Motivation

[bee*]

Hey all, I just need a bit of motivation with the weight loss

. I was going great for a while but I just seem to have lost all my motivation now even though I have NY coming up in July of next year. Do any of you have any tips of how you keep going and not eat that last bag of crisps or that bar of chocolate. Ive put on some more weight and I really really want to lose it but I just cant help myself when it comes to goodies! How do you do it?

 

[KimberlyH]

Hi bee,

It''s all about the Weight Watchers motto (at least I think it''s WW motto):

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

Anyone I know, including myself, who has lost a significant amount of weight can attest to this.

Motivation has to come from within, though. What is your goal, why is it your goal and what are you doing to reach it? Start small: I will eat well today, I will spend 30 minutes exercising, I will lose 5 lbs. and go from there. Don''t expect too much, healthy weight loss occurs at about 1-2 lbs. per week.

Remove ALL junk food from the house; only keep healthy snacks (apples, carrot sticks, etc.) and think about everything you put in your mouth prior to doing so. If you have a family you are doing them a favor. Buy/use smaller plates (the collective we tend to use large plates and our servings are proportionate...we eat too much, plain and simple); my husband and I use a set of dishes that his aunt purchased in the 60s, they are smaller than the plates that are sold today. If you need to reward yourself, do so with items such as frozen yogurt as opposed to eating ice cream, chocolate, etc. And don''t deprive yourself. One piece of chocolate is not going to hurt you, 5 a day will. Find a balance.

It''s no easy task to lose weight, the pay offs seem small, especially in the beginning, but your overall health will improve and in the long term you will just feel better in your own skin.

 

[eks6426]

Hmm, motivation....for me there needed to be a catalyst to kick it off. Mine was looking at pictures of myself taken on my 1st anniversary in Mexico. When did I develop rolls on my back? When did my thighs get THAT big? Yikes, it was a real eye opener!

Since the end of August I've lost over 20 pounds. I know that's not quick but it is slow and steady and isn't killing my life style. I am doing Weight Watcher's online. I like it because there are no truly "off limits" foods. It's more about portion control. It helps because I can eat the same things are the rest of the family. My husband has done it with me and he's lost over 30 pounds. The online version is easy...you type in the food and the quantity and it spits out the points so calculating the daily points is pretty easy. I was very religious about logging stuff for the first several weeks. Now that I have learned the portions and can mentially calculate pretty well in my head, I don't log as much. But I do it again whenever I start to stall. It helps get me back on track. The online also has recipes etc.

As for resisting the candy bar/bag of chips etc. I just say no 99% of the time. If I do want some, I have no more than 3 bites. It gets the urge out and then I'm done without killing my diet. But mostly, I don't buy the junk. If it's not around I can't eat it. I serve dinner on lunch plates and eat sugar free/fat free icecream in tiny custard cups...just large enough to get in a 1/2 cup serving size. We start most meals with salad. It is filling and slows us down.

Another motivator for me are the virtual models. I use the one at Landsend.com. It allows you to put in your height/weight etc. then you can change the weight and virtually watch yourself "shrink" or "grow" if you really need motivation to stay away from the goody table at Christmas.

Good luck. It's not easy, but I feel so much better now. And I still have about 10 pounds to go.

 

[Lorelei]

Why don''t you join our Weekly Workout Thread Bee? It is a fairly active thread in Family, Home and Health, we swap eating and workout tips and generally motivate each other, we have a great group over there - take a look!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

My DH puts his favorite photograph of himself (shirtless and probably 20 years old) where is body looks his best and puts it as his computer wallpaper. He says looking at himself at his "peak" motivates him to work-out.

 

[Mara]

I agree...nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

Or more specifically...nothing tastes as good as looking damn sexy and hot in my clothes looks and feels!!!

Do you know how wonderful it feels to look fabulous in a bathing suit? Better than I have since probably college!??! I do!!! Finally.

Seriously, for me it was like 'I am so tired of wishing I was 5 lbs thinner or gosh my clothes aren't looking so hot or when did THOSE love handles arrive?'. I am not getting any YOUNGER, in fact just the opposite, so why do I think that 'next month' or 'next quarter' or 'when I feel more energetic' is going to come around anytime soon and motivate me? It's just flat out NOT going to happen.

You will only go downhill and gain more weight. That may sound harsh but it's TRUE. Thinking about not being motivated or thinking you will start something next week or next month or just one more candy bar is just a downward spiral. I totally didn't work out for 9 months 2 years ago because I was DELUSIONAL and thought that I had somehow morphed into some elfin creature who did not need to work out and could eat like a sow and it'd be FINE. WRONG.

Our brains can really work against us sometimes. It's very easy to get sucked into rationalizations or justifications for why you need to eat this or it's okay to do this or not okay to do this. Bottom line is that I was just flat out tired of hoping that I'd wakeup and magically look a little thinner. Magic doesn't happen to us mere mortals. You have to work at it. And make smart decisions, like thinking about what might happen if you ate that 2nd bag of chips or candy bar.

American's are SCARILY overweight. Just go to the nearest grocery store and look around you. They eat too much of too bad for you foods and don't work out or even flat out have ANY activity at all. Why do people think that it's okay to eat Mcdonalds or fried foods or mac and cheese 5x a week and come home from work and sit on the couch and eat, and somehow you won't gain weight? Where did that idea come from anyway? And I'm not just pointing the finger at others, hey I was doing it too for a period of time a few years ago. Lucky for me I only gained about 10 lbs (stubborn pounds!) before I said WOAH....this is just not working.

Just start small. Put down the candy bar. Or only eat half. If you aren't exercising at all, start adding it back into your routine slowly. Add in a 15 minute walk a day. Then bump it up to 25. Or do a favorite exercise video in front of the TV. Eat a bit more fruits and veggies. Substitute a glass of water for every other soda. There are small things that you and everyone else can do that can add up to big changes over time. It doesn't need to be super extreme or a full on diet for changes to be made. Just take small steps to being healthier. You will probably find like I did that I was more motivated by just making small changes and seeing results. I wanted to see more results!!

And really, ask yourself if you NEED that candy bar. If you don't eat it, will you feel super deprived or maybe like you have a bit more self-control over your life? Much of food is about control, we all control what goes into our mouth and I find that when I don't overindulge or get all crazy with it that I feel BETTER after than I would have if I had indulged.

The other thing is STOP KEEPING THAT STUFF AROUND YOU!!! How do you not eat the 2nd candy bar? Hello, don't have a candy bar in the house!

Temptation definitely calls out to everyone as we all have our weak spots...I love Oreo cookies and when do you think the last time I had one was? Umm 2 years ago! Because I could literally eat 1/2 the bag...I love them so much.

Anyway it's gotten to the point now where I have gotten rid of those 10 lbs and then some, and lost a few clothing sizes and am probably as thin now as I was in college about 10 years ago. Which feels really good!! And I'm proud of myself. I work out about 5 days a week, and there is no 'motivation' involved there. I JUST GO. There's no wondering if I might make it to the gym. It's like part of my 'schedule' like going to work. And I can mostly eat what I want as long as I don't get all crazy with huge portions. We had dessert every day last week and I just worked out an extra 10 minutes a day kinda thing and didn't gain one pound over the holiday or into this week. So it doesn't have to be painful.

You just gotta get up and MOVE. Just do it!!

 

[Maria D]

that''s a great pep talk Mara!

Bee, I don''t know how old you are -- but I have found that as I get older (I''m 45) if I don''t get enough sleep it is really hard to keep from succumbing to cravings. Sometimes I find myself reaching for something to eat at 10:00p.m. (and it''s going to be a Nestle''s crunch, not celery sticks!) because I''m tired and I''ve got more papers to correct. What I really need is not the boost of empty calorie energy, but more sleep.

I think it''s a lot easier to DO something than not do something when you''re starting out. It''s easier to commit to working out for 30 minutes a day than to tell yourself "I''m not going to eat candy or chips for the 16 - 18 hours I''m awake today." So at first, I find, it''s a lot easier to work on an exercise plan than to make big changes in diet. The neat thing is that once you start working out, you feel empowered. You start wanting to eat healthier. And, you start to *want* to work out. It takes about 3 - 4 weeks to go from dragging yourself to do it to getting irritated when something gets in the way of working out! Seriously, you''ll find yourself turning down offers to do other things because you need to work out first.

I highly recommend joining a gym. Then all you have to do is get there. Once you''re there, you''ll work out. Unless someone is *already* motivated, working out at home can be problematic. There''s always something else that can be done at home -- laundry, housework, watching TV and munching on chips...

Find something that you really enjoy. For me, it''s step aerobics. With group fitness classes, the fact that they are scheduled has pros and cons. On the pro side, you have to go when it''s time to go, no hemming and hawing. Again, in 3 - 4 weeks you''ll find yourself *wanting* to go (if you can find "your thing.") The downside of course is that you can''t just do it anytime you want and there will be times you have to do your own program -- so the motivation issue comes up again. I used to absolutely HATE weight training -- which is so important as you age -- a woman''s metabolism just about dies at my age and you need the weight training to perk it up. I would force myself to do it because I know it''s important but it was a struggle. I finally got an iPod and only use it for two things -- housecleaning and weight training. Two things I found a chore but now I (almost) look forward to because I can crank my music (and go deaf?

)

As Mara said, start small and make a commitment to just do it. Before you know it, you''ll want to do a little more. Good luck Bee!

 

[nejarb]

"I totally didn''t work out for 9 months 2 years ago because I was DELUSIONAL and thought that I had somehow morphed into some elfin creature who did not need to work out and could eat like a sow and it''d be FINE. WRONG."

I had the same delusion around the same time. I moved out of my dad''s house (2 blocks from the YMCA that I went to regularly to work out at) and into my bf''s apt which was right next door to a gourmet grocery store, and I started eating ridiculous after school snacks like slices of goat''s milk camambert with french rolls and preserved figs. I figured everyone in my fam was thin and had low cholestoral, so I could do no harm. Then after 6 months of living there and not really exercising, I had a physical and my chol. level was 207 (I was 25)! and I had gained 5 lbs! I''ve since gotten cholest. level down to 150 and I still eat plenty of cheese and butter. So I was just really out of control for a while.

anyways, I agree w/ Mara. Motivation isn''t what you need. You just need to start. Buy better groceries and move more. Buy dark chocolate instead of candy bars. eat alot of bananas and eat high fiber cereals for breakfast. I''m sure you already know what you need to do. so do it. and tell us about it on the weekly workout thread!

 

[jackieomy]

All the advice is great. Another thing that may help is setting mini-goals. July is a bit too far away to dangle in front of you. You need a carrot a bit closer.

Maybe a mini-goal could be 5 pounds by XX. 10 pounds by XX. XX miles walked/biked/swum/ellipticalled/stepped by XX.

Then, build in rewards for that mini-goal reached.

 

[bee*]

Thank you all so much for your comments-I think I really just need a kick up the posterior!
To answer some of the questions-Im turning 25 in a little over 2 weeks so I really want to do something about it now. My parents are quite big and unfotunately there''s always lots and lots of rubbish in the house and when you''re brought up on it its very difficult to stop eating it now!
I was on ww 2 years ago and I lost 30lbs but unfortunately I didnt keep to it and its all come back on. Ive joined again but Im just finding it very hard to stick with it this time. I want to lose about 3 and a half stone and it just feels like a huge amount. I go to the gym most weeks three times but since starting back to college last September, its been even more difficult to diet as I have to eat on the go.
I would love to have that feeling that I look good in a bikini! Bf is extremely supportive of me and always tells me I look good but I would just love to feel really sexy for myself.
Unfortunately I think we''re all getting bigger here in Ireland as well-the amount of obese children is mind bogling now

 

[KimberlyH]

bee,

People on both my father and mother's side of the family have weight issues, including my dad. It makes it easy to excuse oneself when gaining weight ("it's genetic" or "I was just born to be heavy" etc.), at least it did for me. I went from 130 lbs to 199 lbs in the span of 2 years, and I had no clue how much I weighed until I got on the scale at the doctor's office. It was a huge shock and I was determined not to hit 200, so off to WW I went. I liked WW but am not a huge advocate because I couldn't buy into writing down everything I eat for the rest of my life. I don't have the patience for it. I also don't think they emphasize the importance of exercise enough. If you don't move you can't burn calories and gain muscle. So through their plan and attending meetings I figured out what worked for me and what was a reasonable amount to eat and on my own I focused on exercise. I managed to get back down to 132 lbs within a year but my body refused to stay there unless I was eating the bare minimum (about 1,000 calories a day). That simply wasn't working for me and wasn't healthy. So I let go of the scale infactuation for a while and simply decided to continue eat healthy and exercise; 3 years later I weigh between 135-140 consistently. I am not now, nor have I ever been an especially tiny girl (read curvacious with a large chest) but I am healthy and in good physical condition. There are times when I see the scale creeping up, and when I get past 140 I get my butt in high gear until I bring the number back down.

I watched Dr. Oz on Oprah yesterday and he was talking about motivation. He said (in summary) that people often wait to get motivated to start doing something about their weight. But often we must act first to be motivated. I thought this was profound. I can't count the number of times I didn't feel like getting off the couch, and taking the time to make a real meal as opposed to reaching for potato chips or putting on my exercise clothes and getting my butt in gear. Especially in the beginning of my new routines; I started of bike riding because it was low impact and one time, while out on a ride, a group of pre-teen boys who were out playing made some horrific comments about my weight. I was devestated, embarrassed and wanted to give up; I couldn't see why I should keep going when all my work was being paid off. But as the other ladies have said, it's just not an option and I always feel much better and so proud of myself when I am doing good things for my body. And exercise feeds my soul (that may sounds a bit nuts but it truly does. When I go out for a walk I spend time talking with God and just enjoying the beauty of nature). I love it and can't imagine not doing it, even if it's just something as small as a short walk with my husband I crave moving and activity. My husband gets a bit panicky when I take a few days off from exercise, even if it is due to an injury, as he says I become irritable and less pleasant...he's right, it does!

Again, bee, set small goals and work from there. Don't expect miraculous changes to occur quickly, just always remember that you need to do what is best and healthiest for you so that you can live a long pleasant life. I know I would love to be able to weigh 132 lbs. but my body doesn't seem to agree with me, and that's okay because it's not about the number on the scale it's about overall health and well being and I know I have that in the bag.

Wishing you so much luck!! I know you can do it.

Kimi

 

[bee*]

Well done on that weight loss! That''s a huge amount!! Currently I think Im about 197lbs and I would love to get down to about 130lbs, maybe a bit more. That was the weight that I was happy at when I was younger. I have just come back from the gym and I am determined to keep to it. I know I can do it when I stick to it as Ive done it before I just need my willpower to stay high!

 

[Lorelei]

Bee, all the ladies are giving you great advice. Also what worked for me was being so sick of living my whole life on a diet, writing everything down, counting calories etc etc, to me it wasn''t how I wanted to live. I finally found the patience to lose weight slowly and to eat normally but carefully and above all get off my backside and exercise. The human body isn''t designed to eat thousands of calories which are often fat calories and sit in a chair all day, realizing this made me start doing my health a huge favour by treating my body as nature intended by working it hard for an hour a day. Also eating for fuel and not feasting, making smart choices. In this way I have been able to make good food choices 99% of the time, by choosing to eat properly and not go hungry. I have some chocolate a day, but it is a small quantity. Again I made small changes at first, but it soon becomes a way of life, before you know it, you will look in the mirror and love what you have achieved and want to do even more.

Take your first step today Bee - you can do it!!

A good tip is to start drinking more water, aim for 2 litres a day, if you don''t already do so. Apparently, water is very useful in the fat burning process too.

 

[Mara]

good for you bee!! i think what kimberly said about what dr. phil mentioned is something i was trying to hit on as well.

i was actually thinking about this thread yesterday afternoon. we always talk about being motivated. i wasn''t motivated to clean the house, or get to the gym or whatever. instead i just laid on the couch and relaxed.

sure sometimes that is necessary for your mental well-being, aka if stuff is just really stressful for me there is nothing like a lazy few hours on the couch curled up with portia and a blanket watching some crap TV! but not every night.

i think that most of the time people do wait for that motivation or ''inspiration'' to hit them and it causes them to ACT. i waited a long time to be motivated as well. am i motivated each day when i go to the gym? NO. hahaha. am i motivated each day when i go to work? NO.

i have started viewing working out as something i have to do. like going to work because it gets me a paycheck. i go to the gym because it gets me a healthy body. i spend 7 hours at work, what''s another hour at the gym? is it really going to kill me or anyone else? nope. i don''t get home til 7 but that still allows me a few hours a night to spend with portia and greg before bedtime and we pretty much always eat dinner together. i think that anything is possible if people make time for it and weight it with a certain importance to themselves. if being healthy is important to you, then you will find time for eating right and the gym and all that.

as for the stuff in the house, well i guess that''s tough if your parents eat it...but when you move out you can make your own habits! and also maybe try to get your parents to be a little bit more healthy? can you sit down with them and talk about how you''d like to lose weight and how much of what is in the house is sabotaging you? i don''t know if weight is a touchy subject in the house but it''s just a thought. if i had bad stuff around me all the time it would be VERY hard for me to stay on track...definitely.

anyway definitely join us in the WWT...it''s pretty motivational i think.

 

[brgirl]

I never worked out my whole life. Then a few years ago, everyone around me was going to the gym and running half marathons. So I decided I was going to train for my very first 5K. The program I was on was called ''Couch to 5K'' and it was about 2.5 months long. Started off mostly walking and then running for maybe 30 seconds, then 1 minute. I was amazed with myself for sticking to the program. BUT, I will tell you that my secondary motivation was that I had decided that my reward for running the whole 5k was going to be a .25 carat diamond solitaire pendant. I had always dreamed of having one, and that was the only thing that got me out there running sometimes.

So that started me with my first piece of real jewelery. Now it''s about 5 years later, and I am also sporting my half-marathon diamond earrings, and a new, upgraded .5 carat marathon diamond pendant.

So I will honestly say jewelry motivated me in the beginning; now, it is more of a health thing. Some friends of mine have smaller rewards - I''ll buy that purse, I''ll buy that movie, I''ll go to the spa. Less expensive things that they reward themselves with along the way.

I also love what Mara had to say!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 11/30/2006 10:42:02 AM
Author: bee*
Well done on that weight loss! That''s a huge amount!! Currently I think Im about 197lbs and I would love to get down to about 130lbs, maybe a bit more. That was the weight that I was happy at when I was younger. I have just come back from the gym and I am determined to keep to it. I know I can do it when I stick to it as Ive done it before I just need my willpower to stay high!

Bee,

Thanks for the compliment, really sweet of you. I just wanted you to know I was coming from a place of experience and understanding.

It''s awesome that you went to the gym today...good steps in the right direction. Would it be possble for you to encourage your parents to start eating more heathily with you? My dad did WW with me for a bit, and it was a bummer when he quit but I was already seeing results so I wasn''t too tempted to return to bad habits.

Also, I would start with a small weigh loss goal and deal with the large amount (getting to 130) later. You may not be meant to be at a weight you were in your late teens/early 20s and it would be terribly disappointing to lose a bunch of weight but feel frustated because you couldn''t reach the initial goal you set.

Keep up the great work!

 

[jackieomy]

bee, you mentioned you rejoined WW. have you checked out their message boards on weightwatchers.com? some aren''t my cup of tea, but there are several "challenge" boards, where you post your progress on the challenge''s focus, whether it''s staying within your points, drinking your water or completing a certain amount of exercise. there are lots of people in a similar position to you, perhaps you can help motivate each other. if you don''t want to stray too far from pricescope, of course there''s the weekly thread here about exercise, as previously mentioned.

 

[monarch64]

Bee, you''ve gotten some great advice in this thread! Glad you posted!

Have you ever thought about doing a marathon walk or run for a cause? Sometimes those things can be wonderful motivators in and of themselves and the weight falls off without you really trying so hard. Last winter I joined a ladies only gym, and was going pretty religiously, but not really losing weight because I just wasn''t watching my calories at home and working out accordingly to lose. Then I discovered that my gym had a team of ladies who were participating in an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Chicago, where I live. I joined up as soon as I heard about it, and three months later, after MUCHO training, I had lost 18 lbs. and was back to my high school size. It was really a godsend to me, as well as a self-esteem booster due to it being a great cause, and I was so happy with not only the physical results, but the fact that I had helped raise money for cancer research and so forth.

I''m not saying you should just go jump on some bandwagon and let that motivate you, but I do think that when you''re in dire need of motivation that sometimes finding an outlet like the one I described can be a benefit. I never dieted or deprived myself of food...I just ate according to my workout needs and the weight came off very naturally. I''ve since put back on a few pounds, but nothing that isn''t controllable or won''t come off with a few regular trips to the gym...

I''m just saying that I think people view diet/exercise as two demons that require a ton of willpower and are no fun at all for the person who is used to a sedentary lifestyle (read: couch lover, computer lover, etc.) It seems to me it really takes something to get excited about to get off the chair or couch and get out there and DO IT! Maybe you might want to look into whether you would feel inspired by a Relay for Life, Breast Cancer walk, or there are plenty of other marathons, stair climbs, hikes, etc. related to causes you might even have some connection to in life... In Chicago we have "Hustle up the Hancock" where you climb 96 flights of stairs in a couple hours--I''ve been thinking of training for that b/c it''s in Feb. and I would have time to train... or I''ve heard of 5k''s for every type of ailment/cancer/illness...

OK, I''ve just rambled on and on here! Sorry! But I''m just hoping maybe I''ll strike a chord with you or someone else (yes, lurkers too, lol!) and maybe be of some assistance.

 

[bee*]

Thank you all again!! I feel a lot better about things. Ive been extremely good all day today! And have just got back from walking my doggie! I am hoping to run a mini-marathon next June-its run every year in Dublin and Ive walked it a couple of times but I would love to actually run it. A couple of months ago I couldnt even run 2 minutes but Im up to 22 minutes running in the gym but I just cant help myself when I get out and eat everything in site!!
Ive tried talking to my parents so many times about it but its like talking to a brick wall. My mother joined ww with me a couple of years ago and stuck to it for a few weeks but then she left it. She will not discuss anything to do with diets or weight loss-its kind of like a denial thing. My dad diets and does really well but then puts it all back on again. As soon as I move out, there will be no rubbish in my own house at all! Its so much easier when the temptation isnt there.

 

[KimberlyH]

Glad you had a good day, Bee; keep up the great work!!

 

[bookworm21]

Hey Bee, everyone has given you really good advice here, and I wanted to add something of my own experience too.

I definitely keep no junk food in the house; another trick is to NEVER go grocery or food shopping when you''re hungry, because I find that''s when I tend to want to buy the high fat, high sugar stuff. Another thing I do is read labels. Whenever I''m tempted to buy a package of cookies or something, I read the nutrition facts. When I see it''s something like 300 calories for 2 cookies, I ultimately decide it''s not worth it because I''ll still be hungry afterwards, plus, I''m losing out on 300 calories that I can enjoy at dinner or whatever.

For a treat, I LOVE Trader Joe''s tapioca pudding. A half cup serving is about 130 calories, and it''s natural cane sugar and all that stuff, so it''s not too bad. A half cup usually satisfies my cravings, and I have a major sweet tooth.

I''ve also recently started doing yoga DVDs at home because of a lower back strain. I highly recommend that you try it for those times you won''t be able to make it to the gym. After two weeks, my belly has gotten flatter and my arms and thighs are a lot more toned, even though I don''t see a weight difference on the scale. What I like about yoga is that it''s not as grueling as cardio machines or as boring. There are different types of yoga you can definitely try out, but I like Fat Free Yoga (Lose Weight and Feel Great with Kundalini Yoga) with Revi Singh and Ana Brett and Shiva Rea''s Yoga Shakti.

Good luck, and it sounds like you''ve taken the first steps already, so keep it up!

 

[nejarb]

Bee, I was just catching up on this thread and I saw that you''re up to running for 22 minutes--that''s awesome! You must be pretty healthy overall and in ideal condition to start an even more rigorous exercise program.

I understand about wanting to eat everything in sight sometimes after a hard workout, but that doesn''t need ot be the case. for one thing, if you''re exercising at a point in the day when you haven''t had a meal or snack in a while, then you''re going to be hungry anyway, and then on top of that, exerting alot of energy will make you even more hungry. I like to eat about an hr before I exercise and then have a little snack afterwards too (like a banana) b/c I think it keeps my blood sugar up.

Another thing is that if you have a good idea of how many calories you''re burning when you exercise (even a rough idea), and also the number of calories in foods that you''re eating, and you think about what you''re doing that way, it''s alot easier to say to yourself "I just worked pretty hard to burn 300 or 400 calories (or however many) and I''m not going to eat this pastry or this whole bag of pretzles now, b/c it has even more calories than I just burned..." So you look for a snack that has LESS calories than you just burned, OR maybe the next time that you exercise, you burn 700 calories instead of 300, b/c you really want to have a beer and slice of pizza that night, and not feel bad about it.

keep it up, and think about all of the good times you have ahead of you, feeling good and looking hot in a bikini , not to mention living a long and healthy life!