So what motivates you?

[Mrs_Beastman]

I have 547 days until my high school reunion. I was the fat girl all though high school. Really would be nice to look good for the reunion.

[Longhorn]

1. It helps me to have something in a smaller size that I want to wear.

I'm also inspired by hearing other people's success stories. I get this "I can do this" feeling and it makes me want to stick to my guns.

Wow, nothing like planning ahead, Mrs. B! I've now been to a 10th, 20th, and 30th reunion and believe me, if you're thinner than you were in high school, you'll be the exception! Won't that feel great? :D

[Mrs_Beastman]

5. Well, as I said before

I want to do this right this time, which means slow and a diet I can live with for the rest of my life. I have a track record of losing and then just gaining it back.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

2. That would be as good of a reason as you could get.

My son's wedding is what motivated me. Every time I didn't want to walk, every time I wanted that fattening dish, I would ask myself, Do I want to show up looking like the middle aged matron I am, or do I want to look reasonably nice.

Not only did I lose weight, I got a bleach job, worked on my cellulite, buffed my legs, had a manicure, got a do, whitened my teeth, etc. etc. It really made me feel good about myself, like I was finally taking charge.

best

[Mrs_Beastman]

6. Congrats!

Isn't it so much more fun to shop for cloths when you feel good? I miss that.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

8. clothes shopping was a blast!

I found some really upscale consignment shops. At least 1/3 of the clothes still have the price tags on. These were all designer stuff in perfect condition.

Now, I've porked back up again & won't even go shopping. I'm not at my highest, but will soon get there if I don't watch out. I need another event to focus on.

best

[Mrs_Beastman]

10. I agree

When I am overweight, cloths do not fit well. I refuse to buy cloths if they are not flattering. Not to brag, but under my weight I've gained in the last two years, I have a nice figure. Clothes off the rack fit well. And I just hate how they fit when I have extra weight. No fun to shop.

Well, good luck! hopefully we will be shopping soon!

[MuseRider]

7. Now that

must have made you feel like a million bucks! I guess that is something to think about having 2 sons 19 and 21.

I HATE feeling like a middle aged matron. I don't mind being one but I sure do not want to feel like one. My hair is cool, my glasses are cool, my attitude is cool but my body is looking worse for the wear. I think you may have just encouraged me a whole lot! Thanks. It was knowing how good that must have felt and how proud you must have been that makes me want to get on the ball.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

9. Hubby said I was the best looking broad there! LOL n/t

[Dastard Stepchild]

3. Planning on trying to have a child this fall....

really want to lose the 20 lbs and be at a more healthy weight for myself before gaining any additional pregnancy weight.

[Mrs_Beastman]

4. That's a good reason, too

good luck

[Arugula Latte]

11. I turn 40 in seven months.

It would be great to feel slightly slimmer and more in shape on my birthday.

[MissHoneychurch]

12. My bf comes back in September

I want to lose up to 10 pounds till then. And the summer is here and I want to look good in my dresses and skirts.

[MissMillie]

13. I want my surgery to have been worth it

I did not do this to myself for nothing. I want to succeed.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. The biggest thing that motivates me is my mirror! I have a full-length

one in my closet, and when I see my ugly, fat body, I want to scream and throw up! Especially the belly...That motivates me the most. The political scene in our country comes next; I want to live a very long time so I can help turn things around. Our new home, and my grandson also motivate me...Plus I like having lots of energy and losing weight and getting fit help me have more energy.

[Mrs_Beastman]

16. ugh!

I understand that. The doors at my work have a mirror like tint on them. I get to see myself walk into to work every morning...a harsh reality.:scared:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Try it at home without clothing! EEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!

When I cover myself with clothing, everything looks much better...Trust me on this...It's foolproof.

[seemunkee]

15. Family gathering for a Bar Mitzvah end of June

A suit can cover flaws but the BBQ afterwards is going to show. My taller brother has lost a lot and weighs less than I do. I don't care that he is lighter because I know I'm stronger, just don't want to look too heavy.

[lavenderdiva]

18. what if you have trouble finding something to motivate you..

and that's part of the problem with sustaining any program at all? That's sort of where I find myself lately. I WANT to be motivated and disciplined and all that, but can't seem to find it within myself consistently.

[VelmaD]

19. The 3 mirrors in my bathroom

I have to really see myself naked from every angle when I get in and out of the shower every day. :)

That and the picture on my driver's license from 4 years ago that I keep to remind myself exactly what the difference between a size 22 and a size 6 is. :)

[shanti]

20. my health

i turn 50 in november, and if that's not a milestone, i dunno what is! in the past 5 years or so, little aches, pains, and annoyances have been cropping up tho. many of them are probably connected to my weight. i've never ever dieted or had a weight problem before, but at 5'8" and at least 200 pounds, it's time for a change! the pounds just seem to be creeping up on me, probably has something to do with approaching the big "M" too. i've stopped drinking any alcohol or sodas of any kind. pure poison. now, it's just water or anything that's not sweetened with HFCS (i have become a huge label reader!)

[loudestchick]

21. Being a college student...again! All those fit 19 yr olds...arrrggghhh!

[Systematic Chaos]

22. I've already listed a lot of reasons here

But the one that matters most is the simple truth that if I don't get myself in shape and get my weight down it's highly unlikely I'll live much past 40, and I'm now 36. There are lots of other reasons, but I won't get into all of that again here.

[Droopy]

23. My health and my vanity

I don't want to have diabetes or high blood pressure or any other of the many diseases and illnesses that are associated with being obese.

And I want to look studly.

[cleanheart.396]

24. What motivates me.

The first reason I'm motivated is that my eating disorder was a monkey on my back, and I liked it less and less that it had so much to say about what I did, when I did it, how I did it, and even if I did it. I planned my days, nights, my outings by what I was going to eat, and my life became no bigger than a prison cell until I realized that my shame had built my jail, put me in it, and locked me in. In order to get out I had to deal with the events that shamed me, and even realize that to a large degree my shame was self-imposed, something I needed to stand between me and the outside world, between me and other people, because I just didn't know how to love, and didn't know how to let myself be loved; I didn't even know what love was, and wouldn't have known it if it had came and stood in front of me with a loud speaker and a video cam.

It took many many episodes of yo-yo dieting for me to not only realize these things, but to accept them. For a long time, I just could not believe that I was unconsciously trying to kill myself, that I really, truly, did not wish to live, and that my whole life had been a journey to wards either life, or death, and not necessarily in that order. Though overeating was my only substance addiction, I had many behavioral addictions, so that death could have come from either one of several destructive behaviors. But be that as it may, death would only have been a formality, almost anti-climactic. To avoid that death, I had to face each addiction the same way I had to face my overeating. I had to research them all, and I had to change.

What keeps me motivated? My coming alive, being reborn, my real self fighting its way out from the insanity I had created. An insanity that decreased little by little over many years. Thirty, to be exact.
Today, whenever I feel that old depression coming back, that old hopelessness, that old urge to be irresponsible with my life___no matter how painful it is___sooner or later I bite the bullet, and look at myself squarely and honestly. I have to. I have to because I want to live. Because I know now that everything I ever went through was worth it if it means that I know myself a little better everyday, that me and my soul are communicating and working things out; and that everyday I'm more in sync with a universe which provides an ecosystem that only needs our commitment to love ourselves and each other (which is what it will take for us to respect and love it)for it to get better, and continue to take care of us.

Today, I'm motivated because I know what I have__both in me, and around me. I know today how truly fortunate I am to have found my true self, because then I found my true sight. Now I can really see, and with a clarity I never had before, because it's reinforced by all the things I now allow myself to feel. Together, my feeling, and my sight allowed me to make better decisions about my life. and those that share my life, than I was ever able to make before. I know that if I start to cover up my feelings with my fat, and all the other things I used, I'll lose it all; and having never had so much light, so much depth, in my life before, losing it would be like a death I could never have imagined, even during the most terrifying moment of my existence.