I think at the beginning the journey seems so insurmountable. At my heaviest I weighed in at 271 pounds.
At my first visit at Jenny Craig they asked me what my goal weight was. I chose 190. To me, just being under 200 lbs seemed like a HUGE deal (and it has and has been in my journey) but it also had been many years since I remembered what 190 pounds looked like on me.
All of the women in this picture weigh 154 pounds but it looks so different on each body type.
Most people can pinpoint one defining moment when they realized that they were tired of being tired. I really started this journey for a few reasons. First, I have always been a happy person. No matter weight I was I always had more positives in my life and didn't get down on myself. I used to be athletic, a soccer player. I was still bigger than other girls my age but I was muscular and active. It was only during the end of high school when I stopped playing soccer that my body began to change in ways I didn't like.
Once I got back from the Peace Corps I put on a lot of weight very quickly. It made sense as I was consuming a TON of calories and was no longer walking or biking everywhere. I also sat at work, sat at home and then went to sleep. Not a good way to burn all those extra calories. During and after having my daughter I just kept gaining and I began to think a lot about all the things I saw and heard from my mother and grandmother growing up in regards to health and weight. All these messages about how to treat food or ourselves. Food was cherished but we put ourselves down in the dressing room.
I didn't want my daughter to see me struggle with that and if I had kept going the way I was she surely would have seen me cry in a changing room just like I saw my own mom. So I changed to better my future, to be a good example and to feel like my old athletic self again. After my two hour hip hop class I'm definitely feeling the aches and pains of being an athlete again but it's also amazing to feel that healthy inner glow again.
But, what do you do when just wake up in a funk? How do you make yourself do what you know is the best choice on a daily basis? Well, sorry to report I haven't mastered that yet. There are still days when I let my cravings get the best of me but this life is about PROGRESS and not perfection. The sooner you realize that perfection is unobtainable the sooner you'll be able to relax and enjoy the twists and turns.
For example for any Biggest Loser fans, this year's winner was shockingly gaunt on the live finale. At first she started "too fat" and now she's being criticized for being too thin. You can't win for losing sometimes. So daily:
1) Evaluate what you did to better yourself the day before
2) Identify weaknesses you had earlier and figure out how to avoid that situation again (i.e. don't take the bag of goldfish downstairs... just count out the serving and put into a bowl)
3) Take tons of photos!! Some days you don't see any difference... until you look at photographic evidence
4) When you feel in a rut, make yourself try something new. There are tons of resources on the web or with gaming/video systems to work out
5) Surround yourself with motivational quotes, pictures, and people!! Every day when I log into my instagram account I see what my other weight loss travelers are eating and doing and it kicks me in the tush
6) Realize when you need a rest. Scheduling will help with this. I started with a really different workout schedule but I've added more and it's become more chaotic. I need to get back to writing it out and STICKING to it
7) Remember that you don't have to be a gym rat to be active! I started losing weight by playing Just Dance and built up from there.
I have also kept an old pair of jeans from when I first started Jenny Craig. Sometimes I slip into them and look at just how far I have come.
P.S. my UP band is the blue bracelet in the picture
I also have a list of goals I want to achieve and rewards I'll get for myself when I achieve them. I also have an UP band and am looking into a Polar watch. These gadgets help me challenge myself and push to beat my step goals each day. I honestly feel so much more energy and it's not as much of an effort as it used to be. What used to feel like a chore now feels like a comforting activity that's fun and in a group setting. I'm actually pretty shy but going to hip hop has helped me come out of my shell and share with people who are enjoying the same activity as I am.
What helps you stay motivated?
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