I love it when people question me about how I stay fit and keep the weight off when every time they see me I am eating. 😀 And I admit, I DO eat a lot! And I eat about every 3 hours on average. The difference is WHAT I eat and how much I eat of it. I am working on a post for my blog that will be a general foods list of what my diet consists of(along with a few things that I personally do not care for, but that I would eat if I did). I may include a sample day of what I eat also if there is an interest for it.

You can’t build muscle without fuel, and if you don’t have lean muscle, even if you lose weight, you run a great risk of ending up “skinny fat”. Feed your body good, REAL food and exercise smart. After 37 years of trying every fad and starvation diet out there, I have found that this really is the ONLY true way to lose and keep off excess weight.

By the way…3 weeks in on the GF diet with only a few slip ups, and I am down 9#, which took away all the “mid section puffiness” that I had been experiencing that I could not seem to get rid of, AND I have only had one small cystic acne bump.  I do still have some other blemishes, but the painful cysts have all but disappeared.  It has been suggested to me that I try avoiding dairy for the rest of it, but I am going to work on one thing at a time. Give up bread and cheese all at once? I might lose my mind! LOL!

Which is a great segue to my next thought.  This is exactly why I say to make changes slowly. Tackle one thing at a time, and you have a greater chance at success.  Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change every unhealthy habit you have all at once.  That “all-or-nothing” way of thinking often leads to frustration, lack of confidence in what you are doing, and ultimately…giving up!

As a runner, I like to think of fitness progress in terms of my first 5k.

First, I was SCARED TO BITS!  But I signed up.  Step one

Then I showed up.  A forward step

Then I actually toed up to the starting line.  Another HUGE step forward

When the starting cannon went off, I started to put one foot in front of the other and no matter how many people passed me doing better than me, I just kept thinking, “They are running their race, you just keep running YOURS!”  We are all different, and we are all at different places in our life journeys, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share the same road and be motivated by each other.

After many walking breaks, but never giving up, soon there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  I could see the finish line.  I could feel the emotion welling up inside me.  I could feel my heart about to jump out of my chest.  I wanted this SO BAD!  I knew what it was going to take to accomplish this goal.  It was going to take a constant forward stride.  No looking back now.

Then, I crossed that finish line!  OH the emotion!  I was alone, and at first sad that I had no one to celebrate with.  Then I realized something….I DID THIS!  ME!  No one accomplished this goal for me.  Although I had supporters encouraging me, it was my consistent hard work, determination, and desire to see what the accomplishment of it all really felt like that had gotten me to that finish line.

Well, I am going to be honest with you.  The moment I crossed that finish line…I cried like a little girl with a skinned knee! *giggle*  The pride I felt in myself at that moment for finishing a 3.1 mile race was immeasurable, and I learned the value of celebrating victories that day.   I am the same way still to this day.  Each time I see a new muscle definition, or lift a heavier weight, or do one more push-up, or even finish another 5k, I make sure to be proud of EVERY step I take towards being the best ME I can be.

I hope this resonates with many of you who are struggling and questioning if it is all worth it.  It is!  But remember to celebrate EVERY step, not just the final step.  Because trust me, once you feel the accomplishment of what you think is the final step of your journey, you will realize that the journey to be healthy NEVER ends.  It is NOT a journey that goes from A to B, it is a journey that has many legs, and you will continue on it for a lifetime.  So enjoy it!  CELEBRATE EVERY ACCOMPLISHMENT!   EVERY DAY!

I will leave you with a picture that Mr Bentley’s mom took of me celebrating AS I broke 85 boards in one minute for my first ever board break-a-thon for Breast Cancer – Breaking Boards for the Cure at Legacy Martial Arts last month.