Though I didn't speak to the "newbies" leaving for their first week of the program, I wondered to myself what advice I had to give to these people just starting out. Is there anything I could have been told at the beginning that would have helped? Some of them looked pretty apprehensive.
Here's what I might have said:
1) It's normal to be nervous, even panicky. I had to fight panic attacks over the small pile of food for each day. I imagined eating it all by 1 or 2 and starving the rest of the day. But for me at least, that never happened. In fact, sometimes I skipped (against orders) the last product!
2) Some groups or group members are going to be much more athletic than others. If you're a couch potato don't panic. Any movement is good, you don't have to go to a spin class. As you lose weight moving will get easier. Don't give up because you aren't doing as much exercise as the leader might want. Baby steps.
3) Sixteen weeks (of product-only) sounds like forever. Like impossible to get through. But here I am at week 13, practically on the home stretch, and it's gone really fast. Which is what they said would happen. But it's hard to believe starting out.
4) Losing weight, getting smaller, feeling better, is all so good that it's worth the inconvenience and stress of skipping parties, passing on treats offered, saying no to alcohol, avoiding restaurants in general, and eating weird when the rest of the world seems to eat whatever they want. The reward is how you will look and feel, and the sense of accomplishment in getting the number on the scale to go down, whether it's fast, or as in my case, slow and steady.
To those just starting out on this program (or any regime to improve your body and develop healthy habits to take better care of yourself), stick with it, good luck, blessings and best wishes!
