Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Support is Vital for Any Lifestyle Change

Accountability and support are the backbones of every lifestyle change. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, AA, all depend on a network of support from human interaction to electron tools. 

I have been blessed with a wonderful support system throughout this transition in my life. Friends from my church gave me Joel Furman, and Collin Campbell’s books almost immediately after they met me. I guess I looked like I needed help! I resisted slightly, but being a health nut my whole life and a big eater I wanted to know more. Being overweight, suffering from allergies, and paranoid of illness and doctors didn’t hurt either.

Read AND Talk

After reading a few books, joining my friend’s vegan lunch group, and beginning a nice exercise routine, I noticed that my body wasn’t changing in proportion to my efforts. At first, I dismissed it as part of aging, thinking that my body was holding onto fat because I was approaching menopause. New Years day 2009 my husband started a diet challenge with his co-workers. We were officially on a diet. March 31st he had lost eight pounds and I had only lost 2. I snapped. I joined Weight Watchers Online® that day. By following their points system, not eating any meat, chicken, or fish and only having cheese as a garnish on occasion, I was able to lose twenty-five pounds in six months. The only reason I was successful was the support of my vegan friends feeding me recipes, giving me vegan substitutes for some of the things I was eating and another friend who was doing Weight Watchers® with me.  Doing this life-change is like swimming up stream in a very long river but having people who agree with you and support you is like a lifeboat right next to you that you can grab hold of anytime you need it.

Finding a support system of your own is crucial. That is why I encourage you to visit my website and sign up for my newsletters for inspiration and to ask questions anytime you need help. There is also an excellent website that has given me support along the way. It is called Sparkpeople.com. They have diet tracking tools, workout suggestions, nutritional support and much more. Best of all, it’s free. Just register to login. Also, MyFitnessPal app for iPhone is excellent support. 

kristi@kristiwhitley.com

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