Spoiler Alert: Ya Gotta Make Sacrifices!

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but if you think that making life altering changes on how you eat will not include making a few sacrifices than I'm here to put a fly in your cake batter!

On theme with this weeks WW meeting, saying "No" to something doesn't need to always have a negative connotation. Sometimes you need to remember what you are getting is worth more than what you are giving up. It can be hard to put into perspective when looking it at from the other side of the scale. I found that as the number began to drop, albeit slowly, I started to understand that the little sacrifices I was making added up to large gains. If you want to start making a change to your lifestyle without actually making any changes!?, I got news for ya...it doesn't work that way. Weight doesn't come off just because you want it to. Even if you want it really really badly. You have to want it and you have to do something about it....every day! Sound daunting? It is! Full Stop! But, it's worth every step and milestone along the way.

Little story, I recently met a lovely lady in a shop, she was asking my opinion on a sweater she was buying so I told her how great the colour looked on her etc. She was younger than me by a few years, very attractive, in my opinion, and on the heavier side of 250 lbs. Within a 10 minute conversation she had confessed to being embarrassed about her weight and unfortunately she also mentioned that her daughter was terribly ashamed of her weight so much so that she wanted her mother to lose 20 lbs before attending said daughter's engagement party. I tried to reassure her that no child would ever be ashamed of their parent for carrying a little extra "padding" and my heart ached for her. She went on to say that she felt she was too old to start losing weight and how incredibly hard it is as we get older. Now, I don't normally tell my story to random strangers, however I wanted to reassure this woman that she can be whatever she sets her mind to. I told her of my weight battle and that nothing need stop her from her health goals. So I have laid out the story for you to this point, this woman was unhappy, complaining about her weight, sad about her daughters shame and disappointment in her to the point that she MUST lose weight before attending her engagement party and as soon as I mentioned "it's possible, you can do this" and that's pretty much all I said.... the story does a 180 from here forward because this woman's "Just's" started. I call them "justs" short for justifications, because the rest of the conversation went something like this:

• I mentioned joining WW, she said "they had no meetings were she lived"

• I mentioned joining WW online and virtual meetings, she said "it wasn't for her"

• I mentioned going out for some leisurely walks with a friend, "she said she had no friends or neighbours near by"

• I mentioned going for a quick walk on her own with some headphones, "she said she didn't like walking on her own"

• I mentioned using the stairs in her house, even starting a few at a time and maybe a light stretching YouTube video, "she said she has a bungalow and doesn't like doing video exercise"

• I asked if sugary things were a problem, what could you slowly give up or cut back on, "she said I don't think I can, I like my desserts too much"

.....

Are you getting my point? This was all within a short conversation..and this lovely lady introduced the weight conversation with me "how did you do it? Losing all that weight at your age in life? And you were much heavier than me to begin with, WOW?"

No one is saying that you have to do anything about your size or weight - just because you don't feel happy at this moment or a family member reminds you daily that you need to lose some pounds, does not mean you are ALL IN ready. All of these emotions can make you body image conscious and leave you feeling unworthy at times but not necessarily READY to make a life affirming commitment to losing weight. Let's face it, it's bloody hard work and if any new cool App or plan or 90-day guaranteed no brainer "eat all you like" easy peasy BullShit Skinny Bitch in Lycra Lulu's is touting Easy Street - she's full of BEANS folks! The only easy thing about dieting is how to spell the word, asides from that...it's hard work but if there is ONE thing that I do know is that WOMAN ARE BUILT FOR HARD WORK (and most of the Men in my life too), so what's there to be afraid of is my question? Instead of doing this hard work for someone else - Do it for yourself!! The results are real! The results have ripple effects beyond your wildest dreams. Personally I am still learning so much about myself, the changes I have made to my eating habits, new cooking techniques, new foods and seasonings, and so on. I love to cook, mainly because I love to eat so I like to make cooking fun...the fun wanes at times like most things we tire but my end goal always remains in focus.

To be honest when I started I was excited and gung-ho then it petered out a bit but I didn't lose site of the "carrot at the end of the stick" because this time I had made the decision to not start a "diet plan" but rather embrace a whole new way of eating, not giving up everything I love to eat but still make a commitment. There is a saying in Genovese which I am sure exists in every language including English, that goes: "You cannot Breathe In and Breathe Out at the same time". In English it's aptly interpreted as; You can't have your cake and eat it too. You are going to have to choose what it is you want and make a promise to that. Or just eat the cake and live with the crumbs!

Baby steps are paramount - adapting to all new habits and ways of thinking, from cooking to how you grocery shop or accept dinner invitations with friends. It is all one big learning curve which requires hard work and the ability to garner patience with ourselves which takes practice. What's that great phrase? Focus On Progress, Not Perfection...Wise words. We can aim for perfection, why not? But don't obsess about it, know your end goal and if you slip up and find yourself licking the creamy white filling inside of an Oreo cookie...STOP and grab a Kleenex and spit that Shit out!...that my friends is called Empowerment = and trust me it tastes better than any Cake!