Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Prove them wrong

One of the hardest things to overcome when you've decided to get healthy is unchaining yourself from the thoughts of others. And let me tell you, it's hard you guys. As humans, we seek validation and support from our peers. It's just human nature. The issue is, the thoughts and energy we get from others are not always positive.


My best friend Michelle (www.MichelleSwoons.com) & I embarked on this weight loss journey together in the beginning. She was with me every step of the way when I dropped 80 pounds 2 years ago. She was with me when we walked our very first 5k. We had our successes, and we had our ups and downs together. But we were there for each other. So of course, when I decided to get back on track, she was also game.

Thankfully, I have the support of you guys, and many of my friends. I am very blessed to have all of you on my journey. There have been times when I've just felt so defeated, but all I had to do was make a post and there you all were. Your words of encouragement have been amazing. Even though I know I am doing this for myself, it's nice to have that support system.

But what do you do when you don't have a great support system? What do you do when the people who SHOULD be in your corner, aren't? What do you do when those you look to don't encourage you, but rather use negativity to "push" you. I've posted before about how I feel about "tough love." You can read that entry here: http://beyondthefat.blogspot.com/2013/02/deep-thoughts-with-jamie.html Basically, it doesn't work. When someone is in a fragile state already, which most of us on the get healthy wagon are, your tough love only drags us down. The world is full of enough negativity as it is, why not build someone up. A little encouragement goes a long way.

Today was a rough one for Michelle. I joined Planet Fitness last month, though today is the first day I'm going, and she has been talking about joining for awhile. Well, she's finally joining today, and hitting the gym with me later. The issue came in when one of our co-workers made a comment after he found out she was joining. He basically implied that she wasn't going to go. Now, I won't lie.. I've been there before. You pay for a gym membership and go a couple of times, only to stop going and continue to pay for Casper the friendly ghost to use your membership. Because let's face it, you're clearly not using it now. I think it's safe to say that we've all done that at one point in time. Am I right? Yup.

Why would anyone say something like that? What good came out of your comment? Was that 10 second snarky remark really worth it? Not only does it make you look bad, but you've just discouraged someone who is trying to make a MAJOR life change. Rather than discourage someone, congratulate them on their decision and ENCOURAGE them. Give them that positive push to actually make their change. Plus, the chance to throw a little positivity out there not only does that person good, but it's also good for you. You get what you put into this world. Just sayin'.

Negative Neal's & Nancy's are everywhere. What's important is YOUR decision to start taking control of your life & making a change. Again, you're doing it for you, but wouldn't proving them wrong make your success a little sweeter? So my dear Michelle, you know I love you. You're going to kick some ass! You are MORE than capable of reaching your goals. Take that negativity and use it to fuel your workout today. When the inches and pounds are coming off, remember what your critics said, and be proud of what you have accomplished. And as always, I'm right here with ya. We're in this together. Let's do this! Let's prove them wrong.

 
 



Monday, June 8, 2015

Monday- I'm starting over.

So here I am again. I keep making promises to you guys, and to myself, but I never keep them. That all changes now. I'm back y'all!

Lately I've been having so much trouble getting back on track. I've been eating fast food like no one's business, and the food that I have had in the apartment hasn't been the best. I've been binge eating a lot lately. I notice when I have things that crop up I'm not prepared to deal with, I turn to food. Food is my drug.

But this weekend I think things clicked a bit more. I've been having a hard time finding the motivation to get back on track. You would think my joints hurting & feeling like crap all the time would have been enough right? Apparently not. But this weekend I did a family photoshoot. Photography is my first love. I love it even more than food, and that's saying a lot. To get some of the shots I had to get down on the ground. Well, for a fat person getting down isn't so bad... It's getting back up that is the problem. That was a wakeup call. Not only that, the summer I was down 80 lbs, I didn't mind the heat. Actually, I began to really like it. Well, since I've put 40 lbs back on, the heat is not my friend. Add that in with the plantar fasciitis I've been dealing with, along with the photos of a thinner me on my Timehop.. and that did it. I can't keep doing this to myself. I know I am more than capable of taking control of my health again.

Yesterday I did my grocery shopping. I now have all good food in the apartment. I have my meals planned for the next two weeks. Tonight after work I'm taking a walk with Michelle before the Hawks game. I also ended up joining a gym. So tomorrow after work, that's where I'll be. One of my co-workers has really been helpful with keeping me in check when I ask him to be. So tomorrow, he will be checking to make sure I brought my gym back and everything. I know if I don't go straight from work, I won't go. So that is the plan. I can do this. I can get back on track.

So how have you all been doing? What is your plan for this week?