hey everyone just a little distraction to keep us on our toes.
So who is your inspiration? who motivates you? who makes you wanna move your but off the couch and do something?

What a god topic. First off looking at recent pictures motivates me. Also I work at Old Navy seeing all the cute small summer clothes coming in. But Also my boyfriend inspires me. He loves me just the way I am and I know that, so I am not doing this for him so to speak, I am doing this for me to feel better for him and be happier. If that makes any sense. He thinks I am beautiful and everything, but when I have met my goal weight I want to put on a cute sexy red dress and go out somewhere fancy and I want his jaw to drop to the floor with how good I look. LOL... I know its silly, but those are what keeps me going.

My motivation comes from myself. I'm not doing this for anyone but me. Obviously I have days where I want to eat junk and not exercise. And on those days I just do it anyway (especially the exercise) because I know I'll feel better when I'm done.
I'm a big fan of Chalene Johnson. She's the creator of ChaLean Extreme and Turbo Jam workouts. I do one of her workouts pretty much every day and it's so fun, it makes me WANT to do it. She's also a great motivator and helps me through those days where I don't feel like doing anything.

Well my biggest motivation would be me I guess I think of how I feel now an how i want to feel. Also alot of my friends are thin and beautiful so its a constant reminder that if I want to look good I have to try. I'm also moving to student halls in August and don't want my first impressions from my roommates to be "quick call the rspca theres a whale in our dorm" oh and jillian michaels I love how strong she is as a woman shes such an inspiration

My biggest inspiration, and I know this sounds cliche', is my health. I'm adopted and I have no idea what my medical history is (it was a closed adoption and I've never met my birth parents). Last year when I was 29 I had my annual physical and my results came back w/high cholesterol. I was scared to death because I have no idea what types of nasty stuff is my health background. So my motivation is really to stay as healthy as possible since I have no indicators of what types of medical problems could be in my future.

Right now, I would have to agree with my health. I have some anxiety issues and have had this horrible fear lately that I am one step away from death. That'll do it!

No one inspires me. I rely solely on myself for motivation and I am the one who makes me want to get my butt of the couch and do something.

My family has been incredibly supportive. I DID want to be a better mom/wife/friend/person, but I have found that weight loss (& now maintenance) is a totally solo act. I'm the one doing the planning, shopping, cooking, packing of foods. I'm the one resisting temptation, saying no to "those" foods and yes to the "right" foods. I'm the one making the good choices. I'm the one who is committed to being active (getting thy butt off the couch).

This is to important to rely on anyone else, IMO. I really think it has to come from within.

Things, not people, that help me to keep the commitment (not motivation as that is fleeting) strong - my health and my quality of life. I settled for second best for decades and that's a shame. Maintaining my weight loss is now a tippy top priority. I want to be my optimal. Not just "good enough". I love that I no longer have to worry about ME being the cause of many horrible diseases, such as diabetes, many cancers and heart disease. I LOVE the energy, stamina and productiveness that comes along with being trim. I love the self confidence, self respect and self discipline. I love the cute clothing beyond belief (big added bonus). These things make all this worth it and help to keep the commitment strong.

Two things.

Going shopping, looking at the "skinny" clothes. I can wear things in most "Juniors" stores, but everything might not look good. It motivates me to know there will be a day where I'm not uncomfortable showing my arms and I won't have to worry about my pooch when i go dress shopping.

Also my boyfriend. He's never said I was anything less than sexy and he loves my body but I know that he'd love it even more when there's not so much of it, lol. I would love to be able to finally let him see me in lingerie. that's what I look forward to.

My home is full of mirrors. For a long time, I avoided looking into them and did my best to hide from them. After three weeks of working out and following a healthier diet, looking at myself every time I pass by one of my mirrors inspires me. I'm inspired by the hope I feel in noticing small things and by the potential I see. My inspiration also comes from knowing that a lot of the health issues that I've experienced (some of which I see in the mirror) will be much improved as I continue my journey.

Hmm... honestly, this was the biggest hinderance with me starting any kind of serious weight loss. My husband loves me as is, my family loves me as is, I don't get much grief for my weight, and I don't have too many problems that come from it. I Wasn't happy with myself, but nothing really pushing me to change. I think my health was a factor in the change, but it wasn't a direct link.

I think my number one thought may be that I haven't had kids yet. And I want to have kids. And I don't want to risk my life and the baby's because I was too lazy to change. I want it to be easier for me, and I want to be able to lose pregnancy weight more easily than if I started at 200+.

So I guess you could say my "whom" is a person I've never met yet!

First and foremost I did this for me but I would have to say a lot of my motivation is my daughter. I want to set a good example for her, I don't want other kids to make fun of her for having the 'fat mom' or whatever horrible things mean little kids can come up with. I want lots of pictures with her that she can look back on when she's older and when I'm heavy I avoid the camera like a plague. I want her to see how easy it is to have an active and healthy lifestyle and how good it can make you feel.

I have been taking inspiration anywhere and everywhere I can!

- My sister: she has been very supportive, even as I try to lose the same weight over and over again!

- My son: I want to be a good role model for him.

- My health: both physically and emotionally. When I eat healthfully and exercise regularly, I just, plain FEEL good.

- Online: I follow a blog online http://skwigg.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?from=20100331 I read success stories. I come to fatchicks. Whatever - I just read about how to eat better, exercise better. Anything to help me stay focused.

My wedding! I want to fit in that dress and not look squeezed in. That's the motivation that gives me a deadline.

Other than that - myself, my checkbook (I want to fit back in my own clothes) and lately... Shakira. That's so weird, I know. But SheWolf makes me run at full speed on the treadmill. And I would kill for her curves.

Myself mostly. I want to feel good about myself, physically and mentally.

Kind of a funny motivation for me though is for my boyfriend to be able to pick me up! He tries to ALL the time and its not that he can't but I, myself, don't feel comfortable letting him because I don't want him to hurt himself doing it...I don't want that fear anymore.

I'm going to say that I use negative experiences and comments from others as my inspiration. I know that might not be mentally "healthy", but as a natural competitor at heart, I think this is the only way I CAN achieve my goal-by staying focused on the negative outcome of the comments not the negative people/experiences…per say.