Suck it up

The journey to losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off just plain sucks. Not the entire time, but yes, most of the time. The process is frustrating, fickle and doesn't take too kindly to tortillas or chocolate cake. (Damn!) More times than not, you will have to skip your morning Carmel Macchiato and head to the gym with your wheat grass in hand. You will have to eat salad at the office pizza party and sip on Diet Coke while your homies booze it up at happy hour. Life must change. The sooner you accept this, the better off you'll be.

It is often said that acceptance is the first step. #1 - Accept the fact that you will need to eat smart and kick the cardio into high-gear. A good portion of the process will suck. (Have I said that?) #2 - Accept the fact that you are out-of-shape and don't look/feel anywhere close to as good as you could. Let that be your motivation. Although health reasons get many people going, I just don't think envisioning favorable test results will make you go another 10 minutes on the treadmill. It's okay to be a little vain. See yourself in those jeans or white tees; you know the ones that fit you just right :) #3 Accept the fact that it's going to take a long-term commitment. Even going at 90 percent, 100 percent of the time, losing weight takes a while. Be ready.

And yes, of course, it's all worth it! People who live their lives at a healthy weight have more energy, more confidence, more sex, more fun and more money. I don't know about you, but sign me up!

Get up and get it done -- Erika