How Do I Stay Motivated?

Now that I am halfway to my goal, I have been getting this question a lot. How do I stay motivated?

Well, that's a question that is both very simple and very complicated. I'm watching this week's episode of the Biggest Loser, and the same scene with Dr H made me cry again. Seeing how high the contestants' risk of diseases, heart attacks, and death is terrifying. When I started my weight loss journey in February, I had as much weight to lose as some of last season's contestants. I didn't have a fancy program to tell me how much I was shortening my life.

Just like a lot of you, I had my head in the sand about how much my habits were affecting my health. Exercise? I did a little walking but nothing serious. I ate what tasted good- there was always "tomorrow" to start eating healthier. The consequences of what you do aren't immediate, so it's easy to slip them to the back of your mind. But by the time the effects of what you are doing catch up to you, it may be too late to fix them.

If someone came to you and asked you how much you would pay for ten years of life, what would your answer be? I know I would sell everything I had.

So the simple answer to that question is that I want to live. I have a beautiful son, and I don't want to miss a minute of life with him. I want to be the healthy mom who can do activities with him. I don't want him to watch me and to grow up with unhealthy habits and to fight the same battle I'm fighting now. And that is worth more to me than anything I could possibly eat or drink.