Why Get Are You Getting Fit NOW?! or The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth...

The phone calls, texts and emails so many people have sent me have been incredible. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I know this is still the "honeymoon phase" of this journey, but I am going to enjoy it as long as it lasts, and your comments and encouragement are For those of you who might be thinking aobut starting this journey, or are discouraged because you haven't had the "willpower" or whatever to do so yet, this post is for you! Here are my reasons for getting fit now, in no particular order...

MEDIA- Usually, weight-wise, this is a really negative thing. The media often says "Be skinny! skinny! skinny!" This has actually made me NOT want to lose weight just to show you can be heavier and still be happy and beautiful. BUT, I want to be healthy too. There are two shows I began watching on instant play on Netflix that really opened my eyes. The first show is called Ruby and follows an obese woman's struggle with weight-loss. Ruby is from the south, loves southern cooking and is just such a personality! It was fun to look forward to watching her progress or setbacks and seeing how she handled them (and of course, while watching a show like this, I had to get off the couch and walk or jog in place or lift my hand weights...)

She does everything from trying new workouts, to shopping, to driving for the first time, going camping for the first time, all of these things because she is finally losing the weight that has taken over her life. A turning point for me was a scene where she goes into a fantastic candy shop. Chocolates and all sorts of beautiful, yummy desserts are everywhere. Several employees offer her free samples! She points out her favorite treats from this store, but ulitmately leaves having bought and sampled NOTHING. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it, thinking aobut the sacrifice that was. Surely one little bite after an entire life of binging couldn't make too much of a difference. But it would. She said that she couldn't cheat anymore and she would probably never go into that store again because it was like an alcoholic going into a bar. That made me realize that I couldn't keep surrounding myself with junk food and think I was going to change. I couldn't keep making excuses and "start eating healthier tomorrow..." because tomorrow would never come.

Am I addicted to food? Maybe not as much as some people, but there is part of me like most of the population that craves chocolate, or a good ice cream cone. Am I never going to have them again? No, but I want to be like Ruby in that I don't cheat. I am not going to eat these foods secretly, or because I'm depressed or because I'm mad at myself. It will be part of a healthy lifestyle, and will be on the rare occasion with my friends and family near me. If Ruby can do it, I can do it.

The other show that got me going was The Biggest Loser. On Season One there was one girl who weighed less than me on the show and one who weighed the same as me. THAT was an EYE-OPENER. The show was only supposed to be for big people who really needed to lose weight. What? That was me?! Regardless of their heights or compared BMI's, I was either in that group or close to it, so it was time I did something about it.

The other reason I will write about right now is... STABILITY.

We all have ups and downs in life. Our (my husband and mine) down has been our financial situation. No matter where he has worked or how much we have cut down our budget there has never been enough money. We don't own new cars, boats, timeshares, or even new clothes, but it's just always been extremely tight. We learned new meaning of the word frugal 3 years ago when the dream job my husband had just begun was over 9 months later. The didn't receive payment on several homes they had built and a 30 year-old company was bankrupt just like that. We were left with him trying to pick up the pieces, pay mounting bills and make the OLD historical home we had just moved into more livable.

When you end up on foodstamps, medicare and going to the foodpantry to feed your kids your mind isn't thinking a whole lot about how toned your arms are. When there are holes in the walls of your house, your annual paycheck is now a third of what you were getting and you have no idea when they will be patched up, it's hard to focus on losing 10 pounds, let alone 40! If anything the pounds increase because you can't relax on a vacation or even enjoy a daytrip to an amusement park, but you can enjoy a slice of cake. Well, we are finally living in a house now that is finished (we have moved and are renting,) that I can't do projects on even if I wanted to. My husband has a job where with a few hours of overtime we can pay all our bills- I am SO grateful to be paying my own utilities! I am grateful for the humility we had to laern the past few years- I've learned to accept help and that I can't do it all on my own. And I finally have a space in my brain where I can make my health a priority and take on the stress that is also a small part of this goal. My brain and heart were just too full of other worries to tackle my health too. My world feels more stable and safe than it has for years, so I am more able to add the changes that are part of getting fit.

Well, that was super long so I'm gonna call it, but if you're interested in seeing another person's weight-loss journey (and not at a beautiful ranch away from the real world) WATCH RUBY! :) BTW, just in case, I want to add that I am not a doctor and you should consult yours before beginning any diet or fitness regimen.

And most of all, if you are at a place in life right now where things are scary, unstable, and unsure, hang in there. It will get better. OK, have a healthy day! Love yourself and one good choice will lead to another! -Eva