Geneen Roth article makes me think

A friend shared a Geneen Roth article from her website. It really made me think about my motivation to lose weight.

You know, for the most part, I'm happy. I wish I could move around easier, I would like to live without pain, and I'd like to be able to buy clothes anywhere, not just Brylane, but I'm happy.

I don't really want a husband, maybe a companion, but at my age, I don't want to hook up with someone that I'll eventually have to take care of. It would be nice to have someone to take care of me, but losing weight won't guarantee that.

Something that happened when I was gathering photos and putting the PowerPoint together for my Toastmasters Club's 20th Anniversary party really surprised me. Most of my adult life I've been unhappy with the way I look in photos. Putting the photos together forced me to face myself in photos. After my initial displeasure, I realized that that's me. That's the way I look. I'm no beauty queen, I'm no Twiggy, but I have a degree, a great job, a couple of great kids and 2-1/2 grandkids. I'm intelligent, I have a good sense of humor. I've developed friendships with people in Toastmasters, and I have a few really great friends outside TM. They like me because I'm me. Not because I'm thin. I've actually had people tell me that I inspired them. WOW! What a compliment.

So, what would be my motivation to lose weight and keep it off? To be healthy. If I lose weight just doing what I can to be healthier, and I actually achieve that as I lose weight, then I'd have what I want. James Arthur Ray said that concentrating on losing weight will not make you successful in the end. But if you concentrate on being healthy, you have a better chance.

OK, I'm running on and on. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Especially since I quit WW and am going to the gym. I have to have something to motivate me. I managed to gain 7 lbs in the past 2 weeks. So, I'm going to have to work on my motivation and a weight loss plan. I was following a high-fiber diet to help achieve better health, lower cholesterol, and all the other benefits of a high-fiber diet. For some reason, I slipped off the high-fiber diet. I don't really know when it happened. I just realized yesterday that I slipped back into old habits. Dang! It's so easy to go into unconscious mode and follow old habits. This is hard! But, if I try to be more conscious about my decisions, I can turn the corner.

What is your motivation?