After Being Asked This Embarrassing Question, I Finally Made the Decision to Lose Weight

I was waiting in line at a CVS with sunscreen and a new hairbrush in hand when suddenly I was pulled out of my daydream to a happy woman's voice asking, "When are you due?" I looked behind me and to the right side, but it was clear the woman had locked eyes with me. "When are you due?" she asked again. "I'm not," I said calmly, but inside I was screaming. I realized I was standing with my right hand on my hip, not sucking in my gut whatsoever, and my tummy is the place where I carry my weight, and most of the 40 pounds I had gained in college was probably above my elastic waistband, but STILL! Cardinal unspoken rule is that you never EVER ask a woman if she's pregnant unless she a. shares the info, or b. asks you to time the minutes between her contractions.

I quietly and quickly paid for my things then got the hell out of there so I could sob on the steering wheel of my car. At first I wanted to punch that woman in the face for being so insensitive. I mean, if you ask a woman if she's pregnant when she's not, you better be prepared to find her a therapist ASAP and pay for 20 years of sessions, because she's going to need it.

But looking back now, I could kiss her, hug her, and buy her dinner! You see, this wasn't a surprising newsflash to me. I had been self-conscious about my weight and my belly in particular ever since I was in high school. Looking in the mirror I knew I had always wanted to lose weight, but it wasn't until this exact moment, when a complete stranger pointed out (quite bluntly) that I was overweight, that I realized I needed to start doing something about it.

No joke — that day, I bought some new running sneakers and a sports bra and went for my first run ever. I probably walked 95 percent of the time on that 30-minute "run," but it was a start. And every day, when I felt like skipping a workout or ripping open a bag of potato chips, I heard that little voice in my head ask, "When are you due?" and it totally motivated me to stay on track. As horrible and embarrassing as that moment was, it turned out to be a huge turning point in my life, and I have this woman to thank.

Even though I made a lot of mistakes on my weight-loss journey, and it took me over five years to finally lose all the weight, one thing I did right was to stay motivated no matter what. It may have been that woman's four-word question that got me started, but it was all my hard work, my undying determination, and the commitment I made to myself not to give up that helped me reach my goal. And now I have a new four-word phrase that keeps me motivated: "Do it for you."