Saturday, March 26, 2011

what motivates you?

Last night, I gave a tour of my messy house to some family that came over to celebrate a birthday. (To get the background story, click here.) My BIL (brother in law) brought his girlfriend, who upon entering my messy room said, "Ummm, why do you have a pair of pants pinned to your wall?"
I told her that aside from the fact that having pants on your wall is so in right now, I have them up there to motivate me. They are what I see when I wake up and what I see when I go to sleep. I even have a picture of them on my phone. Those jeans are my skinny jeans.

To some, they might not look that tiny, but I'd give my left boob to fit into those pants again. They were my favorite pair of jeans when I was at my thinnest.

When I told her I had them up as motivation, she asked what size they were (I know you're thinking "Seriously?" but yeah...she's blunt like that) and I didn't hide the fact that they're a 9. (Oh, to be in the single digits again!) To some, size 9 might not be a big deal, but that is the weight when I felt my healthiest, sexiest, and damn it, I looked good!

Later that evening, my BIL was in my kitchen with his GF looking at pictures on my fridge. I was standing close enough to hear her say, "Who's that?" and pointed to a picture on the fridge.A picture of ME. Seriously? Does 50 lbs really completely alter a persons appearance? My BIL gave her a "You're serious?" look at said, "That's Shannon." She didn't ask why I had pictures of myself on my fridge. If she would have asked, I would have told her that just like the jeans, these pictures are my motivation. I remember when I was younger, playing at Karlie's house (yes, we go way back) and her mom had a saying that was on her fridge. It said, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." Ain't it the truth? Even though I love food, the feeling of confidence and being healthy far outweighs the deliciousness that only lingers on your tongue for a moment.

So go find what motivates you and pin it to your wall, or your fridge, and let it be a daily reminder of your goals! What are some things that motivate you?

9 comments:

Brittney said...

I would love LOVE to be in single digits again. I think a 9 sounds AWESOME.

I've been feeling so frustrated with my body. After I had kids I lost all the weight and then some and I'm still three sizes bigger than I was before I got pregnant. It really upsets me. But I like your comment about feeling healthy and strong and sexy. I've been working out hard lately and I feel so strong. That actually feels better than getting back to a number in pants. I hit the magic number on the scale and it didn't make me feel any better. But strong feels great.

As for motivation, for my 28th birthday I made several goals for myself to do before I turn 30. One was to run a half marathon. Just as I started training I got knocked up again. I felt like I hit a wall before I even started. But I'm still hitting the gym, just not with the same intensity. As I run, I imagine my kids waiting for me at the finish line. It makes me push harder and longer every time. I can't wait to see them cheering for me and showing them how to live a healhty life.

cathycan said...

Shan, the number doesn't matter, you looked HOT in those jeans...in fact, I seem to remember a speechless, "day-amn!" once when you were wearing those jeans hahaha
Keep trying girl!! you'll get there!

McCall said...

you motivate me! :)

looooved this post! except you need to make the "click here" an actual link. :0 happens to all of us!

Shan said...

oops! thanks mccall! i'm fixing it now!

Mama2girls said...

I love the "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" quote. It is what got me through the first few days of giving up sugar!! And its true. Now that I am use to not eating sugar, I find that when I do splurge, it really doesn't taste good!

My motivation to make all the changes I have made recently is my girls. They are watching everything I do and since making the changes my 4 year old always asks me "Is this a healthy snack? I want a healthy snack." The thought that she won't have to struggle because she is creating healthy habits now is priceless

Katt said...

I kinda want to be your best friend. How/where do I apply? I LOVE your blogs!

clair said...

That is such an awesome idea! But I need to pin them up all over the house! I'm running a little low on motivation right now.

Katie said...

Shan, I love this post. I would LOVE to be in single-digit. I think the last time I did that I was 5 years old. Blech!

For motivation, I have skinny clothes. They're not hanging on the wall... yet! It's a great idea.

I had signs in the fridge and pantry that said, "Food is FUEL!", "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels," and "You are worth more than this" but they slowly disappeared. Bummer of not owning my own home and having to share common areas.

Now for motivation I earn $10 for every 10 lbs I lose and when I reach my goal weight I get $50. Might not seem that great, but it works for me.

My biggest motivation is people like you! And blogs like this. Reading about and talking to other people who are trying to get healthy really helps me stay on track.

Pics are good.. but I generally am behind the camera... so it's tough finding ones of me when I was "skinny."

Karlie said...

I would give my right boob it's a little less perky than the other one :) LOL!!! Awesome post. ~Karlie