What do you think about when you feel like giving up?

I look at my daughter. I can watch her in the daycare at the gym while I workout. It is amazing how you can finish those last five minutes as hard as the first five minutes when you think about what is really important.

All I have to think about is this:



The fact I can wear a MEDIUM-sized Catwoman costume!

There's also the fact I'm wearing SIZE 10 and MEDIUM clothes instead of SIZE 16 and XL to 2X!

The holidays are approaching, but I know what to do in terms of being able to enjoy the holidays without overdoing it in food.

I was also diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in January this year, which was the kick in the rear end I needed to get into better health in the first place.

I know as long as I continue what I'm doing, I will NEVER give up.

I think of how far I've come and my final goal. I'm over half way there. 45 pounds gone and 30 left so I keep that in mind.

I don't struggle really, but I'm motivated by looking good and being healthy. my BMI was 26 and i was looking a bit podgy and I didn't / dont want to just let everything slide and wake up in my mid thirties obese.

my eating habits before were bad. like my hair falling out bad. like eating a jar of peanut butter or 3 packs of cookies or 2 bags of candy instead of eating bad.

I didn't realise how bad my eating habits were before until recently.

one thing that helped a lot, I saw a tv show where they were talking about junk food like cookies, candy, chocolate and explained that those types of food are empty calories, they dont give you anything to fuel your body from eating them. you are supposed to fuel your body. you are doing yourself a disservice by eating bad foods if you are trying to change your habits, and you gain nothing from it, infact by doing that you are taking away something from your body. good nutrition.

At 49 and partially disabled, the weight just doesn't come off like it did 10 years ago. My health is now the number one focus in my life. I had to get completely real with myself with the question of "how bad do I want this?" Do I want it badly enough to stick to my food plan 100% EVERY day, and know that I will have to do this for the rest of my life? Do I want it badly enough to get my butt on that bike EVERY day, pushing faster and longer, hoping and praying I don't cause a major flare up that will knock me down for days? And to do all this while barely averaging over a pound per week, knowing I still have almost 60 pounds to go? And to see younger women and men making it look so much easier?

During the times that several days or even a week go by without a single ounce lost, I am tempted to go on a pity party and just say forget it, it is not worth it.

But then I think about where I would be ia few years down the road if I don't get this weight off now.

I remember how my Mom looked in June, in her last few weeks of dying from the effects of Diabetes. I remember the long 3 years she spent on dialysis after her kidneys failed. Battling bladder cancer Her being gutted like a pig to remove a dead kidney because the cancer had spread to it. Her bouts of pneumonia due to the damage to her lungs from the diabetes. The strokes she had 2 months before her death that left her partially paralyzed and mentally confused and scared. The fear in her eyes before her pacemaker surgery.

But most of all, I remember the hopelessness she felt when she realized this was the end. And the regret that she didn't do something about her health until it was too late.

She died 4 weeks before my first grandchild was born.

THIS is what pulls me out of my pity party. I will not make my husband and children watch me slowly kill myself. I love them too much.

I have set myself a goal of loosing my 18lb by Christmas (or January 1st, 2013) This keeps me motivated because I really want to meet this goal.

Being able to fit into clothes I used to wear 10 years ago is so amazing for motivation, I can't believe I didn't do this years ago. I used to believe that my body is just ruined from having kids.. but working out is doing wonders for me. I love how I don't carry an extra 9lb everywhere! I have so much more energy without my 9lb of fat holding me back. I wonder what it will be like with all of the extra weight gone.. I'll be like a kid again Running like the wind.. I can't wait!!

I've given up so many times in the past it's ridiculous....diet after diet. But finally something clicked and I stuck with it...so far down 43lbs is absolutely mind blowing to me....

When I thinking about giving up, I think about:
-how my body will looking so good further down the road
-the possible relationships I could acquire after losing all this weight
-I think I'm running a marathon in May and well that will be rally hard if I give up
-my brother that I lost 10 years ago suddenly....he knew me as the little fat brother all my life, hopefully he is watching down upon what I am trying to become
-being able to go into stores like H&M, American Eagle, and them have jeans that fit (they never carry over 36)

My poor knees! I lost 35 lbs and the knee pain went away, recently gained back 10 and oh my do my knees feel that =( I'm so sorry knees.

The awesome feeling of jean shopping this summer when I went from size 28 to 22. I had still been wearing 28's and they were baggy, so thought I'd go down to a 26. Those were loose, my mom went in search of a 24 and couldn't find one, brought me a 22 and I was like.... riiiiiiiight. I can't wait to have this feeling again with 20s, 18s, 16s...

And omg what terra32903 said! =D