As stressful as it can be, people don’t really address the excitement of losing weight.
Yes, it sucks trying to avoid all of the foods you love. Sure, trying to find the time and energy to not just work out but work out hard is tough. However, there is a thrill in seeing your hard work pay off. In seeing yourself go from your biggest size or one you’re not really comfortable with to where you’ve wanted to be. To have people see you and say, “Damn, girl! Where’s the rest of you?” It has its perks.
Working to reach goals is hard work, but really, the true work begins when you actually reach them.
I lost more than 45 pounds two years ago. I initially started dropping the weight just because I realized I didn’t have an excuse to be so out of shape (especially as a former athlete and a woman who hadn’t given birth yet). I had added motivations after I got engaged and prepared for my wedding. I bought a dress in a size 8 and wanted to make sure I could fit in it.
The good news is that once the big day came, not only did the dress fit, but it fit damn well. I looked toned and healthy in my wedding photos and I felt amazing. But once the wedding was over, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had nothing to work toward.
Sure, I could have lost a few more pounds, but then I would be losing weight just because and would begin to appear a lot smaller than I wanted to. I stopped working with a trainer long ago so the only person motivating me to keep moving was me. I could become a pescetarian or a vegetarian or something dramatic, but I’m Nigerian. I need my meat (at least turkey, goat and lamb). Plus, I wanted to be able to eat what I wanted to. I’d done my work and slimmed down, so I didn’t want to deny myself just for sh-ts and giggles at this point. Basically, I felt like the party was over. And that’s when I realized that when the weight-loss party ends, that’s when things can fall apart.
With that in mind, I would recommend that if you’re prepping or starting a weight-loss journey, you go in with a plan for the long term, not just for the next few months or year that it will take to shed pounds. They don’t say “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” for nothing. Without an idea of what you’re going to do once you reach your goal, those hands go into the fridge, and all the cookie and chip bags one can find. When that happens, the likelihood of throwing away all of your hard work is high.
But creating this plan involves knowing why you’re looking to slim down in the first place. If you do it solely for shallow reasons, it might be easier than you would like to revert to your old ways. If you genuinely want to be healthier, whether because of a health scare or just through a desire to cleanse yourself, then you have something to drive you to stay on the straight and narrow. We all have our slip-ups for different reasons. However, indulging briefly and throwing caution to the wind to go back to your old ways are two different things. One is much easier to bounce back from than the other.
For myself, I decided that I not only wanted to continue to live a healthier lifestyle, but I wanted other people to do so as well. So my plan? Well, I’ve been studying to teach group fitness classes. I’ve also decided to keep working out, at the most, five days a week. My focus these days has been on strength training so I can strengthen my core and increase the muscles in my arms. Also, I try to eat as healthy as possible during the week. Lots of vegetables, as close to a gallon of water as I can get in a day, as well as more fruits as snacks and thin pretzels and pita chips in place of potato chips. When the weekend comes, I allow myself to have more fun with my meals while trying not to go overboard.
It’s a daily commitment (and sometimes a struggle) to continue to do what’s right — for me. This is especially true as a married woman trying to cook for someone whose eating habits are not in line with my own. However, having a plan has kept me accountable and aided me in being in the best physical shape, inside and out, that I’ve ever been. For that reason alone I have a plan, and it doesn’t involve turning back.
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