I am participating in two challenges this month on The Biggest Loser site.
On one team we have Deb.. or Jr. Jillian as we call her. She is the one who sees through your lame excuses and calls you out on them. She notices when you have missed your Cardio or Strength training for a few days. She smacks you upside the head if needed. She is an inspiration. She will hit her goal June 1 and we won't have her awesome presence anymore so I consider myself very lucky to have had her as part of my first two months of my journey.
On the other team.. we don't have a Deb or a Jillian yet that I can see. People post about eating brownies, candy bars, how they will do better tomorrow, work out tomorrow, etc. It is almost depressing compared to the other group. So I thought I would take a stab at trying to be Deb. This is what I posted to the second group. I hope it helps someone =)
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I know I am new here and don't have "street cred" with most of you yet, but I keep reading posts on the boards that I follow where some are deliberately sabotaging themselves day after day with poor food choices, not planning their workouts, not taking care of themselves and dishing out the same excuses that we have been using for years to keep us fat. I really hurt for these people - I have been there. It is crippling.
I have been there, and I wish when I was in that moment someone like a Jillian would have come along and shaken some sense into me instead of walking on eggshells around me, making me feel OK about my failures while I was shoving the most horrible foods into my mouth and living a sedentary lifestyle doing nothing to save my life.
I have found that kind of support here. When I have been weak I have support here that pulls me through the tough times. I am 5 weeks in and I feel fantastic. I have not cheated at all. I push myself EVERY workout. I have so many successes in those 5 weeks I don't even think that I can remember all of them. However, in my weak moments I got the wake up call from people within my support circle that have helped me through the tough times without failure. Physically, mentally and emotionally I am forever a different person and the person that started this journey 5 weeks ago is a stranger to me now.
So I spent yesterday and today trying to find a way to communicate what I have done aside from simply turning off my brain and following the plan to maybe help it "click" in another person's mind and inspire them in the way that I have been inspired by some people on this site to do the things I have done to be successful.
Take a moment. Close your eyes. Take some deep breaths, open your mind to change your thinking, and love yourself enough to honestly consider if you are doing each of these to help you be successful.
Get ready.. this is full of CAPS. =)
Time to be REAL with yourself:
If you are eating foods that you KNOW are not on the plan AND / OR you aren't doing AT LEAST the physical activity recommended by the plan - you are DELIBERATELY SABOTAGING yourself AND you are LYING to yourself about the scientific and mathematical proof of: physical output > caloric intake = RESULTS. LOVE AND RESPECT YOURSELF more than that. Ask yourself, would you sabotage your best friend, your spouse, a family member if they were on a restricted eating plan trying to save their lives? You came here to make a change - at least GIVE YOURSELF A FAIR CHANCE to achieve your goals.
Recognize that FEELINGS and EMOTIONS are NOT ALIVE and do not need to be FED - Food is ONLY FUEL - not comfort. If you need comfort ask someone for a HUG. Several if you need it. ASK for SUPPORT. TALK to a friend. RELY on the support you have here. Cookies and cake don't make the bad feelings go away. SUCCESSES DO. Your feelings and emotions are like a critically injured patient in the ICU. They have been so beaten and battered, they cannot be relied upon to save you - you have to ignore them and follow the plan to save them from their devastated and crippled state.
Following the plan GUARANTEES you some successes and victories in your life and the opportunity for the PROOF that those feelings were wrong! You CAN do this. You DO DESERVE this. DO IT!
Feelings and Emotions ultimately can't be put on the shelf, so they do have to be managed. Only YOU have 100% control of all of your feelings and emotions. NO ONE has the power to MAKE YOU FEEL anything unless you let them. All of your feelings are a CHOICE. If you feel SAD, it is your responsibility to yourself to take action to immediately turn that around, and you can do it in as little as a few minutes with practice and a positive and strong internal dialogue. Self-fulfilling prophecies DO COME TRUE. If you think you can't / you won't - you can't and you won't. If you think I can / I will - YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!
BE PATIENT - Each minute is another challenge, I won't lie to you. However, getting through that minute without sabotaging yourself is a victory. The more successful minutes you have in your past the more successful minutes your future will hold. Past behavior is the most indicative of future behavior. Create a new past for yourself RIGHT NOW and secure the success in your future!
I am here to be part of the help and support for anyone who wants it. It helps me be more successful on my journey. =)
L O V E Y O U R S E L F !
Lorelei
