I'm here lacking motivation, as well. If you figure out a solution please pass it on. haha! If only it were that simple, right???

I feel ya' 100%. In the past month I've lost about 5 pounds and 6 1/2 inches. Although I'm not aiming for a specific number on the scale, I probably need to lose about 5 more to get to my ideal look. I'm really starting to like the way my arms look and my abs are showing through now, but my damn thighs are still not where I want them. Because I am SO close and can fit in my jeans again, it has been very tempting to eat dessert and drink alcohol. When I think about baking a huge batch of cookies or want drinks after work, I remember my thighs - oh my lovely thighs and how they are the last to lose, and every cookie or drink I do consume will go straight to them, stalling the progress and delaying the time until I feel 100% confident in my bikini.

Another way to combat this mentality is to start focusing on fitness goals. Let's take running for an example. Start by running a mile and timing yourself. Then set a goal to improve your time by say, 1 minute. Once you reach that goal, set another goal to reduce your time by 30 seconds. By continually pushing yourself harder in your workouts you'll be able to burn through those last few pounds even faster. It doesn't have to be running obviously, another idea is a burpee challenge where you do 50 burpees everyday for a month. I get the sense that you may be competitive (like me), and there is nothing better than being in a competition with yourself. When you're competing with yourself, no one can hold you back, only you. Don't hold yourself back. I frequently run the same trail near my house and every time I try and push myself harder and faster. I get a rush when I get back home and realize I cut two minutes off my time, AND burned an extra 50 cals. Another approach would be to assign points to your workouts (i.e. 10 points for a Jillian MIchael's DVD, 15 points for 30 minutes jogging, etc.) and push yourself to earn more points every week. This method works very well for groups also because of the competition aspect. We did it at my job and every time I heard some bragging about their points, and made me want to earn more just so I could say that I did.

I like to think I'm not just doing this to look hot in a bikini, but also because I want to be a bad *kitten* warrior princess who can run fast, jump high, lift heavy things and have awesome endurance. By achieving those things, the hot body will come naturally. The other thing I think about is the fact that I've been here before. I got fat(ish) my junior year of college then lost it all and looked better than I ever had in my whole life. Over the course of two years I gained it all back and when I joined MFP back in November, I was very unhappy and disappointed with myself. I don't want to do it a third time, so that's why I'm more determined this time to build lifelong fitness and healthy eating habits. Learn from my mistake and when you feel lazy say to yourself, "do I really want to have to do this all over again in two years?"