“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Laozi
Most of us have heard this phrase before; those of us who have ever started a new journey know how true this is. You can think about beginning all you want to but until you choose to make that first step you’re stuck. Stagnant and wanting nothing more than to actually be on that journey. This is made worse by people you know who have already taken that step. You envy them and their results while you stay exactly as you are.
This is exactly how I felt before I took my first step towards being healthier – aka losing weight. I had spent years digging myself into a pit of unhealthy habits layering on excuse after excuse and hating the person looking back at me in the mirror. Sure I had “tried” many times to commit to this very thing but I was never 100% in. I always had that junk food hidden away for my weak moments and of course when I would fall into that place I would bounce right back to where I had been before I started. The Nutella was just too damn good for my late night studying-induced stress. The vending machine food was just too damn convenient for eating between my classes. Chinese takeout or frozen pizza was too damn easy when I didn’t want to cook. Working out? Who has time for that?! I would tell myself, I’ve got multiple jobs! I’ve got school! It’s not worth my time! And this was how I spiraled down to weighing an obscene 231.2 pounds by the time I graduated college in May of this year.
I could barely look at myself in the mirror without being filled with shame. Clothes shopping outings were absolute nightmares that often lead to breakdowns in the changing rooms. I would cry looking at my wardrobe every day knowing that what I had inside barely fit me. But still, I did not change. I thought about it a lot. I saw people that I knew taking charge and wanted to be like them but I just couldn’t get myself started.
Everything changed for me in late July when I was having pains in my body so I went to my doctor whose explanation for my problems was: “Well you have put on a lot of weight recently..” That hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m not fooling anyone; everyone can see how horrible I look… I thought to myself as I sobbed in my car after I left her office. It was in that moment that I decided to refuse to stay the way I was. I took out my phone and I took my first step. I sent a message on Facebook to a friend of mine whose weight loss journey I had been following for years and I told her I wanted to do the same thing. This wonderful woman took me under her wing and became my coach, my go-to when I have doubts or questions or when I need someone to talk to about my struggles. She also introduced me to the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology.
I know what you’re thinking “damn now this chick is going to try to sell me on this stuff, I don’t need that.” But I don’t have to ‘sell’ you anything and I’m not going to try to. All I am going to tell you is the honest to God truth. I am not that same excuse-making person that gave into un-needed cravings that existed just four months ago. Hell, I don’t really have cravings anymore. I can see you now if you have never tried these products saying “B.S. No cravings?! That is not possible!” But my friend it is! Let me take a moment and tell you a true story: my boyfriend brought home three bags of candy for Halloween and *I did not touch a single piece.* I didn’t even feel a draw towards something that I used to dig into at a ridiculous rate.
The 21 Day Fix and Shakeology have not just transformed my eating habits but my lifestyle as well. With the help of my coach and my boyfriend to keep me accountable I have already lost 20 pounds! My clothes are falling off of my body and I have never felt happier or more confident in myself. Just from working out (almost) every day and eating the right foods in the right portions. Where do my old excuses stand? Nutella isn’t even in our house, I haven’t even been to a vending machine in who knows how long, we don’t buy takeout OR frozen pizza anymore, and most importantly I have a mindset every day that it is worth my time, that I am worth my time.
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| Me on November 4th, 2015 in shorts that FIT in July of 2015!! |
Don’t get me wrong, there are days when that burger on TV looks damn good or days when I that pile of grad school work seems like all I can handle. But deciding to be in 100% for this journey of a lifetime means more than anything else that I am investing in myself. I get asked all the time “Do you think your decision was worth it?” or “Isn’t the money too much to spend right now?” My response to these questions is: go through a whole day (or even a week if you really want to) and ask yourself at every unhealthy meal or money choice that you make “Do you think this decision is worth it? Isn’t the money too much to spend right now?” You’ll probably realize, just like I did, that you probably spend more time and more money investing in things that make you feel miserable than you would investing in things that will make you healthier. The decision to choose yourself is not an easy one and it takes commitment but once you do, you won’t be sorry.
Want to talk more about making your first step? Let me know, I would be happy to chat. Want to follow my journey? Hit me up on Instagram @Imma_Wanderer :)
That’s all for now,
Sarah
