I am making a public commitment to myself that I will no longer make allowances for my poor decision making. I am taking my health seriously and I am actively setting out to lose weight and to tone up. I am cutting fast food out of my diet by 80% and I am cutting sugary soda out of my diet by 90%. I am cutting self harm out of my life by 100%. I will eat a healthier diet and drink at least 64 oz of water every day. I will stick to these resolutions and prove to myself and to others that I care more about myself than I did throughout 2012. I will always remember to SHINE…until tomorrow!!!

Sean and all Twempirians
This is my story…
Last Masrch I started following Sean on Twitter he immediately helped me changed my life. I under his watchful twitter eye have pushed myself betond the limits. I started eating better and excercising as best I can as I have back problems. Since last March with Seans encouragement and the help and love of my kids I have lost 50 pounds which brought me from 300 to a current 250 I started the website and twitter Twempirians Unite in dedication to Sean and his huge heart and helped him help even more fans we are a family after all. I was very excited to meet sean in August in toronto and knowing how much he hates cigatette smoke I decided to stop smoking for a few days before I met him so he would smell it and have never had another smoke since! Sean and I have disagreed on a few things in the past months and I have let my point of view be known and he as he said in the blog is still there . No matter wether I agree with his methods or not they work and he is always there to help and that’s what I admire about him (he’s always very easy on the eyes lol) my new years goal is to stop drinking diet pepsi and lose at least another 50 pounds before August!

I love you sean xx

Thank you for saving my life.

Breesie McCrudden

And this is why I adore you and your blog- you make us all accountable and don’t let us blame anyone else 🙂 I did this very thing today on FB and here’s my plan for the year…

1. I have a total of 78 lbs to lose to hit my goal weight. To hit this by 1 June 2013, I need to lose 3 lbs a week.

2. To achieve Goal #1, my diet must be completely revamped. The focus for this will be ovo-lacto-vegetarianism, with lowfat dairy choices. More fruits and veggies, less meat.

3. I’m not crazy enough to think that I’m an herbivore. I can have one cheat meal a week, and yes, this can include meat. The obvious idea is think about what I’m eating.

4. Weight loss demands exercise. My weekly schedule will be 6 days of exercise, with a rest day on Sunday to prepare for the work week.

5. Every three months I will do a timed 5k. This doesn’t have to be an organized event- it can be as simple as running the neighborhood.

6. Weigh-ins are daily and charted, with measurements taken every Sunday.

7. I have a digital food scale that will be put to use. Every Sunday my meals will be prepared so there is no excuse during the week. This includes snacks as well as meals.

8. I will follow a hobbit’s meal schedule: 1st Breakfast, 2nd Breakfast, Elevensies, Luncheon, Tea, Dinner, and Supper. Meals will be kept around 200 calories, give or take, for a total of 1400 calories per day.

9. Juice and milk are acceptable during meals, but during the day I am to only have water. No drinking my calories. This includes giving up on Monsters, Amps, and other energy drinks. One cup of coffee a day, in the morning, is also acceptable.

10. I must remember that I am far from perfect. I will go through off days while other days will be amazing, especially in the beginning. No matter how many times I fall off the horse, however, I have to stand up, dust off, and put it behind me while getting back on track.

If it’s written down, I have to do it, right?

My story, in a nutshell: I’ve been slightly overweight my entire life and had a dad who was into body building, martial arts and extreme sports, but had a mom(who was primary in my life as my dad was navy and gone a lot) who was very overweight and did not give my sisters and I good example of healthy eating or lifestyle. She had her first heart attack at 38, quad bypass at 45 and cont to be heavy and not exercise. I’m a physical therapist’s asst so I know the importance of healthy living and the difference it makes in longevity.
March 2011, 7mo after I had my 3rd baby, I realized I was only 7 yrs from the age when my mom had her heart attack. I lost 30 lbs over the year with weight watchers, but quit cause of money and have gained 13 back. I just went and had a physical 3 weeks ago and had to be put on high blood pressure meds. I was so upset with myself but realized I put myself here. That same day, I came across your blog and read the metrics of humanity. I was so inspired that I decided to make a serious change. I have 3 kids and work close to full time, so my time is limited, but I realized that if something happens to me these kids will be the ones suffering. So MOMMY has to take care of herself at some point too! I joined the gym and have been going 3-4 days the last 3 weeks. I know it’s not going to come easy but I think about that blog entry when I’m busting my ass at the gym to keep myself going. My next quest, if the money will allow, is to hopefully get my son, myself and my husband enrolled at a local martial arts academy that teaches BJJ.
My goals: To lose another 30lbs, run my first 5K and become a BJJ student within the 2013 year!
I pray I can keep this promise to myself and all those who I’m proclaiming this to.
God Bless,
Raina Bolander:)

My goal is to be 140 pounds or less and at least be *close* to moving up in rank in Taekwondo by March 20–first day of spring (unless the almanac lied!). New everything, new me in full blossom. And stay that way. Not to give my genetic makeup (asthma, high blood pressure, and other weight-related maladies) even AN INCH to beat me over the head.
I’m not going to let my natural timidity get the better of me and kill the opportunities that I could reach out and take. Not anymore. I’m done. Feet, don’t fail me now.
Sincerely,
Beth Shepherd.
Remember the name.

Alright so I am 3 months smoke-free so that is not my resolution. Unfortunately I have gained about 7 lbs since I’ve quit, which doesn’t seem too bad except when I could have afforded to lose 10 lbs before I gained that weight. I am fairly athletic, I have insanely strong legs and they are more muscley than I would like from years of playing hockey and figure skating.

So my goal is to lose 20 lbs (or look like I have) and I will achieve this by getting the discipline to get into a fitness routine, and I will start by beginning P90x (6 workouts per week) after 3 months of that I plan to add running 3 x per week in the mix.

I also plan to cook more and cook healthier meals and reduce my red meat intake. I will also seek out new healthy recipes to keep me motivated to continue eating healthy.

ok, here is my story. Back in May , I decided to stop blaming my weight gain on a bad breakup 4 years ago and accept it that my laziness and bad eating habits were to blame.What is worse is that I wasn’t always out of shape. I knew I could do it, so I did. I cut out all the foods that were unhealthy. Started walking everyday (from one mile to 7 as of today) and completely changed my lifestyle. This is NOT a diet. I lost almost 50lbs and I am sure several inches. I am fitting in clothes I have not worn since 94. My goal is to be back at a healthy weight again for my small frame (I’m only 5 ft tall) by my birthday in April. This is a new lifestyle change . There is no going back. I feel better, I look better and I don’t miss a thing about the “old” me. Thank you ,Sean, for all your encouragement to all of us that struggle every day. It’s greatly appreciated.

I’ve never been the typical girl that has been in really good shape. I’ve had a lot of confidence issues because of that. Though I’m extremely athletic, I have always had a hard time eating healthy. So I’d say I am very muscular, but, still about 14 pounds overweight. When I played sports in high school (volleyball, basketball, softball) things kinda evened out, because I was so active. But, in my first year of college, everything went downhill. I completely neglected my body. I ate whatever I felt like, whenever. I gained about 20 pounds. It wasn’t until I coached a youth basketball team in the spring, that I realized how badly out of shape I was. So, this past summer I made a promise to myself that I’d eat healthier and work out everday. I actually followed through with the promise and lost 30 pounds! But, when my college started up again, I lost focus. The stress of the work got to me, and I started to eat unhealthy again. My workouts remained pretty efficient, but without eating healthy, they were virtually effectless. So, right now, I’m pretty much in the same place I was at the end of the summer. I weigh about 154 pounds. In 2013, I promise: to lose at least 25 more pounds (and not gain it back), ride my exercise bike for at least 8 miles 6 times a week (and every time I watch television), reduce my sugar intake by 60 percent, eat at least two servings of veggies a day, eliminate late night snacks completely, drink more water, and stop spending so much time on the computer/watching T.V. Also, on an unrelated note, I am going to be more open to people and go outside my comfort zone this year. It’s about time that I stop selling myself short, and put my own mark on the world!
Sean, you don’t know how much I appreciate your wisdom and how much you motivate me to change myself! Thanks for giving me the “kick in the butt” I needed. I genuinely love you and all you do for your fans. You always call us friends and that’s actually how you make us feel. I hope you and everyone else who reads this has a wicked cool 2013! God bless you all!

God, U R are really cute. Reese’s peanut butter cups?? Never woulda guessed…So, what the hell should I confess to??… K… have 4 kids… 5’8″ 120 lbs…kick boxing/Taebo and really good genes – no weight to lose, if anything, I forget to eat. Way too skinny, do you eat, how do you have a body like that after 4 kids, bla-bla-bla. But, everyone has something, right? I smoke 3 cigarettes a day, and CAN’T stop the 3. I think 3 is ok, but maybe not – you seem to hate smoking. Reedus smokes – do you try to stop him? I had no New Year’s resolutions, but u make me feel guilty. If anything, my goal would be to be a black belt in BJJ or karate. Ever been to Breckenridge, Co??? I live 30 minutes from there at 10,000 feet. No teachers here. Keep waiting. Con Express is on – gotta go- Shelley (Stay away from Reese’s…you can do it…)

Here’s mine – cut out fast food, severely limit my sweets, and drop fifty pounds by summer.

I”m going to lose weight. I want to lose at least 70 pounds. I’m going to cut out sugar and bad carbs, and eat more lean meats and vegetables I’m also going to exercise at least an hour a day. I have been overweight for so long, and I’m tired of it. I’ll be 39 next year and I want to feel as good as I did at 29, if not better. Thanks for providing a source of inspiration, Sean 🙂 And Happy New Year 🙂

My story: 21 years of being overweight. Clinically, I’m probably considered obese. I’m not going to try to excuse myself, but many factors contributed to it — family history, what I was being fed as a child (and still too naive to notice), and my own general laziness. Time and time again I’d make the promise to myself to make a change. My pants size never shrunk. I’d always revert back to my old ways. I hated gym class and only did what was necessary to pass. The most physical activity I took part in was marching band.

About two and a half years ago, home and family issues drove me into a bad place. My dad took it to turn things around and he dropped fifty pounds. Me? I stayed the same. If not worse. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I came across words of wisdom from a Mr. Flanery. Whatever it was that he said, it would stick. It would nag at me until I went for a run outside. I still found it hard to keep consistent though.

There was one thing that did stick though, for much longer. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I decided to look into it, because of the same person who constantly spoke highly of it. I tried a class out. That was over six months ago, and three nights a week I’m there, sweating buckets, and doing something good for myself. But has it really done anything for me besides hyper-extend both my elbows, break my toes, and decorate me with more bruises than my Dalmatian has spots? I would say yes. In these past six months, I’ve become less winded while doing physically active things. I’ve had a handful of people tell me I look like I’ve lost weight. I’ll admit that I still avoid the scale, but that’s mostly because I’m too cheap to get one that works.

So where does that put me now? What are my plans for 2013? I’m thinking back, and thinking about the changes I made for 2012, and what I can continue to do. I will continue with BJJ. I will strive to get better at it. I will get the best guy in class to tap out at least once. Mark my words, it will happen.

I hesitate to set a weight loss goal, because every time I don’t meet it, I get depressed, and grumpy, and annoying. But lets say, for this year, a minimum of 40. That will already put me in a happier place. I think that’s doable, with major changes. Stop with the popcorn. Bring back the running. There’s a marathon this summer that I really want to run, that I will run, hopefully with my sister.

In addition to that, I have a few more plans. I’m sick of procrastinating, and this year, I’m going to finish a book — writing one that is. I’m also going to finish editing the one I have already written. The latter of which I want done by March. And then I’m going to tackle learning the German language more fluently. I have a learning program, I am going to complete that.

-Rebecca (@writer_renegade)

In 2013 I will first hold myself to my goals, which include:
First and foremost to get in shape, I have already gone down a size and it took about two months. I will continue to exercise and down size my junk food intake.
Second, I will believe in myself. My self confidence needs a kick in the ass which includes no longer second guessing myself and know that I am good at all things I have worked at.
Third, I will post more videos of my singing to YouTube, even if its just for me Im gonna do it.
Fourth, continue writing and not get embarrassed at the things I write.
Fifth, audition for more plays, I can’t be an actor if I never audition for anything.
Finally, strive to be a person that my daughters want to be like.
Thank you Sean, for this opportunity to post my resolutions and for keeping me accountable for my actions. I will not let you down sir!

I quit smoking 6 years ago it was a struggle to quit but I did it .I will get down to my goal weight of 132, and find my joy for life again. I will find peace working with my horses, dogs and cats. I am planning on going back to school for either criminal profiling or baking( kind of odd choices). So I promise to do my best to succeed in 2013. Have a Happy New Year and may you all know joy in this new year.

Hey everyone,

My name is Vincent Brewer. I aim to get myself down to below 10% body fat. This has been a long term goal of mine but I’ve been getting in my own way. I declare to all of you to exercise no less than three times a week including yoga and running. I will also cut down my sugar intake by 85%. I will also increase the frequency of my weight lifting regiment. And finally I will cut down snacking.

As a college student this may be difficult but I as a student have a fitness center at my disposal so why not put it to use.

Remember this quote friends “success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire” -Frank tyger and as always SHINE.

I promise to start working out again and I WILL get out from under this depression!

As always beautifully written! : ) My goals for 2013 are not necessarily of a physical nature, but just to live a healthy life for myself and my daughter. I’m not over weight ( although I’d like to tone things up a bit ) and have just recently started boxing once a wk and already seeing results. So my first goal is to continue on that path and step it up to at least 3 times a wk, starting tomorrow. My 2nd goal is to continue working on my emotional/spiritual well being. It’s been a long journey for me, I have been divorced and single from my husband of eight yrs for the past 4, and have had some very rough times. I’ve felt and thought every emotion you could possibly think of in that type of situation, and am happy to say that although I still let people take advantage from time to time, I have found my voice and believe I am someone worth loving, and won’t settle for less!! My 3rd goal is to move into a apt/house of my own, as I have stayed with my sister for the last 3 yrs, not because I needed to, but strictly for convince. It’s time to step it up, and live my own life, even if living by myself scares the crap out of me!! ( I’m a twin, so I’ve never been alone) lol hope to have all that accomplished by the end of March. 

To Sean & Everyone reading,
Not all of this is easy to write, but I believe it IS the best way to stay focused & not wish or hope, but ACHIEVE what I need to achieve. My name is Casey and I am an alcoholic. I am 32 single mother of one beautiful little girl who is about to be 6. I have not put my full effort into changing, clearly. 2012 has been the roughest year yet. Luckily, I have supportive parents who have helped so that she has never seen me anyway other than at my best. At my best, though, I still am NOT AT MY BEST, I can STILL do better. I have always had low self-esteem. I am 4 foot 11, am flat-chested, and weight 110 lbs. I do need and WILL lose those ten lbs. I am DETERMINED to commit my self to being a better mother, better to myself, and to fight my demon head on. I will always be an alcoholic, but I DO NOT have to be a practicing alcoholic. One of the things I have learned is to change one thing-you have to change everything. I am committed to quitting smoking. I HAVE A LOT to work on in 2013 and I will also be staying single for the whole year. I need a year to get myself together, get off my ass and BE THE PERSON i know I can be. I have many good qualities as well, but they are too often overshadowed by everything else. I don’t know why but I am starting to cry while I write this. Honesty is hard, but necessary. I am sober tonight and with my parents and daughter. I KNOW I am not where I should be in life at this moment. With support from others and most of all the pulling inside myself that I WANT MORE out of life, I CAN do it. I am not giving up on myself. If I do that, I lose everything and I am better than that. Thank you for reading,
Casey Corine Hutson

At 40 yrs old, with a husband and two children, I am starting a new career as a police officer. I resolve to lose that final 10 lbs, but more importantly to continue my journey of a healthy expire for my boys. Also, be as strong in body as in my morals and values. To be an amazing police officer and to help all I can.
Tara

Thank you for being such an inspiration Sean. My resolution this new year is to lose weight and get healthy. I’m 17 so I’m determined to turn my life around before the end of high school. I want to be happier, I want to feel better about myself, but most importantly, I want to love who I am, and that is what I want to accomplish this new year. Sean, your supportive words have helped me to start this new journey in my life. Thank you for being such an incredible person!!! <3

Well thanks to my entering an incorrect anti-spam password I lost my original post. So, I’ve been fat then obese & then morbidly obese since puberty. Factors for that: wacky ovaries, underactive thyroid AND emotional lazy eating. I never had a lightbulb moment. Other fat people know you can look in a mirror but still not actually see yourself. You get good at it, turn away for photos, don’t look at yourself in them if it can be avoided. Don’t look at your reflection in windows. The hatred you have toward yourself is quiet, nobody sees it but you. I think I just got sick of myself. Little things like getting puffed walking from the car to the shopping centre, being unable to walk up stairs, my dogs being unable to sit on my lap because my stomach gets in the way. I joined a gym 12 mths ago. I’ve lost 22 kgs. All I did was exercise (sporadically) and REDUCE WHAT I ATE. I could compose an ode to how much this world over eats. Now I don’t clean my plate as I was raised to, I stop eating when I want to. Out to dinner I won’t order a dozen oysters, surf & turf & then dessert, I’ll have half dozen oysters a salad & no dessert & I’m still leaving some of that behind! I feel so much better it’s too difficult to explain. I can buy clothes off the rack now & not the largest size! So here goes: I promise to keep going to the gym & get regular at it. I promise to change my eating habits to eat healthy. I promise to stop drinking the remaining soft drink I still drink. I promise to eat only food that will benefit me from the inside out. I promise to drop as much of the remaining 58 kilos I have to by 31/12/13 (we do date, month, year deal with it). I PROMISE to become unreasonable in the realisation of this dream & then be even more unreasonable in maintaining that dream weight of 65 kilos. And lastly I promise that this is my real name on this post & I promise to tweet you for a metaphorical kick up the backside when I need it. Jacqui (@JezebelSpike).

I PROMISE to lose 30 lbs by the end of april and to start eating healthier and make it to the gym 3 days a week. I am sick and tired of being over weight I used to weigh 115 and now I’m 160 🙁 I don’t know why I let myself go but NO More excuses my time is now and I will lose these 30lbs again and keep it off

Ever since I was 6 I have been overweight bordering obese. Ever since my sister hit 12 she slowly began to gain wait until she became morbidly obese, now I’m nearly 19(my sister is roughly3-4 years older than me) and ever since I was 12 she has told me how disgusted our family is with my weight and how when she was my age she was thinner(which is lies) she says this on a weekly basis, and along with some other things she has said. I have recently found out that she is going to have stomache surgery in a couple of months and I want to prove to her that even with our crappy living situation and her health issues, that that is no excuse for not at least trying to lose weight!! So my promise is to be at my healthy body weight in 8 months, to feel better about myself and tell my sister to shove it!!! Hope you have a happy new year Sean

I’ve been working as a chef since ’95. College, trained in Switzerland, worked for several private clubs. I get to try all different kinds of foods from the healthy to the not-so. I work as a pastry chef and in the past have eaten too much crap. Since I started Tweeting with you and reading your blogs I’ve done quite a bit to change things and joined BJJ. It gives me a goal every class to get better and kick some ass. Plus where else am I gonna go and choke the living daylights out of someone after a long day at work? I’ve lost two dress sizes and will be losing more in ’13. I’ve cut out pop except for a wee bit every now and then, it’s a freaking addiction. Cut back on the beer too. I have studied nutrition so I have no excuse to not eat right. I am looking to change careers, not sure what I want to get into yet. Everything will fall into place. I promise to keep losing the weight, sort my shit out and not get discouraged. See you at the Detroit con in May.

I read your previous post like this and watching and becoming a fan of yours was what inspired me to start losing weight and eating healthier. I started on Oct 1, 2012 and I’ve lost 21 pounds so far. I still have 60 or so to go, and these past two weeks have been so difficult. My calorie goal has dropped and trying to pacify the families by eating Christmas dinner or all the many tempting sweets has had me not counting. Hopefully as the leftovers get thrown out and the sweets spoil, I’ll be able to stop the snacking.

I had the will power to not eat when I was hungry and I had food waved under my nose but I couldn’t measure it for the first 20 pounds, then I can go to bed hungry and deal with the migraines now, right? I will stop whining & complaining about being hungry — it’s my fault I’m fat, and I will learn to fix it. I will keep my jaw shut when offered sweets. I only have so many calories allowed per day, I will not waste them on sweet things, no matter how tempting they look/smell/taste.

My name’s Beckah, or Rebekah. I’m a twent-one-year-old studying graphic design at community college. For five semesters, I haven’t worked as hard as I know I can. I want to, I just haven’t found the motivation.

Same with losing weight. I did so well one summer and dropped a lot of weight. I also built up muscles and developed great eating habits. I went back to school and gained all that weight back.

I get seriously caught up in role playing online. I spend hours on end living through another character. It’s a place I hide when I don’t want to work hard. I’m really sick of it. I either want to get rid of it completely, or limit my time to an hour a day. I’ll do the latter, and if that’s not enough, I’ll get rid of it completely. 🙂

So, here’s my promises, Sean. I will stick to them. I’m coming to Comic-Con in July. I don’t know if you’ll be there, but if you are, I’ll print these promises out, show them to you, and show you the results.

1) I promise to lose at least twenty-five pounds by July. My weight keeps going up and down like a yo-yo. This time, I’m going to lose it, and keep it off.
2) I promise also to pursue my career whole-heartedly, and be the best graphic designer I can be.
3) I promise to work hard this coming semester at school and not procrastinate.
4) I promise to manage my time responsibly.
5) I promise to act like I’m 21…and not 16 (this may be the hardest promise yet lol).
6) I promise to cut out the things that prohibit me from being or doing these things.
7) I can very caught up in online role playing. I promise to limit my time to an hour a day, if that.

Thanks for the encouragement, Sean, and the support. 🙂

My story…from the beginning? Okay. Here we go. Just like so many others, I’ve been overweight since I was a teenager. I won’t bore anyone with the “poor me, who couldn’t fit into clothes” crap or the “no one would ever take me out on a date” BS because who wants to hear that? Four years ago, I got healthy…well, healthier. I started working out and eating better and I lost fifty of the hundred pounds I needed to lose. Well, I guess I was looking good because I got knocked up. My husband and I never really wanted kids but we counted our son as a blessing and we still do, of course. As time progressed, he wasn’t developing like a typical child. We took him to doctor after doctor and had several tests done, including a muscle biopsy looking for Mitochondrial Disorder. Fortunately, it all came back good but unfortunately, there still weren’t any answers. In a nutshell, he’s special needs and along with all that stress, I put that fifty pounds back on. I avoided mirrors. I wore sweatpants. I blamed my increasingly tight scrub uniforms on “that damn dryer!”. Then, I became a fan of The Walking Dead. I fell in love with Norman. I watched Boondock Saints and I fell in love with Sean. I started following Sean on Twitter in November, a few days before the first blog was posted about making right choices to get healthy. At first I was defensive but then I read it again and it hit me like a ton of ice cream. I was killing myself. Literally. Was any of that junk that I put in my mouth worth feeling like that? No. It wasn’t. So, I started eating better and doing more physical activites. I had so many excuses: “Food is all I have”, “stress from my son”, “I don’t have the money to join a gym”. All those excuses were killing me and I was allowing it. Since Thanksgiving, I’ve lost 17 pounds and I’m proud of every single ounce. My goal is to lose 100 pounds total by January 1st, 2014 and in the fall, my goal is to run a 5K. My last cigarette was tonight. As of right now, I am banning red meat from my life. I want to say thank you, Sean, for inspiring me with every word that you write and for reaching out to your fans. The moment I read that first blog changed my life and it will continue to change for the better. One day, I hope to meet you so that you can see for yourself what a huge (no pun intended…no, wait, pun INTENDED…haha) difference you’ve made in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring. Happy NEW YEAR!!

I guess mine has more to do with mental health than anything, but here it goes. 2012 has been alternately the best and worst. I let my own laziness get the best of me and it seriously affected my studies and motivation to do my best. But now it’s 15 minutes until the new year, and that’s going to change. In 2013, I will get my license. I will pass (with A’s) every class I take so I can get into a great nursing school. I’ll continue to fight against negativity and selfishness. I will let go of my own ego to become a better, happier person than I was in 2012.
And no more Lays chips. I’m quitting those cold turkey.

I’ll start with the brutal honesty from the jump… while I really need to make some promises, as well as serious changes in my life, I am extremely afraid to do so. My problems are no worse or technically different than anyone else who has posted a comment to the post. My main problem is the fear I just mentioned. Fear has been my biggest enemy for as long as I can remember.
As this nightmare of a year comes to a close while I type this comment, my promise & commitment to myself & anyone who reads this & feels like caring is this…I will get back on track with the course of tackling & overcoming my fear of living. I will do this every day. I will remember that I am a person worthy of happiness. I will stop hiding. I will…I WILL! Within the next month, I will regain my energy, my determination, my drive, my artistic eye.
Wow, this more difficult than I imagined it would be! 10 minutes left to 2012…
Okay, next…I will rejoin the living. 2012 has been arguably the worst of my life. I will no longer play or believe the negative tapes that have played repeatedly throughout my life. I will no longer repeat the quote “the bad stuff is easier to believe”. I will tell myself something positive about myself every day, without fail, without excuses, even if it’s something small. I need to remember the good things about myself.
It seems that since I have fallen into this never ending pit of despair & self-pity, I have for the 1st time in my life gained 15 unwanted & unneeded pounds. It makes me sick. I am not obese by any stretch of the imagination, so I technically have nothing to complain about, but…to me, it’s a nightmare. It makes me sick every time I look at myself in the mirror, every time I try to change my clothes. I will force myself to be active every day, no matter what it is….a walk, hoola-hooping, crunches, whatever. By the time February comes around I will have lost the extra weight & be on my way to being in the best shape of my life. I will eat healthier. I will research how to go about that, put everything into it that I have.
Lastly…I will fight my urge to give up on myself & these promises. Maybe I took on too many…but everything I typed…those goals are very important to me being able to come back to life & smile again.
I fear that this was all just a rambling mess of words, but I’m gonna stand by it, follow through on them & work harder than I ever have for anything in my life!
Here comes 2013…can’t think of a better way to ring in a new start…wish me luck!

<3

Hey there!

First off I think this whole thing is great about being accountable for each other-accountability is so important when trying to better ourselves!

My name is Meredith and I am 24 years old. I have two small children: Lucy is one and Luke is three.

So I guess my story starts this time last year when I got the go ahead from my doctor to start exercising again after I had my baby girl in November. I was so excited and ready to get my pre-baby body back. I had gained a little more with her than I did with my boy and I was just ready to get it off. I was able to do it seamlessly with Luke and was half expecting the same with Lucy. So I started out really well; eating right and working out every day. I slowly, but surely began to see results. By June I was down 15 pounds and only 10 away from my short term goal.

This same time in June we lost my husband’s grandmother, whom he was very close to. I was expected to carry the emotional weight of the family which was exhausting. I fell off of the health and fitness band wagon because of the stress and apparently never got back on. With financial problems, another death in the family, marital issues and the cold weather telling me to cover my body I was able to comfortably sit on some excuses to not start back. I held onto these with one hand while with the other I chugged soda and scarfed candy every chance I got. I kept saying “Oh, I’ll start back tomorrow, next week, on Monday…” One excuse after another led to one, two, three more pounds….

Finally, this month I braved the scale once more. Devastated, but not surprised I saw that I gained all my baby weight back and then some. All this in the same amount of time that it took to loose it.

This blatant, ridiculous failure looms over my head and laughs in my face each time I look in the mirror. I have not seen the weight that I am now since I was pregnant. I’ve never weighed this much, just me! It’s so scary. My mom is medically considered “morbidly obese” and my Aunt had a gastric bypass-it’s in my family to be a big lady, but I do NOT want to be like that. Genetics stop here.

Even though this failure is so intimidating I will not let it rule my health. I am determined to pull my fat ass out of the dirt and start over-and STICK with it!!!

I’m so glad that I found your blog for accountability and motivation! I plan on documenting my progress on my new blog on Tumblr…it’d be great if you could follow it!

C’mon ladies and gents…we can do this!!! I want to make 2013 the best yet.

I’ve got to get this weight off while I’m young because I know it’s only going to get harder as I get older.

So, this isn’t my only Resolution, but it is my number one.
Some others are:
1. Spend more quality time with my kids.
2. Be a better housekeeper.
3. Brush up on my Spanish to be fluent again by the end of the year.
4. Be financially smarter.

Basically this time next year I want to be wealthier, healthier and happier that I am right now.

“I promise to work out every day and eat better. I will document this in my FitnessPal and my new blog. I would like to have lost 15-20 pounds by June 2013. Also, I promise to spend more quality time with my kids, take better care of my house, be fluent again in Spanish by the end of 2013 and be a better steward of my money.”–Meredith 12/31/12

I think it’s so great that you are taking time to help people! I’m really glad that I have your blog to motivate and inspire me! Let’s be accountable for each other, it’s always better with friends 😉

Much love-you’re great-Happy New Year! =)))

I am going to get back on my exercise & weight loss goals and stick to them. I want to be healthy and strong. I’m going to go back to working out at least six days a week. I need to set an example for my daughter, a champion artistic roller skater. If she’s in training for regionals and nationals then so am I! I’m also going to meet my writing goals. I’m going to get my book written and my screenplay written. I’ve put these goals off way too long because I’ve been afraid of failing at them. But by not doing anything, that’s the biggest failure of all I’m starting this year off right and I’m going to accomplish everything this year. I’m also not going to allow negative people to have any impact in my life. This year is MY year dammit and I’m taking it!

I’m not really sure where to start, so I guess I will just start at the beginning. I am the child of an abusive home. I grew up surrounded by drugs and alcohol and pretty much every other thing that a child should never be exposed to. As I grew up I failed to break that cycle and instead ended up in an abusive relationship of my own. This year I will focus on doing what is safest and best for me. I will not continue to be a victim in 2013. Thank you so much for the eye opening words. I cannot express enough my gratitude to you.

I made the biggest change ever a couple months ago when, after several weeks on Chantix, I was able to finally be smoke free for the first time since Clinton was in office. With as much as I smoked, too, it’s a huge thing! But, with it, I’ve put on a few pounds so my next step is to get back into shape. Start jogging or cycling again. That’s my big plan this year, now that I’ll have my lung capacity back.

I promise to work out for no less than 30 minutes at least 6 days out of the week. There’s no excuse not to make this time for myself! With working out Will come the resolve to eat better because I don’t want that work to be for nothing, right? Two days out of every week will be days that I eat only whole, real, healthy foods. (Start with two, hope that it will grow to more than that.) Since meeting Sean 6 months ago and beginning to follow him on Twitter, I’ve already lost 15 lbs. Not much, I know, but it’s been a baby step in the right direction. My goal is to be down another 25 lbs (that STAY OFF) by October of 2013. That’s approx -2 lbs per month, -1/2 lb every week.
It’s going to be a test of my willpower, but that’s the only way that the will can get stronger.

Hey Sean,
I’ve been “trying” for the past 2 years to lose weight. By that I mean I was sort of trying until this year. I noticed that as soon as I quit smoking in fall of 2009 that I put on weight, and then I got pregnant and I really only put on about 25lbs with my pregnancy. I didn’t use it as an excuse to binge, because frankly if I ate more than needed I would get sick to my stomach. Ok, ok I’m rambling. Anyway, this year I’ve vowed to at least get down to the weight I was before I got pregnant. And from there to get back down to the weight I was in college. BUT, this time do it in a healthy way. At that time I was starving myself and over doing it in the exercise department. I would eat a whole pizza on Monday and then not eat for a week, while training in a boxing ring. Now, if I’m “bored hungry” I drink water, if I want to take a nap while my son is napping I fire up the Wii Fit and do a few exercises. If I have a night to myself I go to the gym. I’m 6 ft tall, 188lbs, I’d like to get down to 165. The BMI says 150 is healthy for me, but I feel that I’d lose my curves if I did that. Wow, I’m REALLY rambling. Anyway, thank you for helping me to take the initiative Sean. Someday I’d like to thank you in person.

about to leave for the navy. I’ve got 14 days left. I’ve lost 13 pounds in order to be able to ship. I promise to keep working at it and lose at least 2 more pounds before I leave. I promise to put everything I have into boot camp. I’ll come out a new and shinier me. and maybe I can help others improve along the way 🙂

Never really told my story before so bear with me 🙂
My journey began 8 years ago on November 3rd. My mother, and best friend in the entire world, passed away from a 5 year battle with stage 4 colon cancer. I watched her fight for her life and wonder how such a horrific thing could happen to her body. She was somewhat overweight and, god bless her, thought she was eating healthy according to her understanding. I was 20 years old when she passed and dedicated the next 8 years trying to understand the body and how different foods harm and heal. I was weighed 185 when I took the first steps to change my life. I began learning about the chemicals put in food and the damaging effects it has on the body. I studied about genetic modification, processed foods and anything I could get my hands on. I cut out all unnatural sugars, fast food, soda and white breads. I replaced them with organic greens, cane juice, whole grains, hormone free meats and lots and lots of yummy almonds. This process was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to commit to, but I was determined to be as healthy as possible and live the life my mother would have wanted for me. I realized I used food for coping, boredom, celebrations and pretty much anything under the sun. I was addicted to food in the most unhealthy of ways. One trick I used in the beginning stages: I wanted Ben & Jerrys so badly that I would buy a pint, eat a spoon full and run hot water through the rest 🙂 this would be a waste of money but satisfy my craving until I didn’t even want it anymore. Now, even a spoon full makes me sick to my stomach and light headed. Amazing to think what the body can cope with when unhealthy foods are forced upon it in mass.
During this journey, I also started working out…something I had never done regularly. I began by taking spinning classes; which was incredibly fun and motivating and did the trick to build up my lung capacity. Then I began running. Now I run 3-5 times a week and do body weight exercises and weight training. I’ve lost 50 lbs and gained muscle tone and endurance. Running has become something I crave now and miss horribly when I take too many days off! I adore it like I never thought possible!
This is an uphill battle and one I have lost on many fronts, but honestly, my weight doesn’t scare me anymore. I understand what certain foods will do to me and how they will affect my mood or energy level. I make informed, conscious choices every day and, by doing so, determine how I will feel the next day. My body is in my control, it does not control me. There are always steps to take to become more healthy, more fit, or have more energy. But this does not have to be daunting. Knowledge is power and I believe I have added years to my life and buckets full of confidence that I simply would not have possessed had I not begun this journey.
In the hospital, my mom was in so much pain, she gripped my hand and begged me not to go through what she was going through. Not to feel the pain she felt when I had the power to take my life in my own hands and make it better. I promised her I would fight against the genetics of my own family (colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.) and no longer willingly shorten my life with food that could very well kill me, a depressed outlook on life and crippling self-consciousness. It was a promise I was terrified I could not keep. But step by step, my world has changed.
This new year, my resolution is to never quit. Sometimes look into the mirror and still see the fat girl I was before but those are my own ghosts I much battle now and again. In the end, I am happier and healthier for what my mother did for me. She was my everything and a lifetime of unhealthy choices at least had a hand in taking her from me. She refused to die and allow me to blindly head down the exact same path. I owe my life to her, in every way.

My name is Chelsea Staab I have been sick and on steroids to save my vision for 5 years….in the process over the last 6 months I have lost 65 pounds and work on it every day. Sean your words of wisdom help me everyday and I appreciate everything you do!!!

Here’s a little of my history, I was diagnosed with a rare, debilitating neurological disease called Intracranial Hypertension (IH) in 1995. I managed to live a fairly normal life (job, boyfriends, friends, ect.) until 11/2010 when things finally got to the point that I was unable to work anymore due to pain and vision issues. Even with this major setback I set a goal for 2012 to lose at least 40lbs. by December. I actually managed to lose 50lbs in the last year. I have almost completely cut out all fast food. I have slightly decreased my sweets intake.
Sean, before I tell you my goals for the next year I have to say “Thank You”. There have been times in the last year when things got to be almost more than I could handle and then, like a hand reaching out to help me thru the rough patch, you would post another inspirational blog. Ok my goals for next year – 1)Lose another 50lbs by Dec. 2013, 2)Cut my sweets intake by 75%, and 3)Find ways to raise more awareness for Intracranial Hypertension and the IH Research Foundation

I have one promise that is to lose more weight. I did the Atkins diet for 6 months an lost 45lbs, however I would like to add to that. I would like to lose another 45-50lbs in the next 6 months. I’ll be doing the Insanity workout again and drinking the Vi- Body Shakes. So here’s to a new & healthier me. 🙂 Happy New Year!!!

I will lose 40 lbs by July 1, 2013 by cutting sodas 100%, eating more fruits and vegetables, and going to the gym at least 3 times a week. I will also learn to deal with my emotional eating.

Lydia Villarreal

I have struggled over the last year with not finding work, losing my unemployment benefits, losing my apartment, and having to move in with a friend (who won’t be a friend after I move out), all of this with a child in tow. I have finally found part-time work at minimum wage, definitely not enough to support myself, a teenager, a dog, and two ferrets. So, to start the new year of 2013 out with a serious bang, I have a list of things to accomplish this year –
1. quit the off-again/on-again smoking…quit for good.
2. finish writing my novel, and see about getting it published.
3. give up Dr. Peppers…this one is painful as it stems from something I shared with my Dad (who died in 1989)
4. cut back on chocolate…or at least switch to dark chocolate…or carob…again this one hurts.
5. find full-time, fun employment that will provide me with an income to buy a car…taking the bus is not making finding that perfect job easy.
6. And the most important is find a safe, warm home for me, my kids, dog, and ferrets.
With everything I’ve been through in my life so far, I know I can accomplish each of these goals. I literally have no choice. So wish me luck, send me positive energy, say a prayer…I need it all.

Barbara Ann Morehouse
December 31, 2012

There are many things that I would like to change this New Year. I would like to become healthier (which is something a lot of people want), I want a better view of myself, I want to get back into walking 2 miles a day in 30 minutes, I want a better relationship with my friends and family, I want to be the person I know I can be. Reading your blog for the first time has made me realize that I can do all of these things if I choose to do so. Not only are you a great actor, but you are a great inspiration to everyone who reads your blogs. Thanks for the confidence to make a change!

Just a few weeks ago I finally got my bachelor’s degree (with summa cum laude honors) after spending 7 1/2 years in college. I originally got an associate’s degree in architectural drafting, but my last year of that I realized that I hated it. I changed my major to forensic science and had to start the process all over again. But in the end, it was well worth it. I met a few wonderful people and had a blast my last 2 years in school. After I finished, I started wondering what am I going to do with my time between now and starting my career. I eventually want to work in the City of Phoenix Crime Lab as either a DNA analyst or firearms examiner. But there is a problem: my financial situation. I had applied for an internship at the crime lab this past year. One of the questions on the application was “if we run a credit history, will there be any negative points?” With my dad being out of work and my mom had been in a skilled nursing facility for the past 4 years (until her passing last July), I was the only one with an income. I had to place a few large purchases on my credit cards to help my family and my spending got a little out of control. I couldn’t afford to pay my bills so yes, there will be negative points on a credit check. But rather than hiding it on the application, I included the situation in detail. However, that prevented me from being accepted as an intern. When I got the rejection letter, I felt like the biggest failure. If I cannot get an internship, there sure as hell is no chance of me even getting a job there or at any crime lab, not unless I file for bankruptcy. I plan on doing that within the next week or two which will be cleared hopefully by July. Come August, I plan to apply for a full-time position within the crime lab. But until then, what am I going to do?

Since spending got me into this mess, I vow to keep what little I make from my paychecks stashed away and use only $30 out of it for gas to get back and forth to work and school. I will not spend money to “grab something quick to eat.” Rather, I will fix something to eat at home and bring it with me to work. This way, I can eat healthier when I bring lunch from home. In addition to eating healthier, I plan on losing 20-30 pounds by the end of the year to help me look better in a dress for my sister’s wedding, in which I will be maid of honor. I plan to go on a walk each morning before it gets too hot to do anything. In the summer when the pools are open, I plan on swimming at least 500 yards each day when I have down time at work.

At 15 weeks self-injury free, I made a promise to you via twitter that I would stay clean. It has not been an easy road. Sometimes the only thing that got me through was that I made a promise to one of my heroes. I even got aequitas/veritas tattoos as a reminder. Now I am 37 1/2 weeks clean with no intention of relapse. In the next year I have vowed to start running and taking BJJ to further take care of myself and have a healthy outlet.
Much love.

This is fantastic! I always do better when someone is holding me accountable. I was a competitive swimmer my whole life. When college was over and I stopped swimming and gained a lot of weight. I have lost 25 lbs so far (by changing my eating habits), but have quite a bit more to lose. I know that if I get back in the pool the weight will start coming off. I miss the feeling after a hard workout where I can barely pull myself out of the pool, and the feeling it gives me the rest of the day. That feeling like I did something to make myself better. So my promise is to get back into pool, even though it scares me a little. I know I can’t hold myself up to my previous standards, just get back into it and see where it leads. My goal is to join Masters Swimming and start competing again! Thanks so much for the inspiration and the opportunity for all of us to put our goals out there and achieve them together! Best of luck to ALL of us!!!

My goals feel so trivial compared to some of the ones I’ve read on here, so I feel a little ridiculous right now. I’ll be 19 years old in March. I don’t smoke or drink, and I don’t have a problem with my weight. I’m actually a fitness enthusiast. I use exercise as a way to clear my mind and de-stress, because I suffer from social anxiety, as well as general anxiety. Not a day goes by that something doesn’t make me panic. Unfortunately, once I stop exercising, the stress comes back, which is why I’ve went as far as working out three times in one day and/or whenever I would get stressed. I get stressed in social situations pretty easily. I have this trick where I keep the conversation turned solely on the person I’m speaking to directly so that I don’t have to talk much. I almost always walk away from a conversation with someone wishing I hadn’t sounded so dimwitted and boring. If I’m being brutally honest… I have crippling low-self esteem. Some days are worse than others. Some days I can quiet the madness of self-loathing, and other days, I’m so absolutely disgusted I can’t stand the sound of my voice or the look of my face. It causes extreme insecurity that makes me awkward around large groups of people (thus my social anxiety). But living like this, in this silent hell, it’s exhausting. The thought of spending the rest of my life like this is actually more depressing than some of the thoughts I’ve had about myself. SO, I’m going to try, try, try my utmost to be better; to treat myself a little nicer. Aside from that, I have two other goals: (This particular issue adds to my stress.) People have come to me with their serious problems since I was 15 years old. If I could motivate people like Sean here, maybe I could’ve done them some good, but at 15 (and now 18) I’m completely clueless as to how I can help a person out of a severe state of depression, or an eating disorder that has taken over a loved one, all by myself. I can encourage they get help; I can help them seek out the help they need, but I cannot physically work my hand and make them better. When I can’t help them however, I feel like such a failure. I carry their problems with me. I couldn’t fix my friend’s depression when I was 15, though she begged me to say something to snap her out of it; I couldn’t fix my cousin’s eating disorder, and I can’t fix my own mother’s depression. I want to help them, but I fear I’ve done all I can. But I’ll never feel like it’s enough. I need to find some way to let go of this failure; I can’t carry it with me. I fear that my whole life, I will strap people’s problems on my shoulders and take them with me, as if I don’t get stressed easily enough already. Most of these people had eventually found their own ways out of the tunnel, but I still wonder what kind of a person am I for having not helped them myself when they needed me? I’ll be frank: This guilt SUCKS. And lastly, my goals are to become a writer. I haven’t been writing much lately, and I feel like I’m losing a part of myself in the process. It’s something I truly love, and it’s been such a big part of my identity since I was 10 or 11 years old. I need to set aside time to write, to work toward my goals, but I’ve been slacking. I’m afraid if I continue to move at this slow pace, I’ll never reach my goals. In short, I just want to become a person I can be proud of; I want to live life with no stress, no guilt and most importantly, no shame. I’m tired of feeling ashamed. Thank you Sean for doing this. You have no idea how much you’re vastly changing people’s lives here. This post of yours hasn’t left my head all day since I read it last night. I thank you.

I thought a lot about this blog last night. I apologize ahead of time for the long post. I’ve always handled crises in my life by eating crap, not eating at all or burying myself in work. It usually doesn’t take me too long to bounce back though. In 2010 my father passed. This inspired me to go back to school and stop putting it off. However maintaining a 50 hour work week and 20 hours of school meant that I cut some things out. I stopped cooking my meals and ate out of a bag. I stopped walking 30 miles a week and did zero. I stopped going to church. Tired, busy, tired, busy was my motto. I told myself that I wasnt gaining much and I’d get it off. (LIE).
A year and a half later, I graduated in December 2011. I had also gained 46 lbs. May not be a lot to some but Ive had 2 back surgeries in my 20s and knee surgery 6 years ago. Maintaining healthy weight has been my doctors command! I woke up one week after graduation with a fever and backache. I went to work and while teaching, my back went out completely. I could not get off of the floor. I was in so much pain but I remember more being humiliated. I had to be carried out by medics and spent the night in the ER. Turns out I had torn a few disc and pulposa leakage was causing fever and swelling. When I went to my doctor he was blunt. “I have never seen you this heavy and you have to change it now”. My body just cant carry extra weight. My disc were ripping because my body cant handle anything extra. I weighed 186, more than when I delivered my last child. I’ve gotten down to 169, but I have to get to 140. While I was being honest w/ myself I also realized that I don’t allow myself to go enjoy anything that other people don’t want to do. My life is passing me by while I miss the things I want to enjoy. I almost didnt go to the con where I met Sean PF because no one would go with me (glad I went though).

SO, I commit to losing the last 29lbs by April 1st, my 44th birthday by adding yoga and walking back to my life. I commit to getting rid of crap food and going back to cooking for myself. I commit to going back to church because it made me happy and centered (starting this week). and once a month I commit to finding a new experience I want to enjoy (an opera, sky diving, dance lessons) and following through for ME! You all are my witnesses. Thank you Sean, April Billue

End of the year Results and Proclamation

OK so for most of you that have followed me know that I’ve had a rough year. My husband left, I was losing the house and I had gained a lot of weight. Now I’ve been overweight since puberty. NEVER could I lose a pound. Tried a lot of supplements, gimmicks, and followed what doctors had said to do. Last year and a half I had gained so much, mostly from depression. My brother died and husband and I were having a very difficult time and last December he refused to grow up and just left me. Mounting bills, i’m still in so much debt I cannot hope to get rid of anytime soon.

Then March of last year I found something that was mine and not his or ours and that was Flandus fandom. I found my girls who gave me some purpose and I decided to take my life back!

I made a list:

Lose the Weight – I started reading up on foods that boosted my metabolism, how to eat, what to eat and implementing a workout program that suited me. To date, many of you know that I’ve lost 55lbs this year.

The House – It was in his name and the bank refused to work with me. So it went into foreclosure and my mom, God bless her bought me a new one. One that I loved and needs work but I have nothing else to do so I clean, unpack and even painted the house mostly myself. I’ve learned how to do repairs and even use a drill!

Debt – Got into a program that will eliminate our mutual debt in four years. So until then, I pay cash, I watch every penny and I’m very frugal. His debt, he will have to be responsible for.

Divorce – The only one of my goals that I wasn’t able to do. Finances just not there. But my plan is to do it by Feb. at the latest.

3 out of my 4 goals I actually have met or found a solution to. I feel empowered to succeed. The first time in a very long time that I’ve felt that I can achieve anything.

For 2013 the Proclamation to Myself:

Weight – Continue the weight loss and my goal for next year is another 50lbs. My mom thinks that’s too much but I guess I’ll see how I look and feel. this also includes toning my body and cleanse it of toxins. I’m eating healthier and want to increase that to envelope my whole lifestyle. I’ve done a lot but I KNOW I can do more.

Divorce – I will file and start my life over again and this time be more selective in choosing a man.

The House – I plan on unpacking the garage which is full of mostly his stuff and fix up what needs to be fixed.

Debt – I have no intention of traveling out of state even thou my mom really wants me to go to CA. I’m in GA and even tho she wants to pay for it, there is still costs incurring and I must save money to get out of debt.

The Boys – I know I won’t get to see Sean this year, which saddens me greatly because I would love to see him again so he can see the results in person. He is such a great influence and meeting him was likely one of the greatest highlights of last year. Norman there is a good chance I’ll see him hopefully twice since he films not far from me. BUT I’m pushing it back to June/July where that will give me 6-7 months to lose the weight I want and look good.

I think that these goals for me are realistic and I have a path to achieve them. So there you go. 😀

Hi Sean. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’m new to Twitter and blogging and just happened upon your site. I’m blown away by all you’re doing for people. I’ve shied away from social media for several reasons but now that I’m “online” I’ve decided to start my resolution with you. I’m 38 years young. To get to my pre-baby weight I need to lose 30 lbs. My “baby” is 9! During my marriage my ex-husband wasn’t supportive in any way, shape or form. At that time I was not over weight. I had a difficult pregnancy that resulted in months of bed rest that packed on the pounds. After my daughter was born, my ex told me that I was “too big” for him. He never gave me a moment to myself so I can exercise or even sleep. Even being out in public with him was upsetting because he would always rave about his friend’s wives/girlfriends that were perfect in his eyes. He would agree with his friends and family’s jokes and comments about me! Not once did that man stick up for me. Because of him I rarely wanted to interact with people face to face. I’ve been happily divorced for over 5 years now and it’s been quite the uphill battle. Altho his words can’t hurt me anymore, they’re still floating around in the back of my mind. Sometimes memories suck. Consequently, I haven’t dated since the divorce. In April, I started a better job with great pay, work close to home, and have so much more time for my daughter. This summer I found out that I have allergies that were a major cause in the exhaustion and illnesses at certain times of the year. Now that I’m getting that under control, I can now look forward. I eat ok now…no fast food, lots of water, occasional sweets, a case of pop will last the whole year, and I love salads. I never smoked. I was an athlete in school so I know I can do this. I vow that this is MY year. No one can or will hold me back ever again! I will lose those 30 lbs because I want to. Maybe I’ll lose more. I will snack on healthy foods at work. I will find the time to take a walk, get on my exercise bike, play wii sports with my daughter, and dust off my weighted hula hoop. I will look in the mirror and see the good person that I know I am. I will smile more. I will laugh more. I will learn to laugh at myself. I will learn to be me again.

I have 2 major things I would love to devote to solving this year. The first being getting a bit healthier. Last year I joined a gym, worked out a minimum of 3 days a weak and ate healthier. my sister and I both were on different diets so we were always swopping healthy recipies and excresize ideas. I started to get disapointed in myself when after 6 months my sister had lost 50 lbs and I ,however, didn’t gain or loose any weight. My sister thought this was unusual, she pointed out that i was always excercizing and new i should be loosing some weight. She convinced me to go talk to my doctor about it. After a few more months of no wight loss, I finally did. I found out that I have a thyroid problem that has been preventing me from loosing any weight. I am now on proper medication and ready to work even harder than last year to reach a healthy and reasonable weight.
The second goal, is to finally learn to love myself. I grew up with a verbally abusive father. He was always blunt and open about how I’ll never be beautiful, I’ll always be fat, no one will ever love me, and how I’m useless. It was even harder when he would compare me to my older sister. Saying he wished I could look more like her. She is beautiful, tall, skinny, and naturally smart. I’ve always had self esteam issues because of this. I’ve always believed what my father had to say to me, I mean why would my father lie? Dads are supposed to only tell the truth, right? As an adult now I still see and hear what he said to me when I look in the mirror. Even though I have a wonderful husband that tells me every day how special I am, I still have trouble believing him. I still see myself as the chubby, ugly, worthless girl that never stood up to her fathers expectations. I promise this year to work on seeing myself how my husband see’s me and not how my father sees me. I promise, to try and prove to myself that I am beautiful and worthy of my husbands love, My goal is that by June 29, my 27th birthday, I will be able to go out as a confident woman that has lost a minimum of 25lbs. I want to go out on my birthday and shine!! So here’s to 6 months of gruiling work, physically and spiritually! I know it’s going to be hard and I’m going to need a lot of support. i know i can loose the weight, I’m already on the right track but my self esteam is going to be a challenge. I could use any as much support and advise that I can get!!!

After meeting you a few times this year and reading your blog you have inspired me and I am vowing to be a healthier me. I know losing weight will help but also letting go to anger and giving forgiveness is important. Only one person can truly change me and that is me. Have an awesome year I know I will.
Almost 2 years ago my husband had major heart surgery and I was told I had a brain tumor…thankfully my husband is doing well and after a series of tests I am fine no tumor the doctors were wrong. I made a promise to meet New people and not give up on my dreams in 2012 and i did I met you and Dean Cain and other actors whom I admire their work.

Hello everyone! ok…putting it all down in writing is not as easy as i thought it would be.
I’ve been over weight pretty much my whole life. in 2002 i was 422lbs..at 5ft10in i never really realized how big i was. until my nephew said and i quote” Molly your fat..your really really fat” that broke my heart and broke my spirit a bit. over the years my Doctor and I tried several things. and finally in 2002 I decided to have gastric bypass surgery my Doctor told me he disliked the surgery as a whole but since we had tried and failed everything else this was a last resort for me.
so May 2002 i had gastric byapss surgery. by October i had lost 100 lbs my dad and i had made a deal…once i lost 100 lbs then he’d stop smoking. well he didnt count on me losing the weight that quickly so in april of 2003 he quit cold turkey and was smoke free (my mom still is) by my 1 year surgery anniversary i had lost 225lbs i was down to 197 and stayed there for a few years. up until about 2006-2008 and i was up to 230lbs and stayed there…up until my dad passed away in nov 2008 and i went into a depression that i wouldnt wish on anyone and took me a while to even go see my doctor to ask for help. by that time i was up to 287..yes 57lbs gained in less than a year. i didnt care. when i went to the doctor asked for help over the next year i focused on making sure my internal health, blood work, ie sugar levels, cholesterol good and bad all those things were good. and suprisingly i did not have high cholesterol, my sugar levels were good all was ok except for low vitamin d and borderline hypertension. im still working on being borderline hypertension.so with that being said i commit to myself first and foremost to eat healthier. be responsible for what goes into my own body. i commit to cutting out those damned good expensive bad for you Starbucks frappichinos by 60% I also commit to cutting pop out by 60%..i commit to myself also to exercise a min of 3 times a week. i will not go back to where i was before. i refuse to. i commit to losing 50 lbs by dec 31 2013..does not seem like a hard goal in 12months..but it is.but i WILL do it this time. its out there now for everyone to see. it wont go away…fyi i just weighed myself and im 271.5…so i wish you all the best of luck this year with your commitments..thank you Sean i really am going to do it 🙂

Well, where to begin? 1st off, let me start off by saying “Thank you” to Sean Patrick Flanery for himself for being so inspirational, so positive yet full of life & happiness. I thank Sean because sure he’s all these things I’ve listed & more but by who he is as someone who cares to help others by advice & just helping about. From word to word, blog from blog, video or by site, Sean manages to help a lot by others & giving positive feedback. With myself, for years, I’ve dealt with my weight. Losing weight, gaining weight. Eating right, eating wrong. When I work out, I manage to believe in myself & then comes the give up phase. When eating, I would eat salads, lots of fruits then again come back to the junk food, sweets, cola drinks. I’ve always had a problem with my image. Saying to myself “I’m ugly”, “I’m Fat”, “No guy will ever like me or be with me!”. I’ve dealt with this for many years. When I was in high school & got into the whole “I have a crush on this guy” phase, I changed myself completely for guys to like me more. I would work hard to change my body image. Dying hair & really hurting myself in losing weight. I practically in days will starve myself in just being in the perfect outfit or just showing off to guys to look at me. It was hard yet I still Til this day don’t know how guys can see a girl, laugh, smile & be nice without thinking once that “yeah, she’s not skinny enough”, “she’s not pretty enough” or “she’s not perfect”. I didn’t mean to lose weight for a guy, I was trying for the world. People can see other people & say many things about how that person looks or is. Of course judgement is always something people do (or for some people for that matter). Many years passed, didn’t care about myself & the way I looked until it hit me. I have to stop everything & just be happy the best way I can. Stop listening to people, stop seeing people & saying “I wish I looked like her”. I just kept my thoughts, my feelings to myself & changed for myself. Come to more of last year of 2012, I just ate right, exercised more right & got into Bjj. I was terrified & kinda worried I admit of starting Bjj because I didn’t know if a girl like me can go through it. Til this day, I’m glad to be apart of Bjj. It completely changed my way of thought more, helping with my image being more healthy & positive & most importantly, it changed my life. When I heard & found out more about Sean Patrick Flanery through twitter (even though yes, I’ve seen his films before) but really starting to know that he’s more than a celeb, but he’s a believer to help others & be a inspiring person for many. Reading his tweets, his blogs & lucky enough to ask him for advice helps me a lot. When I have a weight issue, a problem for work or for my life? Sean is there just to help open your eyes & give the truth (even though you can asks others but you just cant help to ask sean 1st). I will always give Sean a BrazilianJJ update & mention how much weight I’ve lost (grand total 186.4) as of last Wednesday. Having people ask me “what are you doing to lose weight?” & “how I lost it?” Is a incredible feeling along with being told “I look more glowing & good” also helps me believe in myself to keep going forward yet stay positive. I became more truly blessed in my life from 2012, being in a relationship, having promotions from work & smiling all the way everyday. When i eat, i eat healthy but im not gonna lie i may have a burger or pizza once in a while, yet i eat small portions of my food. Lots of veggies & fruits is a must for me & I love it as well. Everything is good & I know I will continue to shine on bright to accomplish more. I believe in myself & I claim that I can go through this & manage to succeed that. A lot can happen in a year, months, weeks & even a day, but if there’s something that we want, something we are willing to go on & try to make it happen, we can do it. We just got to have faith, believe & claim it. Just hold on & never let go. My words may not be best but just know that you CAN do it! You CAN make things change. You CAN make your negative turn into a positive. So yeah, there it is, again, thanks Sean for believing in us & helping others believe in themselves!!!! God bless…. Crystal Tamayo

Okay…I wanted to post this last night but my net was down so here goes:
In this new year I proclaim to take back my health! Allow me a moment to explain…I had a great job opportunity handed to me in my early 20s, after the birth of my son, as a fitness trainer at a local gym. I loved my job and threw myself into it 100% loosing 50 lb in the course of a month and completely sculpting myself as well. i was in great shape both physically and mentally as a result, but due to an old knee injury I had to stop working out and lost most of my definition and inevitably quit my job. I remained at a relatively slim weight over the years after and in good over all health. Last year I began to notice that I was beginning to gain weight and was getting a “belly”. I chalked it all up to age (approaching my 30s this year) and was actually a little pleased to have some curves. A few months went by and I realized, at a routine check up, that I had gained a significant amount of weight (around 20 lb) over the course of around 3 months. I was shocked but, again, thought it was just weight and the joys of a new relationship (fat and happy…lol). About a month later I began not being able to keep any food on my stomach. I went for series after series of test and finally came to the conclusion that my thyroid had nearly stopped working all together (the result of my weight gain which tallied about 55 lbs at that point), and i had developed problems with my kidneys, intestines, and over all digestive track. That was all in the course of about 4 months.
Fast-forward to today…I am on several different medications, but am in better general health. I started taking a Combat Fitness class and kickboxing at my son’s (now 6) Dojo. I have shed about 10 lb, but still have no definition and feel sloppy…
This year I proclaim that I going to get back into the best shape possible and get into even better health, not just for me but for my family. A healthy life is a long life and I want to be around for as long as possible. Also I want my son to see and learn by my example that life is about the choices we make and what we choose to do with our lives directly effects those around us.
Keep my in your thoughts and prayers and help to encourage me to complete my goal of not only loosing the remaining “unhealthy” weight, but to get ripped in this new year. i need the motivation since i will be going at this alone. Thanks.

Back in July, I made a promise and I broke it. Today, I regret that broken promise.

You are the only person who has been truthful with me in saying the three words no one else will: YOU ARE FAT!! Bottom line, you are what you eat! That is what my body is speaking. I have to make a lot of changes for the better. If I don’t, I’ll be disappointed in myself. The time is NOW, not tomorrow or the next day. No more excuses!!! Excuses are for lazy people!

I am 5 feet tall. My body weight far exceeds what I should be, as I tip the scales at 147. And I’m a rather pudgy 147. I met you in Toronto in August. I was the pudgy one who gave you your SHINE UNTIL TOMORROW cross and dogtag chain. How ironic is that?

Instead of a promise or a proclamation, I’m making a list of ten commandments. These are MY TEN COMMANDMENTS to a healthier and happier and leaner me in 2013.

1. Thou shalt eliminate sugar from your lifestyle.

2. Thou shalt exercise 30 minutes to 1 hour a day, every day! NO EXC– USES.

3. Thou shalt eat lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables every day.

4. Thou shalt keep a daily food journal.

5. Thou shalt wake up every morning determined AND go to bed each night with satisfaction.

6. Thou shalt drink more water.

7. Thou shalt not let a bad day, turn into a bad food choice. Count to 10 and ask, “is it worth it?”

8. Thou shalt push a little bit harder every day.

9. Thou shalt NOT give up. Ever.

10. Thou shalt thank Sean Patrick Flanery for his inspiration and words of wisdom and determination that guided you to SHINE….UNTIL TOMORROW!!!

I have 2 changes I want to make this year. One is to eat healthier and regularly. Sometimes I’m so busy, I forget to eat or I scarf something down before going out the door. I found out a couple weeks ago that I have high blood pressure. So, this is something I HAVE to do. The second change is to get more sleep. I keep hearing how important this is to your health and it worries me because I don’t get much sleep. I work two jobs and right now this is something I have to do. Hopefully this will change in the future. So during the week, I get about 3 or 4 hours sleep. And on my days off, when I have a chance to get more sleep, I usually end up going to bed early in the morning because there’s so much to do. How do you do it, Sean? With your busy life, how do you stay so fit and healthy? One thing I’m going to do is see if I can get my hours cut on my second job so that I have time to eat right. And since this is the 1st day of the NEW YEAR, I’m going to stop now and get my butt to bed. Thanks for listening. Luv ya

Do a work out at least 3 times a week, including stretching, crunches and ankle/foot strengthening exercises. I’m also planning on taking some skateboarding classes so I can go to skate parks with my younger nephew who is in kindergarten and just learning. You all may know that I tried a daily workout blog in August of 2012 in a semi-private online group and posted digests of the first few weeks. I didn’t get enough feedback to feel motivated from the outside to go for almost every day. So I’m pledging the 3 days – plus extra, rather than over committing to something that might be too daunting. I got to the point where I could do 20 “girl push ups” so I know what a couple of weeks can change. The goal this time is to keep it going longer… though time.

I am publicly announcing my success of:
1. Eating a healthier diet (much more fresh veggies, fruit and fish, much less sugar, fats and general junk) and actually ENJOYING the healthier foods.
2. Losing 27 pounds so far.

I am also publicly declaring I WILL do the following:
1. Continue this healthier way of life
2. Reach and maintain my optimal weight goal by October 2014 (wedding!)
3. Take up an active hobby(ies) (tactical knife training and mixed martial arts)
4. Increase my physical strength to better perform my job as an EMT

Signed, Sealed and Delivered,
~Sarah E. Miller~

Where to start??? Well my name is Samantha. I am 20 years old. I have been a pack a day smoker for 7 years, I do not eat healthy but still weigh 120 (i know weight is not an issue here, but I am still not a healthy person,) I am usually always negative, and I always make excuses for my negativity. ex. oh my job is terrible i hate working, my ex made a comment today so it ruined my day, my dad doesn’t pay child support, my mom is a single mom trying to raise me and my brother. All bad things that happen, but NOT an excuse for my attitude towards life. I used to be such a happy person. I still have goals in life. I want to travel and see the world and experience EVERYTHING that life has to offer, I will sleep on floors if I have to, to see life through others eyes. So that is why I promise to quit smoking. As of January 1st, 2013 I am smoke free. And although I have had the worst headache all day, I feel sick, and I’m shaking from the nicotine withdrawl, I know that all of this pain will be worth it in the long run. Because today is the first day I’m going to get my life back on track. I promise to start working out, and I’m getting my gym membership on Thursday, I want to run a 5k zombie chase in August so I’m really set on getting my body and lungs restored. I promise to no longer make excuses for my negativity, and I promise to just stay happy! Life is to short to be anything but happy! And I’m slowly beginning to realize that none of what I think now matters, I have my whole life ahead of me and I need to start living that life. I promise to start doing things for myself and no one else. I promise to smile more, because there are people who don’t have the life I do, and who would kill to live my life. I make all these promises to you Sean, so you will know that there is one of your fans out there trying to better her life. 🙂 I met you in Louisville, Kentucky back in 2012. You were so nice and sweet and gentle. I was not expecting that at all. My wish for 2013 is to get the chance to meet you again. I was soo nervous and there were so many people the day I met you, that I didn’t get to say what I really wanted to say. That is a big regret. Its not everyday you get to meet someone who you look up to, and who they inspire the hell out of you. I hope 2013 is a chance I get to say what I really want to say to you. Until that day, you are awesome Sean. Please continue to do what you do. You are simply amazing, and you help sooooooooooooooooooooooo many people that it is truly inspiring to see. Now, if you are ever in St.Louis, Missouri, let me know! I’m always here! 🙂 Now the question for you, what is your resolution Mr. Flanery???????

Ok, here it goes. I must quit smoking. I became an occasional smoker in high school…quit for a while, on and off for years. Then I quit for good 13 years ago to start a family. Life was sweet… and then my son died in his sleep of a berry aneurysm at the age of 5. I went to wake him up for kindergarden and he was cold. Eventually so was I. I never succumbed to drugs and alcohol. I was never even tempted. Instead I dove headfirst into my work, quickly becoming an anti social workaholic with a 2 pack a day habit. It’s been six years now since we lost Garrison. Healing has been a slow and brutal process for me but it is happening. I can say his name, tell you stories about him, show you pictures..all without that stabbing pain in my chest, or rage or tears. Which brings me to my point…I MUST QUIT SMOKING!!! At last, after all these years, I am ready to try to have another baby. We both are. And I must be nicotine free before I get pregnant. That’s it. The only option. It’s been 38 hrs now, and I am feeling at times a step away from a panic attack, and other times illogically enraged. But these pass quickly, and I can do this. I will do this I am hopeful that by my next con you will be congratulating me . And hopefully by this time next year I will be rocking my baby.

I wanna change my life,completely..i’m not happy,i’m not satisfied and i don’t wanna feel like this anymore!
I wanna move from Italy because i don’t feel i have any bright future here…i feel like i belong to something bigger!
But i’m scared, it’s not easy to start a new life,making new friendship in a different place…alone…but here is my goal:
I DON’T WANNA BE SCARED ANYMORE!!!! I deserve to be happy and to live the life i want to live!

I vow to lose at least 60 pounds by September. I also plan on spending more time with family and friends, as I worked way too much in 2012. I also want to try to budget better to save money this year. After my weight loss, I would love to see Sean Patrick Flannery, and have him tell me I did it!!!!

I promise to continue with my healthy eating and working out! I will return to BJJ as soon as my injured elbow has healed. I will continue to keep sweets and desserts to a minimum. I have eliminated them by 85%. I will continue to have may veggies, by smoothie ( Cale ) or just eating them. I’m a big fan of broccoli and eat it all the time! I will continue to be inspired by the people in my life and also try to also inspire the people in my world!! Thank you Sean for inspiring me on a daily basis! Here is to a happy and health new year to all!

Thank you
Mia
AKA Envy the green fairy (twitter)

My goal for this year is to take it slow, work on fixing my spine and showing the surgeon he is wrong.
I know it may not seem much to you, but to me it is. I am a “just get up and do it” type of person. I don’t care what the weather conditions are, or if I have a fever, or how heavy it is, what time it is, how badly I need to pee – I keep going. This is how I damaged my back to start with. I had to prove to them all that I could work just as hard as the boys. I was an underground miner for 7 years. Not many women doing this. In the surface mines yes, or underground as a geologist or engineer yes. But not as a miner. After my spinal surgery in Oct 2012, I found the laying down for 6 weeks hard. And boring! Then 8 weeks after my operation i had my follow up with the surgeon. He said that I shouldn’t travel, ride a bike, go on a boat in choppy seas, lift anything over 7 kgs, no gardening – nothing. Well I am sorry. I had my 35th birthday yesterday. I am single and childless. I have nothing in my life but to enjoy it. I will make this year about proving him wrong. I will do it. ALL, But I have to pull myself back, and that is hard. I can’t rush it or I will not achieve this. I have to learn to take it slow. Not to push my back to do things again, but give it time and build it up slowly. This is a GREAT challenge for me as I don’t work like that. And I don’t want to do the just enough. I have to focus and be strict with strengthening my core after it has healed. Not like I used to and just do a little. If I don’t, I will do my back in for good when I try to go back to my regular lifestyle. So patience, focus, strict exercise and routine, no slack days. This is what I promise to you that I will do. For me. For my back. For being able to enjoy the world. I will not rush but I will keep at it. 12 months. Repaired and strong. Then I can send a postcard to my surgeon saying, “Ha ha ha”

Ok its been three days since I had a soda and I’m going crazy. I miss it but I know I shouldn’t. I started drinking those veggie. And fruit Smoothies but its something I have to get used to. I still haven’t been able to sign up for the classes at the bjj. Studio heree I’m still a coward and I’m. Not able to get out of my car. And do it

Well Sean, 5 days into juicing!! Down 3 pounds already! It’s not the best tasting diet out there but I find it to be the most effective. For the other reading this, if you’ve tried weight loss before and had minimum results I recommend watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, a documentary by Joe Cross it’s on Hulu.com, it’s amazing and it really is life changing! If you’re tired of being overweight, feeling tired, feeling embarrassed about your body and hurting please try this! I was 150 pounds overweight and I juiced for 1 month and I lost 30 pounds, that’s with no exercise at all, NONE! I just juiced and drank water everyday and lost the weight. I urge everyone to try this! And it’s way cheaper to buy fruits/veggies for juicing instead of all the junk we consume. When I juiced I had so much more energy, I slept less, and became more active, I felt better about myself. I stopped juicing though and I’m still overweight, but Jan 1st I started juicing again. I am so thrilled to do this again, I already feel better after just 5 days! My daughter also juices with me, I make her apple, grape, brocolli, kale and pineapple juice, she loves it! Please go watch this and change your life for the better by juicing. If you’re a parent don’t do this JUST for yourself do this for your kids! My daughter is almost 5 and I feel terrible I can’t keep up with her and I can’t do all the things with her I wish I could. But I am changing that this year! I will get healthy! I am determined! And remember if you juice stick with it because if you cheat on your diet you’re only cheating yourself!!! “You’ll never shine if you walk in the shadows of someone else!” -MB-

After recently stumbling upon this and reading everyone else’s posts I thought what a good idea to put it out there and be held accountable, so here goes. This September my uncle passed away, he was 58 and his death was completely avoidable, he was in horrible shape, smoked, had diabetes and pretty much did nothing to try to change it. I don’t want to die young, I want to live to be like 110 so my New Years resolution is to get healthy, no more climbing one flight of stairs and being out of breath, and then thinking “maybe I’ll eat some chips now”. I’ve always been overweight and always said I’ll eat this now and start my diet tomorrow, well as we all know that never happened. My resolutions are to lose 35 pounds by June, to work out 5-6 days a week and to reduce my diet pepsi intake by 95% (it’s pretty much all I drink now, I know horrible right?) Here’s to a healthier 2013 and wishing everyone a Happy New Year and the best of luck, Lisa

Hello Sean, i want to thank you for all that you do. I read all of what you have to say. You have inspired me to get started on a path that is more healthy for myself. I started gaining weight because of my step dad, school, loseing people, and not being able to find a job. I have tried many workouts but i fail to stick with them because i never saw any results…but id like to make a promise to you. I promise to stop smoking, to stop eating unheathy when im bored. I promise to get out more on my bike. Go out for walk/jogs. I promise to not just sit around. I promise to keep this promise. I am starting today and will hopefully loose 10-20 pounds in the next 5 months. Thank you for all your kind and truthful words.

When I typed out my promise on NYE, I couldn’t have known what would happen within the first week of the new year. Admittedly, I began to struggle within a few days of making said promise…until receiving the news that one of my dearest friends was killed in a horrific car accident on Friday afternoon. Initially, the news shattered me to the point of physical paralysis, but when I woke up on Saturday I began painting my house. I had to do SOMETHING! This was something I planned for back in the beginning of November, even bought the paint then. It just sat there for months while I moped around, feeling sorry for myself & doing nothing productive. Over the last 3 days I have finished 2/3 of the house, with only the 2 bedrooms & one of the bathrooms left. I’m sure it doesn’t read like a big deal, but considering how inactive I had become, it’s a VERY big deal. Back to my friend & how his passing shook me out of my buillshit. Over the last 7 years I have lost 10 people who I dearly loved, including a boyfriend. This has been incredibly difficult to process & honestly, a couple of them directly contributed to my extended funk. I realized something this weekend. I’m still alive. I need to act like it. I am ashamed of the person I’ve become, existing rather than thriving. This is not the person I am! I want my life back! I want to laugh so hard I cry. I need to be creative. I have to go on a road trip. I might even like to go on a date, but I’m not sure about that. I do know that I have to live! If I don’t I feel as if I’m disgracing those who I love that don’t have that option any longer. So, basically, I’m rededicating myself to my original promise. Thanx for the wonderful support I’ve received here! If you wanna find me on Twitter, do so here @gypsyjenn <3

Hi Sean, my name is Milada. I am 16 years old. I know that a lot of people say that you are an inspiration for them and for me, you are an inspiration, you’re famous, people love you and you’re unforgettable. I’d just like to tell someone and I believe that you’re the right person. I think that today’s world is very bad. Everyone spends their entire day on the internet I simply would like to turn the internet off. Because I think there is a better world, but a lot of young people do not see it .. and seeing where the world leads sometimes feel that everything is useless in life nedocilým never anything amazing what you have advice for me? you are my role model and I think about you every day, I just wanted to ask what you think about the world today? Regards M.

Update. Yesterday was my 1st day with out a smoke! Still at 0 smokes today. 🙂

Wow 344 comments!! Amazing stories and amazing strength! Rally on!

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”

Don’t know how Sean will keep track if it all 🙂

Maybe it’s a bit late for this, but I still feel the need to write my new years resolutions on here, especially now that I realize that I’ve been lying to myself again/won’t stick to my own rules and aims again (and it’s just been 10 days since the new year started *sigh*) So maybe I really need to make this public on your blog, tell strangers about it and have them know and “promise” them to stick to my resolutions this time. Here are the things that I have achieved so far: Got through secondary school and got my A-Levels despite me being very ill and hardly ever going to school (and I got a solid B-C average, that’s absolutely okay. Could have been better brainwise, but it was physically impossible.) I pretty much fought my depression. No more crying all day, no more being sad and seeing the world as a dark and disgusting place, no more cutting, no more pills, no more medicine, no more Doctor talk and I feel fine. When a tv station wouldn’t pick me for training after being amongst the top 20 out of about 300 candidates (they only picked two out of those, so I didn’t do so bad, did I?) and I was left with no job/trainee position/university didn’t start yet I went to work at a grocery store, just to earn some money and help my mother with the household, just so I wouldn’t get payed by the government for doing absolutely nothing all day. A university accepted me despite my grades not being good enough and me not having enough experience, and now I am studying media engineering,. Somehow they still took me. I got my driving licence, and I payed half of it with my own money which I got from my job at the grocery store. (I’m still very proud of that, I’m “just” 20 and payed 600€ myself whereas all my other friends got all the money from their rich parents). I stopped eating white bread and too much flesh, I now refuse to eat instant food and fast food. I have never smoked in my life, never drank any hard stuff, never smoked, never took any drugs and I won’t ever do it and I stick to that rule. Now here are the things that I’m still doing wrong and what I would like to change about them this year. 1.) Get my sleeping habbits under control. No more sleeping every two days and no more sleeping for more than 10 hours. No more staying awake after 12pm. No more getting up later than 11am. 2.) Do sports again. I know it will be a lot of hard work and it will be painful and difficult, but I am also aware that I cannot run for 30 minutes straight on the first day. So I will try to do it slow and work harder every week, so my body and muscle can adjust to the sudden change. My muscles are literally pudding, and I’m all bones and wobbly out of shape ass and thighs. I need to get a more toned body because it looks better and it is healthier. 3) Gain weight/eat more & healthier. No more making it through the day with just two slices of bread/one small warm meal/ a banana. I need to do some research what’s good for my body, what I need, what it lacks because of me not eating enough. 4) Get up every morning, no matter how tired I am. I need to go to classes, be there as much as I can. Means less work/less revising for my finals. 5) No more excuses. “I lack experience”, “I lack knowledge” won’t get me anywhere. I know exactly that it is my fault that I lack that stuff. If I don’t go to classes than I can’t have the knowledge in my head. It’s not gonna implant itself in my head. I need to actually go there and do something to make it work. 6) No more pessimism/talking myself down. Yes, I know that I talk so low of myself just so others can’t do it and hurt my feelings, but all this pessimism and self hatred as become a serious issue. So maybe I am not as smart as others. So maybe they got more experience than me. So maybe they look better than me. So maybe they got “better” interests than me. But I need to stop thinking that everything I am, love, and do is bad and disgusting. That I have achieved nothing in my life. I got my A-Levels, university, my flat, my driving licence, my friends, my books, my videos, my art, my talent, my creativity. And so many people have -told- me that they’re -seriously- impressed by some of my artwork, that they think I am seriously talented and got a lot of potential. Not just friends and family, they don’t even really know about it because I talk it down in front of them. No. Strangers, officials, professors, other professionals, so many people have told me that I’ve got the potential if I just stopped being so lazy and made something out of myself. So this is my last point. 7) Stop being so lazy Susan. Stop pitying yourself. Stop saying “there is a problem” and cause the problem with it in the first place. Just stop, go out there. Do your job. Show everyone who you are and what you can do, stop torturing your own body with sleep and food deprivation. Kick 2013 in the balls and leave the past behind. And thank you Sean for giving me the opportunity/inspiring me to actually do this here!

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember and while I am not as heavy as I was when I was 14 and people made fun of me in school because of it, I could stand to lose a few pounds. Therefore, in 2013, I have resolved to lose 10 pounds by not having seconds and to get up earlier, so I can get in a good long workout before work. It just so happens that my sister has the same goal and she asked me to help her out with it, by going with her to a Fit Body Boot Camp class a few times a week. I agreed to help and we start our first class tonight. I am looking forward to helping her achieve her goal, while I am working on mine. I will report our progress as we go. BTW, the people that made fun of me in school for being overweight are overweight themselves. I just had my 20th class reunion and some people were so big, I didn’t even recognize them! It is just funny how things turn out!

My overall resolution for 2013 is to live a healthier lifestyle, and although there’s no way to accomplish this overnight, I have a series of baby steps in place. The biggest goal is to kick the nicotine habit – for good. I’ve had an on-again, off-again cigarette habit for the better part of 20 years, but I’m cutting back and hope to be completely smoke-free by the end of February. I know once I kick that habit, my food intake will increase, and I’m actually ok with that. I’m going to reduce sweets & sodas (none 6 days a week, and minimal intake on a designated “cheat/reward” day), and limit caffeine to one cup of coffee per day. Making and sticking to a regular eating schedule will help with this, and I’ll actually need to increase my calorie and protein intake once I begin a regular exercise routine. I’m already at a weight and size I’m happy with (5’4″, 125lbs) but I would like to give that tiny bit of “squishy” a little more tone. Since high-impact workouts are out of the question (My third c-section never quite healed correctly. I have severe pain and a very real fear of the incision tearing when my abs are strained.) I will be looking into yoga and Pilates routines three times per week.

The last, and probably my most personal goal for 2013: keep writing. Not get published. Not finish a project. Just…keep writing, a little bit each day, even if it’s “just” blogs, fan fiction or fantastically horrible poetry, and the rest will fall into place.

Yes Im working on my weight, lost 25 lbs and still going. The things I need to change are where you cant see, inside! Guess you can say I have Step-Daddy Issues. I was literally treated as a red headed stepchild. He kept me a prisoner in our house all my teen yrs and never really could have friends w/o being investigated. I was accused of everything in the book and called many names. So I developed a passion for music early on to cope..I left when I was 17 and never really found out WHY. I have trust issues and if it wasnt for one dear friend all those yrs ago, I would be screwed up more than I am. Glory be to some great classic rock for keeping me sane. So I promise to give people a chance before jumping to conclusions that they are lieing to git what they want from me and quit reading the room before entering..There might just be something worth walking in there for!

So..I have an update! I am now 11 days smoke free! Haven’t gained any weight since quitting and I am walking a mile and a half everyday. I just wanted to say thank you Sean for being a truly inspirational human being.

Been thinking bout what to say for awhile- did a public proclamation back in July or August- I was on track till October but I lost a fur child that I had for a long time and had to grieve. I did good tho- instead of bags of goodies for Halloween- I didn’t have bags- a piece here and there. Tried to get back on track and it was the start of the holiday season- I watched what I ate and joined a gym. December I slacked off again cause of the craziness of the season- sounds like a bunch of excuses- But I tried to keep everything in moderation. I try to get my butt to the gym everyday when I am not bowling or sick or have any other obligations. I am trying to get back in the saddle and stay there. I am determined. I’m so over it. Plus, when I workout it helps w/ my sore back and knees.

Hello everyone,

I want to write down both the things I have already changed and the ones I work on changing. I’m not a native english speaker, though, so I hope it won’t sound too confusing.
In October 2008 (I was 20 back then) I weighed about 154 kilos / ~ 340 lbs, struggling both with the physical and psychological effects from this being overweight and I even became depressed, constant fights with my sister, with whom I lived back then, did not help, either. Being the person I was back then, I didn’t even care that much, not about myself (actually I didn’t quite realize how far off I was), not about university, about nothing. It was due to a friend, that I understood I needed to change because one day at a party he took me aside and told me that he and my other friends and even his parents were worried for me like in worried for my life and he begged me to finally do something about my health because they did not want to lose me at such a young age. It was then it hit me: They were right, I could not continue living like this. The next day I went to see a doctor to get help and soon I got the confirmation: the next month I could take my first steps in a psychosomatic clinic. Few days before I departed, my sister told me we were giving up our flat as she was moving in with a friend of hers, which left me to find somewhere else to stay and I found a little room in a flatshare before I finally departed to the clinic. With sports and some healthier choices when it came to eating I lost my first ten kilos / 22 lbs during the six weeks I was there, and when I returned home in december, I could start anew.
Today, many years later, I still live in my little room with the best flatmates I could have found and I have lost a total of 50 kilos / 110 lbs. I’m a more motivated and even more dedicated person now, to myself, to my life and also to my duties. From a nearly dropout I’ve managed to become one of the top-students of my year.

Of course, it isn’t always that rosy and there are still days I just wonder, ‘why am I even doing this?’ or ‘I just won’t make it anyway, so why bother?’ And I have to say, ever since I discovered this site here, it keeps on reminding me of what I have to do.

Anyway, there are still things I need to keep on working at to improve myself. In 2013, I want to lose another 14 kilo / 30.8 lbs – more is appreciated, but that’s the goal for now. I want to improve my overall fitness and switch from elliptical trainer to running outside as soon as I’m able to do 30 minutes straight on the elliptical every time instead of every now and again. I also vow to stick to my exercise regime which includes at least 10 minutes on the elliptical + 15 minutes of further training five days a week. In October 2013, after moving, I will take up a martial art that suits me. I will no longer buy large quantities of sweets for get-togethers with friends, instead I’ll provide me and them with healthier alternatives than soda, crisps and chocolate and I will even try to learn to eat at least one or two sorts of fruit and vegetables each this year (currently I eat none of either). I will work harder for university so I can be proud of my degree when I’ll finish in autumn.
The last thing I vow is to get back on stage after I had refrained from doing so for many years now, too ashamed to show myself. I will find a choir to sing in and I will find the right theatre group to act with so that I will be prepared to audition for an admission to a second degree as actress in 2014.

Well…. I did it!!! I’ve stopped smoking!!! 🙂 And well before my Birthday. I stopped for many reasons. My mom is #1 ♥ She has been diagnosed with cancer again, this time in her lung so it’s a bad deal. I’m done with it. I’ll never smoke again. Thanks for helping in the motivation.
Jessica

In my 28 years I have been unkind to myself in so many ways. May 5, 2012 I quit my job, bought a one way ticket to Detroit from western Canada, and reclaimed my life. I lived with my best friend and gave all control of my eating and getting off the couch over to her. Before I left, I hadn’t told anyone that I was having daily blood-sugar crashes…if this didn’t work, I was in big trouble. So, I paid attention, made changes, and explored a city that stole my heart. I came home a completely different person – lighter and happier.

I am learning to love myself because I know I’m great, not because someone else says so. I am educating myself in all things that interest me, cultivating positive relationships, and evaluating what exactly it is that I want in life. I’m coming to terms with the scars from my past that have kept me from a future…which is much more difficult than having another drink or eating ice cream out of the container.

I believe in promises. But I have always been afraid to make one that I wasn’t positive I could keep. So, SPF, I’m taking a leap in the right direction with some inspiration from your words, and am going to challenge myself in 2013.

1) I resolve to not consume processed sugar. It simply will not happen this year. Fake sugar isn’t even on my radar.
2) I resolve to complete the work out plan my roommate and I developed together for me, each week, without fail. I am fortunate that he is a former professional athlete and I do not have the right to waste this opportunity to make my body healthier and stronger.
3) I resolve to not be upset that ** is no longer a part of my life. I deserve better. The end.
4) I resolve to never have a cigarette again. Not even the one a year I allowed myself to “get through something”. My health is worth more than anyone else.
5) I resolve to actively engage in a hobby I enjoy once a week.

Looking forward to positive progress to report when I go see you in Calgary in April. Thank you for creating all of this.

x
Lindsay

Hi Sean, I’m impressed. When did you get so wise? 😉

I like that you are making us commit.
1. First resolution is to get on the site notification thingy as I missed this one and am late to the party. That one should be nice and easy.
2. I’ve had my fitness machine for a week now and already my jeans aren’t feeling so snug. I go more by how my jeans fit than the number on a scale. But to quantify 15lbs by June 1st would be ideal as my goal is to continue being fit and healthy for my 4 kids. I will do my best to significantly reduce chocolate and other sweet stuff which can only help.
3. The biggie – By my birthday in September I will have a completed screenplay. I have so many stories in my head and I need to actually do something about it for a sense of self accomplishment after so many backseat years raising kids. I have been labeling myself as a procrastinator but I’ve realized that in reality I have been educating myself for the past year reading lots of industry books. Doesn’t mean I’m still not a procrastinator though!

PS I have something of yours, maybe two. Remember your 21st birthday present from your Dad? Well somehow the book that came with it ended up with my husband. We’ve moved around a bit but I’m sure it’s still in a box somewhere. We never get rid of anything. Maybe that should be on the resolution list too.

The list… To be frank, I’m a “Lister”, a person who writes lists… I guess they’re kinda my Letter-To-Me; and ever since my high school lit teacher said, “As a society, it appears we’ve lost the art of letter-writing,” well, I’ve been striving to keep the art alive. That, and I’m a stress-case; Lists help me keep it all in perspective.
OH, the point… I’m currently committed to one very long, very comely and desirable crumply generic-looking legal-sized page full of 100 nothing-even-remotely-generic bullet points – my Bucket List. I wrote it in the tailwinds of a miserable divorce, which was followed by a period of self-awareness, even self-administered-self-help… I started walking, eating well, breathing in my gut, no longer in my chest, feeling like I was a thing without boundaries or constraints… I started writing the list, standing straighter, discovering my depths and confronting my weaknesses. I wrote the list. I met me…
I wrote my list some four years ago, Sean. I committed to the woman I met in that moment. I became healthy – my mind and my body became better tuned, and these four years have been an exercise in proving my commitment to myself! The size doesn’t matter, really – it’s my strength that I admire. Indeed, I went from a size 12 to a 2/4 and I have stayed there for four years. But it’s the mental and emotional fitness that keeps me focused on this lifestyle.
As for the list – at the very moment you posted this blog, I was crossing #73 off my List. And in doing so, I’ve had an epiphany.
So much buries us, keeps us harried, keeps our brows furrowed and our minds waylaid; so many stresses and mind-weights keep us feeling powerless and drowning and wondering if and when and damn that half-empty glass… Working, supporting my son, the volunteering and the charities, the family commitments that they simply never feel have sufficed, friendships to maintain, bills to pay, chores, driving, creeps, villains and girl scouts peddling cookies!
Four years ago, I made a pretty superficial commitment to myself to take care of my heart, to cherish my mind, to love my body… As I’ve come to realize, it was a halfhearted promise, as I never had fully adhered to or even comprehended what that might entail. At the very moment – Very Moment – you posted this blog entry, I sat at a table in Sevilla, Credence playing behind me, writing an amendment to my List – an amendment it seems (based on the number of folks who gave the old thumbs-up on that silly old Facebook) we may all need a little bit of in order truly begin to live:
“2013 I resolve to: Not be angry, Not take things personally – to cherish the time I have with me!! To accept that it’s OK to be happy – I don’t need to feel guilty!! I will clear more off my Bucket List… without guilt!!”

I posted that resolution up there on Facebook, noting that in posting it for all to see, it’s a promise I can’t break! So, there it is… I’ve “testified”… ‘Suppose time will tell. But I’m pretty hopeful!

Shining Longer than You Suggested,
Torrey Stepp

Sean, Thank you so much for giving me inspiration and faith in myself for the first time in a long time. I’ll probably never meet you in person but you are changing my life with your inspiration and wise words. I grew up with a verbally and mentally abusive father and have always seen myself the way he does, A stupid, fat, ugly person. For the first time in a long time, I have been able to look myself in the eyes and be happy and proud of who I am. I still have a long way to go but I’m happy to say I’ve lost 10 pounds this month. It’s a small step towards my overall goal, but still a step in the right direction.I’ve cut soda out of my life and have been drinking vegie and fruit smoothies for breakfast every morning. I’m eating healthier, which yes means I’ve had to say goodbye to my confort snack- reeses. I’ve got a long raod ahead of me but I can see a curvy healthy me in the future=) And I can’t wait until the day, I can look my father in the face and show him how wrong he is. Thank you so much Sean, I am forever greatful to you!!!