This is it!!!

It feels like I've been fighting with my weight forever! In actuality I was a thin little girl, but started to put on weight in fourth grade. By junior high I was about twenty pounds overweight and dealt with constant ridicule from classmates. I was pretty happy with who I was on the inside...but the outside definitely needed an overhaul!

I dieted off and on for years, winding up at 188 pounds when I graduated from high school. I often wished I was taller (I'm 5'4") so I could carry my weight better. I spent that summer having a blast, still eating everything I shouldn't and enjoying every minute of it. (Only the truth is spoken here!) I finally got my act together right after Thanksgiving 1984, and lost 65 pounds in the course of a year.

Life was good...I still had to watch it when a few pounds crept back on and take care of business. I loved the compliments and stares, and loved even more that I had the energy to do what ever I wanted or needed to get done. I only wish I'd followed proper nutrition when I lost the weight...I starved myself a lot, and if I decided I wanted ice cream I'd make that my dinner. I know, I can hear Bob and Jillian gasping right now. If they get to read this, they will probably find a way to reach through my computer and shake me. To this day it's a bad habit I have to break, especially when I feel so crappy after I do it.

One thing I was good at was getting my exercise, whether it was the treadmill, stationary bike, or dance workout that I came up with myself. Just a basic dance workout...the pros who choreograph on Dancing With The Stars have nothing to worry about! I had to make it fit the amount of space in my room, which wasn't much, but it worked!

Once I got married, I had some trouble with my weight again, partially due to pain from a car accident and the fact that my mom was dying of cancer. Exercise fell by the wayside as I spent as much time with her as I could at the nursing home. Then when she passed away I ate away my pain. Over time I lost and gained again, and ever since I had my son it's been a struggle. I can't use the "I just had a baby" excuse, because my son is ten years old. It just doesn't fly!

I deal with various health problems, but as we've learned from The Biggest Loser, that is not an excuse. In fact, it's a reason to get my act together again, so I can feel better and get off my medications too. I'm currently reading Jillian's book Master Your Metabolism, and it's a real eye opener for me. No wonder I feel like crap all the time! I have to stop putting junk into my body so it will work properly. Time to get into the exercise routine again too...I have still done it, but not consistently enough.

Being a writer means I spend a lot of time sitting at my computer, but I am not making any more excuses for myself. I will make the time to exercise and eat properly. This starts today! Come join me on my journey...I hope we can inspire each other to live better lives!

Marie :o)