I was writing to a dear friend who is in the same boat as I am with weight. She was telling me why she wasn't totally on plan (not the best excuses), and it inspired me to write this to her. As I was writing, I realized this was more to ME than to her.

Okay, I'm going to channel my inner Jillian/Bob for this....

As you stated below, you know what to do. You've got the knowledge, the tools, the support....

Just DO IT. NO MORE EXCUSES. This has to be a PERMANENT change for us. Cycle or no cycle, injury or no injury, we HAVE TO DO THIS. No more "trying"--this is literally DO OR DIE.

Watching TBL last night reminded me how important health is. Those people on there are really, really sick. As am I. As are you.

If you were sick with some sort of disease, and you had a magic pill or treatment that would cure you, would you give excuses as to why you didn't take it? **** NO! You would take the pill and not think twice about it!!
So why, when we know so much about nutrition and exercise, do we NOT do it??

This is it for us. If we keep going at the rate we are going, we may not make it to 50.

I don't want to sound mean or pushy, but I really care about you and KNOW you can do this!!

Let's do this together, friend!!

Jen

Sometimes it takes a loud noise such as truth from a wonderful friend to make us really hear. We've spent our lives "translating" information using our fat ears. Things like eating when no one is watching, salad at lunch with friends and yummy stuff when we get home. It's time to let our ears do the hearing and let our minds take a rest from translating. I've been translating since I was 15. It's exhausting. It's wonderful that you can hear the truth now. You know what they say, the trust shall set you free. Be free to be better. I've just started, and I catch myself translating every day. Best wishes to you and your friend.

As I was reading this, I kinda had an a-ha moment as well.

You wrote:

Of course we know there is no "magic pill" to rid us of obesity, but there most certainly IS a way out of it. And of course that would be - eating well and exercising in order to create a calorie deficit. No need to rely on "magic pills".

Your friend is lucky to have you. I hope she takes from it the same thing I did.

That is great. Truly inspiring! I needed that today. Even though it wasn't meant for me lol I got a lot out of it! Thank you!

Well said, Jen. It isn't about crazy diets or some magic number you magically see on a scale. It REALLY is about making better choices for your body and all other good things will follow that--including weight loss.

ETA: That being said, if I can look smokin' hot in a halter, heels and low-rise this summer, I would be WAY okay with that. LOL

I was really, really sick a year ago when I finally decided to do something about it. I felt exactly like you describe in your post: Do Or Die! I was waking up in the morning with numb hands and feet and feeling like I was trying to pull myself out of a coma. My mom was dieing of diabetes and I was pretty sure I had it too. It really is a do or die situation! You are right, you have the answer, not a magic pill, but the way out of the situation. It's amazing how wonderful I feel now, one year later. You CAN do this, it is so worth it! It's not just about looking good anymore. It's about your health and quality of life. All the yummy sweet treats I used to eat are not comparable in any way to how wonderful I feel now. I can run if I want to. I have so much energy. I don't worry about going to sleep at night and not waking up the next morning. You can do it too, and so can your friend! I wish you the best!

I thought that was a really good letter you wrote to your friend. (A little rough, but true) It was good for me too!! You're right, we know all the information all we have to do is DO IT! That's the point I'm at right now. If I want to see the results I have to DO IT! I know it can be done. I've read alot of success stories on this board. I want to be one of those stories

Great advice!

Now practise what you preach! You can do it! xx

In the ministry world they say a sermon is only a GOOD sermon if it convicts yourself first.............I would say you have a great sermon

Well written! Thank you for sharing it!

Wow, what a great letter Jen. I'm sure you have inspired a lot of people today. The truth is, we can lose weight to fit in smaller jeans, ride on roller coasters, etc., but none of those are the most important thing. Our health is. So a great letter for a friend, but a great letter for yourself too. We need to be our own friends and encourage ourselves and be kind to ourselves, but also kick our own rears. Support is important but at the end of the day, I live in my own body and I need to take good care of it so it lasts. What do we have if our body is broken?

Yes!! We should all become our OWN best friends. Wouldn't that be something? Treat ourselves how we would treat our best friend. Or maybe we should all just "adopt" ourselves. And then maybe, just maybe, we'd take care of ourselves the way that we would take care of our own children. Or for that matter, anyone elses child.

This is true of me as well. I had the numbness in my hands and feet too. And finally, FINALLY, I looked at it as a matter of "life or death". I was CERTAIN it was just a matter of time before I got some dreaded totally avoidable disease or G-d forbid dropped dead of a massive heart attack.

And even if none of those things ever occured, I was STILL dying. Worrying about those things is enough to kill any one. And even taking the worrying out of the equation - I was not living a full life, the life I was intended to. I was not living up to my full potential. Not even close. And if we're not living, well then surely we must be dying.

And there's no reason for it. All because of some food? Food? Food? FOOD?

Sorry, I got a little carried away there. This is a very emotional topic for me.

Robin, eating well and exercising IS the "magic pill" as far as I'm concerned!

My friend is just like so many women I know--always giving of herself first to everyone else and putting herself LAST on her priority list. I hope she remembers that she can't give from an empty well--that she has to fill herself up in order to give. (Oprah said all of this on her show Monday...)

So, we should be always forgiving, comforting, encouraging and supportive...to ourselves?! Yeah, why not? I'm all of these things to everyone else, but am horrible to myself. This must end.

That was my a-ha moment! Thank you robin



Jen...I think your letter was great and your friend is very luck to have you by her side. I hope she puts your words of wisdom so to speak, to great use.