by Jennifer E. Brown

Created on: April 02, 2009

American's have seen it in newspapers and on national talk shows. "Get fit and stay trim" one ad said I saw just recently. Diet ads are seen on television and in magazines, but how these are marketed can often fall into the wrong hands such as those of those of minors and anorexic girls who claim they're "fat." Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to target a specific group-except for the advertisers who insist on making women they should be one size. Women spend thousands of dollars on machines, trainers, and gym memberships. They may have lost a few pounds, but did it work for them to make a dramatic difference? More than likely not, and they're back to square one.

I've been up and down with my weight all my life. Five years ago, I decided to make a life altering change and get it off for good. i attended a weight watcher meeting, and ended up gaining weight because I was under pressure. There was other people watching me ge weighed, and I couldn't handle this. I've heard the hurtful remarks from co-workers, and had them make fun of me as I was transitioning through this process. This is when I decided to do it on my own. I have used most of these, and found others later on. I hope they help you reach your goals.

First, my first three months of dieting i replaced my soda with 8-oz waters. I can't exactly remember how many sodas I would drink, but I remember drinking 4-8 oz. Sam choice waters in a day. This was one w/ each meal, and the other was at night. At the end of the month, I had lost 30 lbs. During this time, I was working at Walmart and was cartpushing almost everyday. I was commited to my weighloss, and I still had about another 30 pounds to go.

It was around this time when I began parking my car farther away. I realized I had more energy, and I was really enjoying this aspect of life. I had been so tired before, and my seizure medicine was now under more control. I could tell everything was becoming better, and I had to continue w/ my walking. I did this on a weekly basis as I got the time because I was working full-time and in school. If you're going to start a routine, then try to stik w/ it and don't push yourself too hard at first. Your muscles will be sore, and you'll be less likely to continue.

I did my research online about what foods I should eat, and what foods would be bad for me. I cut out fast food, and I limited myself to an ice cream cone after I lost, say, 5 pounds. I began at 200 and my goal was 140. After about 5 months, I was 15 pounds away from my goal and feeling so much healthier. Restaurants such as subway are good for you if you know what to eat, and this is true for all restaurants. If you know how many calories you need in a day, and are a good averager of how many each food item is, then you should be fine getting all them in.

This semester I've been walking up & down 36 flights of stairs each week for all five of my classes. It's a haul at times with a laptop on my back, but at the end of the week it feels really good. I get my exercise in walking campus, and this has seemed to benefit me in helping to keep my weight off. It's been 5 years and I haven't had to worry about it coming back yet.

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