So I was looking back at a post from July 18th titled, I Cannot Go Out to Eat with You Because I am Fat and I thought about how important this post was at that time in my life because I was 1 month into my weight loss journey. At that time, I did not have the tools I have acquired over the course of the last 9 months or 274 days (who is counting?). That one post was so critical to my success because friends, food, and restaurants are always going to be a part of my life unless I become a hermit who stops eating and never comes out of my house. I had to retrain my mind to be successful at home as well as in the world. So what changed in me because of that post? Well the first thing is that I admitted I had a problem; my problem was not overeating ( I had already identified that problem which is why I started my journey), my problem was learning how to socialize and manage my food. It meant saying to my friends I am really wanting this to happen in my life and there are going to be some things I just cannot do which includes Mexican Restaurants (cue Angels singing here). I had to admit that I had let my fatness rule too long in my life and I was doing something about it. Here is the thing my friends supported me 100% which meant scheduling time with Angie was not easy for them and for that I have to say a Big Thank You to my Friends and Family for holding me accountable when it would have been easy not to. Here is the deal for those of you in middle of a weight-loss journey or just starting your journey I am going to provide you with some important tips that will get you through:
- Tell your Friends that you have a goal and that you will need to be active and not have everything revolve around food (If they are your friends, they will get their pom poms, and cheer you on)
- Eat before you go out (It is cheaper, you control what you are eating, and you get to socialize more)
- If you travel, make better choices. Demand more of the restaurants that you frequent. Did you know you can tell the restaurant how to prepare your food? Tell them prepare your food without butter and all the junk that creates fat, sodium, and calories that you do not need to consume. Be that person who is a picky eater, it is okay it is your health. Remember that Healthy Nut salad might as well be a brownie- just saying.
- Have a Plan- bring your food with you! Ask restaurants to prepare your meal (now most will not heat up your food for you because it is a Health Code issue) but some will- call ahead and say I am on a dietary restriction (You are , you are fat and should not be eating their food)
- Have a Plan B- find a microwave- be resourceful. By gum at a minute mart and cook your food there and then take it to the restaurant. If you are traveling, go to the grocery by healthy snacks, and heat them in the microwave at the hotel- most have them even if they are not in your room.
Edamame is so much healthier than chips- and is any frozen food isle. - Develop a Boldness! Accept no other answer than what is right for your health. If losing weight is important, you will not waiver you will find a way.
Saturday Night after church we went to Logan’s to meet some friends ( Now this story should not keep you from going to Logan’s they were following the law and I respect that and hold nothing against them). So we walked into the restaurant and asked if they could heat up my food, they said no. Tim looked at me and was like now what? The old Angie probably would have pouted, possibly thrown a fit, or made a scene. I know that my diet and eating habits are not the Restaurant Manager’s problem, nor is it my husbands, so I had to have enough within me to evaluate how hungry I was. I was pretty hungry so I said to Tim lets go to Citgo up the road and I will heat my food up there. The restaurant was on a wait, so our friends stayed we drove up the road where I heated my food up between the Beef Jerky and Monster Energy Display. You see the Angie from the post on July 18 had to say the problem, but the Angie today had to solve the problem and be disciplined enough to live the goal set in June of 2011.
So I will end with this, if your goal is to lose weight, ask yourself how bad do you want to lose weight?
- Do you want it so bad that you would not comprise your goal?
- Do you want it so bad that you will be in awkward situations and may have to leave a restaurant to go heat up your food?
- Do you want it so bad that even those days you do not feel like working out, you will?
- Do you want it so bad that you are all in?
Wrapping up- I lost 2lbs this week, and with that I will leave you with this quote from Thomas Jefferson and a tip from Angie Davis-
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Tip- Swap being a victim to being a person that is empowered. See yourself as an example, someone is looking to you do the right thing and by not letting your yes be yes and your no be no- it says it is okay to live in the gray area.
