The best advice... for today

So, a fellow Sparker asked me for some advice, and I thought, what better inspiration to blog today??? So here is my response to her...

The best advice I can tell you is to remember that losing weight is not only a physical journey but an emotional one as well. You will fight with yourself to break habits that have been ingrained by you, your kid(s), ex/spouse/partner, friends, parents, coworkers. The behavior/relationship you have with food is defined by everything around you, internal and external stimuli. There are THOUSANDS of ways to lose weight out there, every single person is different b/c we are all individuals. Don't get caught up in one person's method. Weight Watchers works for one person while South Beach works for another. I chose to steer clear of programs b/c it was important to me to be sure I could keep this going forever. Being on Weight Watchers forever... was a little freaky for me... BUT it works for others! I may have more struggles then someone else, and fewer than another. FIND what works for you. YOU know your body and most likely have experienced certain things that trigger your best AND worst response. Experiment with your body but make sure you give it time to show results.

After that is all said and done - EXERCISE no matter what your body tells you. This is the ONE THING that people give up on fastest because their bodies protest the loudest to physical exertion.

Don't go on a diet. Make lifestyle changes. These changes are going to NEED to be made for life. Don't think that making the changes will get the poundage off and then you can go back to the way it was. TRUST me.... been there done that...