Changing our lifestyle and setting weight loss goals wasn't easy and it really was a hard decision. I know sometimes people talk about how they changed their lifestyle overnight and everything is great.... blah blah blah. For us, there were so many things to consider before changing our habits. I mean, we both have always worked in corporate high-stress jobs and really didn't know anything else. So, when the company I was working for sold its assets and laid off the majority of people, a decision needed to be made if we were going to stay in Connecticut or move.
I knew that if we stayed in NYC, I would have to find a job there and deal with the long commute. However, I am not sure if I am ready for the fast-paced lifestyle of NYC. Although I love visiting the city, I am a suburban girl at heart. So, when the company offered to move us closer to our family, we eagerly accepted the opportunity.
Big Changes Needed!
After we moved, we decided to search for new jobs and explore different industries to find what truly makes us happy. Our old routine was so boring, just waking up and going to work every day. We would have a drink or two, make dinner, check emails, and watch TV before going to sleep. On the weekends, we would clean and work some more, trying to squeeze in some fun when we could. Now, we realize that we can't keep living like that. It's time to make some changes and find a better way to live. Looking back now, this was a very unhealthy lifestyle.
Continued the Job Search
While trying to plan our next career move, we attended several job interviews and received offers, but ultimately declined. During the interview process, we prioritize inquiring about the interviewer's management style and what they appreciate about their own manager. Asking questions during an interview is vital as it ensures that you will enjoy and respect the person you will be working with frequently.
During the job search, we received unimpressive answers that made us lose interest. I wouldn't want to work for someone who expressed dislike for their manager during an interview, which actually happened to me. Or my favorite answers are. . . "my management style is Hands Off! That's why I like to have daily staff meetings and an end-of-the-day email from you, so I know exactly what you did throughout the day!"... I actually laughed in my head, then realized he wasn't kidding.
New Focus on weight loss!
After reflecting on our aspirations for both our personal and professional lives, we came to the realization that our foremost priority is to assist those around us. As individuals who thrive on social interaction, collaborating with others is a natural inclination for us.
What we Figured out about ourselves
We compiled a comprehensive list of crucial things. This activity was both informative and entertaining. After unwinding with a few glasses of wine, we proceeded to jot down our individual lists. Interestingly, we discovered that we both considered certain key items to be of great significance.
- We needed to support each other no matter what
- Lose weight
- Slow down our lives and cut out the stress
- Spend more time at home
- Change the foods we were eating
- Find a permanent place to live
- A little more focus on our dogs (AKA happiness!)
Send us a note if you want to know how to start a list of your own. In the future, we will be writing a blog post about creating a lifestyle list.
Setting Goals for our weight loss
Because of our professional background, we figured, why not use some of the knowledge we successfully used at our corporate jobs and apply it to our personal lives? So, we decided to think about steps to get us started on this new way of life, and we knew the first thing we had to do was set some goals. Like in business, you set your yearly and monthly goals, Right?
Key to goal setting: Be as specific as possible
The beauty of goal setting lies in its ability to help individuals determine exactly what they want to achieve. For us, we aimed to lose weight, feel better, and reduce stress in our lives.
The more specific the goals, the higher the chances of success. For instance, instead of saying, "It would be great to lose some weight," saying, "I am going to lose 10 pounds by measuring the food I eat every day and staying within my calorie goals for weight loss," makes a significant difference.
In business, setting specific goals is crucial, especially if there are multiple departments or teams working towards the same objective. This ensures everyone is on the same page and knows exactly what is expected. We applied this same concept to our personal lives and weight loss goals, using tools from our business experience to focus on our objectives and improve our lifestyle.
Stay tuned for future posts where we'll share how our business experience helped us achieve our weight loss, the ups and downs and lifestyle goals, all while having fun and laughing along the way.
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Mkyla says
This is super great stuff, I am currently on my weight loss journey. I agree that combined exercise and healthy diet is important.
It does not have to be 1000 steps or anything like that. But start with a small thing such as walk in the park and maintain the momentum and improve on a daily basis. Weight loss should be enjoyable and rewarding at the end. Also, small habit such as keeping fruit in the fridge and healthy snacks such as roast almond can give you huge pay off in the long term.
One other thing can help is that starting a diet journey with a written plan and a journal. You want to come up with a system that you can follow and adjust based on your situation. I keep a list of exercises, progress and food recipe that help me with my diet. Personally I follow all in one guide from fatlosshabbit.com, it makes everything easier when they are in one place.