Climb the highest mountain? Swim the deepest sea? Answer, for once and for all, the burning question: “Where’s Waldo”?
Impossible? Improbable you say?
Well, perhaps no more than weight loss, healthy eating and an exercise program are for at least 60% of us. Because that’s how many of us fail to keep that New Year’s resolution. (Source: @PR Web).
But here’s the good news. That means 40% of those New Year’s resolutioners succeed.
So, what are they doing?
More good news. They’re not having their jaws surgically wired shut or going on food strikes or paying someone to yank the brownies from their hands.
So, that means achieving the goal is possible for you too. Assuming you know the secret, which is…there is no secret. In fact, for many of the kind people who answered my question about their success said they knew all along what they needed to do. What they needed was motivation to kick them out of their comfort zones.
In no particular order, here are some inspirational jump starts:
1). Don’t wait until it’s too late. Several people shared health concerns, either theirs or that of family members, caused them to reassess their lifestyle.
Sarah Forgrave: My breaking point was when I started to have health issues. Every time I ate fatty foods (which I did a lot due to stress eating!), I would get sick. Then I decided to calculate my BMI and was surprised to find that I was just one pound away from jumping from the “Healthy” category to the “Overweight” category.
Vannetta Chapman: While my dad was in the hospital having 5 bypasses, the doctor looked me in the eyes and reminded me of how hereditary heart disease is.
Roger Bruner: When I went to the doctor after previously having had borderline blood sugar readings and found out I’m definitely diabetic.
Shelley Ledfors:If I also had a few symptoms I wasn’t pleased with health wise. Nothing dramatic, but a few early warning signs that trouble was probably on the horizon if I didn’t change. All of that together finally convinced me it was time to make those *permanent* changes.
2). It’s a marathon, not a sprint. To a person, not one of these successful people woke up one day and found the extra pounds mysteriously disappeared. They lost weight slowly, but they kept it off as a result.
Years of maintaining weight loss: Susan Karsten-8 years; Paula Mowery-almost 2 years; JoAnn Swearingen-3 years
Actual weight loss times ranged from a few months to a few years, depending on the person’s goals.
3). Healthy is as healthy does. Success means it’s not about the weight. Huh? Really. Every response focused on healthy eating, making healthy food choices, and considering lifelong changes, not just temporary fixes.
JoAnn Swearingen: I wanted an eating plan that worked for a lifetime but didn’t depend on buying expensive pre-packaged food.I discovered the brain can trick you—when you think you haven’t eaten much, you may have overeaten because of the high-calorie content.
Jill Nelson: I haven’t gone on any crash or fad diets, just started eating sensibly (including food choices and proper portions)
Paula Mowery: About a year and a half ago I did a challenge with my daughter. We ate healthier, kept better snacks foods around…
Amanda Deed: It really has been about a change in mind-set/attitudes and re-training my body to eat correctly.
Daphne Webb: Once you start portion control on your intake of food, you find yourself not as hungry.
Vannetta: I started making healthier eating choices (less fast food).
Susan: I lost the weight with Low Carb dieting ; it is great and there are No Cravings, No hunger
4). Move it to lose it.
Sarah: I signed up for a fitness boot camp class and started going to other fitness classes as well, doing about 4-6 classes per week.
Daphne: My boys were taking fencing lessons. So I decided to join. Twice a week I practiced with foils/rapiers. The first day I thought I was going to die! I had to take numerous breaks and I was red-faced, sweat streaming into my eyes, but it was absolutely fun and I loved it. I was using muscles I didn’t know existed in me. By the next week, I noticed that I wasn’t as winded. I had more energy. (I also practiced the moves and such at the house).
By the third week, I went down a fencing jacket size. End of the month–I was down to a smaller breast shield. By the end of the second month, I was one of the fastest students in bouts.
Roger: Doing a LOT more exercise (five or six times weekly instead of sometimes doing it three times). We do a two-mile walk when weather permits and use a Leslie Sansone video when we’re stuck indoors.
Jodie Bailey: I started going to the gym three hours a week (with a trainer. That accountability was KEY for me.
Vannetta: I’ve never been very coordinated, but I knew I could WALK … so I started walking. Most days I walked 1 or 2 miles. Then I started making healthier eating choices (less fast food). By the second year, I was setting a goal of walking 700 miles a year which sounds like a lot but is less than 2 miles a day. That was 18 years ago, and I still walk a LOT (not always 700 miles a year–sometimes we bike, kayak, etc.).
Jill: I do my exercising at a local women’s fitness center, including twice weekly Zumba sessions, which I thoroughly enjoy even through the sweat!
Ane Mulligan: So for me, more than just losing weight but to also keeping my body fit, the so-called secret has been to be more active.
5). Mind over mouth. Ultimately, every success started with a decision to take responsibility and continues with accountability.
Vannetta: I weigh every morning, and that keeps me IN LINE.
Amanda: I was inspired, well, motivated really, by the tightness of my size 16 jeans. I was ABSOLUTELY NOT going to buy a size 18 pair. My mind just went “that’s it, this is not going any further!”
Jean Gordon: You might say I was given a sign. 🙂 I saw a sign in my doctor’s office that said my insurance provider offered nutritionist services and I called and made an appointment.
Jill: I got tired of feeling tired and of seeing a reflection in the mirror that I couldn’t respect. Also, I realized that if I wanted to be of good use to the Lord, I needed to be healthy, strong, and feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Paula: I think God would have us to take care of our bodies. It’s the only one He’s given us for our life here on earth. To truly be affective and effective in whatever it is that He wants me to accomplish for His sake, I need a body I can count on. I also felt a need to be an example to my teenage daughter. Now that I control my eating and exercise, I have more energy to do the things God calls me to do. And, I took it a step further – at 44 I actually became certified as a fitness instructor so that I can teach aerobics at my church. I want to encourage other members to live healthy lives.
Susan: Top Tip: Get yourself focused with an internal determination: This is It! I am doing this ! Top Slogan: “Nothing tastes as good as being slim and fit feels!”
Daphne: I don’t own a scale. Bad mojo for me, so I will weight myself when I visit my mom’s.
Jodie: The main thing I did is got rid of EVERY STITCH of pre-loss clothing. No more size 10 jeans, no more XL shirts. I got rid of them ALL. That’s a major motivator there, because I cannot afford a new wardrobe! 🙂
Love this post, Christa et al. For me, I had to lose the 77 pounds I’d gained with pregnancy, (yest, I was fat!). I took it 5 pounds at a time and this made it not so overwhelming. Losing 77 pounds felt impossible but 5, that was doable.
I’m impressed! You’re so right about breaking the big goals into bite-sized ones.