One Step At a Time!

     Mountains can be steep and rocky. They can be filled with deep crevasses and an avalanche could happen at any given time. But something that many climbers will tell you, is that you can make it to the top if you don't focus on how steep the mountain is and just focus on the steps.

     Losing weight can feel like such an impossible task. Especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Sometimes we are tempted to look at the entire mountain that we are facing. For me, when I used to think about how much weight I needed to lose, I would say, "There's no way that I can lose 100 lbs it's impossible!". But I'm doing it. When I started up this mountain, I wavered quite a bit. I went down some of those crevasses on this journey to the top. But in the last few months I have really changed everything and this time I know without a doubt that I've found a plan that works for me.    
     I've lost 33.2 lbs! I am slowly, but surely taking the weight off every week. I have 66.8 lbs to go. I just need to do what I've already done 2 more times. But even now, when I know I won't give up, I get overwhelmed when I start looking up at the steepness of the mountain that I'm still climbing. The only way that this will work, is if I stop focusing on how far I need to go and just focus on every step. I need to focus on today. What can I do today to help me reach my goal? What things do I need to stay away from to keep me on track today?

    Make small weekly goals. Goals that are realistic and attainable. Then every day focus on what you can do to reach that small goal. If you do that, you will slowly start walking up that mountain and before you know it, you'll reach you're goal. Don't give up! Just focus on the steps and soon you'll enjoying the view from the top!

Motivation...where art thou? Top 5 motivational tips!

     Keeping up your motivation while on the weight loss roller coaster is probably one of the most important things that you need if you want to succeed. When you've been at it awhile and you're not seeing big numbers on the scale, it can be really hard to stick with it and not just give up. I mean, why keep depriving yourself of that delicious pizza when it's not seeming to paying off? Here's the thing, you don't always recognize the change in yourself right away. It takes time. It took more than a week to put the weight on and it'll take more than that to take the weight off. Be patient. As long as you don't give up, and stick with a good weight loss plan, you WILL reach your goal! I know it's hard especially if you have more than 10-15lbs to lose, because we tend to look at the end game. How far we have to go. It starts to seem impossible so we get down and give up. Don't do it! Keep going! 

    I have put together my top 5 motivational tips that will hopefully help you to not give up on your weight loss journey!

1. Never Put Food on a No-No List. What happens when we do that is, we start acting like a little kid. We want what we "can't have". If you put all sweets on a no-no list...guess what you'll start wanting? That's right SWEETS! You'll end up going off the deep end and eat everything in sight! SO instead of completely eliminating it out of your diet, just limit how much you have! You want a a candy bar? Then have half or a third of that candy bar, and save the rest for another day. Because the truth is, a few bites of a candy bar isn't going to tip the scale, but having the candy bar, and chips, and pop, and fast food WILL! Allow yourself those small indulgences so you won't feel deprived and can stick with the plan. 

2. Get a Buddy! One of the most helpful things to me has been to have a weight loss buddy who is with me 100% of the way. My cousin and I are on this journey together to lose 100 lbs! We have almost hit our 50 lb goal and I can honestly say that I couldn't have done any of it without her! So pick somebody who is committed to losing weight like you are. If you pick your husband who doesn't want or need to lose weight, while they may try to be supportive, they will never truly understand the struggles you are going through. Make sure you choose someone who is as committed as you are and doesn't get their feelings hurt easily. Because there will be times when you have to tell one another to put the cookie down and get back on track!

3. Get/Make a Weight Loss Journal! When first started out, the most important thing I did was make a weight loss journal. You need to be tracking what you eat and drink, and also what your starting weight is and how much you currently weigh. It is an integral part of the journey, especially at the beginning! Here is a link to the one that I personally used.

Click the link for the food journal http://www.cdn.creative-calendars.com/uploads/2014/08/food-journal.pdf

4. Reward yourself! This is probably one of the easiest tips to stick with! I mean come on who doesn't like a reward? I've set up a reward system that seems to work for me. Every two weeks that I stick to the weight loss plan that I've made, I reward myself with $10. Yours might be a wallet, or workout clothes. You can even just have a jar set up and put a dollar in it every time you lose a pound. Whatever it is, pick something that you don't normally buy and something that is exciting,..besides food! As the saying goes, "Don't reward yourself with food; you're not a dog". I also have a bigger reward when I reach 50 lbs. And when both my cousin I reach 100 lbs lost each, we are going on a cruise to celebrate!

 5. Use Pictures. From week one I started taking pictures of myself in the same clothes 1-2 times a month. At first I didn't see many changes, but now when I look at the before and after pictures...I see a huge difference! I can't stress enough to take those pictures!! You will be so glad in a month or two when you can see where you started and how far you've come! Now I'm about to show my before an after pics and just let me say...it's hard to share this with you. I'm embarrassed of where I was and I've only shared this with a couple of people. I fear anyone who reads this blog secretly laughing and sharing it with friends from my high school. They are talking about it even now..."Oh my gosh! Look at how fat she's gotten!". But in spite of my fear of ridicule and rejection...I'm going to share them in hopes that they may possibly help someone, somewhere. And that you all can see that even though I'm not where I want to be, I'm also not where I used to be and I'm proud of that! 40 lbs down...60 to go!

 

Use these tips, and anything else you find, to motivate yourself to get healthy! Celebrate the small achievements and don't beat yourself up. If, no strike that, when you make a mistake, don't allow yourself to give up and have the mentality that you've failed. Because you haven't unless you stay where you are and give up! Just remember...strive for progress not perfection! Until next time! 

My Own Worst Enemy

     The world we live in is harsh. People are critical, especially if you are overweight. But sometimes our worst critic, is ourselves. Something that I have realized lately is that I am my own worst enemy. I am constantly tearing myself down. I walk by a mirror and I cringe at the sight of myself. I tell myself how terrible I look. How fat I am. How ugly I am. I've bought into the lie. The lie that says that I am worthless. That says that I am not a good mom. Not a good wife. The lie that says that I am not good enough. The lie that say that I will never be pretty enough, or smart enough, or THIN enough. But what I've realized just recently is that I am enough! No matter what the media tells me. No matter what my husband tells me. No matter what I think of myself even. I am enough! I don't need to be perfect and I'm learning to love myself.

     While this doesn't seem to relate to weight loss, it really does. We have to address the self-hatred before we can ever sustain any sort of life change. Because as it's said, "If you don't love yourself before, you won't love yourself after." You have to start loving you. Give yourself permission to be human and make mistakes. Don't beat yourself up if one week you are up 3 pounds. Give yourself some freedom. And when you do mess up, because it will happen, give yourself 10 mins to be upset about it and then let it go and move forward! Don't give up because that will only make you feel worse in the long run.

Turning Point

     Some call it an ah-ha moment, but for me I say that I've flipped a switch. It might sound weird at first, but think about it. When something inside you suddenly changes, it's like flipping on a light switch. It's instantaneous. It's a moment of clarity when you realize that something needs to change, and you (and only you) have the ability to make that change.
      It's been my experience that when trying to lose weight, nothing will make a lasting difference if that switch doesn't flip. You might make some headway for awhile, but eventually you will hit a roadblock that makes things seem too hard and then give up... until next time. I've been there, done that. Repeatedly. So has most every person on this little blue planet. They have a name for it. They call it yo-yo dieting. You go back and forth between vowing to never eat another cookie and eating the whole dang package! When you are tired or stressed the the excuses come very easily. "I don't have time to make dinner". "I'm not feeling good". "It's too hard". Any of those sound familiar? They do to me, because they are my excuses!
     Everyone's motivation or reason for wanting to lose weight is different. You might want to feel better, get healthy,or just look really good in a pair of skinny jeans :-)  All of those are valid reasons. But if you have more than 5-10 lbs to lose, odds are that you will lose your motivation at some point on your weight loss journey. So what's going to happens when you do? If that switch doesn't flip in your brain you will most likely give up again and go on a binge that you will inevitably regret and beat yourself up over later. So how does it happen? How does that little switch get flipped on? Well it's different for everybody. Sometimes it shock therapy, you know when someone takes a picture of you and posts it to Facebook without editing it. It might be watching, listening, or reading something that evokes that emotional response to take action. Or maybe it's talking to someone who is going through it with you or has already reached their goal. Whatever it is for you, pick something that really makes you passionate about taking charge of your health and let that lead you to the place where you can have a conviction to making a lasting change. Don't do it to fit in or impress someone, do it for you. You have to come to the point where you realize that you are an amazing, beautiful, smart human being and you are worth it. You'll be so much happier if you do!

And remember...