by Melissa Cavanaugh

Created on: January 15, 2009

Losing weight is not an easy task. The US Department of Health and Human Services has shown that over the last twenty years, the United States' incidence of obesity has increased dramatically. We as a nation continue to eat more calories than we are able or willing to burn off. Just take a drive through your neighborhood - are you bombarded by restaurants and stores offering a vast array of tempting treats? In this tight economy, all the gloves are off as fast food restaurants compete for our attention and money. We are asked to spend our hard-earned money on food that makes us fat. And because we're so busy, it's often easier to buy that pizza with everything than to search for a good, healthy recipe - not to mention having to cook it.

The fact is, we're fat because it's easier to be fat than to be fit. What most people don't realize is that it's not so hard to lose those extra pounds. Do you love food? Hate exercise? Well, make a point of meeting them both halfway. Think about food. How many calories are in that bowl of chili? Did you know that if you made a box of macaroni for your family, but followed the recipe for "light mac" (using less butter and fat-free milk), you'd save calories AND thirteen grams of fat alone? Simple choices like that - using less fats in your cooking - can really add up over a year's time.

I'm a fit woman in my thirties. When I hit thirty, I took notice of my body. Yes, I'd had three children, but that excuse wouldn't last forever. The truth was, I'd gotten lazy in my food choices. I'd decided to eat that whole bag of candy, instead of taking out one serving and enjoying it in moderation. I had a very simple wake-up call one night as I readied for my husband's work Christmas party. I realized that nothing in my closet fit me any longer. Having been a college cheerleader, I had once felt pride over my fit self - but at forty pounds heavier, that feeling was gone. I complained to my husband, "Nothing fits me!" And it was then for the first time, that he said the only negative thing he's ever said about my body - "Then do something about it!"

It was as though a light turned on in my head. What? I could DO something about my body? Over the course of the next six months, I started a regimen that worked for me. Food choices changed dramatically. For breakfast, I had low-sugar cereal such as Cheerios with fat-free milk. Lunch was a turkey breast sandwich - sans mayo - and raw veggies. Dinner was whatever I made for the family - but only

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>