Despite the title, you should know that this post isn’t about weight loss. It’s not about getting lean. It’s not about building muscle. Heck, it’s not even about getting healthy.

In the end, all of these things will be accomplished, but that is not the point of this post.

This post is about bravery. It’s about strength. It’s about mental fortitude. And all of the things that can be accomplished in the presence of these qualities.

But perhaps most of all, this post is about love. The best kind of it too:

Self love.

Lend me your ears and allow me to explain.

When my beautiful cousin – overweight by just over 50 pounds – asked me last summer if she could come to LA so I could “make her skinny”, I laughed uncomfortably (I tend to do that when I’m caught off guard), and said:

“I can’t make you skinny, Jenna. That’s not the point – and it shouldn’t ever be. But I can make you healthy. I can teach you how to make better choices for your body. But you and I both know this isn’t about food. You already know what is good for you. You already know what is bad for you. This is about something deeper. This is about self worth. This is about self love.”

Tears immediately filled my precious cousin’s eyes and she had to excuse herself. I gave her a few minutes, and then met her on the balcony where she had fled to. I put my arm around her shoulder, and told her:

“I will help you. But I can only help you if you are first willing to help yourself.”

She agreed, and a few months later, Ted (my husband) and I picked her up from LAX. Her return flight to Toronto would not be for another 3 weeks. It. Was. On.

She was scheduled for what has now adoringly become known as Ted & Lauren’s Everything is Awesome 3 Week Weight Loss Boot Camp. I’m pretty sure Jenna would like to add the words “from hell” to the end of the title, but Ted and I have vetoed that decision. Naturally.

When Jenna got off the plane that night, she didn’t just show up at some airport thousands of miles from home. She showed up for herself. She took a stand and told herself: I matter. I love myself. I am worth it. I can do this. I will do this.

And she did.

You see, that kind of tenacity, that kind of clarity, that kind of love – it is the biggest secret to weight loss, and to any goal you want to achieve, for that matter. You have to want it so badly that there is no other option but to do it. It has to be a must for you. You can taste it, see it, feel it. It cannot just be something you maybe want to do, some day. You’re either all in, or you’re not in at all.

And boy, was Jenna all in! Ted and I would wake her up at the crack of dawn each day, singing the Everything is Awesome song from the Lego Movie to her to remind her of just how awesome she was. Is. Because being 50 pounds overweight or not should have no effect on one’s awesomeness or self worth. Self love is self love. It does not judge. It does not have a number on the scale. It is infinite. So on the road to the achievement of any goal, weight loss and beyond, it’s important to start from where you are, and to love yourself along every part of the journey.

Hence the daily serenading with the Everything is Awesome song! Jenna probably wanted to hit us. We thought we were pretty funny. Go figure! We tend to go over the top sometimes. It makes life interesting. And incidentally – really fun!

After our performance (it became an abbreviated version pretty fast), Ted would lead her through 2 workouts a day. Where at first they were torturous, eventually Jenna found herself actually – gasp – liking them (just like I know she liked the Awesome song)!

I led her through the food and nutrition side of things, teaching her how to put together healthy meals that actually tasted good and kept her feeling full. She didn’t believe this could be possible without meat, dairy, gluten or dessert, but I’m happy to report that I proved her wrong.

I knew we had created a monster when, one night, while we were all sitting on the couch munching on veggie bowls for dinner, Jenna declared, “I never thought I would be eating a bowl full of Brussels Sprouts and actually liking them!”

That was one week in. And I could not have been happier.

Three weeks later, and 10 pounds lighter, Jenna caught a flight back to Toronto.

I could not be more proud of her. Here is a warrior. Here is someone who took a stand for herself, who decided to take action, and who did it.

She’s got a long road ahead of her. But with 40 pounds to go, she is now armed with the tools to get herself to the finish line, and I dare say – through it. Because that is the difference between successful people and really successful people: the successful ones make it to the finish line and declare that to be good enough. The really successful ones make it to the finish line and continue through it. They also get on planes and fly thousands of miles in order to make a change, if that is what is necessary.

When I asked Jenna if it was ok to write about her today, she gave me a resounding yes. When I asked her if she could tell me some of the things she learned, this is what she had to say:

• I learned a lot about the benefits of eating green.

• I learned that veggies can be delicious and satiable.

• I learned how meat actually makes you crave more fat and in return gives you more belly fat.

• I learned the benefits of working out and all the options you have without a gym.

She ended the conversation by saying that the fear of letting me and Ted down is a motivator. She wants to make us proud.

Well, my sweet cousin, I know this much to be true:

We are already proud of you. The minute you got off that plane, you made us proud. Showing up in life is 80% of the battle. You showed up, and you went the extra 20% by being all in. And if you continue in that fashion, there is no stopping you. You can achieve anything you want.

And we know you will. We’ve seen your grit. We’ve seen your determination. Heck, we’ve seen you eat Brussels Sprouts with a smile on your face. We can already see your success.

So go get em, girl! You can do it. We believe in you.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help kickstart your goals, and to find your way back to yourself. You had it in you all along.

Love, love, love,

Lauren and Ted
AKA Super Awesome Boot Camp Leaders
xoxo

If you’re looking to lose weight, or even just to get healthy, this is how Jenna did it:

Ted and Lauren’s Everything is Awesome 3 Week Weight Loss Boot Camp Guidelines

Developing Mental Fortitude

1. Get your mind right.

Develop your PMA: Positive Mental Attitude. It’s much easier to accomplish your goals if you have a positive attitude about them.

2. Know your WHY.

Why do you want to lose the weight? Is it to feel better? Heal an injury? Heal a chronic but preventable disease? Fit into your clothes better? Feel more vitality? Clarity is power, so know what you’re in this for, and why. Otherwise you’ll drop out of the game pretty quickly.

3. Be specific with your goals.

It’s not enough to say you want to lose weight. You need to get specific. Make your goals measurable. For example, “I want to lose 10 pounds” is measurable. You could go a step further and say, “I will weight 140 pounds.” Another good example? “I want to get off my diabetes medication by this time next year.” Get specific and know where you’re headed so that when the going gets tough (and it will), you can refocus, get re-inspired, and get back in the game.

4. Celebrate your wins.

Each day, write down 5 “wins” from that day before you go to bed. They could be things like, “I woke up at 6am this morning and worked out when I really didn’t want to!” or, “I ate 2 extra servings of green vegetables today!” So often, we are really good at reminding ourselves of things we did wrong or didn’t do at all. That primes the brain to see the negative in everything. But if we can prime the brain to see the positives, things become easier. Workouts don’t feel so hard. Choosing broccoli over sugar feels like a treat rather than a curse.

Nutrition & Fitness:

1. Go vegan & gluten free.

Do not eat any of the following: meat (red meat, chicken, pork, fish), eggs, dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese), gluten or gluten free products (those are just full of junk), sugar of any kind, or processed foods.

2. No calorie counting.

Eat as much as you want, as long as it’s sugar free, vegan, and gluten free.

3. Lay off the fruit.

Limit fruit intake to 1 to 2 servings per day, max. Less is better.

4. Eat lots of green vegetables.

These help to alkalize your body, and are packed with wonderful macro and micro nutrients that your body needs to help combat excess weight.

5. Keep a food and workout journal.

Write down everything you eat and drink each day so you can see where your calories are coming from, and where you might be missing nutrients, minerals, etc. Write down your workouts as well.

6. Work out twice a day, if you can.

They don’t have to be long workouts. Science proves that a hard 20 minute workout can have just as good – if not more – of an effect as a long one. So practice High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts at least once a day. Try this one from personal trainer Traci d Mitchell. Or this one from Gretchen Reynolds of the New York Times. If you have the time to work out twice, the other workout can be of your choice: run, yoga, dance class, rock climbing, dancing around your house for 20 minutes, whatever floats your boat.

Above all, remember this one thing. Ok, maybe 2 things:

1. Never. Give. Up.

2. Remember: You’re already awesome, just as you are, right now. The rest is just icing on the cake.