I used to think it was me against the world, and that I could prove to everyone that I could succeed with or without their support.
Sheer determination got me to my goal weight, but in the end, it wasn't a lifestyle I could sustain and I felt alone and unsure of how to proceed. I went from 311 pounds down to 148 pounds (for all you anti-math people, like me, that would be 163 pounds) in the span of a year. Three hours in the gym a day, seven days a week, often eating only one meal a day (which would wind up in a binge because I was starving).
Just as quickly as I took off the weight, I put it back on. There was no maintenance phase for me, it was a very quick u-turn. Looking back, I see two places I went terribly wrong:
No. 1 - I took the weight off, in a way that was not sustainable for the long-term.
No. 2 - I told myself I didn't need help.
Getting the weight off is not the hard part, what's hard is changing your life long-term to achieve a healthy body. I still struggle daily with food. Some days, I want to gorge myself on all the terrible but delicious things I see others eating. Other days, I want to restrict my eating to lose more weight.
The difference now, is that I know for certain that neither of those does me any good, and will not help me sustain the healthy lifelong lifestyle I want. I've made the 'lifestyle' a huge priority this time around. No unhealthy restricting, or over exercising, but also, no gorging and giving myself excuses.
It's a hard balance to maintain, and I'm certainly not perfect, but every day I stay on track, is a successful day, and if I'm off track for one meal, then the next one I'm back on track. Don't let bad days, or weeks, or months write a story of failure, because that's not how any of us got unhealthy in the first place. It was a life of bad eating and poor choices. If we can see our successes, even the small ones, and work towards changing our lifestyle, then we've won.
Support goes hand-in-hand with sustaining a healthy lifestyle. I'm living proof that if you are determined enough, regardless of who comes in and out of your life, you can succeed. But does that mean you should go it solo? I don't think so.
Although my return to an unhealthy lifestyle had more to it then just my rejection of a support system, it was a huge factor. A support system I feel, is a necessity if you want real change for the long-term. Staying the course alone is possible (I believe almost anything is possible), but if you can surround yourself with people who support you, believe in you, help you and encourage you, your journey will be better, richer and longer-lasting.
I tell everyone who wants to listen, about what I'm doing and about my goals going forward. I feel like talking about it out-loud gives it more power and I've only gained more support from it. You'd be surprised at the people who come out of the woodwork to support you when you put yourself out there.
Tell your friends, your co-workers, your significant other, your family and even strangers - I do!
There are people who will try to sabotage you and all you can do is try to put as much distance between yourself and those people. I prefer to focus on the people who help me, not the ones who try to hurt.
I'd like to take this opportunity to mention some of the key people in my life who are a huge part of my support system and maybe it will help others get an idea on where you can pull your own support systems from.
First, my family has been fantastic, my mom and dad have been through almost every attempt of mine to "get healthy." They have dealt with all my ups and downs, the successes and the tears, and have never wavered in their support anytime I've said "I'm gonna try and lose weight again!" Thank you for being rocks in my life and never rolling your eyes at all my hair-brained idea's for dropping pounds.
My boyfriend Derek, who embraced my decision to get healthy whole-heartedly, cooks fantastic healthy dinners for us almost nightly, listens patiently to my endless talk about my new lifestyle and never complains about me not being home for dinner when I'm at the gym until 7 or 8.
My personal trainer Logan, who is inspiring in her own weight-loss story, who always surprises me with workouts I didn't know could get tougher and who is an endless supply of knowledge, laughter and friendship.
The ladies at Live and Lift, staff and members alike, who have stopped me to tell me how great I've done, to give me encouragement, and pushed me to try new classes which have turned out to be tons of fun.
They were all strangers when I started, but that gym has felt like home to me, because of all of you, and it makes it that much easier to walk through those doors every day.
There are so many people who have come in and out of my life that have been a part of this journey, there will never be enough room to express my gratitude and all the ways you've all made a difference in my life.
