When Thinspiration Strikes: 9 Women's Success Stories

"The doctor told me I was obese."

"At five feet four inches and 214 pounds, I knew I was overweight, but when a health scare sent me to the ER, the doctor explained that I was obese and at high risk for a heart attack in my thirties. I enrolled in a nutrition class and took up belly dancing and Zumba, which make me feel graceful. I've lost 27 pounds and am almost out of the obese range."

-- Ruby Cortes, 23, Seaside, California

"Two of the best motivations to exercise are feeling competent and being the boss of your own life," says Philip M. Wilson, PhD, of the Behavioural Health Sciences Research Lab at Brock University in Canada. "If you do an activity because it stimulates you, you'll find a way to get past roadblocks."