I consider myself the blonde Southern version of Hungry Girl with a much more discerning palate (no offence HG-my chef husband made me this way), and I want to share my insights with every woman out there struggling to be healthier, lose weight, begin an exercise regimen or just feel better about herself. One of my best friends inspired me yesterday through an exchange we had over e-mail to start a blog to achieve just that!
Although some names have been replaced by fictitious ones, the bulk of the inspiring thread is below:
My friend wrote to me:
YOU HAVE TO WHIP ME INTO SHAPE. I have been off plan for like 4 weeks now, for no reason! I just lost my stride. No gym, giant sandwiches. What is wrong with me?
I am re-starting my week today and staying on plan. I need words! Words of encouragement. I also have a fat friend in the office who convinces me to order sandwiches. It is bad!
AND if you want to every now and then send me an email that says-- don't order that sandwich. That would be awesome.
I love you!
I wrote back:
Oh, sweet girl, I love you so much. And going off plan for a few weeks is honestly completely normal, as long as you identify the derailment and are ready to get back on the healthy train.
1) First, your fat friend in the office is sabotaging you. She wants you to be fat, because she is fat. It is so important to identify the people in your life who are miserable and want you to be miserable, too. They may not be fat. They might just be skinny comfort eaters or lonely binge drinkers or lazy gym haters. It is perfectly fine to have these people in your life, but know that when they tell you, "Let's get giant sandwiches," they are really saying, "I need you to rationalize my bad habits by joining me in my self-destruction." This is usually subconscious on their part, but some people really are out to maliciously keep you on their level.
Find people who both help you make good decisions and praise you for your accomplishments and good choices. I think about Keri, who always has a baked version of something fried she is making for everyone, because she knows how serious I am. She also keeps a kitchen scale out so I can weigh what I eat. THAT is love. I think about Jake and Forrest who abandoned a Happy Hour in progress with me to go drink a few light beers at home and make tofu veggie stir fry instead of eating fatty bar food. Not only do they accommodate me, they benefit from my good decision making. They are making better choices when I make better choices. That makes me feel really good and it makes them feel good, too.
2) Finding friends to tell you they are proud of you is important. If you keep me informed of your progress, I will be your biggest fan ever! I do that for all my girls working toward a healthier lifestyle, and every good decision should be rewarded with praise or a little present that has nothing to do with food.
My sister and I e-mail back and forth about exercise and healthy eating choices we've made all the time, sometimes multiple times a day. Sarah tells me about all of the good decisions she makes with food, and I tell her she is AWESOME!!! Even if it is just leaving cheese off of a salad, by God that is a step in the right direction. Losing half of a pound, going to one exercise class, drinking two glasses of wine instead of five-these are ALL good things that you should celebrate and tell your friends who are going through it with you-like me!!! And give yourself presents when you reach a particular goal. When I reached a particular size goal, I bought an expensive new bathing suit and TWO new really expensive dresses. That was a biggie. When I reached a lesser, but still important weight goal, I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. When I reach 145 pounds (my BMI goal weight), and that may be a long time from now, I am taking a beach vacation-even if it is the dead of freaking winter.
3) I have an entire arsenal of low-calorie, high-fiber, DELICIOUS foods all ready to go in my fridge for the week. I LOVE FOOD, and by God I WILL NOT go hungry. In fact, I plan out my Weight Watchers online to see how MUCH food I can pack in one day with my point allotment. I will eat sometimes five to six meals a day. Granted a lot are full of veggies and fruits, but I find ways to make what I want. Hungry Girl has some great ideas. I fancy them up a bit and often don't use the completely fat-free versions of things. If you want me to put together a couple weeks of menus for you from which you can build a yummy repertoire, I am happy to!!!
4) Find an exercise you love, and do it as often as you can. I hate Pilates. I absolutely HATE that ridiculous class. So you know what-screw that class. I started with Zumba and loved it. I worked my way up to spin, and found I loved it more, so now I spin and only go to Zumba when the instructor I like is there. Then I found running, and I fell in love with the way it made me feel like a champion. So I do what I want when I want to do it, as long as I get at least 45 minutes of exercise in a day with one rest day. Sometimes I am just in the mood to go bananas at the gym, so I do. Sometimes I want to lay on butt and watch garbage, so I do. But I make sure there is a balance.
5) This is the most important thing. This is about YOU.
People will compliment you on your weight loss, and at first, that will be a BIG motivating factor. Then people will be jealous of you and act like complete witches. This will also be a motivating factor (LOL!). Then one day you will look at yourself in the mirror and see a new body that you would totally try to take home from the bar if it were at all physically possible. You will have energy and confidence and power, I can't tell you how much that makes me feel like I could do ANYTHING!
RECAP: Be in charge. Don't let people sabotage you, even the people who love you most. Find your fan club and tell them about your achievements, even the little ones. Reward your accomplishments. Have an arsenal of healthy food you love and plan your points ahead. Find the exercise that makes you the MOST happy and do it at least 45 minutes a day. This is about YOU!
You are the most amazing woman I know. Period. End of story. You have always been my pillar of strength and inspiration, and I want you to FEEL as amazing as you are. I want you to feel as powerful as your words and as beautiful as your voice and as commanding as your presence. And I will be here for you to celebrate every little achievement along the way.
Although some names have been replaced by fictitious ones, the bulk of the inspiring thread is below:
My friend wrote to me:
YOU HAVE TO WHIP ME INTO SHAPE. I have been off plan for like 4 weeks now, for no reason! I just lost my stride. No gym, giant sandwiches. What is wrong with me?
I am re-starting my week today and staying on plan. I need words! Words of encouragement. I also have a fat friend in the office who convinces me to order sandwiches. It is bad!
AND if you want to every now and then send me an email that says-- don't order that sandwich. That would be awesome.
I love you!
I wrote back:
Oh, sweet girl, I love you so much. And going off plan for a few weeks is honestly completely normal, as long as you identify the derailment and are ready to get back on the healthy train.
1) First, your fat friend in the office is sabotaging you. She wants you to be fat, because she is fat. It is so important to identify the people in your life who are miserable and want you to be miserable, too. They may not be fat. They might just be skinny comfort eaters or lonely binge drinkers or lazy gym haters. It is perfectly fine to have these people in your life, but know that when they tell you, "Let's get giant sandwiches," they are really saying, "I need you to rationalize my bad habits by joining me in my self-destruction." This is usually subconscious on their part, but some people really are out to maliciously keep you on their level.
Find people who both help you make good decisions and praise you for your accomplishments and good choices. I think about Keri, who always has a baked version of something fried she is making for everyone, because she knows how serious I am. She also keeps a kitchen scale out so I can weigh what I eat. THAT is love. I think about Jake and Forrest who abandoned a Happy Hour in progress with me to go drink a few light beers at home and make tofu veggie stir fry instead of eating fatty bar food. Not only do they accommodate me, they benefit from my good decision making. They are making better choices when I make better choices. That makes me feel really good and it makes them feel good, too.
2) Finding friends to tell you they are proud of you is important. If you keep me informed of your progress, I will be your biggest fan ever! I do that for all my girls working toward a healthier lifestyle, and every good decision should be rewarded with praise or a little present that has nothing to do with food.
My sister and I e-mail back and forth about exercise and healthy eating choices we've made all the time, sometimes multiple times a day. Sarah tells me about all of the good decisions she makes with food, and I tell her she is AWESOME!!! Even if it is just leaving cheese off of a salad, by God that is a step in the right direction. Losing half of a pound, going to one exercise class, drinking two glasses of wine instead of five-these are ALL good things that you should celebrate and tell your friends who are going through it with you-like me!!! And give yourself presents when you reach a particular goal. When I reached a particular size goal, I bought an expensive new bathing suit and TWO new really expensive dresses. That was a biggie. When I reached a lesser, but still important weight goal, I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. When I reach 145 pounds (my BMI goal weight), and that may be a long time from now, I am taking a beach vacation-even if it is the dead of freaking winter.
3) I have an entire arsenal of low-calorie, high-fiber, DELICIOUS foods all ready to go in my fridge for the week. I LOVE FOOD, and by God I WILL NOT go hungry. In fact, I plan out my Weight Watchers online to see how MUCH food I can pack in one day with my point allotment. I will eat sometimes five to six meals a day. Granted a lot are full of veggies and fruits, but I find ways to make what I want. Hungry Girl has some great ideas. I fancy them up a bit and often don't use the completely fat-free versions of things. If you want me to put together a couple weeks of menus for you from which you can build a yummy repertoire, I am happy to!!!
4) Find an exercise you love, and do it as often as you can. I hate Pilates. I absolutely HATE that ridiculous class. So you know what-screw that class. I started with Zumba and loved it. I worked my way up to spin, and found I loved it more, so now I spin and only go to Zumba when the instructor I like is there. Then I found running, and I fell in love with the way it made me feel like a champion. So I do what I want when I want to do it, as long as I get at least 45 minutes of exercise in a day with one rest day. Sometimes I am just in the mood to go bananas at the gym, so I do. Sometimes I want to lay on butt and watch garbage, so I do. But I make sure there is a balance.
5) This is the most important thing. This is about YOU.
People will compliment you on your weight loss, and at first, that will be a BIG motivating factor. Then people will be jealous of you and act like complete witches. This will also be a motivating factor (LOL!). Then one day you will look at yourself in the mirror and see a new body that you would totally try to take home from the bar if it were at all physically possible. You will have energy and confidence and power, I can't tell you how much that makes me feel like I could do ANYTHING!
RECAP: Be in charge. Don't let people sabotage you, even the people who love you most. Find your fan club and tell them about your achievements, even the little ones. Reward your accomplishments. Have an arsenal of healthy food you love and plan your points ahead. Find the exercise that makes you the MOST happy and do it at least 45 minutes a day. This is about YOU!
You are the most amazing woman I know. Period. End of story. You have always been my pillar of strength and inspiration, and I want you to FEEL as amazing as you are. I want you to feel as powerful as your words and as beautiful as your voice and as commanding as your presence. And I will be here for you to celebrate every little achievement along the way.
Yes- I told that cheese it could get the hell off my salad! Love the new blog Boo Boo.
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