I was on the last mile of my first-ever seven-mile run. My feet hurt, my legs felt like noodles and I was sucking serious wind. My more experienced running buddy tried to talk me through my discomfort.

"Remember," he said, running backward and waiting for me to catch up, "pain is just weakness leaving the body."

To which I replied, "Pain is the body's way of reining in a dangerously deluded brain." Honestly, I didn't have the strength to say anything quite that pithy, but I did groan expressively.

If there's anything more trying than exercise or disciplined eating, it's the slogans that go with them. But as countless experts will tell you, motivation is the key to success.

Over the years, I've heard quite a few gems: "Nothing tastes as good as thin," "Don't ask how much more you can take, ask how much more you can give" and many, many more. When I heard them the first time, they annoyed me, but every now and then, I find myself repeating these phrases. During difficult times, when I'm tempted to quit or give in, I've found it helps to have a ready answer to that annoying voice that says, "Why not?" Here are some of my favorite inspirations.

You have it in you to get it off you. I'm not sure which weight loss group this comes from, but it's a good slogan. Part of successful weight loss is "ownership" of the problem. If you can recognize that you alone control what goes in your mouth and how frequently you move your body, you're more likely to succeed.