Now with added inspiration

As I have mentioned on here and elsewhere the inspiration I needed to finally get ahold of myself and  start making some changes in my life was the birth of my daughter, Sophia.

Whilst wanting to be around to enjoy my child growing up is a major motivating factor.
I would be lying if I said there weren't days when I haven't just wanted to say out with the new and in with the old...

On those days it really helps to have something extra to keep you on the right track.





Maybe it is a friend you can call up for some moral support or a picture of the holiday resort you plan on going to when you achieve your goals.

Whatever it is chances are it will be personal to you. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise and wants you to buy into some sort of generic magic source of inspiration is lying.

That said here are a few of the things which inspire me and help keep me on track when things get a little rough.




Fat clothes:

If I need a little extra jolt to help get me up and exercising in the morning few things work as
well as going to my closet, heading on over to my "Fat Shelf" and pulling out these bad boys.

48 inch waist

Now some people might think this seems a little bit like keeping a stick to hit yourself with, but personally I love it.

Not only do I have a physical, tangible reminder of just how far I let things slide but I can also pep myself up by seeing just how far I have come.



Fat/Thin pictures:

Much like keeping your old clothes can spur you on so can keeping a few choice pics of yourself around.

Nothing stops you from sneaking some biscuits from the cupboard like a picture of yourself at 315lb...









Safe / healthy alternatives:

Having tried some relatively extreme fad diets in the past I know only too well that a life of constant denial is a sure fire way to fall off the wagon and when you fall boy will you fall hard.

I would say that rebound eating is probably responsible for more of my weight gain over the years than pretty much anything else.

So don't force yourself to live like some sort of 14th Century Monk.

Find healthy ways to have the odd treat and before you know it those cravings you have to eat the whole tube of Pringles will be a distant memory - seriously who can eat only one or two of those? They are like solid crack!

Here are a couple of healthy treats that I have really grown to look forward to.
Some might not sound that appealing but once you get used to not having 100000 grams of sugar in everything you eat you will start to appreciate a far wider range of tastes.

• Tamari Almonds -  Whilst this isn't an ordered list these would still be at the top even if it were. You have to try these. If you don't want to make them you can buy them in a lot of health food shops.
• Coconut Klondike Bites - Delicious, Paleo treats. Everyone who has tried these loves them.
• Dark Chocolate - Now I'm not suggesting you go and treat yourself to a whole slab but a square or two of really, really good quality dark chocolate can help you feel just that little bit more like a "normal" person.
• Bacon and chive sweet potato biscuits - WOW. Just wow.

A support network:

This one might seem a little bit obvious but I have listed it for good reason - far too many people, myself included, try and go it alone.

THIS IS A MISTAKE!!

You will have days when you feel like shit. You will have days when you think what is the point. You will have days when the light at the end of the tunnel just feels sooooooo distant that you think you will never make it and assuming you are human then you will have days, especially in the beginning, when you slip up.

These are the days when having someone who you can speak to can be the difference between success and failure.

Everyone needs someone to be there for them, whether it is to tell them what a great job they are doing or to give them the verbal slapping we sometimes need to help us breakout of a spiral of defeatist self loathing.

The neat thing is these people can be literally anyone! It can be your Mum or Dad, it can be the guy at the gym who you chat to, it can be a friend at the end of the phone heck it can even be anonymous, faceless strangers on the internet.

In fact some of the best support and advice I have received which has helped me keep going has been online.

Loads of websites have really great communities of people just like you, they all have their good days and their bad days and they are all there for each other.

I'm not going to even try and say which forum or community is the best as it is a really personal choice.

Cheesey motivational videos:

An oft overlooked form of inspiration which is no less valid than any of the others. I defy you to watch this and not get a little bit pumped!

*Disclaimer - I take no responsibility for any furniture broken by people jumping on tables to shout Captain, my captain...or maybe that was just me*