There is no silver bullet or magic pill - it takes work

Great post - deserves to be kept bumping up - or made into a sticky!

We are all motivated by different things.

For me... it's wanting to be treated better by people. I have a book of nasty comments sent my way from strangers and "friends" alike, and that has become like rocket fuel. I started in July at 242 lbs needing to get down to 205 lbs. Today I'm 220 lbs. I'm no more less motivated than I was in July when I started running again. I got up to running 10 miles at the end of fall. Not bad for a fat guy

So why are you wanting to lose weight? How important is it to you? No one else can hand you motivation, it's gotta be in your heart or not. There comes a point where the excuses end and the action begins, and you have to find that road. We all have it in us to achieve greatness, but greatness doesn't just happen.

For me, the work isn't physical, it's mental and emotional. Sweating, working out, that's all easy for me. It's not even hard for me to eat healthfully in general. It's just the extras that creep in. So for me, just logging my food is a major thing. I am no longer buying into the no-pain, no-gain (loss) concept. It's all common sense; do what works.

Creeping calories are what have gotten me...I don't chow down at McDonald's. I don't eat seconds and thirds at mealtimes. No, it's more the snacking of seemingly low-calorie treats here and there. A candy bar when I want something sweet. A soda a few times a week. It's the idea that I wasn't paying attention. So maybe for some of us, the journey is about mindfulness and not necessarily knocking ourselves out with exercise.

Harsh title but I felt it is needed. Perhaps its that this is the time of year when people decide to be healthier because it's magically a new year, but it frustrates me to watch a truckload of people show up with unrealistic expectations and then give up a week later.

So here's the thing... you want to lose weight? You want to get in shape? You want to look better? Here are some realistic expectations for you:

1) there is no silver bullet or magic diet that will allow you to shed pounds while doing nothing. Sorry. It doesn't exist. And the lazy road is what got us to where we are now. So its time to get OFF of that road.

2) You didn't gain all of your weight in a month, why do you expect you're going to lose it in a month?

3) Excuses are the paving stones to unhappiness and being out of shape. Coddling yourself will get you no where. You are here because you want to lose weight and get in shape? Time to get on the road to do so. Warning: that road is paved with blood, sweat, and tears. Are you ready?

What is realistic? It depends on your body. If you are largely overweight you will lose quickly at first and then slow down as your body "catches up".

This whole starvation craze? Garbage. Utter garbage. You are hurting yourself trying to get fast results. Would you swallow drain cleaner? Eat poison? No? Why not? Starving yourself is like that, it just takes longer to kill you.

If you want to lose weight, you need to workout. That doesn't mean you have to be working out at the level of elite athletes. You have to start somewhere. Walking is a great place to start. Strength training is vital. You need to-get-up-off-your-butt-and-sweat.

SWEAT.

SWEAT MORE.

Does it hurt? Yes. Is it uncomfortable? Absolutely. Does it suck? At first. You start to develop a craving for physical activity after a while. Your body thanks you. Dieting by itself is not enough for most people, and starving yourself because you think you are going to lose quickly so you can go back to your bad habits is not only destructive, but POINTLESS as you will just gain the weight back and then some.

Lifestyle change. If you aren't ready for it, truly ready to change your habits, you will frustrate yourself with failure. You can't diet and exercise for a couple months and then go back to what got you fat in the first place.

Do you want things real or candy coated?

Losing weight and getting in shape takes time. It takes effort. It takes more than trying to trick your body because your body will win every single time.

You must sweat. A lot. You must feel the burn. A lot. You have to want to not be fat more than you want to lay around and eat poorly. So here it is. How bad do you want it? Show yourself how bad you want it. Be realistic.

The road to fitness is not an easy one If it were, nobody would be fat. Tempered through fire the strongest steel is, and the fire here is measured by the blood, sweat, and tears you shed along this road.

If you are ready, get on that road and begin your journey. Temper your steel through the fires of your willpower.