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?