In this podcast episode, Veronica shares her journey towards healthy living and her struggles with living a life that wasn’t healthy.

BAD HABITS THAT NEEDED TO BE KICKED

Working out and eating right is not something I wanted to do every day. I would rather eat what I want when I want and not feel guilty about doing it.

I absolutely love to eat! Like next level love to eat. Italian, American, Mexican you name it and I’m eating it. I don’t discriminate. 

 But I have also been on so many yo-yo diets. It was out of control, to a point where I just gave up altogether and would binge eat anything and everything until my belly hurt.

I would do this for a while until I couldn’t fit into my clothes and then I would go back to depriving myself of carbs and all of the other yummy food. This wouldn’t last long, and I would eventually cheat and cheat hard! Looking back, eating was a sense of relief from emotions.

HOW DID IT IMPACT MY LIFE?

Well, I started to feel really unhealthy, I would feel the shakes, and get out of breath easily. Walking up the steps was hard. I was in a session one day and I remember squatting down and ripping my pants!

It got so bad that none of my clothes fit. I was in denial and whenever I went shopping, I refused to buy a size bigger. I tucked in my fat and insecurities and continued on with my day.

But feelings of insecurity took over so much that I would avoid being physically intimate with my husband. Anytime he would walk into the closet I would immediately start an argument just so he didn’t see me undress. 

This impacted my relationships in so many ways. I wasn’t communicating what I was feeling with my husband and avoiding him at all costs. I was short with my children and there was no way in hell I was going to be seen out in public. So I made every excuse to stay inside.

3 STEPS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE

I changed my mindset but I also had to lean in and acknowledge my insecurities. Once I identified them I learned how to challenge them.

Step 1: I knew there was no way in hell I could do this alone.

I needed a professional trainer. I was tired of doing all of these things that didn’t work. The phone call was humbling and definitely needed. She asked me to take pictures of everything I ate. I didn’t realize I was eating and drinking so badly. I was able to identify a lot of my unhealthy habits.

Step 2: I had to want this, which meant I had to do as instructed.

I had to go to the gym! I had to face the women I was most insecure around. Every time I stepped into the gym, I had to challenge all of my own insecurities. I did this by constantly telling myself that if I wanted to live healthy then I had to do the work. I wanted my life back, so I had to do the uncomfortable and challenging things.

Step 3: I had to be disciplined and motivated on my own

As I started to slim down my husband started to say: Who are you losing this weight for? You know I love you just the way you are?  I don’t know why your trainer doesn’t let you eat bacon, it’s good for you. I didn’t feel supported and to be honest, I wanted to eat that bacon! But it also felt good to have self-control and discipline. I had more energy and felt confident.

Step 4: Celebrate the small victories

Each time I said no, there was something about feeling that level of pride and sense of self. I ate but I didn’t overindulge and I didn’t have to stick to this crazy diet. I learned that if I’m hungry, I can eat. There were times I screwed up. But I celebrated my small victories. I had to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

So what is your intent for today? Write it down. Until next time, keep pushing forward.