So…without further ado…here is my list…in no particular order.

In hindsight, I can usually tell when something on my to-do-list was very important by noting how much I procrastinate getting it done. And so it is with listing my reasons for wanting to establish a healthy weight. So…without further ado…here is my list…in no particular order.
• Underneath all of my extra weight is the real me, and unless you’ve known me for longer than 15 years, you and I have never really met. I’m looking forward meeting you…and I’m especially looking forward to introducing my real-self to my future wife.
• I want to run and not be weary, I want to walk and not faint. When you’re over weight, every step is hard labor. You dread far away parking places, especially if you’re going to a ball game or something with a group because you can’t keep up with everyone as they hurry to their seats.
• I want to be able to hike and hunt like I used to. Few people love the mountains more than me but I can’t truly experience them the way I’d like when I’m confined to staying close to the truck.
• I enjoy spending time with horses more than I do spending time with most people. I can still ride, but not in any of the challenging places, and I can’t mount and dismount without something to stand on. Very sad, and not very practical if you’re riding in flat places.
• I want the physical strength and stamina to help in an emergency. Right now I worry that if I came upon a bad car wreck or if there was a natural disaster or even a lost child in the mountains, I would not be physically able to help. What a tragedy it would be if I had to stand idly by and watch someone suffer because I did not have the power to help them.
• I want to make eye contact when I meet new people and not see them sneaking a peak at my huge gut before looking into my eyes again. It happens every time and I’m not just imagining things.
• I want to be at my highest level of self confidence. I’m a pretty confident person, but the real me is even more so. Right now, I’m holding back and I don’t want to be that way anymore.
• I’m tired of worrying about my health. I’ve been lucky so far to not have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, but all of those things are in my near future if I don’t change. I worry about the cost of healthcare but if I can get healthy, at least I won’t have to worry about obesity related health problems.
• I want to live long enough to fulfill whatever purposes God put me on this earth to fulfill. He lent me this body as a gift, and I have not been taking proper care of it. If a rich uncle lent me an expensive sports car, I would not dare treat it as poorly as I treat my body and yet a healthy body is far more valuable than any car in the world. One day I will have to account to God for how I’ve treated my body and if it’s worn out, I want it to be in his service.
Whew. Well, that’s about it for now. There are more reasons, perhaps dozens more, but I can feel that this little mental exercise has already been good for me. Within the next day of two I’ll post a few paragraphs on how I see my life once I’ve accomplished my goals.
Good luck with your goals as well and whatever you do…don’t give up on them.