It's a Hard Job, But Somebody Has Got To Do It...No...I Have To Do It!

A good ol' Southern saying when discussing difficult things is "it's a hard job, but somebody's gotta do it."  When talking about weight loss and your health, that all changes.  Yes, it's a hard job, but nobody but YOU can do it!  I used a few tools to help myself get through Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.  This list is as follows:  paper outlining each day on the mirror in my bathroom, religously using the myfitnesspal app on my phone, and being aware of restaurant nutritional information before setting foot inside the door.  If you were to ask my family and friends about these times, they would probably tell you that I was completely obnoxious, but they hung in with me encouraging me every step of the way.  I became a walking calorie counter.  Yes, it was obnoxious, but it was essential in keeping me focused on the journey that I had begun.  Every day for 30 days I would come home after work and meet with Jillian.  Those meetings made my stomach turn.  There were many times that i thought, "If she says, 'Only three more seconds!' one more time, I am going to throw something at this TV!"  Every morning I would get up, walk into the kitchen, and weigh myself.  I know...I know...you're not supposed to weigh everyday!  Just listen to my strategy...I had my 30 days outlined on my bathroom mirror...remember?  So I would log my weight on my mirror everyday, but I would only calculate pounds lost after each 7 day period.  I had to have my weight staring me in the face everyday and see how many more days I had in this first goal.  It was key in holding me accountable.  After 30 days, I had lost 18 pounds and a number of inches.  I worked VERY hard with Jillian on the TV every day to complete that month of, what I thought, was torture.  No matter how difficult a workout is, if you stick with it you WILL see results.  It may not be on the scale, but through exercise and changing to a healthy diet, you will lose inches.  I will never forget the day that I was able to do my first real push up, and the day that I was able to get through the jumping jacks without stopping.  These milestones encouraged me to keep going.  Don't sell yourself short!  Your body is capable of doing more than you think it can.  It's about pushing your body to change, because if you don't push, you don't change.  For instance, if I run out of gas on my way home, I'm not going to just sit in my car.  Duh!  I'm going to pull out my phone or begin to make my way on foot to a gas station!  I have to take action in order to get fuel.  It's the same concept.  As long as you sit on the couch without fuel, you will never go anywhere; but if you get up and take action, you will be fueled up and ready to go before you know it!  Remember set ATTAINABLE goals for yourself, reach for them, surpass them, and begin a new set of goals.  Your journey begins with one step...This is not a diet; it's a lifestyle!

Below is a picture of the way I set up my tracking sheet.  I would suggest also making one to calculate inches lost as well because sometimes if you don't see much on the scale you get discouraged.  You can calculate these once a week from your hips, waist, thighs, and even arms.  You're going to be amazed at how much BETTER you FEEL as you work through this!

REMEMBER...SET YOUR NEXT GOAL BEFORE YOU FINISH THE FIRST ONE...OTHERWISE YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP!