If you feel like you're ready to give up, please read this.

Hi there.

I won't claim to know you, or your goals, or what brought you to MFP. I won't claim to know what's best for you, though if any of you reading this have questions you don't feel comfortable asking on the main forums, please send me a message and I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability or refer you to a source that can.

I'm not claiming to be an expert-- I'm actually just now pulling myself out of nearly a 3-week slump. I wasn't working out, stopped logging my food, started eating more and more, and what I did eat was terrible choices like fast food and way too much sugar. It's not that those foods are terrible in and of themselves, but I was indulging far too much in far too few food groups, instead of a balanced and healthy diet. I felt bloated, depressed, and ready to just give up and go back to the life I had before I started getting serious about losing weight. My size 18 jeans were getting tight again, and my size 20 jeans, that I was getting almost too small for, began to fit a bit too comfortably again.

And then it hit me--

Going back to my old eating habits would mean going back to my old size. I'd already put 5 pounds back on, and if I didn't stop soon I'd undo all the hard work I'd been doing since last September. I'd go back to having less energy, more stomach and intestinal upset, more problems sleeping and staying asleep, more problems with moodiness and anger, and more problems with my self-esteem.

And I did NOT want to let that happen.

So if you're reading this, ready to throw in the towel because you're frustrated, you can't seem to meet your goals, or you feel like at any moment you're just going to slip backwards and give up on this whole thing... think about how far you've already come. Even if you've just started here, think about the motivation it took to even make an account here and make the decision to get healthy, even if it's a harder one than you thought it would be. And if you've already lost weight, think about how horrible it would be to put that weight back on knowing how hard it was to lose it in the first place!!

Your body deserves to be treated with respect... if you do, it will make you happy. Happier than anyone else can make you, because this is something that is selfish in the best way-- it is created by YOU to benefit YOU! If you make good decisions, the effects of those decisions will last the rest of your life. The same can be said for bad decisions. So are you going to give up on yourself?! Give yourself some credit! You are stronger than you think. You are stronger than ANYONE thinks. And you are capable of ANYTHING you set your mind to, no matter how impossible it may seem.

You know what it takes. You know how to set small, achievable goals for yourself... and if you are shaking your head "no" to that part, then at least you know that you need to seek more knowledge on how to set achievable goals. You know the tools you need to succeed, you just need to place them in front of you, not keep them hidden away. You know the excuses you've been making for yourself... and you know they're bull****. Everyone has problems, and yours may be really, really tough right now... but this is your life!! There will NEVER be an easy or convenient time for you to get healthy, because life will always get in the way. You have to put yourself FIRST. Your physical (and mental) health should be the #1 priority in your life, above your SO, above your job, above your children-- because if you can't take care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone, or anything, else?

This is getting really long, so I will end with this: No matter how frustrating these changes in your life seem, you will look back on them one day and be so glad that you did it. Even if it didn't work out and you had to completely change your routine, your diet, your exercise patterns, etc... at least you had the courage to try and fail and NOT give up, but to try again from a different angle. Nothing is going to be easy, and nothing is going to magically happen overnight. Have patience, have trust in your body and what you are capable of, and NEVER GIVE UP!!