I Say This Out of Love (Time To FOCUS)

Summer is winding down and it's time to get back into the grind of things.  I slacked on our honeymoon/family vacation.  I gained 6 pounds in 8 days.  I say all of this mostly for me, but I know some of you need to hear it, too.  Like the title says, I say this completely out of love, because when I was gaining weight and living my terrible lifestyle, I wish someone would have said this to me.  It's about being HEALTHY. Not SKINNY.

Did you know?:
In the 1960's, approximately 18% of a family's income was spent on groceries and less than 5% on medical expenses/health care.  Today, less than 9% of income is spent on groceries and over 16% on medical expenses/health care.

It's true.  You either pay the farmer or you pay the doctor.

With that said, what are you going to do?

• Will you open your mind to the possibility that the food you're buying is quite literally poisoning you, or will you give in to the immediate satisfaction of a greasy burger?  
• Will you regain self-control and proudly tell the world that YOU control your life or will you use the excuse "I could never do that, I just love [insert food] too much"?  
• Will you rejoice, knowing that you don't have to carry around pills, schedule doctor visits, or worry about the next lab result, or will you sit back and think that paying $300+ a month on medical expenses is "normal" & that "everyone does it"? 
• Will you raise your children in a culture that embraces a healthy lifestyle so they can live long, happy, and HEALTHY lives or will you teach them that food addiction is incurable & a normal part of society? 
• Will you stop lying to yourself, saying "the food I eat isn't that bad" or will you finally admit that you lost control?

I was fat. I lost control. I was poisoning myself. But I took control, lost some of the weight (so far), and rid myself of my terrible illness.

It's possible. STOP MAKING EXCUSES.  Money is not an issue, in fact, we cut our grocery bill almost in HALF when we included more raw foods.  We were buying twice the food we needed when we bought processed.  What a waste of money. Having kids doesn't matter. In fact, that should be more of a reason to change. Convenience is only what you make it.

Love yourself & respect your body.  If you do that, everything good will follow.

Now, for some heart-wrenching facts.

Via: Medical Coding

[[Remember: When you stop focusing losing weight on being "skinny", and "pretty", and trying to be like my "smaller friends", and switch your focus to living a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, one that you, your friends, children, and loved ones can respect, that is when you truly find the motivation to change things.  Always do things for you, but aim to be an example that you want your children/loved ones to follow so they, too, can grow up without debilitating illnesses,chronic problems, and outrageous medical bills.]]

Here's to a fresh start, and a regular schedule (thank God). Time to kick myself in the butt & get going!
-Lacey