Thankfulness

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I figured I should do a "Thankful" blog post.

Of course, I am thankful for typical things...my kids, my husband, my other family, my friends, my pets. This year, I am thankful for the amazing job opportunity which presented itself to my husband. It has been one of the top 3 best decisions of our lives. He loves his job, we love our new city, our kids are happy. Our future as a family is very bright. I am in Grad School with some amazing future possibilities. Yes, I am thankful for all of this - I am truly blessed.

But being that this blog is about my weight loss and fitness journey, what I really want to talk about is all of the things I am thankful for related to that. Two years ago at this time, I weighed 227 lbs and wore a size 22. I had no confidence. I was uncomfortable in my own skin, and I was always exhausted. I breathed hard just going up the stairs in my own home. I hated to have my picture taken, even with my kids. Shopping sounded like torture...not only because of the limited cute stuff in my size, but because no matter how well something fit and how cute it looked on the rack, I still felt like crap once I had it on. Not to mention trying on clothing was tiring. Seriously - trying on a few outfits in a fitting room felt like a marathon. Who wants to feel exhausted, just for trying on some clothing that isn't what you love and doesn't make you feel good anyhow? It was depressing.

Now - I weigh 146 (that was this morning's weigh-in) and I wear a size 8. Best of all, I feel healthy and fit.
And I am thankful for countless things...some shallow, some not.

I am thankful for my health - Yes...most people who have their health, are thankful for it...but it means something even more to me. I was on a destructive path that could only have ended in various negative health effects. But no more!
I am thankful for my body and all the amazing things it can do. Things I never knew or thought it could do, like running 13 miles without stopping.
I am thankful for running
I am thankful to know I can be a positive role model for my children
I am thankful for being viewed as an "inspiration" to others
I am thankful to not feel exhausted all the time
I am thankful for being a size 8 and being able to wear a MEDIUM in many cases.
I am thankful for feeling confident - I have done/am doing countless things that I never would have done before, such as going to Grad School, organizing a virtual 5k in collaboration with a local Zoo, leading running groups, and trying Zumba.
I am thankful for being comfortable being in pictures now, especially pictures with my kids.
I am thankful for people who are brave enough to talk to me about my experience, tell me "great job", or ask questions. I am not shy about this. I want to share so I can help others.
I am thankful for being able to shock the hell out of people when they haven't seen me or heard anything of me in years. "Holy crap, since when was she NOT overweight/obese? Say what, she has run half marathons? That can't be the same person I remember..." I am especially thankful for this when the person was somebody who was ever less-than-nice to me. That sounds bad but I don't care. It's kind of like a nice big EFF YOU to those people.
I am thankful that I was able to find the courage and motivation and determination to start my journey
I am thankful that I have been able to keep it up over a long period of time
I am thankful for the support and positive encouragement I have received from my friends and family throughout my journey.
I am thankful for my husband and his positive influence, support, encouragement and love. I am not sure I could have been as successful without him.

Wow. I could go on and on with the things I am thankful for. I am honestly bursting with thankfulness this Thanksgiving. You could probably see it coming out of my ears. My life has changed so completely, in so many ways... I still sometimes can't wrap my head around it. I sound like such a sap...sorry.

What health-related things are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? No matter where you are in your journey, I know there is something. Maybe you are just starting your journey, but yesterday you parked at the far end of the parking lot yesterday and successfully made the long trek inside. Even THAT is something to be thankful for!

So what are you thankful for? Ready, set, GO!

Against the odds - when you lack a support system

Here is a requested post topic.... making it work even when those around you are not completely supportive.

Losing weight is hard. It takes a lot of hard work, motivation, dedication, patience...yeah...it's not just hard. It is CRAZY HARD! I mean, the basic premise is simple. Eat right, exercise. Bam! But that is easier said than done, and the people surrounding you can make or break your spirit when it comes to your journey.

Whether it's a friend, a family member, or a spouse - the way people react to your journey and what they are willing to do (or not do) to help you along the way is very important. Unfortunately, some friends are not understanding. Sometimes, spouses are not willing to make any changes themselves to support you in yours. And you can't change what other people do, only they can. Instead, you are going to have to change how you choose to react to their lack of support.

There are a ton of situations and circumstances where a friend/family member might show a lack of support or confidence in you, and I could blog for hours going over a fraction of them. But really. What it comes down to is that you have to accept that X person is not going to make it easier for you, but you will continue on anyhow. You have to make the choice to ignore them or prove them wrong. Accept that it will be harder than it would be if X person wasn't doing X, or would just start doing X...but know that succeeding anyhow will make reaching your goal, that much sweeter.

Losing weight is about NOT GIVING UP. If you are truly ready and wanting to get healthy, you need to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary. Everyone's struggles are different, and for some people, one of those struggles is bound to be a lack of support. Just think of it as any other roadblock that you need to overcome in your journey, and remain positive that you CAN overcome it! It is all about the outlook you choose to keep. Nobody can make you feel a certain way. You have the power to react the way you want to react.

One last thing - if you find that you have little to no support in your personal or day to day life, you can at least seek support online. There are thousands of online support websites, blogs (like this one), Facebook groups and pages - seek out ones that speak to you and start interacting and following. Let THAT be your support system. It's not as ideal as real-life support, but it certainly can be incredibly helpful.