Having a strong support system can aid in reaching your goals, encourage you to stay on track, and will be there for you through the highs and lows of your weight loss and maintenance journey. SlimFast Lead Brand Ambassador Hazely L. shares how the support she received on her journey helped her reach success on the SlimFast Plan!
For me, my support system came in different forms throughout my journey. From my immediate family to those friends and people that feel like family; they all became a part in celebrating each milestone I conquered. From the accomplishment of every pound dropped, to the ability to do activities that were a tad bit harder, these NSV’s (non-scale victories) became my motivation and reason to celebrate! As we enter the holiday season where people are making new goals and setting new plans for the year, I also encourage you to find celebrations every step of the way in your journey!
In my 1st week on the SlimFast Plan, I lost three pounds. I can’t even explain my joy and my excitement in finally finding something that was doable and worked. The SlimFast Plan gave me confidence immediately! I remember sharing with my sons and husband that I had lost three pounds. My boys jumped with excitement for me, and although they were young and probably saw three as just a number, they truly expressed a sense of “I’m proud of you Mami.” After that, the weeks passed and pounds kept falling off.
After losing my first 15 pounds a friend encouraged me to celebrate that victory by trying something new. That’s when I discovered hot yoga. A simple celebration became a passion. Along this line of physical celebration, I decided to sign up for my first ever 5k with my sister-in-law and a friend. 5k What?!! Who would have thought that I was able to celebrate by signing up for one of these? The celebrations kept coming! I started exploring things like paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and pretty much anything that would remind me that “Yes I can, and yes I did!”
I reached my weight loss goal in 26 weeks. I then discovered that the camera was my friend again. No more hiding or cropping my photos. One of my best friends for 12 years, like a brother, is a photographer. He recalled how self-conscious I seemed about how I looked in my family holiday photos. When I reached my goal he encouraged me to have a celebratory photoshoot! I can’t even explain the AMAZING feeling I had this day. The reward of seeing myself in these photos allowed me to look at the whole picture, especially when I compared them with my before photos. Now, I make a celebratory photoshoot every year for my “SlimFastVersary”. Every June we book a time to celebrate the joy of another year keeping it off. We are now in our 5th year celebrating the accomplishment!
Another celebration came in the shape of inspiring friends that are like my family. Two very close friends of mine decided to start The Plan and begin reaching goals of their own. Today we share the joy of actually celebrating together. Let me tell you, there is something very satisfying about jumping and hugging your friend as you remind them that they can ALSO reach their goals thanks to SlimFast.
This brings me to our SlimFast Together Facebook Group. The group is an amazing place to celebrate with people from all across the country. You might ask, “So what can you possibly celebrate virtually in an online group?” Oh well, it’s more like where do I start? This group is basically like a 24/7 family. Let’s say you post about your weight loss progress, a new recipe you tried, a non-scale victory, or about how you inspired someone that day-- there is always someone there to congratulate you on these amazing victories! Personally, the SlimFast Together community helps me stay accountable. I post daily about my weight maintenance journey and I feel like this has played a very important part in my being able to keep the weight off.
So as you are planning for this New Year and what goals you hope to reach, I encourage you to join our community and plan to celebrate with us. Let’s do this, and let’s do it together!