Hi Tracy, Ellen and FriendlyKat!
Ellen, your pictures really are a testament to progress! Congratulations
You really do look 10 years youngs and I'm sure you feel it.
Teahoney- I have the same problem with "challenges". They always backfire on me, or I fail them.
Friendlykat- Everyone has to do it their own way. Your friend may surprise you and do great with the all or nothing approach. I failed miserably at moderation all my life, but have succeeded in completely changing my life...no baby steps. Some of us need to jump into the deep end in order to swim.
Someone on another forum posted about "liking the idea of losing weight" versus "being committed to losing weight." To me , that's the difference between motivation and persistence. Liking the idea may motivate you, but it doesn't always last very long or sustain you through the years of maintenance. We can sit around for decades waiting for motivation to hit and maybe it never will. In the meantime, we might as well make some behavior changes.
Commitment and persistence doesn't strike out of nowhere. Someone posted the anguished question on the "exercise Forum": How do you get to the Gym? My immediate mental response (which I didn't type) was "in my car." Motivation is not an issue- doing it is just a part of life. Like Friendlykat's better food choice at Panera.
Here's to choices!
Mel