My apologies for this not getting posted yesterday…I spent around 5 hours helping my cousin move a pair of refrigerators….
When I started this site, I wanted it to be two-fold. I wanted to start something where I could track my progress and keep myself accountable. I also wanted anyone that happened to stumble upon the site to be able to see that if I could lose weight, anyone can.
Just like thousands of others, I have attempted to lose weight before, many times. This is easily the most successful run that I’ve ever had. Through about six months, and with six months left, I’ve lost 38 pounds.
Having said that, I really have no idea how this whole thing works. I can’t find a pattern to why some weeks I’ll lose just a pound or two and others I’ll lose six, especially following a week where I actually gained weight. Thankfully, I haven’t had too many of those, but there have been a couple where I’ve simply stayed the same.
Some weeks I’ll think I did horrible, I’d gone out to lunch for work or I had a big dinner one night or simply snacked than I should have, and I’ll end up dropping four or five pounds. Other weeks, I’ll feel pretty good about and only lose one pound or no weight at all. I simply can’t decipher any rhyme or reason to this whole weight loss thing.
I can, however, formulate some theories as to what has led me to be successful (at this point…) this time around. So, in the interest of trying to share what I think I’ve learned, I’m going to do one monthly blog called Strategery, that summarizes the things I’ve done differently.
I’ve titled part one Goals and Accountability, because I honestly think that’s the biggest factor to losing weight. Let me take that back. Having a goal and keeping yourself accountable is the biggest factor in being successful in any walk of life. For me, I want that success to come in the form of major weight loss. For now, it’s working out.
Everyone that wants to lose weight always sets a goal. Most of the time that goal is simply to lose weight. I’ve done that in the past before as well. You want to lose weight, you diet for a couple weeks and eventually wind up eating your way through the menu at Jack In The Box.
There was a goal set, but it was very vague. There was no starting point and no end in sight. This time, I had a goal in mind. I wanted to lose weight before my wedding. The wedding had a date and I knew how much time I had until I got there. There was a definite start and a definite end. It was very specific and very tangible.
I will add that I had a wake-up call that led me to be more serious about my weight loss, and for me it was purely cosmetic. I was a part of my cousin’s wedding last summer, so I had to get a tuxedo. It was a H-U-G-E tuxedo, and I couldn’t believe that it was me when I saw the pictures. I saw what my wedding pictures were going to be…and it wasn’t pretty. Something had to be done.
So I came to the conclusion that I needed to lose weight before the wedding. I realized long before then that I wanted to lose weight, but this was the first time that I really went ‘you need to do this.’ I was unhealthy, I had horrible eating habits and I needed to change my life.
That change came with goals. I had a date (June 6), then I set a goal weight I would be comfortable with when that date rolled around (200 lbs.). At that point, I could set a weekly goal (2 lbs.) and map out exactly how far I had to go (97 lbs.) as well as track my weekly progress. I could see the whole thing unfolding in front of me, and for the first time, the prospect of losing weight was actually exciting.
But I knew it was going to be a hard, long road ahead (That’s what she said…). No matter how excited I was, I had to remain committed. Luckily, I had a great fiancee to help me along the road, but even so, I had to remain accountable. I had to find a way to make sure I lived up to the expectations I set for myself, and I still do. I have a long way to go.
Luckily for me, I’m a writer. That’s what I love to do, so it was an easy decision: start a blog. That way, you have to let the public (all three of you that read this…) know exactly what you’re doing. If you mess up, if you let down, you have to tell your story exactly how it happened. You can lie and say ‘I lost 38 lbs.,’ because anyone that knows you that reads this will be able to call you out. That’s exactly what I needed.
Now, that’s just what works for me. Writing is something I love, but someone else my get physically ill at the thought. It doesn’t matter how you keep yourself going, just that you find a way to keep yourself on the track to success.
I think that’s the second biggest factor, accountability. Keeping yourself on target is essential in anything, not just weight loss. No matter what you’re striving for, you have to set your sights on something and keep yourself on the right path in order to get there. That’s what I did this time, and so far it’s worked out. I promise I’ll blog until my fingers fall off if it means I’ll hit my goal in June.
Yes, I did just list out my top two factors for successfully losing weight, neither of which had anything to do with food or exercise. Those things are crucial, but like I said earlier, eating right and exercising will come to an end. You need to know exactly why you’re doing this. You need to have a goal, and you need to keep yourself accountable. That’s the path to success, no matter what your goal is.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never be able to get where you need to be.
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