Diet

 So many people ask "What diet did you do? How did you lose the weight?"

I didn't "put myself on a diet". I changed my lifestyle. Putting yourself on a diet implies a plan with an end. You can't "diet" forever, and once the diet is over, even if you did see some success... you will inevitably gain your weight back (and often times even more).

That is why I hate the word "diet". It should be associated with what you eat in general... Instead, it is associated with a temporary change with limitations and rules. It's ridiculous! I'm not speaking out of my ass, either - I've done "diets" in the past. I lost nearly 40 lbs by doing a slightly modified version of Atkins before my wedding in 2004, going from 210 to 172. And I will admit - I felt great. It was wonderful. The problem was, it was impossible to maintain. Even the "maintenance" phase was just not realistic for me in the long term. Plus, my whole journey was centered around losing weight for my wedding, and there was no focus on simply getting healthy. So of course it was temporary. I gained 30 lbs back over the next couple of years. Then I got pregnant and gained another 60! Obviously, that "diet" was successful in the short term...but certainly not for the long term, which is what really matters. I am not saying that absolutely nobody will have or has had success with diets including Atkins. I know there are success stories...but they are not as common as the marketers of the diets would have you believe.

How helpful is it to say "I cannot eat carbs ever again!" Or "Chocolate is off-limits for the next 3 months while I get ready for bikini season!". No! It doesn't have to be that way! Just make overall healthier choices. You can even have a little chocolate - just learn to not go overboard. Be active. Eat a balanced diet and pay attention to portion sizes, especially when you are indulging a little.

Don't put yourself on a diet. Put yourself on a mission to learn about food and make overall good choices that you can maintain for the rest of your life!

I love the saying "Eat to live, don't live to eat". For me, I think changing that mindset has been a huge challenge. It still is. It might always be (thanks to that pesky inner fatty that I've discussed before). But it is so important. You want to eat foods that are healthy and will fuel your body to be the best it can be (and I'm not just talking physically!).

Screw the diets. This can't be a temporary fix or change. It has to be permanent! It has to be about your whole lifestyle. And you CAN do it.

When the time is right....

"I'll start tomorrow!"
"I'll start on Monday!"
"I'll start on the 1st of the month!"
"I'll start after Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years..."

I have heard them all and probably used them all. Statements proclaiming when you are finally going to make the changes. But we need to remember some things about timing our weight loss journeys...

First of all, it doesn't matter when you start or when you plan to start - you won't be successful if the time isn't right. By the time being right, I mean you have to be truly ready and willing to make the commitment and sacrifices necessary. If you aren't truly ready for that, it won't matter how you plan your timing.

Second of all, if you truly are ready, then why wait for tomorrow, or Monday, or next month, or after the holiday? Why can't you start NOW, with your next snack or meal? Why can you take a walk, join the gym, buy an exercise video, or try out Wii Fit TODAY? You know what they say, there is no time like the present. SO TRUE!

Finally, try to keep in mind that putting it off is only deepening the problem. Every day that you continue feeding your body junk, is another day of unhealthy. It's making it that much harder to get going. It's making it easier to continue making excuses.

Don't put it off. Make that decision, accept responsibility for where you are, and make the commitment to put in the work to get to where you want to be!!! Trust me - I may have lost a bunch of weight, but it has not been easy. It still isn't easy. I have had to work my butt off. I have made tons of mistakes along the way. I made a mistake this morning! But one thing I do have that I never had in my previous attempts, is healthy motivations and a sense of lifetime commitment.