150 GONE and things I've learned

So, I've lost 150lbs. I've still got more to go, but this seemed like a good milestone to mark with some new pics. The biggest difference is the side view....glad I thought to take one of those when I got started.

I have the opportunity to read the message boards here regularly, but I don't often get time to post. So, I thought I'd take a few seconds now to talk about a few things I've learned along this journey.

1) When in doubt, ask for help! Sometimes seeking out info on the web can become overwhelming. There are so many things that work for one person and may not work as well for someone else. You need to find what works for YOU, and you might need help doing it. That also means finding a way to be held accountable!! For me the answer was Jenny Craig. There is someone that tells me what to eat, when to eat, how much to workout, then stands next to me once a week when I get on the scale. We can talk about what went right, and what didn't and then come up with changes to ensure success the next week. If we could do this all on our own, there would be no need for a site like this. Ask for help....it's ok!

2) Losing weight and becoming healthy aren't the same thing! Yeah, it's possible to lose weight eating nothing but M&M's, but your body won't like it. If you're like me before I started Jenny Craig, you need to get fruits and veggies into your diet. Not just once in the day, either. A salad at lunch AND dinner...fruit with breakfast AND as a snack....that's what your body wants!

3) Losing weight and getting in shape are not the same thing! As I work out more and more, I find myself frustrated. I used to haul around a 400lb body all day, and 10lbs worth of weights will do me in!!! As we lose weight, we'll lose muscle, too. Don't be one of those people that loses all kinds of weight through hard dieting, THEN has to work hard to get into shape. It's ok to lift weights. They won't bulk you up overnight....they won't cause you to gain tons of weight each week.....they are your friend, not your enemy!

4) Don't join a gym if you don't know what you're doing! I'm very lucky. I'm a teacher. I went to the football coaches and said help me figure out what to do in the gym, they said get rid of the gym membership and come workout with us during lunch. They kick my butt, and I've learned so much! Again, ask for help....it's ok! Ask a friend that goes to the gym regularly to help. Hire a personal trainer...this is expensive though! Or do what I did.....find someone that is in shape and say HELP!!!!

5) Dieting is not an everyday thing like so many people want you to think! If you were as big as I was, you need days where you just EAT. Doesn't matter what it is, doesn't matter how much....just eat. Then, make yourself pay for it the next day! If you eat 2000 calories more than you should.....make yourself burn 2000 extra calories over the next day or two. Once you start to see how much work it takes to burn the extra food off, your binges will become much less severe!

6) There is a difference between running and walking!!! I don't care what research says what thing. If I walk 3.5 miles it'll take me an hour. If I run or jog it, it'll take me 40 min and I'll burn more calories. I'm going to find the quickest way to burn calories that I can. It's the fit way to be lazy! :bigsmile:

7) If you want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't want to do it, you'll find an excuse! If you are laking motivation, don't try to re-motivate yourself, figure out what excuse you are making to allow yourself to be unmotivated! Sometimes the excuses are valid....maybe you need more sleep, but most of the time they are just simple excuses that we make up then allow ourselves to believe!!

Ok....that's it for now. I've been thinking I need to start a blog to talk about how easy it really is to lose weight, but I keep making excuses for not starting it....maybe I need to take my own advise and stop making excuses! :laugh:

Good luck everyone!