Week 1: Tee's Two Cents on Weight Loss - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare !

Hi-Ya !

Weight loss is not easy.  It can be overwhelming, difficult and sometimes discouraging.
Getting healthy and slimming down takes time, determination and mental preparation.

How many times have you tried to lose those pesky pounds only to be right back where you started from a day, a week or month later.  I know I have. There are so many fad diets and/or programs promising to help you lose 5, 10, 15 pounds in a short amount of time. I can attest that I've tried many diets and although I have had good results I found that if I didn't stick to that one particular "phase" I would slowly gain the weight back.

 

My top (3) steps to making a healthy lifestyle change  

I believe having the right mindset starts with knowing why you want to lose weight and get healthy.
For me it wasn't until I was faced with the possibility of developing a medical condition. At that point I got real serious about getting healthy and ultimately shedding the pounds. I came up with several mantras that keeps me grounded. I will be using them throughout this 5 week series as they are relevant on your entire "getting healthy" journey.

My favorite mantra is: "It's a Journey, not a Race"  

Once I got my mind right I then had to decide when I was going to get started.  When I was in the "yo-yo' phase of losing weight I would always say, "I'll start Monday or after the holidays".
No, No, No !  Procrastination will stall your success.  Start today.  You say, today ?  Yep !  If you haven't eaten dinner today, why not let that meal be the start of your journey.  Instead of those two slices of pizza have one slice and a salad.   Mantra: "One Plate at a Time" 

Setting goals are important to the success of your new journey.  Goals not only keeps you focus long-term, but it holds us accountable of our journey.  Make yourself a realistic long-term goal with mini "milestone" goals in between.  This is a reminder to "self" that we are in this thing for the long haul. 

Let's make some goals.  For example, if your goal was to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks, set mini milestone goals to lose 2 pounds every week.  I am a visual person, so I have to write things down. It allows me to see my written goal, which makes it more momentous and achievable. 

Welp, its time to clean house ! If you are like me, you probably have some type of junk food stash somewhere in the house.  Commitment is the name of this game.  To jump start your commitment to a healthier life one thing you have to do is throw out all of those "not so good" foods. Removing these foods will avoid temptation.  If you don't see it, you can't eat it !

Another thing that helped me during the beginning of my journey was the shedding of my "bad habits" in baby steps.  Example; I have a love/hate relationship with bread.  I know there was no way I was going to be able to go "cold turkey".  What worked for me was to allow myself to eat bread, but every week eliminating a meal and eventually a day without bread.  As of today, I probably have bread 3 times a week.  The struggle is REAL.

You may also have to clean house of Negatrons !  You know who I'm talking about.  The people in your life who say, " You are going to try to lose weight AGAIN".   Another mantra of mine that I clung to that counteract that type of negativity is:  "You only fail if you give up" 


Let's get Ready  !


Until next week.....