Thursday, October 20, 2011

We live so that we might feel joy

Did you know that losing weight is easy?
Well it is.

Two and a half years ago I decided I had had enough! It was easter time when I realized I was fat, single and lazy. Not at all what I wanted for the rest of my life. I had tried to lose weight for a while before that, but nothing seemed to work. I starved myself, which I would have called a successful method if all I had wanted was to lose weight, but that wasn't my goal. My goal was to be happy; Happy with the way I look, happy with the way I feel, happy in general, healthy and active. Starving yourself and denying yourself candy and cakes (or even food) may result in weight loss, but also results in a really crappy mood and poor health. I would always give up eventually and just eat and eat and eat and eat to make up for all the candy and cakes and food I hadn't had for months. I also tried to work out by running... which worked, but I hated running. it was so boring! and it hurt my hip joints. So I gave up on that too.

So basically I would lose some weight and then gain it again... plus a few pounds.

I had almost given up all together when I saw a picture of myself right before Easter 2009. It sort of lit the fire again. I wanted to be happy to see pictures of myself and happy when I look in the mirror. I wanted to be able to play and run and climb trees and hike and play sports without being embarrassed about my body. I love my body! I love me! and I deserve to be happy!

So here is what I did
- Hung up on my wall a pair of jeans I wanted to be able to fit, so that I would see them every day (I was able to take them down and wear them a few months later, and have since given them to the salvation army since they got to be too big)
- Invested in some dubious weight loss products (not sure if it was a placebo effect or if the product actually worked, but it got me started! I lost about 10lb in a month-is) after losing a few pounds the easy way, I had the motivation to keep going by changing my lifestyle.
- Played Dance dance revolution like a nut!

Some lifestyle changes:
- Started drinking lots more water!
- Stared using the stairs instead of the elevator, walking or riding my bike instead of taking the bus and playing sports and games with family and friends just to see if I would like them and have fun
- Fell in love with Solla and her amazing raw and/or organic food! Its not at all that complicated to make and it is SO good! especially the desserts!
- Learned how to make a Green Smoothie and loved it! I also started making other kinds of smoothies, and learned that they can seem really creamy and yummy if you use nut or avocado in the recipe.
- Started doing things that make me happy and thinking like a thin person: "do I need to eat this? why do I want to eat this? do I need another serving? how will I feel if I have more of this? how will I feel if I stop now?". So I never ever starved myself! but I wouldn't overeat anymore either.

What I have learned:
- Being healthy is awesome!
- I can lose weight!
- Cocoanut oil makes everything taste better and helps your body burn more fat
- Playing soccer is fun! also, dancing in your room can be a pretty good workout, but sometimes you have to make yourself stop, its just too much fun! also also, I love pole- fitness... don't tell anyone I said that.
- Its only boring to buy jeans, and pants, when you are too big to fit them. Shopping can be fun!
- I can eat KFC every once in a while and still be fine!
- Being happy is better than I imagined.

So now I am still single, but I am happy, normal sized, healthy and active. Now all I need is a good man.

This is me in May 2009
I had lost a couple of lb at that point and decided
I wanted to be able to look back and see the difference



This is me in June 2011
two years and 40bl later

6 comments:

Autumn @ Autumn All Along said...

Wow, I can really tell a difference! I would like to loose about 40 pounds before we have children. For me, it just comes down to consistent exercise. I've already lost 4 pounds which has helped motivating me :)

Unifer said...

yay! those first couple of pounds are always the hardest! you can do it :D

MiriamR said...

inspirational! I need to eat better!

can you send me a recipe for your smoothies? I love a smoothie for breakfast but I need some healthier recipies!

MoBo said...

OH MY GOS! you are awesome. Well done sir! I mean Madam! ..or ma'am..

when I first started reading i was like "whateva!" (not because I didnt believe you or anything, i was just, i dont know, feeling like a negative nancy?[poor nancy]) but then at the end I was like "Wow its totally awesome! I am going to have some raw foods in the morning and do some DDR!" hehe you are awesome

LMT said...

awesome post by the way! You look amazing, I've seen you lately and I was envious. I have been thinking of this post to help keep me on the healthy track! Thanks for sharing these photos and talking about this issue.

Unifer said...

hahah I love you guys!