Girl Named Weight Loss Advisor

I pay $18 a month for Weight Watchers. A couple years ago (between kids), I thought I'd been on it long enough that I could do it on my own and stopped, and started gaining weight. There's something about the accountability. This January, I started taking it seriously, along with my running. Exercising is a MUST with any diet. It keeps you healthy, helps you lose weight, gives you more energy, gives you more self esteem, it has endless benefits. You just have to find something you can do, and set a schedule, and DON'T let yourself stray. If you take one day off, that leads to 2, and 3, and week, and a month. I run 3 days a week, and do P90X at least one day. I usually give myself Wednesdays and Sundays off. But I don't stray from my schedule (I have before, and didn't run for almost a month. It took me 6 months to get back to where I was). It's a common excuse to say "I'm too tired to exercise", but it's a catch 22 - if you MAKE yourself do it, you will feel less tired! And the effect is multiplied with more exercise. Yesterday I didn't feel like running, I felt like going home and putting on my pj's. But I made myself go out (running outside is MUCH harder than on the treadmill) and did 4 miles - and set a new record for my fastest 5K in our neighborhood (there are SO many hills it is a slow route), so after I did it I felt much better and was glad I did. I also set new goals for myself, and try new workouts to keep it fresh. I recently decided to do a 10K, and started training. It's mixed up my running enough to refresh it and make it exciting for me again. Another common excuse - "I have kids and work, I don't have time to exercise". Well, I have 2 kids and work full-time - you have to MAKE time. Do it before your family wakes up in the morning, or do it after they go to bed at night, or do it on the weekends when someone can help watch your kids. Even 30 minutes a few days a week is better than nothing. We make time for the things that are important to us, so that is a good way to evaluate what is important - watching tv or exercising? Checking Facebook, or exercising? You make the choice; I choose running. 

I think the key word is routine. Get in a routine with what you eat and when/how you exercise. It takes 6 weeks to make something a habit. You also have to reward yourself every now and then. Don't do it with food (although you need to have a treat every now and then) do it with something you like - buy yourself a new outfit when you reach a milestone, or get a massage, or go see a movie you wanted to see.  You just can't let yourself stray or get off course. I've lost 40 pounds since January, and it's because I've worked HARD, made myself exercise, and not eaten things I shouldn't eat. It sounds simple, but it's hard. I remember when I was in college and I hated it, my mom told me "It's not easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it and have degrees, then they would be worthless". The same concept applies - It's not easy, if it were, everyone would be skinny and fit. But that's not the case! If you are one of the people that are motivated and dedicated, you will see the rewards and can be proud of how you look and what you've accomplished. 

I have a lot of friends and family ask me how I lost weight, and comment on my running progress, so I thought I would share my strategy. It all boils down to 2 words - HARD WORK. I also have to give my husband credit, because he also decided in January to lose weight and get in shape (he's lost over 40 pounds!), and his support and participation by my side has helped me more than he knows. I honestly couldn't have done it without him. I'm not at the end of my journey, I still have 30 more pounds to go. But I know I can do it, I just have to be patient. There will be setbacks, there always are. It's what you do afterwards that matters - do you give up and start eating what you want, or do you get right back on the diet? Yesterday I went to put on dress pants (I usually wear jeans to work, but I had a meeting so I thought I would dress up!) and the pair I put on used to be SKIN TIGHT, so much so that I could not wear them. They are now too big to wear!! I put on another pair, same story! I now have 1 pair of dress pants that fits, and they are almost too big. The feeling you get when all your clothes are too big, is wonderful! It's the only sure way to measure your success in weight loss, and have a tangible outcome. It does mean spending money on new clothes, but who doesn't want to do that?! 

The biggest goal for me and my husband is to be healthy for our girls, and teach them a healthy lifestyle. We want them to see us exercise and want to do it as well. We want them to eat healthy and continue this through their lives. We want to be around when we're older to see them get married, and spend time with our grand kids. Leading a healthy lifestyle is the best way to guarantee this. Plus, we don't want our kids to have the "fat parents" at school!