I'd love to hike that trail, I've had that goal for a couple of years. I'm in decent shape, but I don't know if at this weight I wouldn't have too hard a time. That IS great incentive for me to buckle down.

dying is scary, but other scenarios are scary too, maybe scarier for me, like serious health problems

Something just clicked with me. My 18 year marriage recently (7 months ago) ended and though my weight had yo-yo'd during the course of my marriage, I was heavier more than not. I was thin when I got married. So why did I gain so much weight if I was happily married I wondered? I wasn't, that's why. Now that I have had some distance from the marriage, and from the divorce process and have been able to think I have realized several things. My ex was verbally abusive and I believe I put on weight to shield myself, like a protective barrier. He was my enemy and food was my friend.

I always thought I was a bad person and deserved to be big. I realize now that I am, in fact, a terrific person and deserve to look that way as well. I deserve to attract the kind of guy who will respect me, because I respect myself. Who will boost my self confidence because for the first time I have found some.

I was sick of feeling 'blah' and 'bloated' all the time.

Along the way I've discovered the fitter and healthier I am, the happier it makes me, the more energy I have, and with that comes a better quality of life in general.

It's also much easier to appreciate and look after myself if I feel good about me and where I'm at.

Plus I want to be 'fierce' not 'just fine'. :)

I want to feel healthy as well as look healthy. I want to live a long and prosperous life. I feel that if I continued on the path I was that it was imminent I would end up with heart disease, diabetes, or in worse case death.