1.3.11 Motivation

2010 was not a banner year on the weight loss front. Late 2008 through most of 2009 was the highlight of my weight loss journey, dropping 75 pounds from my heaviest. I never got all the way home to my goal weight, but the difference was striking:

Let's just point out here the obvious -- this is the best comparison you're going to get. Pillsbury Dough Tori did not wear much of anything that wasn't big and flowy because camp tents completely conceal how big you really are. . . right?

What it finally took to get there was the tipping of the pain-to-comfort ratio: moving to Colorado put me in a place where the large majority of the population is active and I wanted to join in but was too big and out of shape to be able to. Getting past the embarrassment of being the biggest woman at the gym was one of the many hurdles I had to move past to be able to get where I am today. But I was willing to do it, because not doing it was more painful.

I was thinking about that this morning at 5:00 a.m. when I was briskly getting myself into the gym in the freezing cold. It's so much easier now. And there's the danger. I need to lose more weight but somehow, now that I've done it, it's one of those easy, get-around-to-it ideas that can be pushed aside when the mood doesn't suit me.

But the harsh reality is that the longer it goes, the harder it's going to get. And resolving to do something about it really isn't enough. What it will take is determination: that moment where I step out on the ledge and lock the window behind me. Because I can absolutely guarantee you that if I will not allow failure as an option, I will not fail. I might fall and stumble, but I will get up and keep going because if I do not give up, I am not going to fail.

The basic truth is this: I know what it takes, I know how to get there, and I know if I am determined to commit myself to counting the calories and expending more of them in motion than I consume, I will get to where I want to be.

Here then is a touch of motivation, mostly for me, but feel free to take a slice:

1. Write down your goals and post them to see every day. Be specific and break them down into simple categories: I will get up at 5:00 a.m. every morning and spend at least half an hour in the gym. I will track everything I put into my body fairly and accurately. I will drink 8 glasses of water a day.

2. Put the most unflattering pictures of yourself out where you will be reminded all the time of why you are taking this journey.

3. Be accountable to multiple people who will make up your support system. The more folks you let keep tabs on you, the more you want to be accountable to yourself.

4. Love yourself right now, exactly where you are. Keep the things that inspire you just as visible to you as those unflattering pictures. You are beautiful, regardless of how big you feel.

5. Accept the stumbles are part of your journey, pick yourself up, confide in someone, have a good cry, and then get back out there with your chin up.

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

It's waiting for you. Get past the comfort danger, the "I can always start tomorrow" attitude, and see what 2011 has in store for you.