The "I want..." List

I suspect everyone trying to lose weight may have one of these - an "I want..." list. It's a list of things you want to do, to have, to feel - your reasons for losing weight really, any statement which you can start with the words "I want".

Most likely a lot of people have a mental list of one or two things they carry around in their heads the whole time: "I want to be size 10" or "I want to fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans" or "I want to be able to run up the stairs and not be out of breath" or "I want to get back to the weight I was when I got married" - there are so, so many reasons to lose weight and they are different for everybody. No reason is any more or less valid than any other.

I know that I have many, many good reasons to lose weight - it seems that every single day I think of half a dozen new ones.

I've decided to make an actual list rather than just trying to remember all my reasons - if I have them in one place then I can come back to the list and keep reminding myself of them. As I think of new ones, I'll come back to the list here and update it. Even better would be able to come back to the list and tick things off as I achieve them.

So, here it is:

MY "I WANT..." LIST

1. To buy clothes from any shop on the High Street instead of being limited to places that offer "plus size" ranges.
2. To not be too hot all the time, even in winter.
3. To be able to wear makeup (without it sliding off because I'm sweating).
4. To enjoy the summer instead of dreading the heat.
5. To be able to fit into any item of clothing labelled "one size fits all".
6. To wear a bra which isn't either baggy or cutting in so much that it draws blood/leaves bruises.
7. To have a bath with all of me under the water.
8. To sit with my legs crossed without it hurting.
9. To sit on my husband's lap.
10. To wear a bikini for the first time in my life.
11. To be able to ride a horse again.
12. Clothes shopping to be a pleasure, not an ordeal.
13. To run up the 4 flights of stairs at work, not take the lift instead.
14. To wear high heels without being in agony.
15. To be able to paint my own toenails.
16. To simply not feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

The list is subject to change at no notice, but it's a good start.