Turning Point

I had a few requests to post about the day I decided to lose weight. For me it wasn't just one day inparticular, it was a series of events that lit the fire under my ass and got me on this journey. My relationship with my husband wasn't what I wanted it to be, and that really was hard for me to face. I knew that it stemmed directly from the low self esteem that I was suffering from. I was terrified of him leaving me or being with someone else because I didn't feel like I deserved him. Then one night, I turned on The Biggest Loser on TV, and it was the first episode of season 10. There was a man talking about why he was so big, and all I heard him say was "I am the product of an emotional eater". His mother was an emotional eater, and that passed down to him. She died in her late 40's from obesity related illnesses. Then one day, my husband came home to tell me something important; he had orders to Japan. In May of 2011, our family would be moving to Okinawa for 3 years. Okinawa is a small island off of mainland Japan, and everything there is centered around the water. What was I going to do...stay inside for 3 years because I was huge? Heck no! That was it, I decided. I was done.

I decided that my kids were not going to suffer because I made bad choices in my life. It wasn't fair to them. If anything, I would become healthy for them and teach them the things they needed to learn in order to live a long, healthy life. I didn't want to be the mom with diabetes who hides indoors everyday. If not for myself or my marriage, I had to do this for my kids.

There are many reasons we want to lose weight, ultimately though we have to do it for ourselves or we'll just go back to old habits. I knew that deep down I wanted this for myself along with all of the other reasons I listed. I've always wanted it, and it's always been out of reach for me until now. I believe that once we decide to go through this, we also go through a series of emotions. I was angry, then depressed, then angry again, and then determination took over. Motivation will get you started on this journey, but it will not keep you going; routine will.

Quick Tip: Want a great way to get your butt into gear in the morning? Have your workout clothes handy! Set them out the night before, or do what I do and sleep in a tank and yoga pants! Throw on some sneakers and you're ready to go in the morning!

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