I have had a weight-loss breakthrough recently. I am at my lowest weight in 20 years. That sentence doesn’t even sound real, but it’s true!
I have been trying to lose weight ever since I was a teenager and if I’m honest, probably even before that. I was always bigger than my friends, my family, and I knew it.
I grew up in the 90’s when diet culture was everything, or at least in our house it seemed to be. I have learned so much over the years and none of it has gone to waste. It all contributed to this season of life when I’m seeing such success!
So, what’s different this time? Where is this momentum coming from?
When they say healthy living is a “journey”, it’s true. It’s not a short one, either. It’s a life-long journey and we learn all along the way. I’m still not done learning, and I’m grateful for all that I have learned already.
The all-or-nothing mentality that I’ve shared about many times in the past is worse for us than we might think. It’s a sneaky mentality that makes us think, “I blew it today so I might as well give in again the next day, and the next day, and I’ll eventually get back on track when I feel like up to the challenge.” This is a cycle I had been in for all of my life.
I decided to try something different this time. When I overindulge, which happens almost weekly because date nights, birthday parties, life in general; I just move on. Almost as if nothing happened.
I don’t overcompensate for it the next day (which would make me feel deprived, and weak and more apt to give in and give up). I just continue on like normal, and trust that it will all balance out again. It may take some time, but I’ve seen that to be true.
I also don’t wait until I feel like getting back on track. I don’t chase or follow my feelings. I follow the plan. I won’t always feel like doing the right thing for my body, and that’s exactly why I have struggled for so long. Eventually, I follow my feelings and wait for them to change before I get back on track. That’s counterproductive. It’s kept me back from reaching my goal of losing 100 pounds, all of my adult life.
I’m not sure if this is the year when I will finally lose 100 pounds because, it’s not a race. I am wanting to lose this weight in a slow and sustainable way. It might not be as fast as I could, but I know that I will reach that goal eventually because of everything I’ve learned and how much I have grown over these years.
