Fitness Friday: Confidence Boost

Disclosure: I receive free product in order to evaluate and comment on my experiences using Medifast products. Medifast products and the Medifast program are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

In the last month, I’ve been noticing a difference in my body’s shape and muscle tone. My clothes are fitting better, and when I look at photos of myself, I’m starting to notice a real difference since I first began my Medifast journey. Last month, I went to get my hair done before I flew to Florida. I haven’t seen my hairdresser since last July, and as soon as I walked in, she exclaimed: You look so tiny! You always look good when I see you, but wow! After my hairdresser worked her magic, she took a few photos of my new hairdo on her phone and showed them to me. She said that she thought this was the prettiest photo, because you could see the reflection of my figure in the mirror. I saw myself through another person’s eyes and realized my hard work was starting to show in a new way.

Photo by the fabulous Nicci at 220 Salon in Portland!

The external changes are a reflection of internal ones. My incessant cravings for junk food have faded and made it easier to eat well under challenging circumstances, such as traveling. Last week, I was at a train station by a restaurant where I would normally order french fries. Instead, I chose to eat the Cookie Dough Chewy Bar in my purse. When I’ve been on the road and needed something hearty, I’ve generally opted for salads or lighter options as fuel. Just as eating fast food begets cravings and snowballs into a regular habit, healthy eating also snowballs and becomes easy to do – but it takes time. The big difference for me is that I’m enjoying these choices rather than feeling deprived, because eating well helps to regulate my cravings and helps quiet of that voice that so desperately wants fat and sugar. Eating well now feels like more of a reward because of how it directly correlates to how I feel and look. Does this mean I’m perfect and eat exactly right? No way! But the difference now is that I have control. When I was in Florida, I chose to eat some decadent dishes because I wanted to taste local specialties and make the most of my experience. Enjoying your life in balance is a great thing, but compulsive eating has never brought me much happiness – that’s the difference.

The biggest encouragement I would give anyone forming new eating habits is that you won’t feel one way forever. There is no getting around it – changing what you eat is really hard at first. Eating well felt like a punishment to me at the beginning because I was putting in hard work but didn’t yet have much to show for it. There is also this sense of anxiety that you will feel miserable and deprived forever. But thankfully, that’s not true! Once I adjust and start to feel the difference, my relationship to food changes. So my best advice to anyone feeling discouraged would be to just hang in there – it won’t be easy at first and there’s no way around that, but keep plugging forward and it will change. Trust me, I’ve been there more than you know.

I have many more goals and dreams for this year, so my journey is still just getting started. But I’ve reached a pivotal turning point where my successes are propelling my confidence and making the journey rewarding in a new way – and I’m so excited to have you all along for the ride.

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