No one likes a quitter

When I first started Weight Watchers, our leader, Dee, put a sticker on the front of my book. It has her name, the location of our meeting and five really important words that I seem to forget sometimes:

Quitting is not an option.

I know some of you have been with me a long time. You've read my ups and downs. You've read my self-pitying, my self-loathing. You've read some self-congratulating, too.You've even read about how much I've wanted to quit. But I haven't.

That's because those five words--quitting is not an option--actually mean something to me this time around. But during my down times, where I feel like I've been for a few months now, quitting sometimes feels like the only option.

So today I wanted to talk about why it's not an option. I need to remember these reasons when I just feel like giving up. This journey is pretty freaking tough. There are hills and valleys, twists and turns. Sometimes I feel defeated. But I need to remember the times of triumph too.


Quitting is not an option, why?

• I've seen that I can indeed accomplish great things.
• I want to be fully free from the chains of food.
• I need to believe that there are great things ahead for me.
• I can never go back to the person I was.
• I owe it to not only myself, but to everyone (and there are a LOT of you) who has supported me along the way.
• I want to be the person I was created to be--full of love, happiness, joy--not held down by despair.
• Because I have shared my story with so many people, I have erased the shame that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
• There are superficial reasons--I like shopping in regular stores, not worrying if a seat belt will fit, not worrying if I'm the fattest person in the room (OK, I still do that).
• I want to be strong and powerful and beautiful.
• Because...it just isn't.

There may be more, but today, quite honestly, I'm struggling a bit to remember them. I know I've been pretty down for a while. I'm not going to apologize for that (mostly because you guys yell at me when I do). Thanks to those of you who always remind me that I've got this. What I realize now, is that whether I reach my goals soon, or am still trying when I'm100 years old, the important thing is that I'm not giving up. Ever.

So, nope. Quitting will never be an option for me.

Remind me of that when I start whining again, won't you?

And tell me...what are reasons quitting isn't an option for you, either?