by Andrea Miller

Created on: January 16, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

First off, I have to say it. Everyone that thinks that they are fat are not actually fat.
People see a bulge here and a crease there and think "Oh I am so fat!" and it is just not true. In my opinion, fat is a state of mind as well as a state of being. True enough, if you get onto a scale and it reads tilt, you might have a little bit of a weight problem but,

before you jump off of the deep end you need to think about being healthy. Being thin is in
or so they say right? Well, why is it that society is adding to the problem with quick
fixes and fad diets? Nobody seems to want to focus on the real issue and that is being in
good health. We need to change our attitudes about food and exercise. We need to not lead
such sedentary lives and get off of the couch. Walk away from the video games, the reality
shows and the latest DVD's and take a walk, go for a bicycle ride or actually play those
sports in real life rather than just on Playstation. Not that these are bad things to do,
they aren't but anything we do or do not do we seem to treat it like an eight hour job.

Just pay attention to how much time you actually spend in front of the computer playing
games and looking at emails or checking Myspace and then look at those bulges around your
mid-section. The next thing you want to do is stop depriving yourself. If you want some
chocolate, eat some chocolate just do it in moderation. I find that for myself, it is
better to indulge in cravings as long as I don't go insane and eat an entire chocolate
cake. Now of course, there are rules to my way of like. For every soda I consume, I make sure
that I drink a tall, glass of water. I absolutely cannot skip my veggies and my fruits.

Last but not least, if I eat that chocolate cake I have an actual contractual agreement with
myself to get on my recumbent bike or go to the gym and work it off. That's right! I can eat
now and pay later and I see nothing wrong with that. I have begun to see differences in my
overall figure because I am paying attention to what I am eating. I have also discovered,
that there are some things that I really do not like all that well but, I would consume
them with the crowd I was with so I began to pay even more attention. If something does
not sit well on my palette, I am not going to waste the calories it is as simple as that.
We as a people also need to adopt the reality that our lifestyles have got to change.
It is not enough to do push backs from the dinner table. We need to know that fried chicken,
two steaks a week and french fries are not our friends. We need to ask ourselves if what we
call comfort food is really comfortable. For instance, how do you feel after consuming a
carton of rocky road or chili cheese fries? Has taking an antacid two or three times a
day become part of your health care regimen? What does your cholesterol level look like?
I don't want to come off as preachy but, I just want to send a wake up call. We do not
feel as good as we think we do. We don't get enough rest and exercise because we have
become complacent in our behaviors and it is time to change them. So if you want to make
2008 great and look better than ever, think about getting healthy and weight loss will
come as a result.

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