Finding reasons to keep up my motivation

I was thinking of my last post and how I said I would try to just maintain through next week as I will be in Vegas to visit my friend who is sick. I guess I was thinking it would be easier to not worry so much about what I ate or drank cause there will definitely be some eating and a drinking. But, I think I was feeling this way as I just got back from vacation and was feeling not so motivated after my week of taking it easy. I have decided that it's best to keep on trying to lose. No time off for good behavior!

I was thinking 'am I happy at my present weight'? Heck no! When I jog I am not happy about my jiggling thighs, tummy and arms. I'm not happy wearing tank tops cause of the jiggle. But, I bit the bullet and have been wearing them these fast 2 weeks. Who cares who sees me? Who cares if I'm not happy about my upper arms? It is damn hot out for washington in 90's celcius and it's stupid to be covering up all the time. I'm tired of shopping around like last week and seeing some cute top but not in my size and thinking 'next year I will be in that size'. I want it really to be the last year that I say that and really mean that and accomplish that. I made progress this past year but it hasn't gotten me to the regular sizes yet. I know, good things happen for those who are patient and stay the path!

I want that body confidence back that I had long, long ago. The feeling good about how I look and not really thinking about it much. The way I had so much energy and working out wasn't a chore. The cute clothes I could wear when I saw them in any store. The catching myself in a mirror and thinking I'm not half bad. The ability to see what my body really can do. To see that there is an athlete inside of me wanting to get out. I want that back...bad!! I've made progress but there is lots of room for improvement. I want to push the limits further. I want the best body that I can have.

So, some things I will do:

start the 12 week wt loss challenge tomorrow at 'Kim under Construction's blog'/weds weigh in
keep working out 5 days per week
drink lots of water
eat my fruits and veggies
stay positive and try to keep negative thoughts to a minimum
continue reading motivational books, magazines and wt loss stories on the web
start recording my measurements again and comparing them from when I started this journey

I can make a lot of progress in 12 weeks if I put my nose to the grindstone. I am going for 15 pounds lost during this time. It is a tall order due to my slower wt loss progress from my last 10 week one but it can be done. I upped my exercise intensity this week. I worked out with jogging, walking and wt training to 2 hours on Monday, and went biking today for an hour and 1/2. I will swim tomorrow. That triathalon is just around the corner on 8/19 so I need to be as ready as possible. I really want to drop more pounds by that tri as it will make it a little easier with less weight. I am going/trying to be under 200lbs by 8/31 so we'll how that goes!

Let me know your weight loss goals or reasons to do this. I know we have done this before but it is time for me to do it again to keep on my weight loss journey. No more 'stinkin thinking' and thinking I can take a break. I need to keep on keeping on this weight loss journey as it is very important for me to be healthy. It affects all areas of my life and if I don't have my health, what do I have?

This post turned out to be more of a motivation kick start again for me but thanks for reading my drivel. Hope you all are having a good week!