Online Magazine sharing weight-loss stories in April edition

If you have done the Body-for-LIFE Challenge for a few weeks or more, you probably have a story to tell that will inspire another person to take control of his or her own life and find fitness. And a myth about weight-loss is that people only want to hear about it when you are “done” losing weight (whenever that is!).

Your story is inspiring if you are losing weight now or if you lost it several months or years ago! There is somebody out there who feels how you felt before you lost weight. And the tragedies and triumphs you encountered in that time are just what that person needs to make their own decision to change. When they hear your story, you have opened the door for them to feel how you feel today. Something triggered you to get in shape. Maybe you can be that trigger for someone else.

I hope you will share with me and other Start Today Fitness members what “chapter” you are on in your weight-loss story by submitting your comments below.

I also heard about an online magazine recently that is looking for weight-loss stories. I just shared my story with Keeping Families First and sure do hope they choose to feature it. And I hope they feature YOURS, too!

Here is the story I submitted:

> Exercise_regimen: Body-for-LIFE. Cardio 3 x’s/week for 20 minutes with
> interval intensities. Weight lifting 3 times per week, reaching highest
> at least once intensity in each set.
>
> Diet_employed: Body-for-LIFE. I eat 6 properly-proportioned meals each
> day, one meal every 2.5-3 hours.
>
> Sample meals: 4 oz chicken breast + 1/3 cup rice, lean hamburger patty
> and one whole wheat bun, 4 oz orange roughy and 1/3 cup brown rice.
> Vegetables at two meals each day.
>
> Biggest_struggles: Tuning out the voices of those unknowingly trying to
> throw me off-track. I found that my friends liked me the way that I was,
> and when I began to change, it took the a while to change with me. They
> would ask why I was so strict with my diet, how in the world I could eat
> 6 times a day, why I would choose to go for a run instead of accompany
> them to the bar for a drink, why I wouldn’t share that dessert with them,
> what would be the big deal if I skipped one workout, etc.
>
> Overcame_struggles_by:: I set my goals and reviewed them daily, in fact,
> many times each day. I had to hear my own good messages more than I hear
> the ones attempting to derail me. Over time, I also recruited several
> friends and family members who are also still living healthier today. I
> also had to “shed some friends.” Those who continued to try to pull me
> down became more and more distanced over time. Hear more of our story and
> get helpful advice on www.StartTodayFitness.com
>
> Words_of_encouragement: Start Today. I hear so many people say they are
> going to start after the holidays, or at new years, or after the kids go
> to school, or after they get that new job. Those are all excuses and
> clever delay tactics to avoid doing what needs to be done. TODAY, stand
> in front of a mirror, strip down your clothes, stand there naked
> (undergarmets are acceptable). If you don’t like what you see, Start
> Today. Take some photos and get them developed or print them out
> immediately. Not only is this a good reminder to stay on track, it is a
> good benchmark so that you can look back and be proud of your progress.

If you have a weight-loss story that you would like to tell, I hope you will share it with me here on Start Today Fitness by submitting your comment below. I hope you will also go to Keeping Families First. You never know who you will inspire and where they will hear your story!

Have a GREAT Body-for-LIFE Weekend -
Tami