On my closet door hangs a little black dress (typical, I know) that I hope fits me by my wedding anniversary in July. My major motivation for weight loss is intrinsic -- good health, achieving my goals, feeling good -- but I can't downplay the fact that I'm excited about squeezing into that slinky dress.

Weight loss, I think, is it's own motivator. As diet improves and the weight comes off, you just feel better. Energy levels improve, exercise becomes easier and you don't have to work so hard just to go through the daily process of living.

But external motivators have their place too. Looking in the mirror and liking what you see, well, that's a powerful feeling. We told you about WeightView last year, a service that lets you see yourself up to 50 pounds skinnier in just 48 hours. WeightView has gotten so popular that in January, it was the most active weight loss application on the popular social networking site Facebook.


How to lose 192 pounds in 7 seconds from PastaQueen on Vimeo.

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It's easy to get stuck in a rut, eating the same foods day in and day out. But variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

We loved Jennette Fulda's book chronicling her incredible weight-loss journey. We found it to be entertaining, inspiring, and real, all at the same time, and now you have a chance to find out why -- Jennette is giving away a signed copy of her book, Half-Assed: A Weight-loss Memoir to one lucky That's Fit reader!

To enter to win, just leave a comment below before 5 PM Eastern on Friday, July 4 telling us all about your inspiration. Has something or someone inspired you to lose weight? Live healthier? Work harder? Tell us all about it! We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on Monday, July 7. Some other important details:

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us what inspires you.
  
• The comment must be left and confirmed before 5 PM on Friday, July 4.
• You may only enter once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• One winner will receive a signed copy of Jennette Fulda's Half-Assed: A Weight-loss Memoir.
  
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
  
  

Click here for complete official rules.

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Jennette Fulda, aka the Pasta Queen, was kind enough to send me a copy of her book Half-Assed: A Weight-loss Memoir to review. I knew she was funny from her blog, Half of Me, and I knew her story would be inspirational -- the girl lost over half her body weight. What I didn't know was how wrapped up I would get in her journey.

The book isn't just inspirational because Fulda lost 200 pounds -- it's inspirational because of how she did it, which Bethany touched on when she posted on Fulda's Today Show appearance. She doesn't promote any specific diet or plan in the book. Instead, she relies on good nutrition and exercise in a completely real way -- she doesn't cut calories in a way she can't maintain, and she doesn't let herself be hungry. She starts out walking for a few minutes a day on a treadmill in her house because she's embarrassed to exercise outside, and ends up enjoying running outdoors and doing Pilates.

So what makes all this so interesting? Why did I pick up the book and not set it down for 239 pages? Well, to be honest, it's really entertaining. Yes, of course, it's informative, but the girl has a wicked sense of humor. For example, when she was down to 269 pounds and realized she could feel the outline of her pelvic bone, she writes, "My gynecologist had told me I had a pelvis, but I thought she was just starting a rumor."

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If you're looking for weight loss inspiration with a side of funny, look no farther than the Pasta Queen, aka Jennette Fulda of Half of Me. Not only did Jennette lose 186 pounds through diet and exercise and a remarkable sense of humor, she also recently published a book about her experience -- Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir.

Fulda was recently interviewed by the Today Show, where she talked about her early struggles with weight and what inspired her to finally take it off. What I love about Jeannette's story is that she took two years to take off the weight, leaned heavily on exercise (she just ran a half-marathon!), and cut calories by choosing nutritious foods over processed junk. If you're looking for a weight loss role model, she certainly has a great story to inspire you.

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