Now, looking back at my journey with weight-loss and lifestyle change I see things differently than I ever had before…
When I started my journey, everything felt so hard. I focused so much on what I was losing, the friends that didn’t understand, the activities I felt I couldn’t participate in, the nights I chose water over vodka. At first it just felt like this big ball of FOMO (fear of missing out) on EVERYTHING. I remember many nights (in college) when my roommates were upstairs drinking and partying and I was in my room researching exercises and reading other’s blogs.
What I did not know at that point in time was the freedom I was creating for myself.
I am grateful that I stayed so consistent through the ‘hard-times’ (these were not hard, it was my mindset that made it feel so) because the freedom I have created in my life now is more abundant than ever. If you know what it’s like to be in a body that you feel isn’t ‘yours’ than you will relate to this. At the time, all I saw was the freedom I was losing, and it was grieving process, as any loss in life will be whether we choose to recognize it or not.
However, every loss that I felt has ten-folded into exponential amounts of freedom that I now experience. I wish I could go back and give myself a hug, tell myself how beautiful the life I was creating would be, because in those moments of hard I had no idea what to look forward to. This is the freedom I have created….
The freedom to ‘throw’ on clothes and feel beautiful in whatever I am wearing
The freedom to go to the beach and actually walk around in a bikini not caring what others think
The freedom to go out in public wearing less than a full face of makeup
The freedom to eat foods I like without guilt
The freedom to FEEL vibrant, healthy, alive and energized
The freedom to let go of those people and relationships that no longer serve me
The freedom to put on a little black dress and actually feel sexy
The freedom of CHOICE, to be dictated by me and ONLY me, not my friends or environment
The freedom to be my damn self and not care what others think.
I now understand that every time I said ‘no’ to the things, foods, events, and people that no longer served me and my best interest, I was saying a big FUCK YES to all of these freedoms. And guess what, I’m exponentially happier now than I was then.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I hear it all the time, I hear my clients complain of the hardships that lifestyle change brings about. And sometimes I just want to shake them and say..
Look at everything you are creating. You are becoming all you want to be, these losses will mean nothing in a year, the person you become will mean everything!
There are so many more freedoms that are created through these changes, why? Because what you do in one area of life seeps into all the other areas. I see it all the time, when people get a hold of their nutrition and exercise, suddenly their relationships, finances, and career all improve exponentially… because they now see the power they have over their lives and the difference their small habits can make.
If you only hold on, just a little more than you think you can and have faith that things will go in your favor
they will.
