Have you ever felt like you could take a magic pill and all of a sudden you would be thin or go on a long holiday where no one knows you and when you return you’ll be a “normal” size? What is a normal size anyway? Have you ever said to yourself that you will never give up?
Food is like an addiction to some people – and like a tin of Pringles….”once you pop you can’t stop!” Even though I’ve reached my goal weight I always have in the back of my mind this lingering thought that If I over-eat I will become the person I tried so hard to get away from. But if I were told to pick one I’d certainly prefer to be maintaining my weight than having to lose it.
Being over weight has been probably the most emotional part of my life (besides giving birth and getting married) – I went through every feeling and emotion all on more than one occasion and I don’t think I will ever forget or ever want to forget my journey from being over weight to the person I am now. The whole experience has defined who I am now and defined the rest of my life.
Never Give Up On Your Dream
I don’t know about you but there is one thing that has bothered me and that is I always hated the word “diet”; I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I never thought I needed to go on a “diet” but a “weight loss journey” sounds so much better, don’t you think? A diet always sounds like too much hard work and when I was at my biggest, hard work was the
last thing on my mind. When I started my “weight loss journey” it was really hard and I failed a lot of times, more than I would like to admit but each time I failed, I cried, went through all the emotions again and again and then said to myself tomorrow is another day. The next day arrived and I’d start and give it 100% again. Losing weight isn’t easy and it’s not something that happens over night or in a week or a month. Unless you only have a few pounds to lose the reality is that it is going to take months. In the long scheme of things what is a few months or a year out of your whole life? It took me a long time to realise this and once I did I knuckled down, I measured and wrote down EVERYTHING and the weight started to come off. Once I hit my first goal I thought yippee I did it – I then took a break of a couple of weeks and thought I could do it alone without having to write things down but two weeks later I was back on the weighing scales and the weight slightly increasing! Oh no, I couldn’t do it myself! I thought I was doing it right, I was weighing my food, going easy on the treats, but what I forgot was that every now and then I’d either pick up a biscuit or two, a handful of nuts, a little something here or there – so in fact I was starting to cheat myself all over again. A quick slap in the face and a cry and a moan to my husband I was back writing EVERYTHING down. I started to feel “at home” again when I was recording what I was eating. I knew by looking at what I was eating each day in black and white I knew if there was anyone or anything to blame for any weight increase it would be ME and only me. This time I was going to succeed. I kept going to goal number two, goal number three and goal number four. (To me it was hugely important to set mini goals – each reward made me feel closer to the main goal plus I got myself a nice treat at each goal and I’m not talking food treat here ha ha) It was important to me to never give up on myself.
Going from having to wear maternity trousers so they fit comfortably to being able to buy and fit a size 16, then size 14, size 12, then size 10 and now size 8 was just an amazing feeling each time. Even peoples perception of me seemed to change the slimmer I got – maybe it was just me but the slimmer I got I felt people would talk to me more and not ignore me. People would start to look at me and say hi rather than look at me and then look up and down at me! (If you haven’t set any goals yet, I would advise you to do so)
Some quick points:
- Be honest on how much weight you really need to lose
- Be realistic with the time frame you want to lose it in
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
- You only fail if you give up. Don’t worry if you go through a bad patch, start again the next day
- Remember to praise yourself for hitting your goals and buy yourself something nice
- Remember this is YOUR journey and nobody else’s
- Never give up on your dream
- Finally, when you’ve hit your final goal, stop; look back at what you have done and what you have achieved. You have just done something that most people only wish they could do. You deserve it. And if you feel like I felt……..then cry with happiness 🙂
I suppose the moral of this blog is that Weight-loss isn’t easy and if anyone tries to tell you anything different then they obviously haven’t been over weight. Successful and safe Weight-loss takes time and effort but if you truly want it and you are ready to do it then do it. What’s stopping you? “I don’t have time” was the best excuse I used but that’s all it was…..an excuse….it just meant deep down I wasn’t ready to begin my weight-loss journey there and then. How come I had time to put on weight but not lose it? Just excuses!
Losing weight is no easy task, however studies show that those who have support and encouragement are more likely to lose weight. Here are some weight loss slogans to help you fight the battle of the bulge.
- Eat wise, drop a size
- A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips
- A mind is a terrible thing to waste and A waist is a terrible thing to mind!
- You didn’t gain it overnight so don’t expect to lose it overnight
- Those who Indulge, buldge
- What if the rest of your life, is the best of your life
If you are thinking about starting your weight loss journey or you feel that you just aren’t ready right now and if it will make you feel better why don’t you drop me an email. Some times it can do a world of good just by putting your thoughts down on paper and sending them to someone who understands and knows what you are going through. Send your emails directly to me at hannah@d1459786-92704.blacknighthosting.com (All emails are treated with the utmost privacy and nothing is ever published without first getting authorisation from you)
I am often asked, “how does the diary work” and “it is hard to use“? Well, thanks to your feedback I am now in the position to offer everyone 2 Days FREE access to Ireland’s best online food & exercise diary 🙂 Click the link below to be brought to the diary home page where you can click on Take a 2 Day Free Trial – once your trial is complete you can visit our Prices & Packages page and select one of our memberships to continue and receive the benefits of being a full member.
Recently I was asked to talk on 2FM about running, training and taking part in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon – Click here to listen to the Podcast with myself and Louise Heraghty of 2FM
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Hannah x
