Using your whole ass...

I used to be much heavier. Now I am thinner. I now have a much clearer view of all the mistakes I used to make, but hindsight is 20/20 and it’s much harder to see your own flaws as you are flawing them. Here are what I believe to be my biggest mistakes:

Refusing to own the state of my body.
"I had three kids and three c-sections - you can‘t expect me to bounce right back. "

"Many of my family members struggle with weight too - it must be genetic."

"I really do try to eat well - it’s not fair how some people can eat anything they want and still be skinny. "

"I do exercise - I’m just not getting any results."

Excuses.
"I coughed the other day, I’m probably fighting off a cold - wouldn’t want to deplete my immune system by working out. "

"I’m so exhausted from working and mothering and housekeeping - I need my rest."

"I feel really down today - I need a treat to make myself feel better."

"Looking in the mirror, I don’t look that bad. Lots of people look worse than I do.

"My problem areas are disfunctional. There’s nothing I can do about them."

Making half-assed attempts.

I started going to boot camp twice a week. But I took lots of rests and used only the lightest weights. My strength did improve, but I really didn’t make any headway.

I went to step-aerobics twice a week too, but did just the bare minimum. Then I wondered why I wasn’t losing much weight.

I tried to eat healthier, lower calorie food. But still had lots of treats and hefty portions at meals.

I thought I was doing all I could to change my body, but I really didn’t want to change my habits.

Now I’m using my whole ass. When I decided to get serious, I set myself a set of goals and drastically changed all my habits.

Goal 1: Work out twice a day, everyday, for 30 minutes. I varied the workouts to include aerobics and strength, some in classes, some on my own.

Goal 2: Eat smaller portions. I was hungry at first, but I could distract myself from it.

Goal 3: Eliminate treats and unhealthy foods. I don’t need dessert after meals, I don’t need snacks before dinner or before bed.

Goal 4: Avoid “diet” foods. It’s tempting to eat the aspartame treats and calorie free sodas, but in the long run it doesn’t help.

Goal 5: Utilize self motivators to help me stay on track.

Goal 6: If I “slip up” and miss a workout, or eat something bad for me, I forgive myself and move on. I won’t get discouraged or give up.

I did these things for 6 months and lost 25 lbs. I made it to my goal weight in that time. Since then, I’ve lost further weight and modified my workouts to increase intensity. But I still am focusing on these goals and still have to keep myself on track, even after more than a year. I have now lost 35 lbs and have surpassed my goal weight.

My Lesson For Today: Half-assed doesn’t work. To get what you want, you have to set yourself your own goals and use your whole ass in working toward them.