In the past year, I’ve been asked many questions about how I lost the weight and have kept it off by women who want to do the same. I’ve noticed that I can talk until the cows come home, but if they are not really serious about losing the weight and making the effort, it’s not worth wasting my breath on giving advice. Here’s the deal: if you really want to lose the weight, you need to make the full commitment, not just trying halfway. That means that in the first month or so, you really need to cut ALL cheating! No cookies, no chocolates, no chips, no nothing! Not even one. If you convince yourself that one chip won’t hurt during this initial period, you’re WRONG! What you need to break in that first period of time is your unhealthy eating habits. Everyone is different, so their vices vary. If you really want to lose the weight, you need to figure out what’s stopping you. For me, it was salt and portion size. So, during that first bit, I had to stop eating my beloved Shake and Bake anything (chicken, pork chops, you name it, I Shaked and Baked it!), chips, Lipton Soup, etc. It wasn’t easy, but looking at myself in the mirror at 143 lbs when you’re only standing at 5’0 1/2 is not easy either. I remember feeling disgusted by the image looking back at me. I was fed up with not being able to wear what I wanted. I was sick and tired of constantly adjusting my pants so it covered my belly when I was sitting. If you feel the same way, then it’s time for a change! Only YOU can decide when you’ve hit rock bottom. Until you do, you’re going to fool yourself into thinking it’s what you want. You’re going to cheat, make excuses and skip out on workouts because you truly are not ready to lose the weight. Unless there is a medical reason to explain why you’re not losing weight, I believe everyone can do it. You can be healthier. You can look great and wear clothes that fit nicely. It can happen. For over 25 years, I struggled with my weight. I made the conscious choice to change that. No more up and down yo-yo weight loss. It is very dangerous to go up and down 5 lbs and more a few times a year. You have to do this for yourself. It’s a matter of health, not fashion. If your BMI (Body Mass Index – google it to see what yours is) is between 25 and 35 and you have a waistline of 35” and above, you’re in serious risk of heart disease. My BMI starting out put me as being overweight. Now, I’m in a healthy range. I don’t worry about high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease as much because I know I’m eating healthy (ratio of 20:80) and exercising regularly.
Exercise is also a very important part of being healthy. You have to step up your workouts though. If you go for a 30 min walk 3 times a week, that’s not going to get you to where you want to be! No, I’m not talking about people who are obese, but those of you who are wanting to lose 20-40 lbs. You’re going to have to be consistent as well. Yes, I’ve been boxing for almost 3 years now, but I managed to gain some weight 2 years ago even though I was boxing. I have to admit, I was boxing once a week and attending a beginner hip hop dance class (which wasn’t a very intense workout compared to boxing) and eating whatever. That was not what helped me lose weight. I gained about 10 lbs! What I needed to do was increase my boxing workouts from 1 to 2 or 3 per week. I still attended dance class and then started teaching boxercise twice a week. I also went to the gym and worked on my cardio. I discovered running and absolutely loved it! You have to increase your workouts and really push yourself! No one will do that for you. If you REALLY want it, you can do it. You have to be stubborn about it. If you find yourself cheating, making excuses and skipping workouts, then you have not hit rock bottom and you are comfortable with being overweight. Only YOU can do it. No amount of advice will help. It’ll be “yes, yes, I can do that”, but really the info is going in one ear and out the other.
Your body is temple. Treat it as such!
