We talked to two bloggers who are finding strength through sharing. They’ve made their journey to lose weight a public matter.
Celeste Grover, blogger http://289andcountingdown.blogspot.com/ and
Ryan Sullivan, blogger http://www.nomorebacon.com/ share their journey to lose weight and be healthy.
The Journey of Weight loss
Lessons Ryan has Learned while losing weight:
• Don’t Expect Perfection From Yourself – One of the biggest obstacles with weight loss is that we are extremely hard on ourselves. We have one day where we go on a Snickers binge and we lose confidence in our ability to succeed. Keep in mind from the beginning that there are going to be days when you mess up. Learn from those days and ask yourself WHY you messed up and what you can do to avoid failure in the future. Also, if you do mess up, don’t dwell on it. Always look forward.
• Reflect – At the end of every day I take 10 to 15 minutes to review what I ate during the day and whether or not I exercised. If I ate too much or I didn’t work out, I ask myself how I can improve my efforts going forward. It’s also important to be honest with ourselves during the reflection time. If we justify things to ourselves, we can begin a cycle of self-sabotage.
• Take a Break, Don’t Quit – Make healthy living a lifetime goal. If calorie restraint and daily exercise are burning you out, just take a break. Eat good wholesome foods that will help you maintain the weight loss you’ve already achieved. Don’t jump back into your old potato chip habit just because you’re feeling worn out. Losing weight is hard and there’s no shame in taking a week or two off from the rigorous regimen.
• Remind Yourself of Your Triggers – Something gave you the desire to want to lose weight. Whether it be wanting to live a longer life with your family or wanting to look great in that bikini, there is a trigger that started you on the path to healthy living. Remind yourself every day what that trigger is. Post your goals on your bathroom mirror. Put a picture of your family on your treadmill. Visualize yourself finishing that 5K race. Whatever your trigger is, constantly remind yourself of it.
• Create a Circle of Support – Blogging has been great because it has brought in the support of many people who are working toward goals similar to mine. Even if you’re not ready to put your thoughts out into the world, join a group on Facebook or find people on Twitter with your same interests. Tell your family and friends about what you’re trying to achieve. They can provide guidance or more importantly a listening ear when you’re having a rough time. For some reason in our society we are afraid to talk about weight loss. I feel like we need to be more open about it. Build up and support the people around you who are also trying to lose weight and you’ll find a renewed energy to stay focused on improving yourself.
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