DAY 1 - EXPECT SUCCESS

DAY 1 of the Grant County Indiana GREAT WEIGHT OFF Community Challenge begins TODAY!

If you signed up, CONGRATULATIONS for making this commitment to take charge of your health! I am so excited to be taking this journey with you. Below are a few things that will help us prepare for success!

GETTING STARTED
Before we start any journey, we need to know where we are at and where we are going. Where are you at mentally, physically, spiritually? Are you ready for a change, a transformation, and to live your healthiest life? If you are ready, you are in the right place because Julie and I are definitely ready to get in shape and live our best life and we are 100% committed to helping you too!

I am starting by identifying my GOALS and visualizing myself having already accomplished those goals. I want to be healthy, and have abundant energy, I want to be able to climb stairs two at a time without getting winded, I want to feel comfortable in my skin and clothes.

Specifically, I want to be as close to my idea weight for my height as I can get by this time next year, which is about 150 lbs away from where I am now. If I look at this big goal as a whole, it will overwhelm me and I will get discouraged if I don't see progress fast enough (I know this because it has happened several times), so I have to break it down into small achievable steps. I got great advice from Carolynn Lovejoy, who lost over 100 lbs, overcame depression, and is a professional fitness coach. She said to focus on only 10 lbs at a time and reward yourself each time you reach a 10 lb goal. I love that idea and plan to take her advice during this Challenge and beyond. I think it will help me stay motivated and on track.

What is your goal for this challenge? What rewards will you give yourself for achieving your goals?

TAKE "BEFORE PICTURES" AND MEASUREMENTS
The next step after identifying where you want to go is where you are at. How much do you weigh right now? What is your BMI and body measurements (neck, chest, arms, waist, hips, thighs, calves)?

I am starting by taking my "before" pics, weighing in, and taking all my measurements. I record this info in a three-ring binder that I keep and on MyFitnessPal.

Do you use MyFitnessPal? I highly recommend it. Not only is it a progress tracking tool, it is one of the best apps for recording your food and nutrient intake. And, it has a social media component to it too so we can encourage each other with our daily habits and progress. Here is a link to my page. I invite you to join me there too! www.myfitnesspal.com/user/kgerstorff/status

REMOVE JUNK FOOD
If you haven't done it already, the next step is to get the junk food out of your space. If you have chips, candy, ice cream, sugary cereal and other highly processed foods around, you will be fighting an uphill battle. If you want to do everything you can to stay on track, start here!

My husband is a junk food junkie who has no intention of changing his ways. He feels like he has cheated death many times and is living on borrowed time, so he eats what he wants when he wants. That's his choice. I do not judge him for it. We all have to come to the conclusion to take care of our health on our own, but when we are ready, the best way to win is to make sure the odds are in our favor. So, I asked my husband to take his junk food to his "man cave" which is a separate locked room that would take great effort for me to go into. This out of sight out of mind concept has worked very well for me. I don't see it and don't think about it.

PLAN AND PREPARE MEALS
Pick a day to plan and prepare your meals for the week. I do this on Sundays. I usually make a big crockpot full of vegetable soup and put it into individual containers for a quick lunch during the week. Veggie soup freezes well too! Today I am also making SALAD IN A JAR. See my next post for the recipe.

What do you plan to eat this coming week? What meals can you prepare in advance?

SUPPORT
Please email Julie and I at juliehkathyg@gmail.com if you signed up for the challenge and we will add you to our private Facebook group and keep you posted about upcoming meetups and events.

GET YOUR DOCTOR'S OK!
Before you begin any type of exercise program or change your nutrition, you should always check with your doctor first. It's also a good idea to get a blood test and wellness screening to see how well your nutrient levels improve when you start eating clean and exercising.

EXPECT SUCCESS
If you believe you will fail, you will. If you believe you will win, you will. The choice is yours. I expect success!

Kathy Gerstorff
www.facebook.com/expectsuccess