You can do it too, with tips below
Every day I looked at myself in the mirror – in the bathroom in the morning while brushing my teeth, in department store dressing rooms. I even looked at my reflection in shop windows as I passed by them. Sure I noticed a difference in my weight, but for some reason my eyes couldn’t see what was really happening to my body.
In a matter of two years I went from weighing 129 pounds to 205 pounds and didn’t realize it until I saw a photograph of myself during Christmas 2001.
My body was pudgy. My face looked bloated. Even my hands seemed larger. I didn’t look like myself, or a least not like the self I remembered from high school.
At first I became depressed. I was still in shock from my body’s transformation. The only logical explanation I could come up with was that college was to blame.
Late nights studying with my face in a book – running out at midnight to grab a bite to eat from a fast food restaurant or chugging down a mocha latte with extra whipped cream just to keep my eyes open. Never making time for exercise between school and work.
I knew I had to do something to reverse the damage, yet, more importantly, I had to find the willpower.
Years of neglect to my body ultimately lead to months in the gym and to a whirlwind of fad diets.
Every weight loss product or diet commercial that flashed across my television screen got my attention. And I tried all of them – from counting carbohydrates to strict low-fat meals.
Initially, with each diet attempt I would lose weight, but then I would reach a plateau and get discouraged again.
I was beginning to realize that healthy weight control couldn’t be achieved without making it a permanent part of my life.
The weight loss products and diets were only a quick temporary fix.
I had to make exercise a daily duty and be totally aware of what I was putting into my body, or my battle of the bulge would become a reocurring fight.
In the end, I lost 60 pounds, and give or take 10 pounds, I have kept most of the weight off. The most important thing that I learned about my body was that I am meant to be human, not perfect.
Everyone struggles with some sort of body image issue – especially around the holidays when the only thing many of us can think of is eating – but with an active lifestyle anyone can lead a healthy life.
Because it’s really not about being too skinny or overweight, it’s about being healthy.
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