What I did right.

I see a lot of people newly into their journey who are already struggling with this lifestyle change only a short time in.  I certainly am NOT a guru when it comes to weight loss and fitness.  But I did lose a lot of weight.  So I must have done some things right, right?

So let me share with you today some of the things that I did right during the course of my journey that might help you!

• Focusing on TODAY.  I didn't set out looking to achieve a huge weight loss in a short amount of time.  Instead, I worried about getting through each day making good choices and I let the weight loss take care of itself.
• I didn't get radical.  I didn't count calories at the beginning so I have no idea how many I was eating a day.  BUT I didn't get all crazy and cut myself down to almost nothing.  I focused on eating less.  It is not reasonable if you are obese to start off your journey eating 1200 calories a day!  It will leave you hungry and angry and you'll want to quit.  Don't get radical!
• Exercise - I started exercising.  BUT I didn't go nuts here, either.  I can run 35 miles a week now.  But when I started I couldn't run 2 minutes!  I didn't try to exercise 6 days a week for 1-2 hours.  Nope!  My goal was to move more.  Which meant taking the dogs for a walk or doing some short exercise videos.  It also meant exploring things I had never tried, like yoga.  You are going to burn out quickly if you try to go from NOTHING to EVERYTHING!
• I did my homework!  I started to research what is good for the body.  I began learning about protein and complex carbs.  I started to cut out things that were bad, like soda.  
• I thought outside of the box.  I didn't close my mind to things like "I hate vegetables!"  Instead I vowed to try new things.  New foods, new ways of doing things.  I had never lifted a weight in my life!  That was for male body-builders, right?  WRONG!  I found that lifting weights is an amazing way to transform the body.
• I enlisted support!  I told my friends and family that I was getting healthier and asked them to join me.  I joined online support forums.  I joined the weight loss challenge at work. I didn't want to feel alone, and I didn't!
• I refused to follow FADS..  When people would tell me that I could lose a billion pounds by eating cabbage soup for 7 days and nothing else, I refused to engage.  I didn't look for a fad diet.  I knew this wouldn't happen quickly and I put the thought out of my head that there was anything that could make this quick and easy.  I stuck with healthy lifestyle changes.
• I fucked up.  Many times.  And then I moved on.  I DIDN'T GIVE UP!!
• It bears repeating - I NEVER GAVE UP!  I wanted to, but I didn't.
• On a related note, I started to believe in myself.  I told myself I could do it.  Even when I didn't believe it, I told myself it anyway.
• I learned patience.  I am NOT a patient person normally.  But, again, I knew that if I was determined to make this happen, that I would have to be patient.  Some weeks I NOTHING even though I had been doing well.  Some weeks I did nothing different and dropped 4 pounds in a week!  It's the nature of the beast.  I learned to ride the highs and lows.
• I celebrated small successes.  Like buying a shirt at a "normal" store.  Or being able to buckle a seat belt without an extender.  Or running for 5 minutes straight.  Things that others take for granted, I celebrated.

So these are some of the things that I did right during my journey.  I certainly made mistakes, and maybe not all of these resonate with you.  I'm just a normal woman, with a normal life who did something that a lot of people struggle with.

It doesn't make me amazing or special or a leading expert or anything else.  But if there is one thing that I can offer, it is my experience - so, for what it's worth, here it is.