With America eating its way to the title of "Fattest Nation" on earth, does exercising matter? Of course, it does! It matters to your health, quality of life, and the size of your wallet. The fatter you are, most likely the thinner your wallet will be as disease, health complications, and prescriptions will take their toll on you and your finances.
When it comes to losing weight, we always hear the mantra: stick to a good diet and exercise program. Blah, blah, blah, right? After all, what the hell does that really mean? Eat cardboard snacks and visits to a curve-friendly gym at night, so that I could feel good about myself when meeting other ladies that are bigger and fatter than me?
No, that's not what I want. I've always wanted - a healthy, great looking body. It should look good when putting on a black dress. At times,I want to be the good looking woman who makes men heads turn and dream. You know some of you do too!
But how do we get a great looking body? What is the key to success at sticking to a diet and program that works?
I've asked myself these questions for some time and half-assed my way through programs and workouts that I didn't believe in or even felt they wouldn't make a difference. For years, I went through the ropes, hoping something would work, until finally I just stopped.
I had to find a different way, that wouldn't bankrupt my savings and wouldn't leave me ten pounds heavier than when I started.
So this is what I did:
I got rid of my fat friends. Yes, for about four months, I reduced my time eating, shopping, and watching TV with my fat amigos every week. It sounds harsh, I know, but I needed to break free from a group that mostly hindered my success. For example, every Wednesday and Saturday night, we either watched our television shows or went out to the movies with each other. The night would usually mean sitting on a couch, enjoying ice-cream or baked goods that one of us brought over and gossiping about what was going on with Jen, Angelina, and Brad Pitt.
Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, like they were my own sisters, but it was time to break from the lifestyle I had created. Perhaps, their success was hindered too and it was a good time to part ways. In doing so, I replaced these nights with a painting class and a weekly visit to my gym. Their feelings weren't as hurt as you would imagine, I usually told them it was impossible to change my schedule and didn't want to lose the money already invested.
I made the commitment that I would stick to a diet by making the diet workable for me. I cut out all visits to fast food joints, period. I simply couldn't escape a trip to a fast food place without adding about 1200 calories, maybe more, to my daily calorie intake. Worse yet, I just felt hungry a couple hours later and would end up eating something just as greasy.
The third thing I did, was stop drinking sodas. Having two sodas a day, every day was adding about 6000 calories to my diet every month! That's two pounds right there, every single month! I switched to diet soda and lightly sweetened ice-tea instead. Hey, I couldn't just stop drinking soda cold turkey, so I went with diet! The switch alone, gave my stomach and liver a breather.
The fourth thing was an extension of the first item. I joined a walking club with new people. I met women (and a few men) of all shapes and sizes and athletic ability and continue to walk with them twice a week. We talk about dieting, working out, and about Jen, Angelina, and Brad Pitt...go figure. I felt bad about my friends, but also invited them along, but they opted out.
These small changes have really made a difference for me and I hope that they make you consider making small, but important changes in your own life, in a manner that works for you.
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