The Journey

I've been seeing a lot of encouragement lately for people to keep public weight loss blogs/journals and I'm all for it.  But only to a certain extent.  The people who have the most to "lose" are not often the most open about it.  They have been ridiculed enough and had enough times when they have tried, and failed per them, at their goal.

So I see certain people I follow on twitter that I also respect are telling everyone - have a weight loss journey blog.  Write it all down.  Get it out there.  Tell everyone.  I'm in the business and I know I don't want to tell everyone my goal, my recent decision,what I want most in this world.  I know, that last one sounds extreme but what do YOU really want?  Do you want to tell me?  If not, why not?  Fear of failure or just that you don't know me and you're uncomfortable?  Think about it for a few seconds......

Easy for me to say - but how do you FEEL about it all?  Are you confident in letting people in?  I've been overweight and I wasn't confident in letting people in on the fact that 1. I knew I was overweight and 2. I really, really wanted it to change.  Weird thing for me?  I had been a collegiate athlete.  I have been an athlete my entire life.  At one point I'm pretty sure my Mom was confused as to what the hell was happening.  I remember asking her once if something made me look fat (knowing I was heavy but what can you do at that moment?) and she said "it doesn't make you look fat".  Good Mom.  She didn't lie but it wasn't what I was asking.
Years later, I would say about two, when I was more fit I was laughing about how worried I was about that night and it  all came out during that mom/daughter conversation.  I was basically told it wasn't the outfit that made me look fat, it was me.  I was fat.  I was upset but I knew she was right.  I'd been an athlete - collegiate athlete even - my entire life.  This carrying weight was new and I didn't know what to do.  What did i know?  Work out.
Eventually, to make a long story short, working out did a lot, but not everything.  Lifting and cardio was enough during my 20's and I loved it.  As I hit 30/32 I actually hit "the wall".  Yes, the metabolism thing everyone talks about is true.  It might hit you at 28, 30, 33 - but it WILL hit and does.  If you haven't found out by the time it hits you (which obviously I hadn't) FOOD is IT.
Food is such a major component of how we look.  Some professionals believe it is 80% of how we look, others believe it to be 90%.  Either way the industry realizes, as do food marketers, that we really are what we eat and the majority of people have no idea how to really eat for what they want.  Food companies woo us with health foods that contain more chemicals than we knew existed, how can that possibly be healthy?  I know, with all the contradicting studies out there how can you know.  Find someone to help you.  Research it on your own, ask questions of professionals in the fitness and health/nutrition industry.  They are happy to help dispel myths and guide you.  I am constantly still asking questions and researching what foods and substitutes are best for me and what I want from my body.  You just have to want to know, then go find the answer.