I have learned a lot over the course of filming for this show to help me be more successful at losing weight. I wanted to share what I have learned with you.
Be Prepared
Before I started on Dawn's Superfood Swap plan, I was never prepared. She taught me that you must be prepared for every meal and every snack. Boy, was she right. Before I would not know what I was going to eat for a meal, find myself starving and then go into the pantry and eat anything I could find. You must have healthy options in your home at all times to be successful. If marshmallows and chocolate are the only quick things you can grab to eat, that's what you're going to go for. I am always very busy and on the run. Convenience is very important to me. Now I have tons of fruit, veggies already cut in snack sizes, hummus, and homemade beef jerky always ready and available. I also plan all of my meals out on a piece of paper that I hang up on the refrigerator. Now there is no question what I am going to eat and this has made life so much easier...and healthier!
Schedule Your Workouts
Working out is so important for your physical well-being, but it also makes me mentally feel better. I know that when I go workout I am happier and feel so much better about myself. I have never regretted a workout, but I have regretted not going to the gym. To make sure I get my bootie up and get to class, I make a monthly workout schedule. I plan out what classes I'm going to on what days, how much I'm going to run, etc... I place this schedule on my fridge. This lets me know what I'm doing, but it also lets everyone else in my house know what I am doing .There is no surprise when I say "I'm going to the gym" because my schedule is in a place where everyone can see it. My schedule holds me accountable, because there is no way I'm going to say I'm going somewhere and not go.
Don't Let the Scale Define You
The scale does not define who you are as a person. Dawn told me this every single week before we stepped onto that scale. Some weeks are better than others when it comes to victories on the scale. I had to find a way to see my hard work paying off that did not include the scale. This is where clothes came in. I would pick a pair of jeans that I wanted to fit into and hang them in my closet. Each week I would try the jeans on, because as Dawn says, "The pants don't lie". Sometimes the scale does tell a little fib, maybe you have gained muscle or you are holding on to water weight, but the pants don't lie. This was really eye-opening to me. It was great to find another way to tell if I was losing weight. The pants thing really does work.
Celebrate Small Victories
Okay, so you only lost a pound. Instead of being discouraged because it is only a pound, remember, you are one pound less than you were the last time you weighed. Maybe you fit into the pants that you have been wanting to fit into for months, so what they don't button, they got up past your thighs..this is a victory! Probably not the victory you were hoping for, but still a victory. You have to keep a positive mindset at all times. This is sometimes hard to do, but so important. I always wake up and think to myself, today I am going to be a better me than I was yesterday. At the end of the day I can celebrate that I tried harder today than the day before.
Reward Yourself
This one was hard for me. Before anytime I would reward myself, it was with food. You lost 4 pounds this week, you deserve to go out to eat AND get dessert. Callie made an A on a test, we should bake her some cookies. These were all things that I used to do. I had to find a different way to reward myself. Now it's, you've lost 2 pounds, you deserve that pair of running socks you have been looking at. I also like to reward myself with nail polish. These rewards don't have to be expensive, but they should make you feel good.
Be Kind to Yourself
So, you screwed up. You ate too much at dinner, you had a piece of cake, you gained a pound...oh well. Move on. It's not that big of a deal. Brush it off and know tomorrow you can start over. We all make mistakes, but how we handle these mistakes is what makes or breaks us. You have to love yourself (Geez, I sound just like Dawn). I'm still a work in progress on this one!