Transformation is not five minutes from now; it's a present activity. In this moment you can make a different choice, and it's these small choices and successes that build up over time to help cultivate a healthy self-image and self esteem.

I felt the calling to adopt. You just know in the deepest part of your being that you are meant to find this little soul and guide them through life.

Play with your kids. Limit their TV time. Get outdoors and chase them around. Wrestle with them. Walk the dog. Go bike riding. The reality is that your kids are not stupid, and they know when they are overweight Start walking the dog after dinner instead of watching TV. You don't want them going on the Web to find ways to lose weight. That's when you'll find them eating tissue paper because they read that a supermodel did it.

It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, & 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it 12 weeks. Don't quit.

Both belly bulge and love handles are about excess body fat, not lack of muscle. Crunches and ab exercises are therefore not the solution. The best way to reduce these problem areas is to reduce your overall body fat percentage, and we all know that that requires diet and exercise.

When you do hit the gym, you should push yourself. This is what makes fitness phenomena so interesting.

Your legs are not giving out. Your head is giving out. Keep going.