Last night we had the opportunity to be on Huffington Post Live to talk about our weight loss experience. We’ve been getting a lot of requests to be on tv lately and I must admit this kind of makes me uncomfortable. I’m still really self conscious and haven’t settled into my new skin yet. Last night I felt like we were on a panel with a bunch of media pros!
Everyone on the panel had such amazing stories and it was just fun to talk to them about their experiences. It is always great to have someone say exactly what you’re thinking because in those moments you know you’re not alone in your experience or struggle. It’s really an eye opening experience and that is why it’s great that we are able to share our story of losing weight and losing it together.
The time went by so quickly. I must admit by the time I made it doing the show I was tired. I woke up early yesterday morning to do Group Power (weight training) at the gym and yesterday afternoon I did a work out in the pool that really tuckered me out. When 7:30pm rolled around I was really tired and ready to go to bed. I tried very hard to amp it up for the show.
Like I mentioned the time went by really quickly and it was kind of hard to join in the conversation. There are some points I wanted to take a little more about here on the blog.
1. It is important to keep a eating and workout routine you can stick with for years. I often see people start off gung ho at the gym and then they have to back off and end up stopping because they can’t keep up. Brian said the same thing about food. Fad diets aren’t something you can keep up over time. Once you stop with the program you have to go back into the real world and you’re probably going to gain the weight back. Learn about healthy eating and commit to a lifestyle change because it definitely will change your life and keep it that way.
I also loved when Brian talked about his unsuccessful gastric bypass surgery. This is my problem with the gastric bypass surgery: it’s not always teaching you to change your life. I love that he said the problem was with him because he was eating the same foods and doing the same things and he ended up stretching his stomach back to normal size.
2. We carry food with us every where we go. We have coolers for short trips, long trips, medium sized trips. Now that we’re traveling more we’re going to have to get an airplane cooler too! I’ve written about the times when I didn’t have food with me and it was difficult. Not making the time to pack some food to take with me could have caused me problems, but I was ok. Some other people won’t be as lucky! There is no shame in carrying food with you and pulling it out. Don’t be afraid to be different!
3. Willie and I did lose the weight together. We are both blessed that we did have a strong support system in each other. Without a strong support system in place, it will be hard. It is going to be hard for some people in your life to accept your new change and if it causes more problems than not you have to let those people go! The journey is hard but totally worth it so include the people in your life that want to see you succeed and not fail.
4. There was talk about what you can do if you’re extremely overweight. Willie was his heaviest at 492 and he literally walked about 150 pounds. That is all he did.
5. It seems we didn’t have to some experience as everyone else when it comes to the gym. I needed to go to the gym to get away from the distractions. If I worked out at home, I’m not sure it would have worked for me. My house is filled with distractions: clocks in my face, computer, television, pets, food and lack of inspiration. I think it’s easier to call it quits when you’re at home. If I’m at the gym at least I drove there got out of the car and had to work it. If I quit or don’t start, I’ve already wasted time and I hate wasting time.
Those are all the points I wanted to make. Please remember we are always here to answer questions and comments!
