Your Ideal Weight

Getting ready for a big occasion is always a lot of fun. I love getting dressed up and feeling my best for a fun event. Whether it be a concert, wedding, banquet, or anything that is meaningful I think the preparation is always exciting. If you are anything like me, you want to be wearing something that you feel your best in and that you wouldn't normally wear to casual events. I have found that over the years, I love to get dressed up and find new clothes to wear (it is dangerous living by all of these great shopping centers in Atlanta).

Being at "that age" I am at, friends are starting to get married, I will be getting married, and there are more events to look forward to. I have heard about many girls who are standing up in weddings or having a wedding of their own who are drastically trying to lose weight way too close to their big day and I can't help but think that it has to be easier then that to look and feel your best on such an important day.

Do you have a day you are looking forward to down the line? Or a vacation you want to get fit for? Give yourself plenty of time to do so and instead of just focusing on being fit for that day or week, focus on being fit in general. Once you make the decision to make a healthy lifestyle a priority, you will find that you will always look and feel your best. When you gradually get yourself to where you want to be, you will surpass the hungry headaches, the fatigue, and the yo yo effect of gaining everything back you worked so hard to lose.

When girls who are appear healthy say they need to lose tons of weight for their wedding, I feel sad because I think they are beautiful the way they are and obviously their fiances's thought so too. You don't have to change your entire appearance for one day, be true to who you are and feel confident in the body you have.

Can you believe some brides use a feeding tube to lose weight? :(

I also am a believer that your body has an ideal weight. Your body will regulate itself to that weight and it is the weight that you feel your strongest at. I know for me, if I am training and then lose even a pound from all the running, I feel horrible and much more fatigued. My body alerts me instantly and making a minor change to my intake gets me back to feeling balanced and energized.

So my advice is eat a clean diet so that your body finds where it needs to be, so that your mind functions more efficiently, and so that you are confident and energized. Maybe you are actually under your ideal weight and not eating nutritional foods because you feel like you don't have enough time in your day to do so? Maybe you are at your ideal weight and feel sluggish because you overcompensate with caffeine and packaged meals that aren't necessarily fattening but don't provide adequate energy to you? I believe that if you take a step back and:

1. Ask yourself how is my energy?

2. Ask yourself what foods could I get more of?

3. Ask yourself what foods are not really providing me any benefit in my diet?

These are three small baby steps that can start you on the right track. Once you ask yourself these 3 things, a lot of progress can be made. But I encourage you to start small and never jump into anything related to your health cold turkey.

Prioritize your health and energy :)