Weightloss tips from a 40+ lb. loser

Growing up I never felt "over weight" but I was always self conscious. I never felt confident or thought I "looked good".

I've battled low self esteem and eating disorders for at least 10 years. I never knew how to eat healthy and was afraid to try new things.

After getting married I gained a little weight here and there. Then became pregnant with our daughter and gained a lot of weight! I tried all kinds of diets and workouts but never stuck to any of them.

Then one day I was watching a show about overweight people finally getting the help they needed in order to lose weight and get their lives back. Suddenly something changed in my mind. I didn't want to get to that point. I immediately got up, changed my clothes and went for a walk. We all know it wasn't as easy as that but almost a year later I lost 43 lbs and I've kept it off for almost two years now.

This was me at around 155 lbs. I don't have any photos of me when I was my heaviest: 165. I apologize for the poor quality photo. It's a picture of a picture.

I was so unhappy it was affecting our marriage. That was another reason I wanted to shed some pounds.

This was sometime last year after I lost some weight. I guess I really like purple.. I caught my first fish!

One of the first things I started to do was taking walks while my kids rode their bikes. I had to walk fast at times to keep up. Which led me to running. We lived right down the road from a high school with a track so since I couldn't handle the hills in our neighborhood I went to the track almost daily. I could only run about 30 seconds at first then slowly increased and progressed over time.

So here are some tips on how to get moving, eat healthy and shed some pounds.

The first step towards a healthier life is making a mental change. You have to want the change in order to make it happen.

The next tip is my favorite:
TIP #2:
DO SOMETHING ACTIVE EVERY DAY!
Go for a walk
Do an exercise video
Go swimming
Do some yard work

*Whatever you do, make sure you make an effort to move every day for at least 30 minutes per day*

We all hate the word "diet" so I like to say just be more aware of what you're putting into your body. Food is meant to be fuel. Yes we can enjoy what we eat but we should eat things that are pleasing to our bodies, not just our taste buds.

TIP #4:
Try New Things!
Step out of your comfort zone when it comes to eating and activities. Once you start to realize there's a whole new world of wonderful flavors and foods beyond the twinkie, you'll never want to go back to your old habits. It's called "re-training your brain."
Try new ways to be active. Go outside! There's an entire world to be explored! Exercise doesn't have to be done in your living room.

Give yourself a cheat meal once a week. If you're feeling like you can handle it, use a whole day as a cheat day. But don't over do it! It's ok to have a treat every now and then. Not every day. ;-)

TIP #6:
Recruit a friend.
Find a friend or group for support and encouragement. It's tough trying to be healthy and active solo. There are lots of people out there trying to change their lifestyle who would love to have a buddy to encourage them along. Use your resources ie: internet, local gym, friends of friends.. maybe even your spouse or significant other or possibly your child/children.

Tracking my progress was one of the most encouraging things I did. It was so motivating to see my progress. I kept track of inches and pounds lost using Fitday.com. Whenever I'm having a "fat day" I remind myself of how far I've come and all the hard work I put in along the way.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: TIP #9
BE KIND TO YOURSELF!
Do not put yourself down. Any time a negative thought about yourself pops into your mind, replace it with one or more positive things. Like: "I hate my thighs" to "my legs are strong and hold me up and allow me to move". Appreciate your body. Be good to it and soon you'll reap the benefits.

Here I am, almost two years later and I'm about 42 lbs lighter, a lot stronger and much happier! I'm double jointed in my thumbs.. -_-  I'm working on those "thumbs up" photos.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like some encouragement or any advice for weightloss the healthy way!  I'm not an expert but I do know what worked for me!