kiss it goodbye

as long as i can remember i've been over weight. i've been chubby, pleasantly plump and even plain ol' fat. like so many others, i have tried various times and ways to lose the weight. the first time i lost a decent amount was in high school when i started working as a waitress. i was busy bringing or taking food from table to table and didn't have time to eat, so naturally the weight came off. was i healthy or toned? nope, just a thinner version of me. i hadn't learned anything about losing weight and it all came back with a vengeance after i quit my job. the next weight loss go-around was after a bad break up during college and included eating smaller portions that were somewhat healthier, walking on the treadmill and took 25lbs off me. when school started back in the fall, things got hectic and food and exercise were the first to go. this of course led to the weight slowly creeping back on, but i graduated college still a little lighter. i got in a bad relationship with a guy who was really good at using me and somehow ended up following me to atlanta for my new job. i finally got so disgusted with myself and how i looked and decided to make a change. a friend of mine told me about Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle by Tom Venuto and i got fired up to change. i began eating 5 small healthy meals throughout the day, walking on the treadmill. then i added some weight machines and cardio classes and the weight began to come off. then i found Tosca Reno's The Eat-Clean Diet and read through it in no time. the idea of eating clean resonated with me and i refined my diet even more. taking care of my health made me realize i needed to take care of my emotional well-being too and i did something i needed to do 3 yrs earlier... i dumped my non-supportive, horrible boyfriend. i kept up my new lifestyle and over 8 months i had lost 40lbs and 43" and i was feeling amazing! then something even better happened... i met my boyfriend, joe. as many new couples do, we spent as much time together as we could. we would go out to breakfast, lunch and dinner and i began to get more relaxed on my clean eating and exercise. as history has shown, the weight slowly crept back on. i realized it was happening as pair after pair of jeans began to get tighter, but for some reason i couldn't get my act in shape. i knew what i needed to do and what worked for me to lose weight, but those burgers and fries were calling to me and i couldn't say no! my depression over my weight was taking its toll and i knew it was time to make a change. i needed to start loving and respecting myself again, before i could expect anyone else to love me fully. with joe's support and understanding i've gotten serious about getting healthy and in shape, rather than just losing weight. i've returned to eating clean meals every few hours and going to the gym. i've been incorporating free weights and some high intensity interval training into my gym routine, and i can really see the results. i haven't reached my goal yet, but i'm already feeling 100% better and have finally connected how the food i eat affects me physically. i enjoy going to the gym and feeling my muscles getting stronger and seeing my progress from week to week. i have learned from my past and i am not going back because i love and respect myself too much.

for anyone wanting to change their lifestyle, do not look at eating clean and exercise as deprivation and hard-work but as starting on your journey to be the best you can be. you are worth it.

kiss it goodbye!

chrystal