With lots of shimmies and free-style moments!!

And, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=
dm7yAWpX1Mc

That's how excited I am lately, at least most of the time.

Giant almost creepy smile and all.

I originally typed "I'm getting my life back," but you know what? It's better than that.

I'm creating the life I never had, and maybe didn't even realize I wanted. I'm not 'getting' anything, I'm working really hard for it.

Really hard.

So, basically.... I don't shut up about it.
Ever.

I'm one of THOSE people. If I have to put a lot of work into something or am especially proud, I talk about it. A lot. And this is BOTH of those things.

So there is a lot of talking about it.

A lot.

But there's some talking about it that I've been avoiding. I like to concentrate on the positive and motivate with lots of 'you can do it' and pats on the back and 'just move on' and all that good stuff.

I tend to avoid the tough love honest truth.

'Cause who am I? Sure, I've lost some weight and gone down a few sizes and made some positive changes, but I'm not any different than anyone else on here!

So I'm just going to type out all of the tough love things I've WANTED to say to people here on SP, but don't. That way I can get it out of my system, hopefully don't offend anyone since it's not directed at anyone in particular, and hey, you never know, maybe you'll see something you needed to read!

There are a lot more excuses not to do something than there are reasons TO do something. Frankly, I don't care. Don't BS me and, more importantly, don't BS yourself. You didn't work out. You ate junk. YOU CHOSE THAT. I'm all for forgiveness, but you can't forgive what you don't acknowledge.

I agree with your decision to not beat yourself up about a poor choice 100%. But when I read a blog or a post with a whole lot of not beating yourself up and no positive efforts to change outside of typing about it, give me a BREAK people. Sure, we all make mistakes, but if you're making more 'mistakes' than positive choices it's not a 'mistake,' it's the way you're choosing to live. YOU. You are ACTIVELY choosing to be unhealthy.

And don't even get me started on "I could have done a lot worse." Most of the times that I've read that phrase (though, not all) it's just stupid. Most of the times I've TYPED that phrase, it's been just stupid. I may not have made the absolute worst choices but I made some pretty poor ones and I was trying to talk my way out of it. There's no talking ourselves out of the consequences for eating a bunch of crap, no matter how much more crap there was there that COULD have been eaten. There's no talking ourselves out of the consequences of half-assing or skipping a work out.

TOM is just TOM. Get over it. Welcome to having a female reproductive system. Sure, we're all a little tired, crampy, moody and crave more junk. SO WHAT?!?! You think that gives you a free pass? You think not giving yourself a free pass is some life-altering accomplishment? It's JUST A PERIOD. I don't care how bad your PMS, etc. is (and believe me, I get more than my fair share, so I'm not just being insensitive here). Get over it!!! It is NOT an excuse. FOR ANYTHING. Working out and eating right will help with pretty much every symptom you use as an excuse not to eat right and exercise.

I wish I could completely eliminate the phrases "cheat meal" and "cheat day" from people's thinking. This is your LIFE. You can't cheat life. This isn't a test or a sport or a diet. There is no cheating. And if you're really, truly changing yourself, whether it's for health or vanity, then that's some pretty significant proof that you're not changing. I'm not saying don't occassionally have a big meal or a heavier calorie day, real life has those, go for it. But if you're purposefully scheduling those into your life only for the purpose of eating more or eating poorly, that's just dumb.

Concentrating on the positive only goes so far. If you're making 2-3 positive choices per week and 100 poor ones, I think you need to shift your concentration toward making MORE positive choices. Use your few positive choices as stepping stones to more and more positive choices. Don't use them to pat yourself on the back while you stuff your face with crap and sit on the couch.

Running out of steam? Can't find your motivation? Good for you. That probably means you're doing it right. Do you wake up every morning motivated to go to work? Wash the dishes? Clean the cat box? Me neither, but I do what I have to do. Doing what you need to isn't always fun, and you're not always going to be excited and motivated, why does food and exercise get special treatment? Just do what you're supposed to do. Whine about it all you want, I love wine! But do it.

"I can't find the time" means you're not looking for it hard enough.

"I don't have support" means you seriously need to learn to be accountable TO YOURSELF. With very few exceptions no one can make you do or be or feel (or eat) anything. IT'S ALL ON YOU. It's still on you when so-and-so brings junk in the house or such-and-such an event has a lot of junk food. If you eat it it's your choice and your fault. So don't. And if you do, move ON, but don't blame the person or the event or 'life,' you ate some junk. Do some more exercise, don't eat more junk, and do better next time.

It's not like tripple dream hands all the time people, sometimes it's just like a really crummy, boring day at work and you'd so much rather be anywhere else doing just about anything else.

No amount of wanting it will get it done (no matter what flavor you're tasting).

No amount of trying is better than doing.

Putting I's and verbs in your sentences doesn't do you any good unless you're putting them into your actions and choices.

Walk the walk people!! You really CAN do it!!