The hardest part of life changes

The hardest part of life changes is that sometimes we may need to make the hard decision of not hanging out with the same crowd we are accustom to.

Mary has been trying for years to lose the 150 pounds she had additional on her frame and she would lose it then gain it back. It was frustrating to her. She tried everything to keep it off but could not. She would work out every day religiously and still somehow or another she would end up back in the same position months later.

One day while analyzing why this yoyo thing was happening, her trainer asked her who she hung around. She told him that she has been hanging around the same crowd for years now. She did not think that they had anything to do with her weight problems. They were much thinner than she was, even though they too were overweight. The trainer had told her that they looked at her fuel intake and her rest and they were running out of ideas. The trainer suggested that she stop hanging around them for a few weeks. At first she blew that idea off but as luck may have it her friends had to go out of the country for a few weeks, so she decided to take advantage of this opportunity.

Well, at first, it was pretty easy to do because they were out of the country. But when they came back it was really hard. Thursday thru Sunday nights were spent with them and every Friday night they would meet at the local bar to socialize. Mary decided to stop going there for a while and hang out with her other group of friends. These friends were made at the gym and she seemed to have a lot of clean fun with them. Well weeks turned into months and before you know it, she did not miss her old crowd and something else happened… she just didn’t lose that unwanted weight, she actually kept it off.

At first she couldn’t believe that it was her friend and the environment she was in so one Friday night she was asked by her old group to go out. She did, and her eyes were open. Besides the alcohol drinking and the food consumption, everything they did was over the top. That was the last time she went out with them. One year later she hasn’t seen any of them and she has run several marathons and now teaches aerobic classes and feels great about her “new” life.

We need to understand that if we are to have a total life change, we may need to make the hard choices and change the environment and the people we hang out with. Maybe your friends and environment is holding you back from achieving what you ultimately want. If so change them and you will feel better for your move.