Flip The Switch!

I've heard for years from the media to make healthier choices.  For all of you who have listened and are tempted to say, "Du!"  -I get it!  I guess I needed to flip my own switch!

I wanted to talk a little more about why I finally flipped the switch to lose weight.  My body had been painful, making me feel that I am much older than I am.  Though I felt terrible, I still wasn't sold on the idea of losing weight.  I began having spells of extreme fatigue and found out I am pre-diabetic.  You would think all that would have made me flip the switch but it always seemed out of my reach. I wrote in my journal trying to find direction with my life and I made a list of goals I want to fulfill in my lifetime.  I had to get honest with myself.  One of the goals I listed was to see other parts of the world. Being overweight and out of shape makes traveling seem difficult.  The pain of walking anywhere or doing any physical activity one may do on a vacation did not seem appealing.  I realized I had to list another goal: address my health. 

I had to make losing weight within my reach.  I began to notice I wasn't eating a whole lot so I was maintaining my weight rather easily.  However, the choices I made were bad.  I kept fruits and veges out of the loop most of the time.  I love veges and fruit but I was into a habit I had developed over a lifetime.  I ate when I was hungry and I usually made an unhealthy choice.  


What flipped the switch for me is when I realized a few different choices would change everything.

I found when I ate a high fiber, low fat diet with whole grain breads, fruits and veges, they were all being utilized in my body to burn fat.  All I had to do is make a few changes. For instance, before eating a sandwich, I would add a cup of veges and end eating fruit if I was still hungry.  Adding veges and fruit to my bread (plus changing to whole wheat) and protein diet have worked wonders in filling me up and helping me to lose weight.  Then when I added 30 minutes of exercise every other day, I began to lose even more weight. Why haven't I understood this sooner?  Perhaps I wasn't ready.  I believe you have to be ready to lose weight and if you are like me, you have to make losing weight within reach.   

*This week weighing in at a 23 pound weight loss