Thursday, September 19, 2013

Accountability is the key to success


Accountability.
[ack-count-ah-bill-it-eeeeee] (come on, you know how to say it).



I think that accountability is a huge thing in weight-loss... or at least it is for me.

I 'dreamed' of wanting to lose weight for years. I legitimately thought that one day I would wake up healthy, or wake up 'not fat' but never once did anything about it. There were numerous times that as I was sitting on the couch eating pizza on a Friday night, I would tell myself 'okay, on Monday I will start eating healthy'. Monday would come and go, and guess who was still stopping at McDonald's for a sausage McMuffin before work, and eating pizza on Friday nights 'just because'. No. If I could reach back in time and actually slap myself across the face, I totally would. My thought process was just SO DUMB.

When I finally admitted to myself, back in March, that I was "FAT" and needed to lose weight - I knew the ONLY way that I would actually commit and stick to this whole weight-loss thing was if I posted it publicly on my blog, on facebook, on twitter, on instagram, etc etc etc. I can't stand the thought of letting people down, or disappointing anyone - so I knew that if I put myself out there, I couldn't turn back. My blog, my friends, my family, my co-workers, random strangers - all of you people have held me accountable everyday.
Especially on days that I feel like quitting.


My alarm telling me to go run.


I love the idea of working out in the morning, but I've honestly only been able to do it a handful of times. I have terrible sleep patterns, and I suffer from insomnia - so most mornings when my alarm goes off at 4:30am to go for a run or work-out, I shut it off and just get up at 5:30/5:45 to get ready for work. One of my fabulous friends, Sami, was planning on getting up early for a work-out yesterday morning, and I mentioned to her that I really wanted to get up and work-out too. Sami made sure to text me and tell me to get my butt out of bed and get moving. Homegirl completely held me accountable, and because I didn't want to let her down - I did it. That extra little bit of added pressure from not wanting to let someone down really helps to motivate me to get going.


Let me just tell you, she totally laid on the guilt - and it worked. I got up after that last text.


If you find that you're wanting to lose weight - whether it be through: clean eating, exercise, or a combination of both; but you can't seem to commit... I suggest finding somebody who can hold you accountable. I promise you're less likely to stop at McDonald's for a Big Mac, large fries, and diet coke if you have somebody who is going to ask what you had for lunch. Unless you're really good at lying and hiding the truth, in which case - HI, THAT WAS ME FOR 5 YEARS!! I'm the master of lying about food, hiding food, and not letting you find out anything that I don't want you to know. But that will be a whole different blog post on it's own.

If you're struggling with this aspect of the weight-loss process and don't have anyone to hold you accountable, please feel free to reach out to me. I will do my best to hold you accountable on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Just remember, changes don't happen overnight. It's a battle, it's a fight, and I promise you that every calorie you burn, and every pizza that you give up is 100% worth it.


Left - July 2012 || Right - September 2013

Obviously those tight fighting work-out pants do WONDERFUL things for my legs and butt, and they make me look like 'OMG I HAVE A NICE BUTT'. Butt (ha, see what I did there?) you get the point.

8 comments:

Kathy@MoreCoffeeLessTalky said...

as someone who gets up at 445-5am every morning to workout, i can say that IT IS HARD but the more you do it, the easier it gets. AND the most important thing is to GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. this means NO LATE NIGHTS otherwise you getting up at that ungodly hour is NIL. when i first started that crazy routine, it was tough and SO MANY TIMES i wanted to sleep but i just forced myself and did it. i also made sure i prepped everything the night before so if that means you sleep in your workout gear, then do it...anything to prevent excuses, right?

so keep at it! your routine and sleep habits will soon change, i promise you. i also was a horrible sleeper with awful insomnia but i can say without a doubt that working out at 5am and my healthy living has changed my sleep patterns. i now pass out at 9/930pm and SLEEP SOLIDLY (whereas before, it was maybe 4hrs of broken sleep a night) until i wake at 445/5am. sometimes i open my eyes at 430am and i'm refreshed and wide awake.

you also turn into a senior citizen so you're tired by 9pm and ready for bed at 930pm LOL

-kathy
Vodka and Soda

Something Infinitely Interesting said...

lord i been trying to get up at 5 and workout before work.. and i just for the life of me cannot get up. But i shall keep trying.. :)

Sami said...

This makes my heart happy! I love that I kept you accountable and then you did the same for me last night! Oh, and my guilt trip worked WITHOUT the use of that terrible word you wanted me to use. You're just a rockstar and I look up to you in more ways than one :)

Melissa Nicole said...

As hard as it is to get up and do it, at least you're doing it! I'm having the hardest time sticking to my goals. This post is actually pretty inspiring. And girl you look great!

Jay T said...

You are just amazing and that's the truth. I mean really. I'm so proud of you!!

Elle Vee said...

Eh! I love to run... I hate to run in the mornings! My body just doesn't agree with it.

Though I wish it did.. Because it's so nice to get exercise over and done with for the day!

Anonymous said...

This is awesome, girlfriend. I'm the same way. I'm all "I'll get healthy next week."
Enough of that shiz! Next week starts today!!

shannon said...

GAH! you f'ing go girl. so, so, so happy for you.

now send me guilt-tripping work out texts please and thank you.