31 Ways to Eat and Slim #31 (LAST ONE..WE MADE IT!!)

31) Keep it off for good.

Basically this tip is that you have to make whatever changes a lifelong change. Self says to make eating right a lifelong habit, look for regular inspiration.

My skinny - Maintaining is the hardest part of losing weight. The strongest and most determined person can lose focus and slip back to the unhealthy side. Another hard part of making it to the end is the inevitable plateau....you're giving it your all and the pounds are sliding off and one day they just STOP so it can be a very frustrating time. My advice keep telling yourself that you'll make it through and remind yourself of how far you have come.

Also make realistic goals from the start...don't start with the idea of losing a super high amount. Start with small milestone of 5 lbs in one month and then see what you did and go for more or less the next month and so on. The more you accomplish in smaller sections the more motivation you'll have to keep going. For example, take myself. I want to lose about 20 lbs which isn't too bad, I know I can shed that within a matter of months. However, I need to probably lose 40 pounds but I'm going to work on the first 20 first and concentrate on the next 20 when I get there. So when I get to 10 pounds lost I won't be sitting here thinking yes but I have SOOO much further to go. Nope ... I'll be half way there.

So since this is the last of Self's 31 tips, don't fret, February is all about the new motivated Shia. I will give you a daily update of what I'm doing to lose that 20 pounds (don't worry I'm not focused on losing it all in February...5 pound off at the end of the month is my goal) I know I can lose the weight. I have done it in the past. I just need to utilize this baby step routine. It's not going to happen overnight no matter what I do so why sweat how long...I'm just going to focus on each of 28 days of February being the healthiest Shia possible. Also, I'm going back to my food log (yes the handwritten one....and I am covering it with some of that lovely scrapbook paper!) which I will post and let you see . So you can see what I'm eating and when. Not only will it help you, it will help me stay on track because I will have to report to you. I think the first time I did WW (yes I've done it twice now...which is why I am a pro) was the most rewarding because my mother went with me and I truly felt like I had to do my best because she was there and well...she was paying! Plus, she was truly supportive. My deal is that I've just have always seen myself as fat and therefore I've then deemed myself "ugly". I know that I am not "ugly" I love my face (which looks more and more like my mom everyday...love you mom). The first time I joined WW was due to a situation with a guy Nicole (my sis) tried to set me up with. He was a "Vin Diesel" looking guy..totally my type ... (duh look at Paul) and I just thought this guy was HOT. Anywho we hung out for about a month and then...he sends me out with his friend who was HIDEOUS (sorry but he was) and this guy tells me that jerko thinks things would work out better between him and I rather than jerko and I. So I get in my car and call him. He gives me the we need to talk but not over the phone (HATE THAT) and so I went to meet him and he said...you're just not attractive. (He might have said more like I'm not attracted to you but I heard YOU ARE NOT ATTRACTIVE). I went straight to my parents' house and laid on Nic's bed and cried and cried and told my mom that I hated myself and I think (ok I had to stop I was tearing up at work) I even said that I wanted to die (I know drama queen) anyway I've always felt like I was too fat to be loved by a man and here this jerk was telling me that I wasn't attractive. Well my mom suggested WW and that weekend I started. I lost 50 pounds and got down to a very slim and fit Shia and I felt great and had more self confidence. So I thought, I then met another jerko (again Vin Diesel type) and he treated me like crap but I held on because I was like wait...I'm not fat...LOVE ME!! After that I slowly gained the weight back because it was like well fat or skinny it's just not going to happen. Well...now is the time to get over that! Paul loves me and has even told me that he doesn't care he just wants me to be happy. I feel truly blessed to have met him. I seriously thought I would never be with anyone that could make me feel so loved.

I recently had a freak out about some Christmas pictures my mom send me. I was seriously upset with my body image and I even got upset that my dear friend Taller didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal (that I was freaking out). The next day we had a talk about how I felt and she said to me..."I don't see you that way...I see you as a pretty girl and you're so confident and strong that she didn't realize that you were really having an issue because you are so confident. " So thank you Taller...you are sooo right! I am strong and confident so I need to get over it. It ISN'T as bad as I make it out to be. So it's time for this new and improved Shia to get over the whole fat equals ugly and just concentrate on being healthy. So it's not a diet, it's just my new healthy lifestyle. So please know that writing a blog and posting my food log knowing that you're all following will be great motivation.


Shia's bit of redemption....okay so jerko #1 (Mr. you are not attractive) is now not so attractive himself. This past Halloween I took my niece Marissa out trick or treating and we went to a little town carnival and I saw him there...let's just say he now needs to read up on some of the tips =)