Why Keep Going?

This morning I was weighing in a Weight Watchers member who had hit the 25 lb weight loss mark. After I stopped celebrating (I get a tad too excited when it comes to milestones/charms/stickers), I asked her what her next goal was. She had no idea. She said she was at a loss for what to shoot for next since she never thought she would've hit this milestone in her journey. As she pondered what she was going to set as her next goal, I thought to myself: Why Keep Going?

When you have hit a goal in your journey, why keep pushing? Why find the set another milestone?

The obvious answer is you need another goal to keep yourself on track. If you don't set the next mark you want to hit, people tend to slide back and the commitment starts to waiver. If you don't look ahead, you could become complacent and start to slip back in to old habits, which could result in gaining the weight back.

The one that definitely gets me is: Settling for the current goal you hit and as a result forever wondering "Could I have done more?"

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For me, I hit all the big marks I wanted to hit: 25 lbs lost, 40 lbs lost, 50 lbs lost, First Goal Weight Met, 60 lbs lost, Final Goal Weight Met, Being Hired by Weight Watchers and finally Lifetime. So if I have basically hit all the major goals I strived for...

What pushes me to continue on this weightloss/fitness journey I am on?

After rereading my Out of Control post from Friday (after Thursday's binge), I took the time to think about why I keep going since I don't have a number I am pushing to see on the scale and here are some of the things I found:

1) I had major back surgery in January 2011 (herniated disc removed in my L4-L5) and the doctor said to me that the more weight I keep off my back - the less pressure will be put on the surgically repaired area and the less likely I would be to re-injure that same spot. How can the strength of my back not be the Number One reason to keep up with my healthy lifestyle...

2) Continue to work for Weight Watchers and remaining Lifetime. To stay Lifetime with WW and an employee, I need to weigh in once a month within two pounds of my goal weight (153-157). In addition, I need to be in that range to hope to one day fulfill my dream of being a WW Leader.

3) Looking at all the wonderful new clothes I have bought and wanting to continue to fit in to them. I don't like to waste money so growing out of these cute clothes would be a huge blow to how far I have come...

4) To remain an example to others currently pushing through their own weightloss journeys that with hard work and determination they too will be able to succeed. Between Twitter, Facebook and this blog, I am constantly inspired and motivated by people who are making the choice to live a healthier lifestyle and I want to continue to be a part of their journeys as well as share my own...

5) So I can continue to relish in new Non-Scale Victories...

and finally one of the biggest...

6) I hope to stay as happy as I am now for the rest of my life. For so long, I couldn't stand the body I was in. I didn't like who I was. I was hiding behind layers of protection. Now? I am one confident, ass kicking, bad ass, running fool ... and I love it! I love that I am finally starting to like ... understand ... and even love: the geeky, slightly OCD, gym rat that I am...

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When you stop to think and are at a loss for:

*why you keep getting up at 5am to hit the gym for work

*why you take the time to preplan your meals for the week

*why you stay in every once in awhile to get a good night sleep before a road race

...just think about why you keep going!