V! by Fitzness.com
The turning point in my thinking about eating and weight began in college. The university community on a whole was LIVELY and ACTIVE! It was not uncommon to see many people running, walking, biking, swimming, playing Frisbee, basketball, tennis and volleyball. I began to choose one thing that I could do over time that would stick. It started with walking and riding a bike everywhere instead of riding the campus bus or driving. I lived a pretty balanced lifestyle through college, graduate years then first career as a teacher.
Unfortunately, from the time period of 1999-2008, I gained twenty pounds. That was a big transition time in my life, which included a career change. This blew everything that I had worked over those earlier years to change, and rekindling those healthy habits became a matter of my health and self-esteem. In 2007, I resigned from my career job of almost 9 years in order to go back to college for a Master’s in Sport Management. Throughout 2008, I began the slow climb back to that balanced place I once knew, coupled with a new interest in running. Another shift came in life in 2009. To assist me in my journey, I was prompted to sign up for a local gym membership which contributed partly to losing 13 of those 20 pounds successfully. It was a supportive and challenging community. Emotional highs and lows were triggers that I had to become aware of, and I figured out how to combat them with what I had learned. Here are a few of the small changes that have lasted over the past few years:
- Be prepared at work & on the go with good sensible grab-n-go kind of snacks during the day. Take my own lunch to work. Prepare meals at home vs. eating out all the time
- When I do eat out, I use portion control. I immediately ask for a to-go box when my meal is served. I divide it in half or even thirds if it’s large enough, which saves me calories and money.
- Use Foods that Burn Fat chart for planning meals, along with other books I read like Eating Right for Your Blood Type.
- Don’t WIG out on myself if I mess up; get right back on track
- I continue to see myself as valuable & a priority; something will always come up to try to distract me from that time to take care of myself. Fight for that time!
- I try new activities: a dance class, running or jogging
- I think about what I CAN do vs. CAN’T dos: that’s a more positive mindset instead of depravity
Recently, I watched an interview that Oprah had with Jennifer Hudson on her weight loss transformation. Something that struck a chord with me about the interview was the initial hesitation from Jennifer’s Weight Watcher leader to reveal how much weight she had actually lost- 80 lbs! I applaud and support her in her success. She has become a voice for thousands of women all over this country who can relate to her background. That influence stretched into her family and community. However, I do understand the rationale behind not wanting to stress how much weight had been lost. The focus should be on the health benefits and not so much on the number. We have all witnessed the public displays of drastic weight loss cases where those same people have gained that weight plus more a year later! There is shame, disappointment and guilt associated with that. I have experienced that, and it made me feel like such a failure to have lost 18 or 20 lbs then gain it back. This is why I continue to bring myself back to the point of the mindset of long term lifestyle change. We can shift that paradigm, sistas! Let’s MOVE!
