The biggest hurdle for me to lose weight was singularly the grey space between my ears. Diet can be on point, exercise regularly, but being in a good mental state was the single most important thing I could do.

As of late, lots of distractions have pushed me off my goals (I feel like I’m saying that a lot) and returned me to bad habits of poor diet and skipping workouts.

The worst thing to do is let it spiral. That’s how I ended up 300+ lbs.

The best thing to do is recognize the problem (stress), solve the problem (easier said than done) and get back on track.  It is a difference to recognize that now, not 20 lbs from now.  And still keeping in mind the goal I have set for July 1.

The importance of recognizing mental health if you have a lot of weight to lose cannot be understated.  There’s a reason I ballooned up to where I was, and while food, drinks, and a sedentary lifestyle contributed to that, they were a vehicle masking a lack of discipline or care.  Once I got that mindset changed, the 5 am workouts and intermittent fasting came pretty damn easy.