I've Started My Journey...Now What? Let's Talk About it!

Well, this was originally a blog I wrote, I've been such a busy bee today, but when you're inspired, you're inspired I guess, LOL. A question I get asked a LOT is just that, So, I started, what do you recommend that I do now. I was told by someone that they think I should post my blog here, and that's what I'm doing now. I'm not a guru, by any means, and we each have our own approach to weight loss, but I've been on this journey long enough to throw out a few tips that may help you in the long run. It's been a long day, so forgive any grammatical or spelling errors, as I'm tired. WARNING: THIS IS LONG! However, I think it may help someone!

Step 1) Be VERY HONEST with yourself. Be honest with what you eat, when you eat, how you eat, why you eat, yes, why you eat (emotional eating is very common in obesity), what you buy, etc. MFP is a GREAT tool, but only if you use it properly and honestly. Be honest with how much you are working out, and if you are giving it your all. Keep a diary of all your work outs, if you gave it 100% & keep a diary of every single thing you put in your mouth. Now you may do this here on MFP, and chose to keep the diary private so that only you can see, but it is a MUST, especially when you are first starting out. The reason doing this helps is because it allows you to get to know your eating habits., and work out habits, After all, how can you break a habit that you don't know exists?

Step 2) Start making cuts, and saying no. After you have been honest enough with yourself to say this is what I eat, this is why I eat, this is how I eat, start making changes. If you have something that you know you should only have a couple of, but you can't only eat a couple, or may have an emotional day, DO NOT PURCHASE IT & BRING IT INTO YOUR HOME! Oftentimes I've found that not purchasing things we do NOT need or should have eliminates the temptation of eating it. It sounds simple, just don't buy it, but it really is not, and I DO understand this. Oftentimes we are standing in the grocery store fighting with ourselves over what is necessary, and what is not, and even if we are emotional eaters, if it is an emotion time when shopping it is the same as eating emotionally, its on impulse Which brings me to Step 3.

Step 3) Do NOT go to the grocery store hungry or overly emotional! This is a HUGE NO NO! If you are hungry, you impulse buy, and many grocery stores are counting on this! They keep counters toward the front before you check out, and caps of (oftentimes, garbage) when you first walk in the door. Most of these isles are called impulse isles, and are there to make you buy something you don't need when you are standing there waiting on your turn! And, if you notice, most of the stuff there is not healthy food, but chips, snacks, and high empty calorie items. Be good to yourself, and KNOW YOUR BODY! Feed yourself a good meal prior to going to the grocery store, and go to the store full and happy. Make a list before you leave home, and if possible plan your meals for yourself and family for the week so that you are focused!

Step4) Eat proportional to what you should have and eat normally. I do NOT recommend any diets, in fact, I DESPISE that word in the sense of the way the world uses it today. Diet should be about your daily intake and nutrition, "A DIET" indicates something lined out that you normally can't stick to. Your meals should be fun, normal, something you can make at home, w/ flavor, and taste, that you enjoy! It should not be something runny in a cup, tasting like cardboard, or something you have to buy so many products for you don't know what to do first, or can't afford. NO FAD DIETS! While it is tempting to try out the latest thing that comes out, you have to ask yourself, "Can I live this way forever?", "Can I eat this way forever?", "Is it even healthy for me to eat this way forever?" Why forever, well, even though most fad diets promise you so many pounds off within so many weeks, many of them don't share that you are losing water, or muscle, and many don't come with a disclaimer that the moment you begin to eat normally you'll gain the weight back, but that is exactly what will happen. Cook normally, eat proportionally, and if necessary, get a portion plate, and stick that. If not, measure your food out and get used to what portion sizes should look like. Eat until you are satisfied, and this was a tough one for me, NOT until you are FULL. When you are full, you've eaten too much. Eat slowly, and listen to your stomach say, "OK, I'm good"

For many of us who grew up in the generation of eat everything on your plate, and THEN you can have desert, this is a very hard concept to grasp! However, your body tells you when you've had enough, if you listen. Slower eating, smaller bites, and actually tasting your food will bring you to a whole new level with weight loss. Oftentimes when we've eaten emotionally we haven't even listened to the fact that we are eating something out of habit, NOT because we like it; and will actually eat things, if we slow down enough to taste, that we don't like anymore. Savor each morsel, and taste it. And hey, sometimes, you just want something sweet, don't go through a 10 course meal just to make yourself feel justified in having something sweet, just eat, in a smaller portion, and tasting it.

Step 5) Be sure you are NOT under-eating. So many times after we work out and look at our calories that MFP calculates and goes, NO WAY, LOL! However, keep in mind MFP has already calculated a deficit for us within what they put out as the amount needed. As the saying goes, if you work hard, you need to play hard, if you play hard, you need to work hard. When you work out, and get those GREAT calorie burns, you need to make sure that your body is taking in enough calories to be able to function and justify what you are doing. I've seen too many people who literally will work out a ton, and go have a salad, and while a salad is AWESOME, the calories don't justify what they need to function. When you don't eat enough and work out a lot, you can send your body into "starvation-mode", meaning if done often enough, your body will begin to think it isn't going to eat in a while and start storing everything as fat! Which is the OPPOSITE of what you want!

Step 6) Once you know if you are working out, or if you are giving 100%, make adjustments to your work outs. I recommend a gym if you can go, b/c this gives you access to machines that not only give you cardio work outs, but access to weights, which is a MUST for losing weight appropriately. Picking up weights and doing strength training increases metabolism and fat burning, and will not instantly turn you into "She-Hulk", but it does more good for you. Joining a gym also usually gives you access to a professional trainer that will allow you to be capable of talking to someone on a one on one basis, and discuss your goals. If you don't have the ability to go to the gym, then feel free to find work outs that you can do from home. I do both the gym as well as Zumba. My #1 rule is this: DO NOT DO ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN'T LIVE WITH OR HATE! Why? Because, doing something you hate & can't live with will cause you to quit. Don't be discouraged if you try a work out, and don't like it. Keep trying on different work-outs until you find out what you like. Find something that you think is fun. Working out does NOT have a horrible pain in the behind, it CAN be fun, but must be something YOU like to do.

Step 7) Change it up! I do some type of workout video or DVD at home 2 times a week and the gym 3. I do the gym more b/c I rely more on weights and strength training now than I do cardio, as I've grown in my journey and learned that it is more important to do weights. However, I do not do the same thing ALL the time. Doing this causes your body to become accustomed to whatever you are doing and may cause you to hit a wall/stall in your weight loss. I love Zumba because there are so many different DVD's that I can literally chose a different one each day I do working out from home if I want, my body never gets the chance to "get used to" completely. Even at the gym I change up the order I do my routine in, let's face it, the equipment you want may not be available in the same order every time you go!

Step 8) Do NOT make your scale your weight loss GOD! YES, we love to see that scale move down, down, down. However, sometimes the scale doesn't. If you make the scale your weight loss God you will become easily discouraged when the scale doesn't move, and thus, be more susceptible to quitting. Buy a good measuring tape, and watch your clothes. Too often are we losing inches rather than lbs, and if we don't acknowledge this, we will most assuredly want to stop, not realizing how well we are actually doing. Also be aware of when your clothes are fitting more loosely, which only happens when you lose weight.

Step 9) Set small manageable goals for yourself. While many of us can't wait to get the goal size that we want to be in, which may be 10 or even 20 dress sizes away, we need to set goals that allows us to celebrate the small baby steps that we are taking and making. By an outfit the next size down, and then when you fit it, you've hit a goal, AND you've got a new outfit to wear! Which brings me to Step 10.

Step 10) Change the way you celebrate. When you hit goals, and reach numbers you want to see, DO NOT CELEBRATE w/ FOOD, especially if you had/have an eating addiction, were/are an emotional eater, or have always celebrated with food. Find other, more healthier ways to celebrate. Go out dancing, go for a walk, go out with friends, take in a movie, but re-direct your celebrating habits.

Step 11) Don't forget, this is a journey, not a race. It's not about who makes it to the finish line first, its about simply finishing, and whether it takes you 1 year, or 2 years, as long as you are on the straight and narrow path, you'll make it. Don't make your WHOLE LIFE, about weight loss, enjoy your children, family, friends, and life outside of weight loss. Enjoy your life, because after all, this journey is a part of your life, but not all of your life