By MAD21
Most people who read my blog or have hung around me on Twitter for very long know that I used to be terribly over weight. At my heaviest, I was 240 pounds, and miserable, to say the least. After my second daughter was born, I made a concerted effort to not just lose the weight, but to get healthy. I know several skinny people who aren't very healthy, so it had to be about more than just losing the weight.
I did a ton of research over the 18 months it took me to get to a healthy body. I did not want to "diet." I did not want to just follow the latest fads regarding weight loss, most of them make you cut certain foods out of your diet, and I didn't want to do that. I like food too much. Plus, I personally don't think it's healthy to cut anything completely out of your diet. Our bodies need everything in moderation.
When I first started this blog, I decided that I wanted to share all of the information that I had put together during my own journey so I posted all of my notes over several articles. But since most of you probably weren't around at that time, I thought I would share them again:
Daily intake for fat and protein;
Salt;
Tips;
and Things to Remember.
In the end, I lost 100 pounds and have kept the majority of if off for four years. I regained 20 due to some medical complications in the last year, but I've lost six of those pounds in the last month going back to my original weight loss routine. In those four years, I've also run about ten 5k races and I am training to run a half marathon in October. None of it has been easy. But the hard work is totally worth it.
The most important thing is that it HAS to be about more than losing weight. With so many people in our country battling their weight and being healthy, something has to happen, and it has to start with us as individuals taking control of ourselves and our lives.. and as parents, the lives of our children.
The health industry is making huge amounts of money, but with obesity issues on the rise, it doesn't seem to be working. Most people just want a quick fix. Take it from me, anything quick doesn't work for the long-term. And I think it's safe to say that most of the people involved in the health industry are just in it for the money, so watch what you sign up for.
Every Wednesday, fellow blogger Kristen at We are THAT Family posts clever ideas for getting things done. She calls it, "Works For Me Wednesday" or WFMW. Be sure to go visit her blog to read her post along with links to other blogs who are participating.