People often ask, “What was your motivation for losing 250 lbs?” I always answer honestly and say, “I was sick and tired of being sick and tired!” Meaning, that I was sick and tired of being FAT! Over the years, I’ve tried almost every diet out there, from Weight Watchers to NutriSystem, Slim Fast, Hydroxcut, Lypozine, South Beach, Atkins, Master Cleanse, Shakes, Juices, Soups, Salads, and the list goes ON! Let me start off by saying, there’s no magic pill to lose weight. There’s no quick fix. There’s no genie in a bottle that’s going to grant you 3 wishes, where 1 of the wishes is for the weight to be gone. It takes work! It takes effort. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Yes, surgery is available, but I’m with the rest of the working class people who can’t afford it, and I’m afraid to go under the needle. I used to get mad at myself for being heavy, because it didn’t take long to put the weight on and I knew that it was definitely going to take some time for it to come off. Once you realize that it’s a journey, the CHANGE you so desire will last for a lifetime.
If you want to lose weight, start with 1%! Try starting out by lowering your calorie intake, adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals, and start to exercise MORE. It doesn’t matter what you do, just move! Now I know in today’s society, the question is not what to eat or what type of exercise to do, it’s when do you have time to do it. My philosophy is to “take care of yourself first before taking care of others!” Now, I know that’s easier said than done, but it CAN be done. My suggestion is to try getting up earlier, or lace up your sneakers and go for walk or as soon as you get home from work.
In the beginning, it was tough to start a weight loss routine, but I woke up every morning at 7 AM and started walking. Yes, it’s a struggle, day after day trying to motivate yourself, but believe me, it’s worth it. Did you know, “An hour workout is only 4% of your day!”Throughout my weight loss journey, I consistently doubted myself and I wanted to give up several times, but there was this voice inside my head that said, “You made a commitment to yourself, you’re doing this for YOU and NO ONE ELSE! You have to keep going, keep going, keep going!” The ‘keep goings” would ring in my head so loudly, that I felt like I was standing under a bell. Those bells got me up every morning. I laced up my shoes, picked out a JOE JOE shirt, put on my dance music, and walked out the door. At first, I could only walk around the block once or twice but eventually, little by little, day by day, I was able to walk up to 5 miles.
The takeaway: Accountability is a standard that I hold myself to. The only thing a man has is his word, and if you can’t be a man of your word, then you’re not being a man (or woman)!! You’ve got to hold yourself accountable for the things you say and do! Your actions speak louder than words! Trust, there were plenty of times where I didn’t want to get out of bed, let alone get up to exercise, but I took one look at old photos
and that’s all I needed to see. Seeing the old me every morning, sprung me into action. Sometimes I sounded like a crazy person and would talk to myself, “You made a promise to yourself and THIS time you’re going to keep it!” This promise made, turned all my thoughts of doubt into motivation. One step at a time. One pound at a time! So what are YOU waiting for? Stop reading this and get to steppin’!
and start to exercise MORE. It doesn’t matter what you do, just move! Now I know in today’s society, the question is not what to eat or what type of exercise to do, it’s when do you have time to do it. My philosophy is to “take care of yourself first before taking care of others!” Now, I know that’s easier said than done, but it CAN be done. My suggestion is to try getting up earlier, or lace up your sneakers and go for walk or as soon as you get home from work.
Yes, it’s a struggle, day after day trying to motivate yourself, but believe me, it’s worth it. Did you know, “An hour workout is only 4% of your day!” Throughout my weight loss journey, I consistently doubted myself and I wanted to give up several times, but there was this voice inside my head that said, “You made a commitment to yourself, you’re doing this for YOU and NO ONE ELSE! You have to keep going, keep going, keep going!” The ‘keep goings” would ring in my head so loudly, that I felt like I was standing under a bell. Those bells got me up every morning. I laced up my shoes, picked out a JOE JOE shirt, put on my dance music, and walked out the door. At first, I could only walk around the block once or twice but eventually, little by little, day by day, I was able to walk up to 5 miles.
