How Did You Do it?

The first thing people want to know is "How did I lose all that weight?"

I think everyone want to hear an easy answer. No one really wants to hear it took a lot of exercising.

I never thought of losing weight in terms of I have to diet. I just knew dieting from me in the past was all about not eating, starving myself to lose the 10 plus pounds. Well, I had more then 10 pounds to lose and I could not, not eat. I didn't want to not have energy left in me, that starving sucks the life out.

I did start out skipping breakfast, eating a cup of white rice for lunch with a ton of fresh salsa (purchased in the refrigerator section of Cub). Dinner, I'd eat what Steve cooked, but really limit portions. I did give up bread 100%. I still had dessert on special occasions, but a small portion. I didn't want to feel deprived or left out and I wanted it to be a choice I could do forever. Popcorn became my binge when I felt really hungry and on those days where you just want to sit and eat, and eat and eat. I also ate a lot of carrots, sweet potatoes all of which started turning me orange.

Dieting to me was all about restriction and this idea was not. I could have my cake and eat it too! I still do! I pretty much eat anything I want. I am not losing weight any longer, but I am maintaining. I am good with the past year of just maintaining my weight. Consider the statistics 95%, yes 95% of the people that lose weight will and do gain it back again. I needed to be in that 5%. I forever will not gain back any of the weight I lost! To me it's lost...won't and should not ever come back.

Back to exercising. Everyone wants a quick fix to lose weight. It is hard work exercising. If you don't love the exercise you won't want to do it. I started with cross country skiing, then switched to biking, in the gym I tried all the equipment until I found the cross ramp which I love. Now I need more variety so I mix it up, added the treadmill and the elliptical. Plus, I run outside (only when nice out), do rock climbing, hiking and discovered I liked mountain biking, the real dangerous kind, over boulders, on dirt, over jumps and turns. Plus I always to weight lifting on any and all the machines. It's all about variety and doing what you like too!

So after I give out my diet advice.. eat the same thing every day for awhile to lose a few pounds. Limit portion size and you have to exercise! That's at least 30 minutes a day of cardio! If you can't get on that type of program don't even think you'll lose weight and keep it off!

I hear a lot of people telling me they need to lose weight. Then I hear all the excuses of why they can't exercise. It just tells me, they are not ready in their minds to lose the weight. You have to want it! You just have to do it.. every day, today and tomorrow and forever! It's the only way and I know it, they know it but will you do it?

My advice... don't ask yourself if you feel like working out.. just go do it. You have to eat, get dressed, etc every day.. so you also need to exercise every day. Do it for yourself and no one else!! YOU are the most important person and YOU can only take 100% care of YOU!