Mirror mirror on the wall… who’s the fattest of them all?

Thats what I thought when I looked in the mirror.

Over the last year I had gained 20 pounds – eeek!

Do you have 10 or 20 pounds on you that you wish you didnt have? What do you think or say when you look in the mirror?

Yup, me too. My mirror image made me sad, angry, and despondent. And then FINALLY determined and driven.

Of course, first I thought something was medically wrong with me. I figured I couldn’t gain that much weight in so little time without having some sort of issue. I mean, how fattening can Oreos possibly be?

So I went to my doctor who did all sorts of tests. And after $250.00 worth of tests, all of the results came back negative, I thought it must be my thyroid. Yeah, thats it, thyroid!

More tests. Another $250.00 (I was running out of Oreo money). Then the doctor called with thyroid results, Youre fine! she said. Part of me was grateful to be healthy, but the other part of me went to, You mean there’s no pill? Rats, I’m just fat?

REALITY: I was eating poorly, exercising way too little, and had gained weight. Something needed to be done.

Faced with reality, you would think I would do something right away to change my eating habits, and change my workout habits WRONG. Instead I thought about it for a while. I wasnt ready to take major action and faked myself into believing I was one donut at a time.

Unfortunately doing nothing didnt work. I tossed my copy of The Secret and put on my determination vest.

NEW REALITY: Something had to be done and I had to take ACTION.

In a recent BNI networking meeting, Tracey Lemle, Founder of Kale with a Side of Fries, and Whitney Tucker, Founder of Embodied Potential, talked about a 30-day health and wellness detox that they were running together 30 days of healthy eating and a weekly workout. All of the sudden my ears were open and my mouth was closed. I was ready to stop eating the wrong things, start eating the right ones, and start working out.

The proof is in the pudding or should I say the lack of it.

3 WEEKS LATER: I haven’t had alcohol in 3 weeks although I don’t love to drink so this was not the biggest feat in the world for me. I haven’t had coffee in 3 weeks, and this is a major feat considering I usually drink 6 to 8 shots of espresso a day. The diet which has been real food the whole time has been surprisingly yummy and filling.

RESULTS: I have lost 8 pounds. I am still on my way down, and have continued to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. But that’s not all. My energy levels (which were already pretty high before) are now through the roof – it’s incredible. I wake up more easily and ready to rock, and I sleep better at night. My cravings have changed I no longer crave sugar, and my headaches (that were happening often) seem to have dissipated.

BONUS: My attitude, which I try to always maintain as positive as possible, has also improved because I feel better about myself.

So I have to ask, with all of these amazing positive results what was I waiting for? Why did I wait 20 pounds to do something about this? Strength? Courage? A sign?

When I take something on, I commit to do my best and I commit to work my hardest. You cant half-ass a diet, or you wont half your ass. I waited for my waistband (and everything else) to get too big for my pants.

Change is something everyone fears.

What are you holding onto or afraid to alter that needs to change? Your job? A boyfriend or girlfriend? Your spouse? Your poor finances? Extra Pounds?

Here’s what to do to shed the weight (based on what I did):
Ask yourself what will you get once you make your change. Ask yourself what will the benefits be once you make this change? Ask yourself how you will look and feel? How will it change your life or your relationships? Write down your answers. Look at them every day.
Make a fat list of what you need to eliminate to get from where you are now to where you want to be.
Create and schedule fat-loss time: For example, I wake up earlier to get to the gym in the morning BEFORE work so I have no excuses at the end of the day. Schedule it on your calendar the appointment with yourself is just as important, if not more, than your others.
Get ready to get skinny. I know I’ll prepare my food ahead of time and go food shopping during the week. I prepare recipes and meals so that I am ready for the week ahead.
Allow yourself to mess up (cheat) A LITTLE. And dont be mad at yourself. Just let it go.
Enroll your partner. Find a partner to help you. Hopefully it’s your partner in life because it’s more fun to do with your partners support.
Monitor your progress on the scale. Tracking steps and monitoring my progress has made a major difference. Losing weight is a science watching what you eat is just one component. Working out and working up a sweat is another. BUT the measurement is on the scale.
Gamify your change. My boyfriend and I now compete with a group on a weekly and weekend FitBit challenge. We both find ourselves moving more and going for walks we wouldnt have taken in the past because were monitoring our activity, our steps, and of course were both competitive. And of course, I want to win. Bad.

TIME FLIES: 30 days seems like a reasonable amount of time to try anything. If you set your mind to it, you can do anything for 30 days. I did not set out to change my life, but the first 30 days worked, so Im gonna do it again for another 30 days. Right now, thats as far as I can commit. Until the next 30 days is up, and Ive lost more weight

Got extra weight?