At the outset of any new diet, there are all sorts of doubts that flood one's mine. Is it real? Will I starve or can the food actually sustain me through the day? Is this actually healthy? Will this finally be the time I succeed? Searching the web will get you a dozen answers and a hundred alternatives. So when I was struggling to stay on track I turned to Weight Watchers - a name I'd long heard of. But I still wasn't sure it would work or what life would be like.
Until I found Roni's website. She's a young mom who's successfully beaten back her own fatty demons and looks fantastic for it. And she did it following Weight Watchers, which just goes to show it works, and in that she's an inspiration for me.
Roni's story starts much like mine. Struggling with weight during high school and all the more in college. Baggy clothes tried to hide it. She wished she were anorexic - longing for any solution at all. By the end of college she was heavier than she ever imagined she could be - which spurred her toward fighting that fat back by over 55 pounds with every fad diet that was popular at the time. Then pregnancy came.
By the time she gave birth she gained back all she'd lost plus 20 pounds. "The gain was significant, excessive for a pregnancy." She turned to Weight Watchers and followed the program exactly. "As long as I was journaling, eating my points with healthy foods, being honest about what I was eating and staying active I was losing. It was truly unbelievable."
In many ways, I see so much in Roni's story that I can learn from and take hope in. She started blogging to stay accountable and record her progress. She recorded everything she eats, even the bad stuff and even when she binged. She's learned to love exercise. And now she's using her site and its companion, GreenLiteBites, as an encouragement and guide for those of us on the same journey.
Of it all, the biggest thing I take away from Roni's story is her motivation.
I joined Weight Watchers and changed my attitude. I took it day by day and tried not to think of my long term goals. I started to think about healthy I wanted to be, not how thin I wanted to be. It was more about confidence than looks, long-term goals instead of fast fixes. ...
It was hard in the beginning, but after a few weeks, my habits and tastes started to change. It was a process, along process. In the end, I came up with this list:
- Own your accomplishments...
- Stop thinking about your ultimate goal...
- Dive in headfirst...
- Experiment...
- Get active...
- Take it one choice at a time...
- Be accountable...
Read more about her motivations, and dive into her website plus her new recipe site. You'll find a treasure-trove of inspiration and great recipes.
