Weightloss basics

Hello I'm Phoenix and 5 years ago I used to weight 220lbs at 5'3 tall. Now, at age 31 I weight 173 lbs and have between 23 to 30lbs more to lose. Exciting stuff right? Getting to this point wasn't easy and this weight loss journey has been slow but recently picked up speed. If you're anything like me, you've probably tried and continue to look to the next best thing to make losing weight easier, faster and effective. Well I've created this blog to share my story and help others achieve their weight loss and healthy living goals. No need to worry about catchy statements that peaks the curiosity only to leave you with an up front cost with no guarantee that the product or advice really works. I will tell you everything I know, give you tips and recommendations that worked for me and most of all encourage you on your journey to a better you! Remember we are in this together, your success is mine and mine yours!

My size has always been a hidden issue for most of my life. I say size and not weight because size matters more to us than how much we weight. The sad part about being fat and young is that I felt helpless. I didn't know how to lose weight. I didn't know what foods to eat, what to avoid, how much I could eat, etc, etc. I thought losing weight was next to impossible if not an extreme sacrifice because it would mean eating foods that were gross, starving myself, and doing exercises that I absolutely hate, or couldn't even do. And so I used the excuse of being "big boned" as to why I was so big, shopped for men's pants and wore baggy shirts. I decided to hide my body since I was ashamed and couldn't do anything about it.

As a result of this shame and state of hopelessness, I neglected myself altogether. There was no sense of getting manicures, or pedicures; no sense is making an effort to be attractive because I wasn't. I wanted to be invisible to men and talked myself into believing that I was unattractive and no man would ever be interested in me. This limited belief had an impact on my social skills as well. I was a socially awkward young woman who had a very hard time letting people get to know the real me. Hell, I didn't know the real me. So I focused all my energy towards academics and building a career. Little did I know that everything would come to a head. I had very little self value and this reality began to show up in how others treated me. I was getting no where fast and soon I was stuck. There I was in my twenties broke in every way, letting life push me around like an empty can in a parking lot. I was screaming inside because I wanted a chance to live a life I always dreamed. To let go of my desires and settle was to unbearable to think of. All I needed was the opportunity. Well just as I asked, it was given and so I would like to give you this opportunity in return.

Although I have come a long way, I still have a ways to go in my weight loss and so I would like to not only share my journey with you, but some tricks of the trade and recommendations for those who are looking to lose weight, increase your energy naturally, or maybe just live a healthier life style. The awesome part about this all is that it's free! So here are a few basic steps you can start out with.

WEIGHT LOSS/HEALTHY LIVING BASICS:
Most of us think about doing something we know would improve our lives and we may try for a short period of time but then quit because we didn't get the results we wanted. If the results are not immediate then it's not working. This is so far from the truth, and furthermore isn't how you succeed in life period. Yet we Americans want what's convenient, the fastest and easiest way to achieve what we want. This is not how the health game is played. Consistency is the name of the game. Weight loss is simple but takes effort, time and sometimes hard work. So if you have been struggling to loose weight or live healthy ask yourself the following questions:

What are you willing to commit to?
Change is hard to accept sometimes. Realizing I needed to lose over 50 lbs as a young adult brought tears to my eyes because I knew it would be a long hard road. As I continued to avoid losing weight time still passed and life just got worse for me. After a year or two went by and I continued to desire looking and feeling better, I realized that if I could have made a couple of small changes, I would have lost weight by now. The change for you can be very minimal to start out. Maybe it's making an effort to drink more water, buying and eating more fruits and veggies that you like, or eating only whole wheat bread instead of white bread. If you have a bad day here and there, it's ok, just start over the next day. The point is to keep trying everyday no matter what, no matter if you fall off the wagon a day, a week, a month, keep trying and you will see results! No lie! Whatever you're willing to commit to, make your mind up and do it.

How does your body function?
I know this my sound like a strange question but there are a lot of people who have no clue what's going on with their body and believe their doctor is the one who should know. STOP LEAVING YOUR HEALTH SOLELY IN ANOTHER PERSON'S HANDS! No one should know your body better than you! This takes being aware of what you put in your mouth and how it affects you from food and drink to medication and supplements, etc. It's also being aware of how you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally and why. It takes asking yourself these questions, telling those you love around you, reading, doing research, and finding out what you can do to improve or prevent whatever condition you may have or be in danger of devloping. I reccommend "Smart medicine for Healthier Living." This is a great reference book to have in your library. It describes medical conditions in laymen's terms, list and describe conventional treatments, dietary guidelines, nutritional supplements and herbal treatments. It's a very comprehensive straight forward book and it's very inexpensive if you buy it through amazon. I recall paying less than $20.00 including shipping and handling.

What do you want to change?
Is it just weight you want to loose? Are there other symptoms you have that you would like to resolve? Know that diet and exercise is the cure to most if not all aliments and diseases, or at least dramatically improves it. The only way that diet and exercise fail is when the person fails to do it! So what's your condition? back problems? insomnia? ADHD? Diabetes? What improvements would you like to see? What physical limitations do you have and what would you like to be able to do?

Answer these questions thoughtfully because this is your life we're discussing. A better life starts with you and so this is serious business until next post!!!