Find your TRUTH

Let's be honest, to lose weight and be successful, you have to be truthful. You have to be honest with yourself. It doesn't matter if XYZ program worked for your best friend's neighbor. It doesn't matter if the newest fad diet seems to have made your co-worker look like a model overnight. All that stuff doesn't matter if you're not honest with yourself. You have to find your truth.

What does that mean? Well, it means that you have to be honest with yourself and realistic too. Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to be healthy? Are you really committed to making a change? Yes, you need to make a change. You can't honestly believe that you can continue doing whatever it is that you're doing that got you out of shape and overweight. If you think that, you're not being honest with yourself. So, once you realize you need to make a change, you have to figure out how much change you can accept.

Let's say for instance, you want to do some workout program you saw in an infomercial. The truth is that most of those programs require you to workout 6 days a week for around 40-60 minutes a day (sometimes more) and change your eating habits probably drastically from your current habits. Are you willing to do that? Honestly are you willing and able to do that? I'm not saying that you can't, or that you shouldn't, I'm just saying that you need to know what you're signing up for an what you are realistically capable of and able to do. If you can't honestly figure out how you'll make the time for something like that, you need to either re-organize your schedule or do some other fitness program that you can do and be successful. There is nothing worse than starting a fitness program and giving up right away because you weren't honest with yourself about your abilities or willingness to do it.

If you constantly say things like "Nothing works," or "I can't lose weight no matter what I do," or "I eat so healthy sometimes," then you're not being truthful with yourself. Unless you have an underlying health condition, if you are truly eating healthy and exercising, you should see progress, even if it's slow. It's when you lie to yourself and others and don't admit that tub of ice cream you secretly ate, or the 5 days this week where your only exercise was changing the channel on the television that stall your efforts. Be truthful with yourself and others if you're serious about losing weight.

I'll give you an example of my current truth. My truth is that I am a busy mom. My truth is that I have 4 young kids. My truth is that ever since adding our baby, I've had to make it a conscious effort to workout. I have to schedule my workouts. I have to make sure that my husband is available to watch the kids, because my baby is now mobile and almost walking, so I can't turn my back on her for even a second. My truth is that working out at home isn't an option anymore unless my husband is home because the baby doesn't sleep unless I'm next to her. So, I can no longer put her to bed and go workout. My truth is that I enjoy cooking healthy meals for our family. I love that my kids love veggies and eat healthy and that they ask "Is this organic?" My truth is that I have an autoimmune disease so I know that I have to work harder than most people to see results. And, my truth is that I know that and welcome the challenge. My truth is that I know I'm better than the junk food society tries to tell me is OK. And, I know that every day I workout I'm setting a better example for my kids and teaching them healthy habits. My truth is that I don't want to be a sick and overweight person because I love my kids and want to see them grow and be able to do active things with them.

Knowing my truth and being honest with myself helps me set limits with scheduling. It helps me to know that I need to ask my husband for help with the kids so I can workout. It helps me to know that pushing my limits is not only necessary but empowering. And, it helps me to not feel guilty for putting health and fitness first.

So, be honest with yourself first. What is your truth?