When "Something Has to Change"

Weight loss is personal, and not everyone wants or needs to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight, but haven't started yet, you may be thinking, "something has to change".

You may feel trapped, angry, or frustrated that somehow you got to where you are. Not only do you have weight to lose, but you just don't feel good. Maybe you get sick a lot, or have low energy or achy joints from not eating the best possible foods.

I've been there. Lots of times.

• I've eaten way too much pizza and then felt bloated and guilty.
• I've eaten too many donuts and then had to sleep it off and had brain fog all day.
• I've eaten so many carbs in one week that I actually started to give myself mental health issues, and had to "turn it all around" nutritionally. 
• This year I'm turning 40, so all of this started to catch up with me. I gained weight after the holidays and it didn't come off like it normally would before. 

Sidenote. I was only "eating my feelings" in maybe one of those situations. Most the time I just wanted the food because I knew it would taste good.

But then I thought....something has to change. I wasn't feeling good, and in general I was starting to feel bad about myself. Something had to change.

So I did. 

• I skipped the pizza and went for a salad and it wasn't so bad
• I traded pasta for zucchini and it tasted ok
• I stopped eating sugar (just sugar!) and lost about 5 pounds in a week. 
• I started eating more protein first thing in the morning and I survived.

These changes helped give me confidence that I could change, so they were good changes just for that reason. But something else amazing started to happen. I had more energy. Thinking was easier. I slept better, woke up happier, and didn't need as much coffee. I stopped feeling sick. I noticed the weight gain slowed down, and then it stopped. I noticed I had developed a taste for the healthier foods and my cravings were gone. 

If you don't make the changes, the weight somehow gets heavier. When you get a few years older, it starts to build up faster. It may start to bother you more.

The goal to lose weight is a really personal decision. If you are very overweight or obese by BMI standards, then yes, I do recommend that you try to lose weight, because for most people your risk of depression, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes goes way down.

But you have to want to change. You have to want to lose the weight...because....

In order to lose weight you have to change your behavior.

But if you want to....you TOTALLY can, and you will. It's just a matter of time. That desire for change is what will lead you forward and help you live a healthier life.

You might need professional support and help. You may have ups and downs; some days are easier than others. But the good news is that people lose weight successfully all the time. 

It's not even as hard as you think, and you'll feel better than you ever imagined. Are you getting the picture? Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very rewarding. 

Take a moment, close your eyes and just visualize or try to imagine feeling better. You have more energy, you feel slimmer, you have a sense of well-being rather than anxiety. You feel awesome. 

Wouldn't it be kinda silly to let a candy bar, chips, french fries, a pizza or a few servings of extra pasta keep you from reaching optimal health?

It is. But we do this all the time. Unhealthy food is easy to grab. It's easy and fun to eat. No one will know if we eat it. It takes unreasonable self control to not eat it.

But once you make that decision that "something has to change", it's game over for the unhealthy foods. You start throwing away the junk food. You plan your meals better; you make better choices at the grocery store. You even start feeling mad when you see a candy bar, rather than tempted, because you know where that decision got you, and you are determined not to go back.

Here's a tip. The more you know about healthy foods, and how they benefit your body, the more you'll focus on eating the right foods. You won't be as hungry for the wrong foods. Educate yourself, or work with someone who knows a lot about foods.

Do you need someone to talk to about unhealthy eating habits? Someone to cheer you on to the next phase? Or maybe you are already there and just need help deciding on a plan? Send me a message. That's what I do!