Big Girl Bombshell – Guest Post!

From previous comments, I know that many of you are with me in this weight loss journey. A fellow blogger asked me to help her learn how to cook by doing some guest posts, and I agreed–as long as she was willing to exchange some posts so that I could share just some of her wisdom with all of you! She too is on this journey, and I love how her blog is so inspirational. She’s all about living positively while you lose weight. She gave me the Bombshell Award yesterday and I’m so excited to share her guest post with you today.

The Local Cook and I will be trading blog spaces a couple of times a month.  One of the things about the weight loss journey is admitting we may have the answers, but putting those answers into everyday practice takes teamwork and support.  I have wanted to learn how to cook, really cook, for a long time. I have been pursuing this wish for about a year now.  I know how to follow a recipe, I know the basics, but I didn’t know how to combine tastes.  I wanted to bring out the natural flavors, to “intuitively” know how to “throw” things together, and how to create healthy enjoyable food.

Learning to cook for me is a bigger part of the process to my wanting to lose weight.  Wendy asked me to write about how to get started when the weight you need to lose seems insurmountable?  Simple, short answer; Just start!  Well, if it was that simple, we would all be losing weight, right?!!

If you are coming from a place of wanting to a healthy lifestyle compared to a diet just to lose weight, then you need to start building a NEW foundation.  If you are looking at the end goal only, it can seem daunting, overwhelming, and hard to get started.  Start at looking at things you want to add to your life, instead of what you want to lose.

I was at a point in my life, a couple years back, where everyone around me seemed to be getting weight loss surgery, following the biggest loser numbers, or preaching the praises of “fast” weight loss gimmicks.  I looked at that and then asked myself what I truly wanted.  Was it just a lower number on the scale?  Was it about being able to buy clothes that I felt good wearing?  No.. I truly wanted to live different.  I wanted to “feel” better, not just look better.   So, I asked myself, “What exactly is it that I want? Knowing deep, down somewhere inside, that the numbers on the scale do not define me.  I had to realize that I am unique in my set of circumstances, my experiences, and what has led me to this moment in my life.

I wanted off the dieting roller coaster.  So, what did I do first?  I put myself in the roller coaster ride for a moment.  Want to try it? Ask yourself: Do you like to sit up front? Do you like to sit with a friend or by yourself?  Do you like to sit in the back?  Do you even like roller coaster rides?  The up and down, twist and turn, sudden jerks, the uphill climb, the downward jolts.  Do you scream, hold your breath, close your eyes, or raise your hands with joy?  NOW look at your weight loss journey the same way.

What are you looking for? What does losing weight LOOK like to you?  What do you think will be different?  Wendy and I are on a similar path.  We want to change our lifestyle, not just lose weight. We both want to incorporate local, fresh grown foods and doing this the healthy way.  So what is that?

It depends on how you define and measure HEALTHY.  Is he just about the number on the scale? If not, ask yourself why you focus on that.  Is it about healthy eating? Is your focus on that or just low cal, no cal, products?  Is healthy eating about fresh, local foods or about “diet” foods?  Next, ask yourself, If healthy means local or fresh foods, do I know how to prepare them in a healthy way?  That is where I started and continue to focus.  I want to learn to cook in a way that blends good taste AND fresh foods.

I know for me, I want a healthier lifestyle, which means I have to blend, mix, and create this in ALL the areas of my life.  That means I have to look in the mirror beyond the weight or the image and decide what it is I want to move TOWARD, not just what I want to move away from.  That is a big part of setting goals so that we don’t become overwhelmed and bounce back and forth, up and down.  I got off the roller coaster for awhile and I am taking a long, leisurely stroll FORWARD.  That way, I am successful each and every day.

Now, it’s your turn.  Define what you are looking for?

And after your done, go to Big Girl Bombshell and check out The Local Cook Bombshell and what she has to say!