Meet Classy Fit Gal ~ Melissa

SW: 243.6 |  CW: 198 |  GW: 170

"How does one overcome a lifelong weight battle?"

So many women want the magic pill to that answer. We want the quick fix to bad habits that we have spent a lifetime building and reinforcing…over…and over! 

Food has always been my source for everything…you name the emotion…food went with it.  Over 10 years ago, I was introduced to a weight loss program that taught me how to only eat when I was hungry, stop when I was full, and determine what areas in my life I was running to food instead of running to God when it came to my problems.  

I lost close to 30 lbs and of course gained it all back like all of the other times.  But the concepts I learned never left me and that is when God and I began to have ongoing conversations throughout the years regarding my weight and why was I running to food instead of running to Him? 

"It would be years later that I finally reached
my breaking point."

Don’t get me wrong, throughout all of the years that followed I lost weight…plenty of it…I would lose 10 lbs…gain it back…15 lbs…gain it back…EVEN 20 lbs and GAIN…IT…BACK!!! Ugh- somebody shoot me!  

I got so sick and tired of seeing the same goals on different sheets of paper, and in my journals, over and over again that went back years!!! I couldn’t take it anymore.  I knew there was a call and vision for my life that would not allow me to just be a goal setter.  I needed to be a goal achiever in order to inspire other women. 

So one day I decided, I wasn’t going to give up, not matter how long it took, no matter if I messed up or not, I WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE UP!!!! I lost the "I need to get it all off in 30 days" attitude and in August 2012 after already maintaining a 15 lb loss for some months, I went for the, “How do I change my lifestyle?” and "How do I learn how to eat in a way that is sustainable?” Not a quick a fix, not a fad, but a long-term solution that would stick with me forever! 

So here’s what I did and here’s what I do in hopes to help guide you on your journey.

I surround myself around people that live the lifestyle that I want and I learn from them.  By watching them they taught me skills to eliminate excuses. By watching and learning from them, they have taught me the skills needed to elimiate excuses. 

1. Take my lunch to work
2. Plan my meals for the entire week
3. Prep my work  AND work out clothes for the week
4. Pack my work out clothes the night before AND put them in the car
5. Plan a workout schedule for the week - this eliminates guess work

I always have a fitness goal ahead of me! Whether its learning how to swim to do a sprint triathlon, training for a half marathon, or doing any other type of race throughout the year.

I have a wellness coach.  Not everyone needs one but I did.  After I lost about 20 – 25lbs, I wanted the accountability and needed some more help on the nutrition side 

I cut out fast foods and even for a while could not eat at restaurants until I had enough self-control to order healthy items off the menu like a salad or a protein and veggie instead of my normal burgers, fries, and soda 

I gave away my scales and came up with a weigh-in system that worked for me.  After playing this game for years, it was no longer about the number, I was determined not to get discouraged if I didn’t have a loss, if I went up by 1lb or only down by 1lb.  I wanted and needed a lifestyle change not an emotionally-filled weight loss game with the scale.  

I often times workout with others  and have accountability partners that know my goals and we can call/text others all the time. 

I watched documentaries like forks over knives and fat, sick, and nearly dead to learn how to “eat clean”.  

So as I write this over 40+ pounds lighter than when I first started this journey, I can honestly say that I have learned lifelong skills that will be with me forever.  

I am at the smallest I have been in over 10+ years and it’s the longest I have kept any amount of substantial weight off.  I am still on my journey, still excited, still encouraged, and look forward to seeing your post about being in the gym or on the pavement on Classy Fit Gals.  

Believe God for the impossible! 

The very issues, thoughts, and emotions that cause you to eat or overeat…God is ever so patiently waiting on you to share with Him so that He can fill those voids the same way he filled mine.  

Stay connected with me on Facebook and Twitter - I look forward to walking on this journey with you!