Sometimes, we slip. We fall. We get behind.

Sometimes, we need help. We need someone to pick us up. We need someone to bring us back to the fold.

Sometimes, we need to be motivated. We need to be reminded of what’s important. We need to be told we’re doing a good job and someone is there to support us.

We are all, afterall, human.

I get my motivation from a few different sources at different times. Sometimes, that strength comes from within, from that burning desire inside of me that refuses to fail and wants to succeed. I have to admit that part of that motivation comes from having failed before and never wanting to fail at weight loss again. I never wanted to have to say that I tried and couldn’t do it. Other times, my motivation comes from my wife who supports me in every way, loves me, and sacrifices for me. When I told her I needed her help to do this, she accepted. Sometimes, I’m motivated by the people who read my blog and comment or email me. I feel like I can’t let them down, either. Ultimately, I am motivated by my love of my family. I don’t want them to have to deal with burying me early due to a weight-related ailment. I want to give myself the best chance of sticking around as long as possible for them.

Look to people you love, people you trust; friends and family. Look to your spiritual advisor, minister, priest, rabbi, or shaman. Look to people you admire, or to people who have walked the path you are on before. Look to them for motivation, for inspiration, and for some words of strength to get you back to where you need to be.

Once you realize that your new, healthy lifestyle is 90% mental and 10% actual eating, it gets easier to tackle. Food doesn’t materialize in your mouth; you have to put it there. It takes discipline to ignore cravings, but with strength and motivation, you can get past cravings and live a life that consists of normal meals without the hunger in between. Without that overwhelming desire to eat and eat and eat.