research has shown that having a sustained motivation for exercise is the most effective way to stick with it. If weighing yourself helps you to keep focussed on exercise then this is positive. If your focus becomes weight loss, this is not necessary a good thing. The type of weight you lose is critical as to whether you are making yourself more or less healthy. It will also determine the probability of it staying off.

I agree with Steve Parker. I don't really want to have to calculate every calorie I consume each day. I was hoping that I could just select things from a list and be given a rough estimate of my intake e.g. 1 x apple (medium) = 50 calories etc. It is a limitation of the site but I think it's a great idea to have somewhere to record your progress and get friends to motivate you. My advice to Steve is to stick at it. Having like minded folk to get in touch with will help and do you really want to be at the start of 2009 thinking that another year has gone by without you getting as fit as you want to be?

I haven't weighed myself in a month either, although I know I want to tone up a bit, and that probably means losing weight! I'm also trying to get more energy and improve my mood, as last year was a tough one and I'm a bit low. You can use the tracker to monitor all sorts of things, but I don't know if that information can be fed to your motivators.

In some cases toning up will mean you will put weight on. It may also mean that you lose body fat from the places you don't want it. One's weight, in certain cases, is wholly irrelevant when assessing health and fitness.

You can always create an alternative group for Stamp Collecting or whatever.

esm xx

I would like to respond to Helena who states that she does not want to "get thin eating low-cal fat-free e-number food and be totally unfit". I have a weight problem and have already lost several stones by eating a healthy balanced diet based on fresh ingredients cooked well and without buying any processed foods claiming to be fat free and full of e numbers. I also exercise regularly and am fitter now than I have been for 20 years, so please don't knock it till you've tried it.

Kate