What motivates me the most is that I am going back to work at the end of April and I want to shed my pregnancy weight...I think I will still be 20 lbs to my pre-pregnancy weight when I go back, but that's better than 50+ pounds overweight. I want to look good in a suit again and I want to shop at a regular size store again...Ever since I started my weight loss journey, I keep thinking that there is no other option for me but to lose weight. My mom has been overweight and obese at times her whole life and I do not want to live my life like that...even when she was 30, my mom seemed older to me because of her weight and lifestyle...I want to be healthy again. For me, long term burdens of weight gain bring depressing and ANXIETY and I am more scared of depression and anxiety than of being hungry a little bit

So I have made some goals for myself (I am going to do everything I can to achieve them and even if I don't achieve them by the goal date, I will keep going and going, and going until I do! That's a promise to myself!)

End of January lose 15 lbs
February 14 Valentine's Day reach 225 lbs
April 24th-March for Babies Walk 5K
End of April/May Day-reach onederland-199.9 lbs
July 15 (my birthday) reach 175 lbs goal weight

What motivates you? How did you choose your mini goals? One lesson that I have learned so far is to make my mini goals really small so that they can be achieved faster-like lose 5 lbs instead of a big goal (like lose 25 lbs).

Thanks for reading!

I can relate to a lot of what you are staying .... and I am scared of the depression or the anxiety it could bring ....

I felt really awful at the Xmas funcions at my daughters' schools .... I really want to go to next years' functions feeling good about my healthy lifestyle and weight ... so that is moitivating me at the moment ....

They look great goals ..... maybe I should start thinking about some shorter term goals .... you are well on your way tot he first goal ....

I see your weight in kg. I want to be around 80 kg or 175-6 lbs! I miss the metric system, here in the US, everything is 2x the number..1kg=2.2 lbs

Yep .... we do tend to use the metric system in New Zealand ... kilograms kilometres, litres particularly ... however strangely most people do refer to thEir height in feet and inches and not in centimetres ....

I've also noticed my English friends here in New Zealand ... tend to use stones and pounds when referring to their weight rather than straight out pounds which i think americans must .... ??

Pounds or klilograms ..... still all excess weight to lose .... !!

Take care ....

my motivation is to be healthy. i hesitated to put a goal weight in here because i don't rely on the numbers.. for me its more of a feeling. i want to be able to get clothing in normal sizes. i want to make the changes to *NOT* become diabetic as i age as well as reduce the weight factor for HBP, stroke, and other heart related maladies. i've also seen my mother struggle with her weight in all my living years and i just don't want that life for me.

My motivation is just to be a better mother for my daughters. I see other moms running around and playing with their kids....and I want to be able to do that.

I'm also going to my sister's college graduation in June. I'll be seeing a lot of people that I haven't seen in a few years, and in those few years I've gained about 75+ pounds (between getting married and having 2 children). 5 months to go! Hoping to lose about 50 lbs. between now and then. And then it will be summer and I really want to take my kids to the pool without feeling ashamed.

Those are a few of my motivations to losing weight and getting healthier!

What motivates me?

Wow- lots of stuff, really. I love a good challenge, but the most important for me is the desire to look and feel good and healthy. I've never been able to feel that way. I've struggled with food all my life and I've always chosen to eat cr.a.p rather good stuff, no matter how many times my mother tried to shove vegetables and fruits and a generally healthy diet down my throat. My dad, OTOH, loves eating and the higher fat it has, the better it tastes.

I want to be able to push myself to the absolute limit of exhaustion and still want to do more. I want to show my family that I can lose weight and I'm not a fat slob. I want to feel sexy when I'm around DH. And now that we have a motorcycle, I want to look real good in leathers.

HMS: I'm American but have had to adapt to the metric system; I'm more comfortable in metric than US units. They make much more sense.

Not having high blood pressure motivates me. I simply cannot go through the facial numbness, the water retention, the migraines (I've wanted to kill myself on several occasions), the ER...I just don't want to go back there. I'm at a point in my life where I'm addicted to being healthy and fit. It's like it's a part of me now. My motivation comes from now, me living a better quality of life. It feels very good and I can't imagine living any other way again.

I'm currently motivated by horror of seeing ex-boyfriends.

I'm presenting at a far-away conference next summer, where it will be *very* warm (so no hiding in a bulky sweater!). I will almost certainly see my ex from 12 years ago when I was young, fit and not sleep deprived.

So while I'm motivated by lots of more important things like health, being a good role model for my children etc, it is the thought of seeing him that never fails to get my butt off the couch or my hand out of the fridge.

B.

I actually wrote a list on my 3FC blog but here are some of the highlights
(re-reading them from time to time motivates me to focus)

@ I don’t want to waste the rest of my twenties hiding in the shadows.. holding the camera… untagging Facebook pictures… avoiding reality… I want to LIVE

@I want to take control of my life again. I want to feel empowered, confident, and full of life. I hate feeling helpless and disgusting. I want to be proud of myself.

Superficial reasons that I too share

@ I want to shock the disbelievers and the haters who made me upset with their snide remarks and backstabbing. I want them to eat their own words and be jealous of how HOT I LOOK.

Hmmm...health first and foremost, and I include mental as well as physical health.

Family...the two young, active boys need a mother who can move a little better/faster than I can for longer periods.

And pure selfishness. It is a way that I can legitimately, without guilt and with satisfaction, spend time on myself every single day.

This is kind of an aside, I guess... I was really shocked not long ago when I looked in the mirror and realized that I *don't* look in the mirror beyond making sure that my hair is neat and I don't have any dirt smudges on my nose. My clothes are the last to be washed, my room the one that gets cleaned least, etc. I realized that I couldn't squeeze ANY time in to go to a gym - they are closed in the hours early enough for me to attend and I have homework/chores/dinner etc every school night. Middle age hit me right between the eyes that day.

Sadly, what motivates me most is also what makes be backslide. I need to be here for my children. I'm a stay-at-home mom to 3, and the oldest has Asperger's Syndrome (high-functioning autism for those who don't know what it is). I can't die - I have to be here for him. I am the constant in his life that he needs right now. Without me, he may never recover. But he is also one of the triggers that makes me overeat. Every time he has a bad day at school, or I get depressed, stressed out or hopeless - I reach for food. My elliptical is on it's way now - hopefully I'll be able to change my behavior so that I will exercise when stressed.

What motivates me?

Health. My mother has fibro, spinal stenosis, arthritis in her hips, etc. HER mother has horrible arthritis. On my dad's side, heart disease is rampant and my Dad died at 57 (I was 22) from lung cancer.

We have 4 children and I want grand kids! I want to be able to run around with them and KEEP UP!

Since quitting smoking in 2005, I have run a 5k, 10k and a Half Marathon. Next on the list is a full Marathon, then a Triathlon before I turn 40.

I DON'T want to have weight related ailments in my joints. I want to have glowing skin and shiny hair in my 70's. I want to live to be 100!!

Oh - I want to look good nekkid to. Heh.

This is also my primary motivation. I want to be healthy now as well as long-term. Of course, the idea of showing up at an event with friends and having them rave about how great I look adds a little extra boost as well.

Less pressure on my knees and joints when I run. I love running.