STEP 1: Motivation

You need motivation/inspiration for making this change that will help you get started and help you remain focused when you are beginning and during those annoying times when your success temporarily plateaus. In my case, my inspiration was a combination of things. I know now that when I was gaining weight, I overindulged constantly and mindlessly without even realizing it. I wasn’t treating my body with the respect that God wanted me to and I'm so grateful that something finally clicked in my mind to make a change. The Bible teaches us about the gift of self-control and my number one reason for making this change was my desire to honor God with my whole self.

Secondly, I wanted to avoid all the illnesses associated with obesity: Cardiovascular problems, Type 2 Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis and so on. 

Thirdly, I wanted to be the wife my husband deserved. You see, the significant loss I have achieved is so much more than a physical change of my body. It has given me emotional strength, confidence, and a love for myself that I had never even knew I was missing. When we love ourselves like God wants us to, we can serve others with so much more energy and excitement because we are both spiritually and physically well. I know this is definitely one of my “I am a work in progress” areas, but I’ve come really far and it feels amazing.

My list of reasons for making this change in my life was long, but I’ll share just this last one with you: I wanted this for my kids. I want them to have a Mom who is a good example of both physical and spiritual health. I want them to have a vibrant Mom who is active right alongside them in everything they do. They deserve my best and I want to give it to them. I also want to be around for a long time. Being obese isn’t just a vanity issue, it’s a death sentence and I needed to take responsibility for the fact I was killing myself with each day I continued choosing to be overweight. Yep, I was choosing it with what I was consuming. That was the hardest thing for me to admit: I was CHOOSING to be fat.  Even in my childhood, I totally remember choosing to overeat which is why I had never NOT been obese in my life until 2012. I always had a list of excuses in my mind starting with genetics, I really thought I was just genetically doomed to be fat. It was time for me to ditch the excuses and realize that my poor choices were not to be blamed on genetics. Yes, some folks are metabolically gifted and I’m not one of them, but it’s still no excuse for me eating FAR more than I needed to. It was time for me to take responsibility and make a change that would benefit my kids for their entire lives, by teaching them about how healthy and wonderful food can be and how important healthy body composition is.

Once you decide you are ready to change and have your reasons, there is no option for failure. This has to be a change you make for the rest of your life. I know that if I resort to my old ways that I could easily slip into old habits and I don’t want that EVER again. This is about learning about nutrition and which foods can fuel and satisfy you happily for the rest of your life. I’m not going to kid you and tell you that you won’t have to give things up that you currently love, but what’s interesting is that I’ve found that what I love has changed. I recognize that certain foods that I used to love and think I couldn’t live without make me feel terrible now.

Your mindset during your journey is absolutely critical. Surround yourself with anyone and anything that motivates you. Read and re-read sites and books that drive you to be your very best. Don't think of your decision to make a change as a punishment, think of it as exciting! You are doing something! You are finally going to be in control and I can tell you from experience that it is life changing on SO many levels.

Another recommendation I'd like to make is to pray that God guides you through this process. Pray for patience, healing, strength, wisdom and success. Pray about your path daily as you choose to be healthy.

Accountability

The other thing I did to keep motivated was I shared my intentions to make a change with a few of my close girlfriends and family members. I had always shared my "I need to do something" type of thoughts with my husband, but I needed to hold myself accountable by committing to people outside of my household...people I really didn't want to fail. Not that I wanted to fail my husband, but it's easier to let people down who love you so dearly. It's hard to explain, but it worked for me. It might work for you too. They ended up being a great support system for me, I discussed my plans with them and what I was doing to make a difference. It really did help me stay on track, especially when they started to see the changes and encouraged me to keep up the good work.

Home | Hi! I'm Alissa. | Please Know This | STEP 1: Motivation | STEP 2: Calories | STEP 3: Eat Clean