Inspired by a post by Norma...thoughts from a successful maintainer (That would be me!)

This post by Norma got me thinking and led to this:


 I am honest with myself and my thoughts, meaning that I know what I am, I guess.  Unlike some people that keep saying they ARE NOT obsessed with something (only to talk about it ALL THE TIME), I know I have a tendency to get obsessed with things.  I've always been like that.  Due to my personal history and also because I simply care A LOT about how I look and feel, yes, I guess you can say I am *obsessed* with food/dieting/fitness/size/whatever you'd like to classify this as.  Sorry, that sentence was ridiculous.  I am quite fond of long, run-on sentences.  It's just way more my style then short, blunt ones.  I have a lot to write, always have.

I don't see this necessarily as such a HORRIBLE thing in the end (the obsessing over dieting not run-ons.) I honestly enjoy this subject and I like trying to be the best me possible (or at least somewhere close to it, I'm not in 100% perfect shape by far.)

I know that obsessing/making something your number 1 priority can go horribly wrong but I also think when you're in the right state of mind, that obsession can be a really good thing.  If I didn't care as much about all this and had more of a "whatever" attitude, I can guarantee you I'd be a good 40 pounds heavier or more.  I am not *naturally* thin.  I have to work hard at this, it does take my ALL.  I have to be really strict for the most part.  IT IS A PRIORITY TO ME.  I've tried to ignore this in the past and I felt miserable with how I looked.  IT's NOT WORTH IT TO ME to NOT make this a priority.

It's important for many reasons, a lot of them are vanity-related.  I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it.  My husband is lean and in good shape, I don't want him to be stuck with a rotund wife.  I like to wear cute,  often times tight, fashionable clothes.  I like looking a certain way, as most people do.  I'm not imposing these standards that I have on other people but i am imposing them on myself.  It's my choice and we all have the freedom to look how we want to, correct?

However, and especially as I get older, health is more a part of it too.  I know health isn't completely in your control, and you can be perfectly healthy and die out of nowhere (example:  both my grandparents, who were active and ate healthy, not overweight, never smoked, etc) but I'd like to make my odds as good as possible.  I want to minimize the chances of having health problems and complications while I am alive, why wouldn't I? I want to live a really long, active life with my husband and be a hot 60 year old like my mom (Yes, I called my mom hot haha.  She really looks amazing.  She's my inspiration in a lot of ways.)  I don't want to be out of breath, sitting on the sidelines, embarrassed to go swimming, on 5000 different medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and etc.  I  want a full life and I want to feel comfortable in my skin.  Successful maintainers don't act like all this is easy, and don't act like it isn't a very big part of their world.  This matters tremendously and will always matter to me.  If you ever were chubby, pudgy, overweight, obese, whatever-then you have the ability to become that way again, and chances are you can get back to that point a lot easier than someone who has never been overweight.  I never want to end up at that place again (for me, this was "chubby" that could have easily become more than that if I never changed my ways,) so for the rest of my life this is something i have to focus on.  I don't see it as a burden but rather a goal that is worth working towards.  Again, I want to be the best *me* possible, or at least somewhere close to it that is still healthy and reasonably attainable.  It is worth the diligence in every way imaginable.