Patience, grasshopper.

Patience is what I need. I've been thinking about my pattern of dieting and fitness over the past year and it occurred to me that I've been an absolute idiot.

Well, not really an idiot. I've just been really impatient.

In January of 2014 I decided to lose weight. (As I do every year). I decided that I would have WILLPOWER and restrict my calories and exercise a lot. So I did. I even replaced my evening meal with a protein shake. I ate a big breakfast, normal lunch and a shake for dinner. It felt insane. And it was. But I lost a lot of weight. Skipping eating a normal dinner is not a habit I can keep up for a long period of time. It's the only time of day I get to eat with my family. And how does that set a good example for my kid? "Here, honey, eat this well-balanced meal while Mommy pounds down this protein shake." Ridiculous.

AND I did Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. That junk hurts. My thighs felt like rubber. It was very strenuous. I'd feel exhausted every day when I was doing that, because my job is pretty active, and at work I sometimes get 10,000 steps while just at work. Plus, when I get home I'm cooking, doing laundry, playing with my kid, and so I'd get 11,000 steps and then do the workout. All the while not eating enough to support my calorie needs and feeling like crap.

But I lost weight. Of course. But who can keep that up?

Nobody, that's who. And so I gained all the weight back. Then I restricted again around May and lost it again. And then over the summer I gained it back. Then lost it around September/October. Then gained it back again in November/ December.

All in all, I started out 2015 only two pounds less than I was in January of 2014. All because I want a quick fix. A hard workout, a shake, a pill, a way to make this fat melt away so I can "finally" look and feel the way that I think I should.

But I know what to do because I've lost 70 pounds and kept it off.

What works:
Small, consistent changes made over time.

**********That means***************
Choosing healthy choices over unhealthy choices 75% of the time.
Being active throughout the day in joyful ways. (Emphasis on the "joyful")

Choosing to appreciate your body how it is right now, for what it can DO, not what it looks like, and basing your food and fitness choices on that fact!