It is so hard to imagine what the end will be like when you're just getting started. Making that initial commitment is the most important thing. Then you are on your way to the new you. Every day/week/month gets better. Commitment is also the hardest thing.
I am not a patient person by nature. When we were kids, my grandparents drove from Missouri to California to pick up my brother and I for the summer. On the way back, they thought it would be nice to stop off at some tourist spots along the way. We both said NO! get us to the farm the fastest way possible!
Instant gratification is hard to find when you've set yourself on what can often be a year-long journey. The key is to look for the small successes along the way. Every single day that you avoid the candy jar at work (one of my struggles still!) is a successful day. Every bottle of water that you drink is one step closer to better health. Every day you get your butt off of the couch and into a workout is a day to celebrate.
I also struggled with seeing my progess. When I was 250 pounds, I thought I still looked like I do now. I didn't know that other person was the one everyone else was seeing! Hence the website with so many pictures. I had to study the pictures side by side very closely to actually see my progress. Honestly, as hard as it is to look at before pictures, TAKE THEM! Let it be a constant reminder of how far you have come and where you don't want to be again.
Another tip is to measure yourself. Sometimes the scale doesn't show all of our hard work. Measure yourself against various every day things as well. Mark the spot on your seatbelt where it sits now. Watch it cinch up! Take note of how much space you fill up in your car, a movie theater seat, a public restroom. One of my motivations was that I was increasingly uncomfortable fitting into public restrooms. I thought, who are these things designed for!? Obviously not for me! How humiliating to feel left out of the restroom industry!! I just wanted to feel comfortable moving around in my world.
I wish that I could wave my magic wand and shrink all of the beautiful people in my life that are starting on this journey. You are all on your way and I wish I could help you get there faster. Truth is that there is nothing anyone else can do for you. All of the hard work is yours to do alone. But we are all here to support each other along the way.... and to make it more fun! Just know that everything is within your reach. Enjoy the ride.
Jazzercise.com
How Jazzercise Saved My Life
JennyCraig.com
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I am always amazed that the image in the mirror is not the same image that people see when they look at me! It's something that continues to baffle me. And, how, before a diet - I think I look thinner than the day after I've actually started a diet. It's really crazy. Seeing pictures helps to bring in a little reality :)
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