I want everyone reading this to know, that just seven months ago, I was a total couch potato. I detested anything that made me break a sweat, and ate mostly fast food and baked goods. I tried a million times to lose weight, but nothing ever stuck. I always thought that if I could lose 5, 10, 15 pounds, it would completely change my life, and I would somehow magically be happy with how I looked. I thought that I would look in the mirror, and start seeing something besides all of that excess fat. The only problem was that even when I did start losing weight, I still focused on the weight I wasn't losing. Once I quit focusing on my weight, I was able to accomplish more than I ever could have hoped. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day finish a half-marathon, but it was one of the greatest things I've done in my life! The best part is that you can too! My goal is to help people see that you can have your cake, and eat it too...literally. It didn't take living on salads and swearing off cupcakes to reach my goals. It's just about moderation.
The first key to changing my lifestyle was realizing that I don't have to be a size 2. Having a little more to love on my body, doesn't make me any less beautiful. It was hard, but I had to convince myself that my body looked great, regardless of size. This got a lot easier once I was able to appreciate my body for what it could do instead of what it looked like. I have only lost 16 pounds since I started, but I have achieved so much with a little hard work. Today, I love my body. I admire the strength and endurance that I didn't know I could have. It just took realizing that I needed to change my lifestyle.
The next thing I had to realize was that fad diets aren't effective in the long run, and eating healthier does NOT mean I have to give up cheesecake for the rest of my life. When I started getting serious about getting in shape, I downloaded a great app on my iPhone called, "Lose It!" I love this app, because you enter your information, goal weight, and the app tells you how many calories you should eat each day to reach that goal. Then, you record what you eat and what exercises you are doing each day to make sure you are staying on track. The thing I love about this app, is that you can't set a plan to lose more than 2 pounds per week. As much as we all want the fat to melt away as soon as we start working out, you have to remember that as your body gains weight, it stretches out your skin. If you don't want loose flabby skin when you reach your goal size, remember to moderate your weight loss! Also, make sure you don't eat or drink anything in the three hours before you go to bed each night. This may not seem like a big deal, but your body stops using energy (burning calories) as you sleep, so meals too close to bed time can lead to storing more fat!
The final key to changing my life was setting reasonable goals. This was by far the hardest part for me. We all know what parts of our diet we need to change, but it's impossible to do all of them at once. I started by changing small things, like switching from whole milk to 2%, and buying healthy cereals like Cheerios instead of Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms. I had cut sodas out of my diet years ago, but if you haven't, this is a great things to start with! I know it's hard at first, but I promise if you can get through 2 or 3 months without them, they will taste terrible the next time you have one. The best thing to replace this staple drink with is water, but if you need some flavor, try Mio. This handy little additive has no calories or sugar, but is great at transforming your water into a whole new drink! If you still need something else, try juices made from REAL fruit. This is important, because fruit juice that has a lot of sugar added to it can be just as unhealthy as sodas. Also, even though Gatorade is advertised as a sports drink, you should only drink these during long, high intensity workouts. The sugars and electrolytes are great to help you get through long runs (at least 5 or 6 miles), but they aren't good for short workouts.
Now that you have a start for getting energized, the next post will help you figure out what to do with all of your new energy!
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