I loathe the saying, “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.”

One, I have no desire to be skinny. With my frame, it just wouldn’t look right. The skinny body with a large head resting upon it doesn’t scream healthy or sexy to me.

Two, yes, oh yes, there are sooo many things out there that taste good. REALLY GOOD. Too many in fact for me for me to even make such a comparison.

That said, I CAN say that “No food gives me greater pleasure than the feeling I have when I look in the mirror and my clothes fit and I know I look damn good.” Nope. NOTHING. Not French fries, cupcakes, Rice Krispie treats, or potato chips—all of which have proven to be my weaknesses time and time again.

I got these questions last week: “How do you stay motivated? Where do you get your motivation from? How do you have such will power? How can you pass up those treats when they’re right in front of you?”

MY ANSWER:

Now, I’ve obviously not always been the best at turning down a carbolicious sweet treat. I’ve been known to throw down on a half dozen of cupcakes. Yes, DURING this weight loss journey, mind you. But something just clicked the other day when I was in Anthropologie.

There I was standing in a store where even their largest sizes seem small, and it dawned on me. I can wear this stuff. I can REALLY wear this stuff now. Last year when I went into this store {and I only go in once a year—in December when they send me a 15% off birthday coupon), I pretty much knew I’d have to buy a non-clothing item. A coffee mug, a necklace, a journal, a candle—something like that—because no way were the clothes going to fit. But to my surprise, I put on a pair of shorts and they did fit! Size 8’s. Remember?

In the Anthropologie dressing room last December!

I was overjoyed. This store wasn’t known for fitting people of my size, but as it turned out, my size wasn’t what I thought it was. I did quite the happy dance in that dressing room.

Now move ahead twelve months later and I was back in the store with the goal of getting something cute and little. Because I knew I could. There wasn’t this dread of being stuck in “accessory land.” I was going to walk in, grab a hanger, try it on, maybe cry happy tears again, and make my outfit purchase. As it figures, I didn’t see anything I wanted except for a coffee mug. Haa.

My beautiful owl mug!

But the point of this little story is that if I wanted to, I could have selected an outfit, felt confidently un-zaftig, made my purchase and walked out without any other thought in my mind.

THAT is my motivation right there. Well, a good chunk of it. Yes, I want to be healthy, but doggone it, I want to look svelte in my clothing {and out of it} and not ever feel the way I felt for a good 25+ years of my life after shopping in a clothing store. I’m not trying to sound pompus about it, but you get honesty on Cherie Runs This—always.

I talked about it in many posts before, but the memories of clothes shopping have NOT been pleasant. They are downright brutal. I was not fat and happy. I was fat and MISERABLE. Finding clothes to attempt to hide the fat was abysmal and depressing. Sitting down on a bench and picking out a shirt’s material from being stuck in between my fat rolls wasn’t cool with me. Trying to stuff extra rolls of back fat into my bra was not fun. Because who are we kidding—you can’t do that.

So there we have it. My motivation. Yes, I love treats, but what I really, really, really love is clothes and looking good in & out of them.  That’s it. Knowing what is most important to me keeps me going and keeps me on track. It’s definitely kept me on track during this treat-filled month of December. I know what I want, I know what my goals are, and I know what drives me. Whatever drives YOU is what YOU have to keep in the forefront of your mind. If the cookies, cakes, pizza, beer, mac & cheese and being sedentary are driving you…well, then…hey. I ain’t mad ‘atcha. Do your thing. But if you’re ready for your “thing” to be something else, go for it!! START NOW.

Seriously…get up from the computer and go. Now.