One Small Change At A Time!

I want to lose weight but where do I begin? Many people struggle with this issue and there is no one answer to this question.  It can be really hard to figure out where to start and even when you do it can seem like an insurmountable task. This is what worked for me.

I was 309 lbs. when I decided that something needed to be done. I was tired of looking and feeling the way I did and I knew that if I didn't do something about my weight I was going to spend the rest of my life with severe health issues.  I tried a weight loss group a couple times but that got pretty expensive so I struck out on my own :)

I discovered that a great thing to do is challenge yourself with things that are already embedded in your DNA!  Since I've pretty much always been a natural athlete and extremely competitive at everything I do, I decided to start playing games with my weight loss and see where it went. Each week I would challenge myself with one small change.  This may seem like slow work but trust me, it all adds up quickly and it's not as easy as it sounds.

Here's how it works! Pick one small thing that you normally don't do, that you know you should do and try it for one week.  It doesn't matter what it is, how big or small, just something that benefits your health in some way.  My first thing was "No Pepsi for 7 days" !!  It was tough because I love Pepsi but I made it through the 7 days and beyond.  You'll find that after you stop doing something like that for a week by the second week it isn't that big of a deal anymore.  Plus you most likely lost some weight or felt better in some way so you want to do more.  The key is that during those 7 days, it doesn't matter how else you may have "failed" or "did poorly" on a diet! As long as you stuck to not doing that one thing for 7 days YOU WON!!!

When you're done with your first week you add something else the next week like maybe walk for 20 minutes a day.  Now you're not drinking Pepsi and your walking 20 minutes a day!  See how this goes :)  And don't worry if you don't make it! Just keep trying. Sometimes I would repeat the same challenge a couple of times before I got it. The key is to not be so hard on yourself, understand that change takes time and practice makes perfect. After a month of challenges none of this will feel like a chore or even a challenge anymore.  Soon you'll be longing for the walk and disgusted with the taste of Pepsi, well able to live without it anyway :) 

Now I find I challenge myself repeatedly.  I try a lot of different little things with my workouts to change them up such as adding weight to a routine or changing the speed on the machine I'm using.  However I didn't even join a gym until I had lost 70lbs.! So please don't think you have to work out at a gym to lose weight and get in shape! Walking, riding bikes, running or just playing outside is excellent for your health and body and any of those things on a consistent basis along with a good balanced diet will give you the results you want.

There is no miracle cure to losing weight and it's going to take time but please believe me when I tell you that the time goes by so quickly! And when you start seeing and feeling the results it is so rewarding and your life becomes so much easier and happier!!! I know!!!!

Start challenging yourself one small change at a time today.  You will not regret it :)