The Big Secret

I have been very blessed along this journey in that I have met quite a few people along the way who have been walking this path to wellness for much longer than I.  These individuals I refer to today are not the ones who were born walking it (you know who you are...and good for you!).  No, these individuals that I am speaking of today are the ones who began as I began, overweight and unsure.  They had, for whatever reason, hit the proverbial "wall," and in so doing, had then decided to change their eating and physical activity levels, thus instituting "lifestyle changes," something -- as you all know -- I am striving to do on a daily basis.
The majority of these people I have met have managed to maintain their weight loss and live their new lifestyles for at least a year, most of them more...  What an inspiration these people are to me!!! By and large, when I first come across a new friend who has accomplished this great feat, they wait for ME to approach them to ask "how" or "why" -- I'm not sure why, but they never do come up and start just lecturing on how to achieve this goal that I want so much. 

Side note:  Truly: this reservation, this waiting,  is one of the things I love the best about these new friends...they have the knowledge, and are willing to share it, but they also know a few of the greatest secrets when it comes to weight loss, and one of those secrets is that an individual must come to the realization that lifestyle changes must occur ON THEIR OWN.  Motivation to institute lifestyle changes to support weight loss and the goal of optimal health cannot be brought to the table by others...it must come from within oneself.  Possibly one of the hardest, but one of the most important, lessons to learn on this journey.  These people know this, having already learned this lesson, and knowing it is mine to learn, they hang back with the advice and the recommendations.   The minute I approach them, they are ready and available.  I love this about them, and thank them for their patience in letting ME come to THEM.  One lesson learned!! (Yea, me!)

For me, I am constantly in search of people who have accomplished this goal of walking this path to optimal health.  I love the company, I love the resources, and frankly, I love being able to ask "why this?" or "why not that?" and actually get some ANSWERS that are not based on conjecture or studies, but, rather, based on having "walked a mile in my moccasins," if you know what I mean!!

Anyway, I am sure you can imagine what the one question is that I have asked every single one of these peoople...Can you? It is, "How did you do it?" How did you lose that 100 pounds? How did you get up every single morning and make the right choices?

So, obviously, the question that I am asking is not really of much surprise to anyone -- isn't this what we ALL want to know? How DO you do this? How DOES one manage to lose and maintain a weight loss of over 100 pounds? Or 50? Or 10, for that matter?

What IS surprising is the fact that of all of these new friends -- some who have lost 100 pounds, others who have lost 20 pounds...is that they ALL (yes, every single one of them) answer EXACTLY THE SAME WAY.  Are you ready for the big reveal? It's not hard to remember, and yet it is something of a challenge to do...Here is the answer we are all looking for....(drumroll, please....)

One. Day.  At.  A.  Time.

Yep: that's the big secret.  I don't know about you, but for me, this was not what I expected.  I was hoping (let's be honest: who isn't?!) for some big reveal. You know -- "I eat ground up ginger in everything." (OK: going to buy ginger.) or "I make sure I do 900 squats after every workout. It really makes a difference." (OK: I think I'm up to 15 at this point, but you gotta start somewhere...900 is my new goal!)

Nope.  The secret is: THERE'S NO SECRET.  Bottom line is this, if you want to be successful in your weight loss and lifestyle change efforts, you just have to DO IT.  Every day.  This means whether or not the needle on the scale is moving.  This means whether or not those jeans are fitting better every day or not.  It means if you feel like it, and it means if you don't. 

So....there it is, my friends..."Just Do It."  Ahhhhh...don't you just love it when you realize that the answer you've been seeking has been right in front of you all the time??????? 

So, out we go, dear readers...time to go "Just Do It" -- are you ready? Let's GO!!!