Is it in your head, your heart, or in your gut?!

Today, I want to discuss the entire losing weight thang!  It's tough ... nuff said!

But I feel there are 3 definite separate phases one goes through before you're actually ready to do whatever it takes to get your weight back to the healthier weight.

It starts in your head: You may look at yourself in the mirror and say,"Hmmm...I need to lose some weight."  Or you may also come to this realization once your clothes don't fit quite the same.  You THINK about losing weight (probably often), but like many others, this whole weight loss thing remains to be fleeting thoughts.  But you THINK you need to lose some weight.

Then it moves to your heart: This is when you go to your doctor and he/she tells you that you must lose weight otherwise you'll have to take certain medication, etc.  This can also come from close friends or family members who pull you to the side and expresses their sincere concern for your well being.  Your heart is touched about their caring for you...but it's not quite enough to get you to take that elusive first step.  You  FEEL like you need to lose some weight.  You may even lose a few pounds, but they won't last because the motivation and feelings are sketchy at best and the appropriate motivation and win-all-cost attitude hasn't engaged yet. You're still not ready to put yourself, and your own health and well being first.

Then it takes control of your gut: Once it gets to this stage, you KNOW you're ready to do whatever  it takes to get you to a healthier place! These are the people still walking/jogging in the rain, or with hats and gloves in the cold and are willing to do whatever it takes to get this program off and running.  Hint: It's those feelings in my gut that get me out of bed at 4:45, just to make sure I get a good workout in. But please know that your story may be a lot different. You may just need to limit your caffeine intake, or drink more water, or promise to take your medications faithfully, or just vow to MOVE YOUR BODY for 10 minutes a day and work your way longer...little by little...one step at a time...

Remember when I spoke about being HONEST with yourself in the previous blog?  Well, this is a good time to practice with the appropriate changes/updates. 

So where are you ... in your head, your heart or your gut?

One step at a time

I'm often asked how I started on this journey...one step at a time.

When the questions are something like: How do you find your motivation?  How do you stay focused?  How did you find out the different types of exercises that you like? How did you figure out what/how/when to eat?  The answers are: I took one step...I took another step...I took a third step...I keep on steppin'. 

Broken down, yes, it is just that easy.  However, implementation is where we often get caught up.  I think we sometimes make things harder for ourselves.  We are often our own worst critics.  There are times we say such horrible things to ourselves that we would never consider uttering outloud to another person.  PLEASE STOP THIS BEHAVIOR!

All we have before us is right here and right now.  The next minute is not a guarantee to us.  The ability to read this line of text is not owed to us.  So, since we can't predict exactly how long we'll be here; let's make the best of the time we do have left.

Before you can make any changes to your life, you must first think about what changes you need/want to make.  So take some time for yourself...do some self reflection...take a self inventory.

Are you ready to take the FIRST step?  Ok, this is the hardest part.  (It gets easier after this, I promise.) 

The first step is this:
After you've taken the time, done the reflection and inventory...now be HONEST with YOURSELF! 

This journey is not something that anyone else can do for you; and you can't do it for anyone else either.  You can choose to accompany someone else, but the benefits are for you.

And you know what? YOU DESERVE IT!  ;-)

~Ladybug

AND SO THE JOURNEY BEGINS:

    Step by step ...

"How much longer do you plan on living in this condition?" That's the question that kept repeating in my head when I left my doctor's office in November of 2011.  I went in for a routine well-woman exam and came out in tears, on blood pressure medication and the sting from the sudden slap from reality that I needed to do something different! I was feeling perfectly fine and simply was going to a new doctor and needed to get my yearly physical.  Bottom line, my blood pressure was at "stroke level."  A normal BP reading is 120/80.  Mine was 190/105!  My new doctor was about to admit me to the hospital right then and there. Basically, I was a walking stroke victim waiting to happen.  (Plus, I have strokes, heart attacks and high BP in my family history!) To make matters worse, I had NO symptoms.  She kept asking me questions like: "Have you been having headaches? Blurry vision? Dizziness? Feeling numb?, etc." My answers were all "No."  My BP was taken a few times throughout the visit.  Then they even changed the size of the cuff they put around my arm.  I thank God for my doctor because she literally saved my life! She took the time to sit me down and talk to me about my life, my habits, my support system, my outlook, and even discussed how I felt about my own weight (which was over 300 lbs at my highest).  She finished our frank conversation by telling me she did NOT want me to go on any crazy diets or try to starve myself or even try any quick weight loss gimmicks that many of my family or friends have done.   

This statement is what changed my life: "I want you to go home, look at yourself in the mirror, think about your family's health history, know that you are now diagnosed as hypertensive and this excess weight is not doing you any good; therefore, think about some LIFE-LONG CHANGES you can make to make yourself be healthier, look and feel better." 

She also said that once I start doing those things and getting results, it will also improve my mental health because I'll be proud of what I've accomplished and know that I can maintain because I didn't do any quick fixes but purposefully have made decisions that I'll stick with for the rest of my life.

That was over 100 pounds ago.

This is my very 1st blog and my first posting ever.  So please be patient with me.  I'll tell you about my journey to this new "healthier lifestyle" and will be sharing about the many different aspects of health. Yes, I'll share how I lost the weight; basically it was a lot of hard work.  The more important aspect is the slow adoption of a healthier lifestyle.  Those two words can encompass so many varied aspects of our life ... physical, emotional, spiritual, relationships, and on and on.  But this is not a blog about how to lose 20 pounds in a week to go to that family reunion and look good.  It's about how to feel good and be a healthier, more well-rounded person in general. (Trust me, I have plenty of friends who I call "skinny mini" and they still are not healthy.)

I think this healthier lifestyle journey will be fun.  It was hard for me at first, and still is every once in a while.  But I must admit that it has been worth all the hard work.

I hope you come back and share with me very soon ... as we take a few steps ... together.

~Ladybug

Below is my transition from one birthday to the next.  Even though there's an apparent difference in the way I look...I'm most excited in the fact that I FEEL so much better and I'm medication FREE!