Life of a former........... "fat girl":
So yes, I was fat. I admit it. When my husband, children and I moved 1200 miles from Massachusetts to Tennessee a couple years ago I had tipped the scales at somewhere around 200 lbs. On my 5' 6.5" frame I was an expert at hiding it with "just the right jeans and shirt" as most heavier girls are. I was depressed, and lonely and thought that I was fated to live a life of desperately chowing down in secret out of frustration.
I was a food addict. I would let my husband and children go for the day and take comfort in homemade quesadilla's and nachos, pizza and roast beef sandwiches, chips and cookies... basically whatever my craving beckoned me to scarf at the moment.
It was a vicious cycle of eat, feel guilty, exercise, eat some more, get frustrated, eat... etc. etc. etc.
I had lots of issues that I was dealing with from my past and lost of pain that I was trying to stuff down with every bite.
As someone who was once a size 3, this realization of how I was now squeezing into a size 20 was life shattering.
I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto's (an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland) and a few years before that had a strange accident that ended up needing serious spinal surgery to have full use of my left arm again. There seemed to be no hope for someone like me.
I'm letting you now, that there "IS" hope.
I joined my church's weight loss contest and for the first time admitted to myself that "I" was the cause of all my weight problems and that if I just asked God to help me on a daily basis to control my urges, that I could.
I totally changed the way I ate. (I now eat whole and real foods. What we call "God's Grocery Store" in my home.)
Exercised at least four times a week and became less afraid of the pain from pushing myself a little further each time. You see in order to make a change, its hard.
Its hard and painful to admit that you are the reason you are fat,
and its hard and painful to put down that spoon when you are used to finding comfort in a bowl of ice cream,
and its hard and painful to think that tomorrow will be just as hard and painful.
BUT, you have to ask yourself...
How hard and painful is it going to be to NEVER be able to see your grandchildren at play because you are bedridden from health issues you caused yourself?
Diabetes is preventable for some people. Heart attacks are preventable for some people. Strokes are preventable for some people.
Ask yourself if that doughnut or those fries are worth an early death?
I know this sounds dramatic but here is why I ask you that.
Our bodies were created to digest natural foods. Our bodies KNOW what to do with natural foods. We don't have an issue with whole fruits, veggies, meats and grains because God created us and our ancestors to process these things. It wasn't until man decided that these foods were no longer good enough because they had to last longer, that any of this changed. Man got greedy and wanted that harvest to be shelf stable so started adding ingredients that are not natural to our foods. Now, this being said; here is something to think about. If its not "naturally" found in your food; what makes you think your body "naturally" knows how to process it? What are you preserving in your body with those preservatives? If it does not biodegrade on a shelf; why would your body know how to break it down?
Honestly. Just consider that thought for a second before reading on.
I'll wait..........................................................

If your body is now confused by trying to figure out how to process this "stuff" we are accepting as food; its going to start changing and I can tell you its not going to change in a good way.

So we talked about diet... now lets talk about exercise.

I'm not telling you,,.... GO OUT AND RUN A 5K NOW!!! If you are not used to running you are not going to be able to. But you can walk, and in a week, add 30 seconds of jogging every few minutes, and continue to push yourself. No gym needed, no equiptment... just you and your route of choice.
Thats it...
The key is to keep pushing towards your goal knowing that if you give up, you will NEVER reach it and will then you will become a quitter and a coward. YUP I said it.
Get mad if you will, but I am speaking to you about what "I" learned.
Change is uncomfortable and the sooner you accept that and are willing to feeling uncomfortable for a little while... you will start to see your body transform into what you want it to be in the first place.

A key word of advice though;
Go for being strong and not skinny. Skinny is NOT healthy no matter what the magazines and fashion tell you. I'd rather be muscle bound and rock solid than look like you could break my bones with a hug.

So get a workout video that appeals to you and start slow, adding five more minutes each time if you can't finish. Just keep pushing. You CAN do this if you want to.
Get a workout buddy and hold each other accountable.

Also, use a calorie counting web site. I used caloriecount.com and was amazing to see just where my daily calorie overload was coming from. Once you understand where your fat building areas are... its easier to avoid and make healthier decisions.

Tip: If you have an iphone, or phone capable of snapping a photo; take a picture of each meal both before and after. Having a visual of what you are putting into your body is often shock enough.

Don't be afraid and push yourself. If this girl can lose 50 lbs and go from a size 20 to a size 6; then I KNOW you can do it. You just gotta wanna do it for the right reasons.

I'm open to questions on this matter since I've learned ALOT and done tons of research.
I do not believe in supplementing meals with shakes and other fads because that isn't teaching you the proper way to do anything. It is simply substituting one bad habit for another. That is NOT what we want. I want you to learn why and how to change things that you can stick with. Once you stop drinking those shakes; do you really think the weight is gonna stay off? When you stop buying to pre portioned meals and stop listening to when and how you should eat; have you learned how to make those choices for yourself?
I know this post will upset alot of people, but if that is the motivation you need then get really really irrate... thats okay... just get moving.

Love you all, and thanks for reading my post about my:
Life as a former fat girl.