The Plan- Choose to Lose

Let's be honest, a lot of people want to lose weight but the next statement goes something like: I'm so busy, work is too hectic right now, my kids are my life, etc. = I don't have time. Know this, there will always be things you could or need to do instead of losing weight, but you have to become as big a priority to you as everything and everyone else is in your life. At least, that's what I told myself. I found myself at the end of the day wondering if I'd done anything for me besides shower, and more often than not, the answer was no. I decided to change that. I had to choose to lose. Every day was going to have something to do with my commitment to shedding the pounds.


The first thing I had to do was get an exercise routine. Everybody knows, if you don't move you can't lose. Having an exercise routine is so important, but this can be hard especially if you have children, a hectic work schedule, volunteer or have any other commitments. Make a routine and remain consistent at a time when there are no distractions or interruptions. Timing is everything when making your routine so you really have to set aside workout time and commit to it. I suggest starting with a loose schedule. Start figuring out what days are best for you: the lighter days at work, your days off, or whatever days you know you will have some free time.  Even if you commit to definitely work out in the morning, at night before bed, or before a certain time of day make it a priority. I worked out when my husband could watch the boys for a few, while they were having breakfast, or during their naptime. Yes, that was pretty much the only option for me, but however you need to do it- make a routine and stick to it. After some trial and error, I've found that the earlier I work out, the better. My motto is Get Up and Get it Done. I can get it out of the way before my day even starts, and by doing that, no matter what comes up working out is already off of my to do list.

I think we can agree, we all want to get the most burn out of our workouts so I do it before breakfast. Dr. Oz once did the perfect demonstration that really stuck in my mind. He placed a slice of bread in a hot pan and then put a stick of butter on top of it. Then, he moved over to another hot pan and placed a stick of butter in it. The butter by itself, ofcourse, melted almost instantly, while the butter sitting on bread was barely melting at all. Basically, eating before you work out is giving your body more work to do. Now, how you get your workout done is entirely up to you, but I do it for free. I have been sucked into a latenight infomercial or two in the past, but you just need to be motivated to move with the intention to lose, and it really doesn't matter how you do it. Personally, I do not like the outdoors and I definitely was not trying to join a gym and risk being the biggest chick in there so I tried different tv and youtube videos. I started with walking a mile, then 2 miles, then 3 and then jumped into aerobics and kickboxing. I workout at least 4 days a week, but usually 5 days, for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on what videos I'm doing that day), and if I feel the urge to squeeze in another workout on the weekend I do because it will only push the scale further in the direction I want it to go.

Since I decided to lose weight I knew calorie counting was going to be apart of my every day life. I tried to keep a journal at first and do the math in my head, but there really was no accountability doing that. After chatting with a friend, she told me about a calorie counting site, LoseIt.com. You can use any one you want, but this site literally has a bar that turns red if I go over, saves every food I eat and its caloric value, gives badges for successes (a cute way to pat you on the back), and tallies my exercise plus the calories I earn when I work out. "Logging" became apart of my routine and still is. It definitely was a tedious task at first, but became much easier once I had my regular foods saved. I put in what I will be eating for the day and adjust the serving amount. All the math is done by the program and it has been a helpful tool, but nothing is going to make you stay accountable but you. "Logging" has to be important to you so it, like all things in weight loss, requires your participation. You have to log every day, and just think of it as a means to track your awesome progress.