CONTRIBUTED BY RONI NOONE OF SKINNYMINNYMEDIA

When her weight hit 200lbs, Roni finally had enough. She vowed to stop feeling sorry for herself, to stop her lifetime of yo-yo dieting, and to stop turning to food as the solution to her problems. On her journey to shape the body she’d always wanted, she discovered a simple secret that helped her finally find success.

The Old Me

The ‘old’ me was a pretty typical American girl who grew up very body conscious. I was always dieting and researching about fat burners. In my teens and 20s I even stopped doing things I liked because I was so self-conscious.

I was in a pretty self destructive cycle of feeling sorry for myself. That would make me get motivated to make a change. I would set out with good intentions, only to fail. Then I would start feeling sorry for myself again.

It was a self-destructive cycle that I was on for many years until my weight finally reached a very unhealthy 200lbs. How I reached this weight was pretty simple:

‘I ate too much food.’

Food was how I dealt with things. Sometimes, it still is. It was my solution to things that went wrong and I still need to remind myself sometimes that it’s no longer how I deal with problems.

The New Me

I decided the cycle finally had to stop when I became a new mom at age 29. Now, I’m a very fit 150lbs at just over 5′ 8” tall.

I’m doing things I never imagined! I take chances, I work for myself, I’m fit, I’m active. I’m living life!

I’m not only a mother of two, but also a wife, teacher, blogger, published author, and conference coordinator. I’m busy and I love my life! I simply do what I can when I can.

‘It probably sounds so stupid, but when you approach life in small chunks and take advantage of opportunities when they arise, you can accomplish an awful lot!’

How I Did It

The most important things for me have been:

1. blogging
2. getting creative in the kitchen

I put myself out there on my blog, which I had developed to keep me focused. I developed an audience who was watching my transition and rooting for me. When the days got tough, this kept me working through the difficult phases to reach success on the other side.

It took me about 7 months to initially lose the weight but I’m still working on the emotional battles. For me, it has always come down to body image and confidence problems.

‘I’ve had to learn to love the body I was in before I could successfully break the dieting cycle.’

The Simple Secret I Discovered

A lot of people think that losing weight happens because you focus on losing weight. Actually, I now believe that it’s the other way around.

‘First, you have to focus on changing your life.’

It’s the changes I made in my life that affected my weight loss success. It wasn’t my focus on weight loss that helped me lose weight.

My experiences have led me to believe that weight management is impacted by two major things that you need to get a handle on if you’re going to have any shot at managing your weight:

1. internal emotions
2. thought processes

These things are completely intertwined with your ability to manage your weight.

For me, the first thing I needed to tackle before I could find success was to learn to love the skin I was in – regardless of my weight.

‘My weight loss had to be driven by self-love, not self-hate.’

Now I Help Others

It hurts to think that there are many others out there still feeling how I used to feel, so I’ve set out to try and help others by sharing my journey.

Roni’s Weigh (RonisWeigh.com) is the original blog I started. It’s my journal and where I share all my life and my thoughts on weight loss and maintenance.

Green Lite Bites (GreenLiteBites.com) is my food blog. It’s where I share what I’m cooking to try to feed myself and my family a little healthier. It helps me stay creative in the kitchen.

The Unworldly Travelers (TheUnworldlyTravelers.com) is my travel blog. Since blogging was helpful is helping me lose weight I thought it would help me with another goal of mine: traveling.

Blog To Lose (BlogToLose.com) is an online community I started for other people who want to take advantage of blogging as a tool for weight loss.

Applying the Little Secret I Learned

For the person who’s tried everything and nothing has worked long-term, my advice is to first tackle your perspective rather than your actions.

It wasn’t the dieting itself that wasn’t working for me during all of those years when I was failing to manage my weight. Rather, it was that I gave up the fight; I walked away from the battle when it got tough.

I just wasn’t in the right state of mind and I kept looking for quick fixes instead of changing my lifestyle. I’m so glad I’ve now learned that:

‘It’s all about changing your lifestyle.’

It’s a change in how you live your life. It’s forever. It’s not only for the next month or two. So you need to find a balance that works. You need to find an approach that is fun, comfortable, and sustainable.

You are changing how your days unfold. You’re changing your activities. You’re changing your routine. You’re not just changing how much food you eat or what type of food you eat. Remember:

‘Live the life you imagine living after you lose the weight. Let your lifestyle lead the way.’

Share your life and body shaping stories in the comments below; I’d love to hear them!

• Contributed by:  Roni Noone (via email interview)
• Written, formatted and edited by:  Krista Beauvais
• Photos:  all photos are courtesy of Roni Noone