Staying Inspired While Losing Weight

If you've visited our message board, you already know that several of us signed up for the 50 Million Pound Challenge (headed up by Dr. Ian Smith and sponsored by State Farm) at the beginning of this year. Many of us have been on crash diets in the past. But as the adage goes, "Slow and steady wins the race." Many of us are just finding out how true that old saying is. I have lost 17 pounds since January. But, for me, my success truly depends on paying attention to my state of mind.

Here's my issue: I'm not a new dieter. I'm a serial dieter. Heck, I've even been a cereal dieter. (Ugh, don't ask. Just know that I'll never replace dinner with a bowl of kibble ever again.) Somewhere along the way, in the course of every diet no matter how much weight I lost, I got discouraged. Sometimes it was because of a plateau, other times it was because my taste buds just wouldn't take another day of whatever ultra-restricted menu I was following.

But now I'm working WITH my body instead of against it and allowing a little give and take when it's called for. I'm able to stay inspired by reminding myself that staying healthy really is a journey (and a fun one when you have friends to travel with!). So far, that change has given me the steady weight loss I had been looking for. When I think back on it, I realize that it's easy to slip when you lose sight of the goal. Nowadays, I no longer dwell on how far I have to go. I'm able to remain inspired by reminding myself where I'm headed with my health. Visualizing myself as I want to be and doing what I want to do without getting tired seems to do the trick for me.

If you're looking to get healthier, join us!