By: SparkPeople Guest Blogger, SparkPeople Blogger
6/10/2011 5:07 AM   :  91 comments   :  10,451 Views

See More: motivation, weight loss, health, obesity, ~indygirl,

By Beth Donovan (~INDYGIRL)

I honestly have very little will power and I’ll be the first to admit it. So, how did I lose 150 pounds and counting? How did I make it through a whole year of a plateau after losing 100 pounds? How do I get myself to the gym when I want to lie in bed under a heating pad and take medicine? I really had to dig to answer these questions.

My ah-ha moment was when I wanted some motivation. I was lying in bed on my lap top and looking for a picture of someone so fat they couldn't walk. Then it dawned on me that I was that person. My BFF was also getting out, shopping and going places and I was just lying in my room waiting to die. I wanted a life again. I wanted to shop with her, get mani-pedis, have a job again and feel like part of the world around me. It was definitely enough to get me started on my journey. I don’t know if this alone would have carried me through as far as I’ve come, however.

When I want to re-motivate myself, this is going to sound trite, but I just come here to SparkPeople and try to motivate others. It helps me remember why I'm doing what I'm doing. Also, I was never very successful at weight loss before nor did I have many supportive friends. Here I have both. The support is amazing. Nobody judges me for my size, they like me as is. If I need friends to pick me up, you are all here. I hope to always be there for you too.

I persevere because I want to motivate you. Really. At the gym, I kept pushing because I wanted so badly to come to SparkPeople and tell you I broke my personal best by 900 steps on the recumbent stepper. I did 2,500! Because it is a recumbent stepper, you don't have to stand, so it's great for people with mobility issues. I do it to prove you can do it by starting out with small achievable goals and beating your own personal bests. That’s what I do.

Believe it or not, when they asked me to speak at the 2009 convention, I was floored! I had lost 100 pounds, but was the biggest person there at 360 pounds. I was worried about what people would think of me, not being thin like the rest. They really cheered me on! I prayed before the convention that if there was a way to make all of my suffering as a 460 pound disabled person with all of the chronic illnesses I have worth while... God would find a way to get the message of how to not be so unhealthy or let hopelessness take over your fitness dreams out there.

Mow I’m blogging, leading teams, and rallies all for the love of SparkPeople. I’m trying to show you all that it is REAL and it CAN be done by ANYONE. I am nobody special with amazing powers or a fast metabolism. I don’t have the secret, but if I did, I would tell you all right now. I am simply someone who has found what works for me. I’ve learned that each fitness journey is different and you take what works for you and leave the rest.

What really works for me is YOU. I want so badly to see you all succeed and make your dreams come true. I want to write to inspire you, workout to show you it can be done, and think of creative ways you can do what you say you can’t. I really don't have any willpower. I guess I have a cause instead. Maybe that's the secret, to find your inner cause.

What are you passionate about?