What is the fire that keeps you going?

Nikkilynn32710

because THIS woman in this photo is not the same woman he proposed too and I refused to be bigger than my husband. All the mental arguments with myself over him cheating or leaving. I was tired of it so I fought for it.


and this is who I have become. I'm smaller than I have ever been even in high school and now its like a disease I just want to keep going and going to see what my body is capable of.

Tat2dDom624

First off, i know what the long-term effects will be when i lose the weight. Second, seeing everyone on my FL that are kicking *kitten* in striving for the same goal as i am. THAT really gets me motivated to exercise and stay focused on a daily basis, because i know what i'm capable of doing if i don't continue on with this.

someblackgirl

I want to look good. I want to earn my weekly rewards. I want to wow my hubby even more. I don't wanna end up like my mom with the meds and diabetes and whatnot. and a bunch of other stuff. Lol

Jstash88

Well, I think "choose your hard"....... Being over weight, uncomfortable in your own skin, hiding from cameras and mirrors, nothing in your closet fits hard, or man that was a hard workout, or gosh that was hard passing on those cookies, or it's hard to find filling foods at only 1200 cal a day....... NEITHER ONE IS EASY! They are both HARD, but one of them will give you the life you want and the other will rob you of life..... SO CHOOSE YOUR HARD.

vallemic

The scale.

atsteele

1. How I look (I'm vain)
2. How I feel (man, I feel like poop when I'm slacking off)
3. The hope that I might BQ if I stay on track

missbp

Several things for me.

1) My family, especially my children recognize that this is not a diet for me but a lifestyle. That is the example I wanted to set all along. And I really think my kids now see me a their mom who is healthy, energetic and fit. Not their mom who is on some diet.

2) Cute clothes. That quote ,"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Is true. For me anyway. There is no food that I could eat, that gives me the same charge as walking into my favorite stores, picking out clothes that I like (and not clothes that camouflage), trying them on, and realizing that I look good in them.

3) Confidence. As sad and superficial as it may sound, I know people saw my weight first. All of my best qualities were an afterthought. Now, when I am interacting with people, I feel like they see my intelligence, my humor, my style, and those are the things they notice first.

All of the above is enough to keep my on the path.

Michelle

Nightdust

The little surprises with my body while losing weight. Seeing my collar bones, feeling my ribs, having a smaller booty, catching a glimpse of myself in a reflection.. lots of little things. Craving healthier foods and exercise. Inspiration and encouragement. The way my boyfriend looks at me

sassybellex

for all the pretty dresses in size 6 i have in the wardrobe that is waiting for me.

jscheuf

I want to live a healthy lifestyle so someday when I have kids they will grow up being healthy and not have to struggle with weight like I did.

Above everything else, I think it is soooo important to find someone positive that will show you how far you have come. When I complain b/c my 4 mile run is slow my fiance will point out that less than a year ago I couldn't even run a mile. Not all people will be positive because they are jealous of what you are doing, but finding that person to point out how far you have come is SOOOOOO important!

ninerbuff

For me it's because I like to physically play hard. Whether it's kickboxing, football, running with my kid, nephews, nieces, etc. Also because vanity. I like looking good and being complimented on it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

FITnFIRM4LIFE

It feels GREAT to be FIT and Firm!and Confident. Comfortable in my own skin! Never want to go back to feeling unfit! and self conscious.

Stylie

There are just TOO many things that I want so badly that I can't give up. I love traveling and I want to fit comfortably in an airplane seat! The same goes for roller coaster seats. I am a very outgoing and outdoorsy person. I want to hike and run and climb and bungee jump, skydive, and zipline and a million other things. My personality is made for all of this stuff but currently, my body and my weight is not. The weight and the inches are keeping me from being who I really am and I can't pretend to be the quiet, low key person anymore. I WILL run a half marathon next year in Houston and I WILL climb the Manitou Incline in Colorado and next time I go to Belize I WILL zipline through the jungle instead of just sticking to the cave tubing. When I feel strong, athletic, outgoing and adventurous, it is the best high in the world. Yes, I want good health and to be able to wear cuter outfits but nothing beats this for me. That's why I will never give up. Just thinking about it excites me!

This exactly...well. I am not picking out cute outfits.. hehe...but everything else.. to enjoy life and keep it going!

Missdjslim

It feels good to finally be focused on being healthy..feeling better and looking better.

Walking with spring in my step instead of trudging down the sidewalk. Those positive changes encourage me!

luckypoisonivy

Well, I think "choose your hard"....... Being over weight, uncomfortable in your own skin, hiding from cameras and mirrors, nothing in your closet fits hard, or man that was a hard workout, or gosh that was hard passing on those cookies, or it's hard to find filling foods at only 1200 cal a day....... NEITHER ONE IS EASY! They are both HARD, but one of them will give you the life you want and the other will rob you of life..... SO CHOOSE YOUR HARD.

This is one of the best things I have ever heard.. or read! Thank you. I am going to save this saying and it will be my motivation every time I feel like things are getting too hard and I want to give up. I can controll this. Thank you!

korinastern

The picture of me at my sons wedding seventy pounds ago

mrsgoodwine

Short term - my wedding in October. I want to look good in my dress. Long term - I want to look good, period. :happy:

lcallbaugh

1) I want show my kids how to be healthy in a realistic way. So they are confident about who they are. I don't want them to fall into all of the negative body image issues that are constantly thrown in our faces.

2) I am my own fire. I am in control. I want to be strong. I want to feel confident working out in a sports bra and shorts.....vein, I know.

3) I don't want anything to hold me back from enjoying my amazing family and the life that God has provided me.

emmab_73

I realized one of the motivations I have when I was flying from Chicago to Los Angeles yesterday. I want to be one of the people who you hope sits next to you on the plane rather than one that you pray passes by and sits next to someone else. It's a fine line but, to me, it's such a strong implication of so many different things that I aspire to be.

Wow, this is such a bloody profound thing to say!! You're so right, it's the little things like this that keep you going. Thank you for saying this, it's given me more of a nudge!

supplemama

The fire that keeps me going is my HEALTH. I don't want to die young of preventable diseases if I can help it. I don't want the quality of my life to suffer because of obesity. Being obese scared me so much! I felt like a ticking time bomb. I know if I could get out of obesity, I can get out of now being overweight. I KNOW I can do this!

bluefox9er

To the people who consider themselves succeeding...

What kept/keeps you going when most usually have fallen away, quit and given up? What kept you pushing foward when the scale didnt budge, when you were totally off track and felt like an bottomless garbage can, when your world was falling apart and weight loss didnt seem that important, when you just didnt feel like doing it, when your body was still aching, or when you had those negative little voices in your mind saying what does it matter give up? What is keeping that little ember burning during the long haul, the actual years, and the life time commitment?

my mfp friends are my fuel..I AM the fire.

emmab_73

I am going to be completely honest with you, but the one thing that is driving me hard right now is the thought of my reward once I hit my goal weight...my pair of cherry red, 14 hole Doc Martens. I'm almost 39, and have wanted a pair since I was 13! Of course I want to be healthy, and I want to live a long and happy life. Of course I want to be a positive role model for my kiddles. Of course I want to feel sexy. Those all go without saying. But in my lowest moments, when I feel like crumb and don't want to keep going, it's my Docs that I picture. You just need to find your one thing that is a mental kick in the butt!

samandlucysmum

My weighloss is slow, but my success is in that I am still trying, and getting better every day, what keeps me going is my end goal of being a 'normal' weight and size and fitness.
My friends are also a great support to me.

kimad

Even after 84lbs lost I still have my struggles, my bad days, my cravings, etc. but I refuse to be fat again.
The internal changes this weight loss have brought me are so positive that I can't go back where I came from.

I realize for me that this will always be a battle, even at my goal weight I have to maintain all I have done to lose the weight or I will be back at square one. That lights a fire under my *kitten* becuase I can see how quickly weight can be put back on.

I will have to log and count calories for life, but the happiness the weight loss has brought me is well worth the work.
Also, the feeling after one exercises is awesome.

nygrl4evr

I wanted to look good in my wedding dress this past May - check (i was estatic with how I looked!)
I was able to buy my first bikini while on my honeymoon, have not worn one in years and years
The look on my new husband's face when I put on the bikini, I weighed less on my honeymoon then I did when we met. - check!
Wanting to be healthier and happier with how I look, hoping that my stepping up to the plate to take control of my life will encourage my college age daughter to do the same. She lost a whole bunch of weight but then gained it all back. I am hoping that this time by me doing it first it will encourage her to do the same and keep it off this time too :happy:
My wedding dress designer sent me a beautiful slinky black beaded dress for free. When I tried it on after the wedding it fit and I thought it was impossible that I would ever wear that size but I do notice that I could stand to get my backside a little smaller and my tummy a little flatter for it to look perfect on me. I am hoping to reach my goal weight before October so that I can wear it with confidence to my cousin's wedding!!
After that I think just never going back to how sad I was when I was at my heaviest will help me keep from ever going back there again.

Lexieberry

For me, it's my son. He motivates me everyday to be a healthier and happier person. I can't be the mom I want to be if I am miserable and down about my weight...

Lift_This_

This responce may make me sound shallow and superficial. After a few LTR's and a few failed relationships when I was at my heaviest, now that I am healthier and in my eyes prettier I am looking for a husband and I want to have babies. My most recent ex and I tried to have babies but it wasn't in the cards at the time. I am the last of my friends to still be single and childless, its time to do both.

So finding that man and making babies are my fire to keep me going.

jcstanton

To the people who consider themselves succeeding...

What kept/keeps you going when most usually have fallen away, quit and given up? What kept you pushing foward when the scale didnt budge, when you were totally off track and felt like an bottomless garbage can, when your world was falling apart and weight loss didnt seem that important, when you just didnt feel like doing it, when your body was still aching, or when you had those negative little voices in your mind saying what does it matter give up? What is keeping that little ember burning during the long haul, the actual years, and the life time commitment?

I take out my "before" pictures to remind me of how miserable I was 50lbs ago, and I tell myself that if I give in to the temptation to throw up my hands a quit fighting, I'm going to find myself right back there. I think of everything I am able to do now that I wasn't able to do then. I think of all the things I want to do in the future. I know that any difficulty I experience during the process will absolutely be worth it when I reach my goal, and I will be stronger for having gone through it. Do I have alot of weight to lose? Absolutely...110lbs more, to be exact. However, I have far more to lose if I give up on myself.

gshoemaker06

Being in college. Honestly, people are young and in shape, plus they have spare time (Ohio State). In my hometown I thought I was at least average, especially around my brother and dad.

Also, I got way into rock climbing. Any extra fat is just weighing you down!

zestyzaftig

The fuel for my fire is pure defiance.

I refuse to be "one of those people" who has given up on trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle just because they have serious medical issues. I recognize that even if/when I get sick enough to not have the ability to exercise, I can still choose to eat right. And when I'm not sick, I can always start an exercise regime again. Although I'm new to MFP, this has been my perspective for 2 years.

A more recent element to 'the fire' is recognizing my own self-destructive tendencies, particularly regarding alcoholic beverages. It isn't so much the quantity or frequency of drinking that hurt me, but the fact I consumed at all: I have Crohn's, and although a beer or two helps greatly with some of the discomfort I experience from the disease, it ultimately has a very negative impact on my overall health. From a diet perspective, the extra calories sure don't help either.

Also, I refuse to be like my parents. They didn't have a fraction of the challenges I do, yet they always gave up on a weight loss regime 1-2 weeks after starting it because "it's too hard!". It disgusts me that they had the opportunity to really enjoy life, but played victim to their own unhealthy lifestyle- a lifestyle that was their CHOICE.