I've never really tried to actively diet - just eat a bit better, replace things etc. However, I do go a bit crazy on the exercise sometimes in an effort to slim down (not just for this reason though I'd like to point out!). I think part of the problem is seeing so many slim toned women in dancing clips on youtube and despairing about ever looking like that (also slimmer legged women seem to able to do some of the strength moves better). I also think it doesn't help that probably, regardless of how much weight I can lose, I'll still have horrible loose skin over my tum from losing weight so I'm never going to have an amazing looking tummy regardless of whether there are abs of reinforced steel underneath!

I do maintain that it comes down to quality of life though - if you cut out all the nice (chocolate) things in life (chips) then (chocolate) you might end up a bit (chips) slimmer but probably (chocolate) miserable:/

I joined the gym for the sole reason of getting slimmer. Being healthier or getting fitter doesn't even come in to it, except as a side effect. I want to look good in my wedding photos. How vain is that?!?

I admit after seeing my lovely nutritionist I have become a bit more judgemental.

Firstly though, I don't rate BMI as a useful measure at all. I'm only just inside the 'healthy' weight range now. If I was to lose much more weight I'd be starting to lose muscle rather than fat as I'd say my fat % is probably around or slightly lower than 10% now.

Secondly, body fat IS something which can be sorted out both through exercise and healthy eating.

So would I judge someone who is fairly tall but muscular (i.e. Valarie Vili), no, however I admit I'm a bit judgemental towards someone who has simply eaten too much bad food.

Your natural body makeup is purely genes, however your body fat % can be worked on.

Oh, and I lost the weight purely to be able to ride the bike faster, however I am quite enjoying the attention I seem to be getting from the opposite sex since losing the weight. :D

I started dieting because I wanted to look better naked, and exercise for fun and health came after that. I have dieted and dropped weight to make a fight weight (I took up martial arts after the diet exercise thing) but that's the only other reason.

@xLeahx

I started off the same as you, I wanted to lose a bit of weight that I put on after quitting smoking just for the purpose of looking better, which in turn would make me feel better about myself and happier. After working out for awhile I decided that my priorties had switched to getting fitter to compete in cycling events as well as triathlons, losing weight was less important but was an added bonus.

No matter what the reason for exercise it has to be better than doing nothing at all! I judge people that are obviously obese, I probably shouldnt but I do!

Have I ever judged someone because of their weight? Yes. Am I especially proud of it? No. However I do find it sad when a person's weight gets in the way of their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Have I ever been taken in by a weightloss sales pitch? Yes. In my early twenties I lost a significant amount of weight through food combining, as marketed by a company which a Google search tells me still exists. Was it sustainable? No.

I was pretty heavy when I started running a few years ago. I think it gave me a real reason to slim down. I wanted to get lighter to improve my running performance. From that point on I got a lot better at regarding diet (aka healthy eating) as a way to sustain my workouts, and to build muscle and strength.

As an aside, am I the only one irritated by Marie Claire magazine patting themselves on the back for featuring an 'unretouched' model on their cover? Is this supposed to make us feel better about ourselves?

I've never actively dieted but I do try to make sure I eat well. Used to go to the gym regularly but mainly because my partner at the time was a PT so if I wanted a ride home then I had to amuse myself while she finished her clients for the day. However since then I've not had the inclination to stick with the gym thing.

Up until mid 20's I managed to stay fairly well in shape without much effort. Since then I've discovered that I actually have to work at it a bit more. Handily I do tend to have an active lifestyle anyway, so I'm not stranger to doing exercise but I do prefer to do it as part of something else instead of just exercise for the sake of it.

So motorsport involves a surprising amount of exercise both in and out of the car but I've also taken up indoor rock climbing. As good as a gym workout but I find it far more enjoyable and challenging. even the normal "everyday" activities such as lawn mowing and renovating the house add significant exercise.

As for judging people, unless you know the full story, it's hardly fair to do so. I've seen one particular guy on the streets around here who is *very* big but I've always seen him walking around the place. To me that says, sure he got big for whatever reason, but he's making the effort now and gets credit for that. And to be honest, over the last year he's lost a significant amount of his size. I'm impressed. :-)

Ann, the Trickster is dead right, please don't get hung up on the BMI as it will do your head in. Like him, the last time I had my BMI checked it reckoned I was only just in the "acceptable" range. To give you some idea of how misleading that is, my weight hovers around the 63-64 kg mark. I'm short, but I'm no midget.

I think the issue may be that most of my exercise comes from cycling, so while my legs have good muscles and low body fat the same can't be said of the rest of me. When my trainer was running the calipers over me for the BMI check, none of the measurements taken were from the legs, they were all from the waist and up.

My criterion for overweight is whether someone in the airline seat next to me spills over into my space. However I do wish those who suffer from excess body fat, as opposed to those with big muscles, would stop blaming their metabolism as they consume their third slice of Black Forest gateau. And possibly AAW you would lose weight if you stopped exercising and building up your muscles; let them shrivel away to nothing. Your back might get better as well.

As regards the male 'Achilles heel' I would have thought most men are insecure over being judged on their penis size (I hope I am allowed to use that word in a family blog). Fortunately I have never had to make this judgement when travelling by air since the said appendage has never invaded my personal space. Perhaps the Eunuch of the Glen may have some thoughts on this.

As for gyms advertising, if Les Mills offered me 40 black eyed virgins in everlasting paradise, I would not join. I find it a very peculiar practice this desire to share with perfect strangers bodily fluids, verrucas and other unspeakable bio-toxins. I suspect that gymnasia are responsible for spreading most of the world's diseases. It would not surprise me to learn that Ebola Fever originated in a gym in down town Auckland rather than in the rain forests of Africa.

BMI is a bit rubbish. Tells me I'm unhealthly thin. I'm not, I'm just 5 foot 6 and I don't have excess fat, due mainly to a very fast metabolism.

To be honest, I used to judge people as lazy, if they were overweight.

But then I met my mother law, who was permanetly tired and fairly overweight. After she couldn't shake the weight, she went to her doctor. Turns out she had a massive tumour growing in her belly. They operated and removed 14 kilos of tumour and parts of organs that had been affected.

So after seeing that, I've become a lot more accepting of overweight people. Health is a gift that can disappear very, very fast, and it often is not your fault at all.