A Lifestye Not A Diet!

On November 20, 2007 I decided to make a change in my life by going on what I thought was a diet. Prior to that date, after watching a few episodes of the Biggest Loser I decided to join Jillian Michael's site. Calories in and calories out became my new routine. I knew I was out of shape but never to the extent once had I begun exercising. My beginning weight was 176.5lbs and at 5'4" I carried most of my weight in my upper body and hips. Starting three days prior to my 41st birthday this was the most I had ever weighed. I was wearing a size 16 pants and an XL shirt.

After I was on the program for a while there were two things that became ingrained, first you must have your mind made up to lose the weight, and second you have to treat this as a lifestyle and not a diet. Not doing either of the former prolongs the opportunity of weight loss, never reaching goal or gaining. Losing weight is as much mental as it is physical. If the mind is set to do something the result will be exposed. A lifestyle is more likely to maintain than a diet. An individual can't go back to prior eating habits if maintaining ones goal weight is priority. It takes 21 days to build a habit. You have to tell yourself that you are going to try something for 21 days, not you are doing it for life. We must first learn to crawl before we can walk, our walk may be a little wobbly but once we get our balance it becomes a lifestyle.

Did I ever fall off the wagon? Absolutely however I made sure I hopped back on the wagon. One bad meal or one bad day does not define an individual. Having a piece of cake every now and then is alright, key is moderation, not everyday and not the whole cake. If you have a flat on your car you’re not going to get out and pop the other three tires, your going to fix the flat. For those special occasions I make them a part of my calories or have a high calorie day for those slip ups. Repetition becomes routine where a lifestyle starts to develop.

Exercising is just as much a part of a lifestyle as nutrition. There are days I don't want to exercise but I like the end results of how it makes me feel and look. It was a part of my losing 57.7lbs which I have been maintaining since January of this year. Through exercising I was able to burn more calories than I took in. Not only does it help an individual lose, maintain, but it can also be a stress release by replacing those emotional bad habits of reaching for food. The rewards are very beneficial; currently I'm wearing size 6 pants, some 4's and S-M shirt.

My new lifestyle is unique to my old lifestyle. Small changes along the way, moving forward and not backwards have helped me to maintain with being healthy for the first time in my life. Education is a powerful source that can teach the universe. A healthy lifestyle is the way I plan to live the rest of my life. I no longer crave or want some of the foods I once thought I couldn't live without. By taking baby steps along the way I have not only reached my goal weight and been able to maintain but I am living by example so that others may follow in my footsteps if they so desire.

Once the seed has been provided it's up to each individual on how they plant the seed. If we choose to just plant and leave it alone we may never grow. If we choose to put anything into it we may grow a little but never bear however if we choose to make the right choices by living a healthy lifestyle we can bear fruit for a lifetime that can spread across the universe!

Until Next Time!


Sandy Lane