“I’m going to start my new diet and workout routine on Monday.”
This is a statement that many people including myself have uttered at one time or another. Sometime during the week before, we make a conscious effort to get our plan in place. We write out what we’re going to do and what we can and can’t eat. We’re excited and are so ready for that upcoming Monday. My question to you is: Why wait until Monday? There’s six other days of the week. Any day is the “perfect” day to make a plan of action. Start today if you’re really ready to change.
When Angela and I started our weight loss journey in January 2011, we didn’t wait until Monday. I talked to Angela on a Wednesday night and told her that I wanted to lose the weight. I downloaded an iPhone app called Lose It to track my food and exercise. The next day, we started. We tracked anything we were eating and stayed below our calorie budget for the day. After a few days of tracking, we slowly started to change what we were eating based on the information that we had recorded.
So, you don’t have to go all in. This is where many people do too much at one time. They start out by putting everything into it and as time passes that enthusiasm starts to fade. Then they give up all together. I say start slower. Start with one small thing. Change one thing that can lead to a much healthier lifestyle.
Here’s an example: When I started out with exercise, I just walked on a treadmill at my local gym. Nothing fast paced or super athletic. I just walked. I walked for 30 minutes that first day. It was painful. I was hurting the next day. But guess what, I went right back the next day and did it again and again. I lost 100 pounds just by walking and watching what I was eating. So my suggestion, take a walk (alone or with your pet or kids) if that’s the only thing you can do right now. It doesn’t matter how long you walk, just walk. If you can only do 15 minutes, then shoot for that. Then the next time you go for a walk, go a little further. Maybe 20 minutes. It takes at least 5 weeks to build a habit. If you want to start with food instead of exercise, find out how many calories you need to have per day and eat less than that number.
The information is out there for you. Just try to change one thing that will lead towards a healthier lifestyle. You seriously don’t have to go all in when first starting out especially if you’re not ready for it. My favorite quote is “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Take the time while you’re changing to get informed. Knowledge is power. The things you know will help you along your weight loss journey. The things you don’t know will limit you in your journey and you’ll have to put in the time and effort to fill in the informational gaps that you’ll need.
I’d like to end this post with a Facebook status update from fellow blogger Sean Anderson. Sean lost 275 pounds and is one of many individuals that inspired me to lose the weight through his own experiences of also losing the weight. His Facebook status came at the perfect time as I was writing this blog post and reinforces what I’m trying to say. Thank you Sean!
