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Saturday, April 12, 2014

Encouragement for those who need to lose more than 100 pounds

Now that I've lost over 200 pounds people ask me to share some tips on how I got started and stayed motivated.  So I thought I would blog about it and hopefully it will help someone.
  • Set small goals & reward yourself
    • Every time I thought about having to lose 200+ pounds I got discouraged and would think there is no way I would be able to do it.  When you focus on the large number it makes it seem impossible.  It's like thinking about having to climb a mountain.  Yes it is going to be hard but take it one step at a time and before you know it, you'll reach the top!  I started with 5 pound weight loss goal.  This is one of the best things Weight Watchers did for me.  You got a sticker for every 5 pounds you lost.  I started collecting those stickers and before you know it, they add up.  I wrote out a list of rewards that I would give myself at certain intervals.  At first, the rewards were at smaller increments like 10 pounds and 20 pounds then I started spacing them out more.  Some examples of my rewards were: music, books, new shoes, new clothes, jewelry, nails painted, massage.  Some that are still on my list:  horseback riding, ride a roller coaster, go on a zip line tour, get another ear piercing, and a tattoo. 

  • Positive Affirmations
    • Your mind is very powerful.  What you think and what you say eventually comes to fruition.  Write down some positive affirmations and say them every day (whether you believe it or not).  Before long you will memorize them and can say them to yourself when you start to get discouraged.  Some of the ones I used are:
      • I accept and love myself just the way I am.
      • I am worth loving myself.
      • I am grateful for this amazing gift God gave me and my body's ability to heal itself.
      • The choices I make every day will improve my health.
      • I am in control of my thoughts and actions.
      • I take good care of my body, I eat right, I look good, I feel good, and I weigh what God wants me to weigh.
      • As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he; therefore, all of my thoughts are positive.
  • Stop the excuses
    • "I'll start on Monday." "I'm too stressed."  "I can't afford to eat healthy."  "I have no support."  Every one can come up with an excuse.  You will always have an excuse, but you will always also have a choice!  Decide to find a way no matter what!  Decide that you are worth more than the excuses.
  • Start a success journal or wall
    • I sectioned off part of the wall in my office where I hung cork-board.  I have quotes and pictures on there that motivate me.  I also have a success journal.  I record all of my monthly measurements in there but I also journal about other milestones.  For example, when I noticed that I could buckle my seat belt again.  Or when I was finally off all of my medications.  I made a list of all of the ailments I suffered from and as I no longer had to deal with them, I checked them off my list.  
  • Track your progress monthly
    • I tell this to people all the time and wish I would've done it when I first started.  It's so important to take pictures and body measurements from the beginning.  I know we avoid the camera at all cost when we are overweight, but believe me, you will wish you had them later.  I would suggest taking your weight, body measurements, and pictures at the beginning of every month.  
    • Make sure when you take the pictures that it is on the same background (like in front of a blank wall).  Be sure to take a picture from the front and the side.  Use a photo editor to add the date and current weight.  There were many times that I would pull up my old pictures and compare them side by side.  It helps keep you going when you see how far you have come.  Sometimes we can get stuck in the old mind thinking we are still as fat as we were when we started.  Seeing the pictures helps you realize that your mind can lie to you!   Take notice of and appreciate the things you do like about your body.  Don't always focus on what still needs to improve.  There will always be something that needs changing.  Instead of standing in the mirror and thinking your saggy skin looks gross.  Focus on the things you find beauty in, like the contours of your face, neck and shoulders.  Feel the strength of your muscles or celebrate the fact you can feel muscles or bone at all! 
    • Learn to appreciate the small changes.  When you hit that plateau (every one will!), you need to learn to celebrate the small things.  Even if you have to take it hour by hour and celebrate the fact that you didn't eat the pan of chocolate chip brownies that your husband made and screams your name every time you walk by them!
  • Find support
    • If you live alone or don't have family and friends around you that support you living a healthy lifestyle, get online.  There are lots of support groups on Facebook.  The one I like the best is Protective Diet Living.  
  • Before you put it in your mouth ask yourself if it will harm you or heal you?
    • When you can focus on only consuming foods that will not harm you then you can shift your mindset from one of deprivation (I can't eat chocolate, chips, etc.) to one of offering.  I offer myself the ability to eat healthy foods that will help me reach my ideal weight and live life to the fullest.  

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