how did I start????

I had a very good friend of mine email me the other day and ask me a question.  What she doesn't know is that I have had NUMEROUS people ask me the exact same question..... and when I think back to when I was sooooo depressed and so unhappy with my weight I would ask people this exact same question too!!  and let me tell you... I wanted an answer because it seemed hopeless to me at the time.  At that time I was so out of shape and was so addicted to food I felt like doing anything about it was truly hopeless.... like I was one of those few exceptions of people who just don't have it in them to look good and be thin and in shape.  

So what was the question?
Here it is:

What finally got you motivated enough to actually start?  How did it finally click?  What happened in my brain where I went from being depressed, lazy, and undisciplined to working out, eating right, and ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT???

And here is my honest to God answer.

At this time I was actually still single.  There were a lot of guys that had come my way that I thought were cute or interesting and wanted them to "like" me.  Let me tell you what... Those boys were NOT having it!!!  They didn't notice me or want to date me at all.  I went through quite a few crushes that were not into me at all and so I finally asked a very good guy friend of mine a VERY scary question.  I asked him, point blank, why do none of these guys like me???

He asked me if I really wanted him to tell me the honest truth.... I said yes.  I was ready.  I was ready to hear the HONEST TO GOD TRUTH about what a good looking guy thought about me and why he thought none of the guys I had crushed on crushed on me back.  And here, my friends, is what this wonderful guy reluctantly told me.

He said that he thought I had EVERY single good quality that a guy SHOULD like... and he went on and on about all my positives. He then said.... "so, honestly becca, the only reason I think these guys aren't liking you is because you have gained quite a bit of weight".  

BOOM!!!!!  There it was.... the truth.  I knew it was the truth and as much as it hurt I totally owned it.  He went on to say, "I've known you a long time and I knew you when you were really small.  I know what you CAN look like, and right now you are a lot bigger than you used to be and it doesn't suit you."

Now before you get all in a frenzy and get mad at who told me this, you have to understand something... what he did for me that day I cannot thank him enough for.  I knew that was what was going on, and I just needed someone to finally tell me.  I had so many good friends that I would ask all the time if they thought I looked fat or if I needed to loose weight and for the most part all my friends said I looked great.... but I didn't!!!!  And more importantly I was unhealthy!!!!  It's funny the nature of a lot of women.  Even now I have wonderfully sweet woman friends telling me after seeing my before photos that they still thought I was so pretty.  I really do appreciate that and I know that life is NOT all about what you look like.... but for me, I felt AWFUL!  I wad NOT healthy.  I was tired all the time and depressed.  And my weight was the only thing that kept me down.  I had so many awesome things going for me... I spoke a lot publicly, I sang in front of hundreds, I had an awesome job, I had TONS of friends.... but the bottom line is when I was on those stages or out to dinner with friends I felt so trapped inside my own body I hated it!!!!  I'm a very physically animated person... when I got overweight, it changed parts of my personality!!!!  I didn't want to tell jokes anymore!  I hardly wanted to sing anymore, I didn't want to give tours of my university anymore... I was so out of shape!!!!  So, all of that to say, my friend was right about me.

After hearing that from my friend, it did something to me.  I had a motivation like I had never had before.  For some reason I just KNEW that I was not supposed to look and feel that way a second longer.  I was so tired of wearing size 12, 13, and 14.  I was tired of looking in the mirror and cringing at the thought of meeting the man of my dreams while I looked like that!!!!  I had to change.... and I've never looked back.

So now it's your turn.  Maybe you don't have a single soul in your life to tell you the honest to God truth about the way you look right now.  But let me just say this.... if you are not at an appropriate weight for your height, age, and body type then you do NOT look the way you are supposed to look.  If you are wearing a large size of clothing, then you are NOT the size you are supposed to be.  If you could not jog at a slow pace for a few minutes, then you are NOT at a fitness level that you should be. If you are never eating good healthy life sustaining foods, then you are not eating what you should be eating.  

I'm not that same single girl so I don't have "meeting my man" as my motivation anymore.  Now my motivation is "I want my husband to think I am HOT!!!" Maybe you do (and that is ok), but I do not want my husband to just love me and think I'm pretty because he loves me... NO!!!  I personally want my husband to have the same healthy, in-shape woman that he was first attracted to and married!!!  I want him to want me all the time!  And after I have kids, I know it's gonna be even harder... but by golly, I'm gonna try!!!!!

Now you listen here.... You are NOT a lost cause!!!!!  You literally have the ability inside of you to be the person you want to be!!!!  Even if you have been heavy your whole life, you DON'T have to be!!!!!  God gave you a body that functions in a way that if you do what is good, balanced, and disciplined you can be healthy and in shape!  

If you are JUST starting let this be where you start.  Here are a few small goals to start today!

1.  Write down everything you put in your mouth and track it on thedailyplate.com (or at least write it all down and look up the calories for the items and just see how much you are eating) I'm serious about this one.  You cannot change what you are eating if you really have no clue what and HOW much you are eating.  I think if you really tallied your calories in a day, you might be shocked.

2.  When you eat today, eat a little less than you normally would. For example, eat a little bit smaller portions than normal. Instead of eating the whole huge sandwich, eat half and save the rest for later.  If you eat a bowl of cereal, actually measure out what the box says is the actual serving size.

3. don't let a little feeling of hunger freak you out. 
If you are just starting to limit food, you are going to feel very uncomfortable for a few days.  Maybe even a week.  But just FEEL it!!!!!  It's ok!!!  It is not harmful to your body!!  After a week, your stomach will shrink a little and it won't feel like that. And just say to yourself when you feel those hunger pains, "it's going to be hard... but I can and will do this.  When I feel those hunger pains I am literally loosing weight!"

4. Do some sort of workout.
   Go for a walk.
   Ride a bike
   Get on the treadmill
   Go to a class
   Get on an elliptical 
   Do some intervals- jog 1 
   minute, walk 3- do 30 mins of 
   that
Do something!!!!!!!

Just try these 4 things this week.  You can do it!  It is not rigid or too much to ask of yourself.  This week just start small.

I hope my little story motivates you today!!!  I promise this thing is not easier for some and harder for others.  It is hard for us all!

Happy Monday!

xoxo