Do you know how many times I told myself “I was going to start on Monday.”  Everything was Monday, Monday, Monday!  So the weekend prior, what did I do?  I ate to no oblivion.  Anything and everything that I could get my hands on that looked remotely good… even if I wasn’t hungry.  Then of course, I’d feel miserable… rinse and repeat, you know?

 

I’ve been doing Thin & Healthy Total Solutions (THTS) since April 3rd and you know, I have followed the program pretty religiously… I have had a few mix ups here and there, and had I not have been doing THTS, do you know what would have happened?  I would have thrown in the towel right that very day and said, “Aw oh well, I’ll start fresh tomorrow!”  Then I’d go venture to DQ or some other fast food restaurant and chow down a big greasy cheeseburger and fries and large pop… because I could.  I thought that was just how it was… once you mess up, you’re done for the day and you can start fresh tomorrow…. but boy was I wrong.  So very very wrong. 

 

As you can see from my previous posts, I’ve done a LOT of thinking since April 3rd, that lucky day I signed up for THTS.  I have really dug in deep to it all, tried focusing on things I have never focused on before, giving myself the chance to go in the right direction this time, and not look back.  I’ve turned to writing, quote hunting, motivational and inspirational websites and sayings, signed up for mygoalguide.com and receive moving quotes 3 times per day… I’ve really just tried to embrace it all.  I’ve truthfully tried to change my whole entire outlook and attitude towards every single piece of this lifestyle.  Had I not been doing THTS and Snap, I would have been doing things so much differently…. it’s not about what you can’t have, it’s about what you can have.  I cannot even begin to tell you where that statement (thanks to Kari) has taken me over the past few weeks… I have gone down a road that I haven’t been down in such a very very long time, if not ever.  I haven’t had a chance like this to really analyze what I’m doing, and that’s okay.  Of course, I’ve thought about it… but it’s not something that is on my mind all hours of the day.  When I was trying to lose weight on my own over the past year, “dieting” was all I thought about, what could I eat, what can’t I eat, when am I going to lose weight?, I’d research Lap Band, weight loss surgeries, tried to find the easy way out every single time.  I was focusing SO much on the number on the scale and how much I weighed, and what foods I no longer could have… it just made me want to eat them all the more.  You know the feeling when someone is yelling at your or talking to you, and you’re getting upset, and you just keep building up steam continuously until you blow and finally cave and let it all out?  Yeah, that’s how I used to feel with food. 

 

I haven’t changed everything in my life; if I did, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today.  It’s all about baby steps… the only thing I am doing differently is working out 3-4 days per week – and even that, it’s not an effort… it’s just the way it is, go work out, enjoy it, listen to some tunes, talk to some people you’ve met there, be inspired, head home, have supper, relax a little, go to bed, sleep better because you worked out and wake up to do it all over again because you ENJOY the way you feel after you work out.  Sound similar?  Not yet?  It will, trust me.  Once you start working out regularily, it becomes part of your routine.  I usually don’t workout on Tuesdays or Thursdays, however starting this week I plan to be there Monday, Wed, Thurs and Friday’s.  But like last week when my schedules got screwed up, I was just out of whack… Mom and Dad were gone to California, I didn’t have any work out buddies; it just wasn’t the same.  But this week now, I’m all pumped up and ready to go!  Even if I am bloated and not enjoying every part of that one special week out of the month that every woman gets the pleasure of having… and even IF I am up on the scale because I’m retaining water like I do every time this month… That is okay, that is NOT a reason to give up.   Again… prior to THTS, I would have given up and used my cycle as an excuse to eat something greasy or a big bowl of ice cream and chocolate, etc… not anymore.  It’s different this time.

 

It’s all on the attitude you have… I dare you to be different, be a different person than you were the last time you tried eating healthier and losing weight.  What did you do then with your prior tries that didn’t work?  Would you try it again?  Change a few things, or try the same old thing over again that didn’t work before?  I suggest you try a few things, sort out your options, record your feelings and temptations, and then stick with the one that works.  We are all different, we all can’t do the same thing and have it all work the same way on us.  One big thing that I’ve done differently is just trying to embrace what I have and focus on looking forward to the future – I can’t change how I got to this point, I can only change how I will get away from this point… I am in control of my body, my food, my surroundings, my exercise, and my health… if I want to be a healthier person, and learn how to eat better… then that is what I need to show myself, and do for myself.  We all can do it, it’s just a matter of when you’re ready or not.  Some of you may not be ready for a while yet… while some of you were ready a long time ago.  We each have our own pace and our own ways to reach our goals, and until you find something that works, you have to keep trying… you cannot give up, because if you give up, you’re only hurting yourself. 

 

 

There is not a single excuse in the book that ANYONE can use.  Not you, you, you or you…

 

I dare you to be different, dare yourself to do something you haven’t done in so very long, dare yourself that you’re going to start eating more green vegetables, or drinking more water, or exercise starting only 10 minutes per day or every other day and work it up to eventually 30 minutes or whatever you feel comfortable with.  I dare you to do something that you’re nervous to do, whether that is trying out a different machine, going somewhere you haven’t gone in a while, working out in front of people, parking in the furthest parking spot available, signing up for something that you’ve wanted to do in a very long time.  I dare you to open up your heart, look deep inside, and find that person that you want to be – it is in there, and do something about it.  I dare you to try to make yourself healthy…

 

Don’t Quit

When you’ve eaten too much and you can’t write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
and forget all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your points a bit,
It’s your next move that counts…So don’t you quit!
It’s a moment of truth, it’s an attitude change.
It’s learning the skills to get back in your range.
It’s telling yourself, “You’ve done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow.”
It’s part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You’re still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the struggler’s, when loosing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
that the race wasn’t over…they still could have won.
Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,
but facing each challenge will help you grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.
When you’re pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,
If you bite it, you write it….But don’t you quit!
- Author Unknown