Wednesday, February 16, 2011

As long as it takes...

As you may know from my last post, I've been doing some soul searching as of late. The main question on my mind has been "What makes this time different?"

Why is this the time that I will finally lose weight, and keep it off? There are a lot of answers. There are two main ideas that keep coming back to me:

1. I don't want to be someone who says I'm going to do something, and never does it.

I don't want to be all talk. It is embarrassing and pathetic to think of how long I've been talking about losing weight. I've come to the decision that the time is now. I am going to lose weight right now, or stop trying forever. I cannot enjoy my life when I'm consistently thinking of what I would do if I were at my ideal weight.

2. I am (for the first time) ready to do for this AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

I usually stick to a diet or workout schedule for a max of thirty days. I'm not significantly overweight,  so if I lose five or ten pounds I think "Oh I look good," and immediately stop trying. Then I gain it back and the process continues. This time around I have been eating better and exercising consistently for 2.5 mos. This is really not that long, but for me it more than doubles previous attempts.

I have been approaching this time around with a new mindset. I have definitely tried hard enough, this time I will only try long enough. There is no way I can continue with the new habits I have set for myself and gain weight. I may be slow, but it will come off. I don't care if it takes ten years or ten days, I am NOT giving up this time.

My dad is a super smart guy. One thing he has repeatedly told me is that "a crappy plan you stick to will succeed better than a great plan you give up on." Obviously I want to have a good plan. But the point is, I have to keep trying no matter what. No singles awareness day cupcake binge will throw me off forever. I just have to get back to my plan.

I have dieters ADD. I decide to do x diet or y cleanse, pump myself up, and three days in decide it was a terrible idea, give up completely, and find a new one for next week. There are tons of ways to lose weight. Whether I'm on the Zone diet or Weight Watchers doesn't really matter. It only matters that I stick to it. Repeat: Any diet will work if I STICK TO IT.

I truly believe that this time will be the time I finally find success. There are a couple things I've found especially helpful along the way:

1. Blog friends- If you are reading this, you count. Thanks for visiting my page, thanks for commenting, thanks for letting me read your blogs and for all the advice and encouragement.


 2. Green Smoothies, and other healthy food that actually tastes good ie zucchini noodles (more on these later).  If you are a newbie www.healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com is a great place to start for good eats.

Roast and veggie egg white quiche--one of many delicious and healthy meals I've been enjoying as of late.

3. Racing- I haven't posted enough about the races I'm doing (I have a video in the works). I've set a goal to run a race a month this year. I've finished my first, and the second is coming up this Sat. The monthly is working out perfectly since right when I would normally give up I remember I have a race to train for;)



4. Stick To It mindset- In it for the long haul mentality. Nuff said.


What is working the best in your weight loss journeys?

11 comments:

  1. I can't express how happy I am for you deciding to stick to it. Your dad is brilliant and his statement makes perfect sense. I can't wait to read about your races and watch the videos!
    The thing that is working best for me is that I have conditioned myself to lift weights, do crunches/pushups, or use hand workout tools while I watch tv or movies. Doing this has made me feel like I constantly need to be active or do something during the day. The other big thing that has been helping is that I have found that I LOVE cooking. Its much easier to lose weight when you know exactly what you are eating.

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  2. As usual, I love your post! And thank you again for mentioning Healthy Girl's Kitchen!

    Losing the idea that I have to be "perfect" in order to be healthy or at a weight that I am happy with. I have plenty of not-great choices all the way to downright bad choices. Those choices used to make me feel horrible--like I should give up even trying. And then I found out that thin people don't think like that. When they make a poor choice, they just MOVE ON. THey don't turn it into a 3 day bender. So I stopped thinking that way immediately and it has been, next to going plant-strong, the most powerful change for me.

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  3. Way to keep that motivation going! I can tell by reading your post that you're dedicated to being your "best self" for the rest of your life. Good luck, and remember - your "blog friends" are always here for you! :)

    www.firstandfitmost.blogspot.com

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  4. Good for you!! Seriously.. it's so hard to eat healthy and get your butt out the door to exercise! For me exercise isn't about losing weight or staying in shape anymore. It's for my mental well-being! Seriously! I went about 3 months with NO working out and I totally had the winter blues and negative attitude. I started working out again and voila! Back to myself! Maybe getting in shape again adds to the happiness but I just feel better inside and out! That keeps me going :)

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  5. I think that having a plan is big. Setting small reachable goals is even bigger. Reaching out for support when you need it is the biggest. Too often we run away to our own little solitary confinement when things start going downhill. That's the time to reach out even more.

    Keep up the good work. My first race is the 15th of next month. I can't wait!

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  6. I'm working on my stick to it mindset this time around too. Blogging seems to help! I love reading about everyone's journeys.

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  7. I hear you. I was always jumping from one thing to the next, looking for fast and easy or what works for me. I have just decided to stick to one thing and do it well. Good for you - the running. It's so invigorating, isn't it?

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  8. You sound really ready this time! What worked for me was small goals and rewards. Shoes, new jeans, small things that I worked for. :) I iwsh I was a runner, good luck with those races!

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Talk to me Harry, tell me all about it!