In all of our lives at one time or another, we have faced that one thing where we don’t want to admit we have a problem.  It’s like a huge elephant in the room at every family get-together, or the frustration felt in our daily lives. It’s something we don’t want to talk about, much less hear about, but it’s always there.

For some it is drinking, for others smoking, and for others it may be more serious.

My addiction was/is food.

 For over ten years I heard my parents reminding me how unhealthy I was becoming, that heart issues are genetic and I was just encouraging them.  My nephew would go home after visiting us and talk about how fat his Aunt Jen was.  I had people mistake me for being pregnant, cried in dressing rooms because clothes I wanted to wear just did not fit, worried that my family was embarrassed by me every time we went out in public, slept for the entire 8 hours while my kids were in school because I had no energy to do anything else, & virtually stopped going to social activities outside of church and my children’s activities.

I was surviving, but I sure wasn’t living.

Then came the fateful day that my husband had to have a heart cath last spring.  As a SAHM who was just days from turning 40, I was not prepared in the least for any of the stresses that had come upon us.  While Audley came through all of his issues with flying colors, it left me with plenty to think about.

What if something happened to Audley?  Who would take care of our kids?  How could I work when I couldn’t even get through the day without a long nap?  I mean I couldn’t even walk up the hill from our mailbox without getting winded.  I was in no position to function if something were to happen to my husband.

Please don’t let my candidness offend you, but

Like any problem we have, admitting it is the first step to fixing it, and for the last fourteen months I have done everything in my power to change my life and fix my problem.

And wow!  Has it ever changed!

Is being overweight your problem?

 I know, it’s embarrassing.

It’s a really tough subject to talk about, and sometimes it’s easier to pretend it doesn’t exist.  When someone has an illness they generally talk about it.  Obesity is an illness, and it needs to be talked about, no matter how embarrassing it is to face.  Talk shows discuss it, reality shows portray it, but they can’t begin to cover how much of an issue it is.  There is a lot too it.  Sometimes underlying issues that I can’t even begin to fathom are behind a person’s obesity, but it needs to be discussed.

I can tell you why I was so overweight … I was selfish.  I was so self-absorbed that when we moved with Audley’s job so many times that I turned to food and myself for comfort instead of getting out and enjoying the blessings of life, meeting people and getting involved in activities outside myself.  I hid in food, made food my best friend and whenever something upset me, offended me, scared me, or I found myself alone I turned to food to fix it.  I was totally addicted to food!

I’ll be honest, I do like food.

I like to play with flavor, I like to cook and I really like the results when people brag on my dishes.   That hasn’t changed any, but what has changed is the manner in which I play with flavor and the attitude in which I treat food.  It’s a matter of eating to live now, not living to eat.  I will always struggle with my food addiction

Now I am not going to tell you how to get skinny.  I’m not about skinny, but I am about fit and healthy as I continue along my our fit journey.  There is a huge difference between fit and skinny and I can assure you the latter is far better!

First, change your mind. You cannot start any kind of fitness program without the determination that YOU CAN DO THIS!

Is it easy?

Heck no!

When you have the ugliest piece of furniture or  room that you decide to restore or transform do you see the original shape it was in?  No, you look ahead to what it can be.

It’s the same thing with getting fit.  Look to what you can be, not your starting point.

And keep in mind, NO ONE is too old to change.  I work out in the gym with men and women who are in their 60’s, 70’s, and yes there is even a lady who is in her 80’s that trains several days a week!

Second, get moving!  Turn off the TV, shut down your computer and move it!  Turn on some music with a beat and go for a walk.  Start off slow doing what you can and add to it every day. Even moving slow beats sitting on the couch!  And a peaceful walk is so relaxing.

Undertake a massive housecleaning.  You want to work out, try moving furniture and vacuuming underneath it, dusting bookshelves and rearranging all of the books, wash windows, scrub baseboards, rearrange a room…. These things come easy to me now, but were neglected in our home for a long time because I simply did not have the energy to tackle them.  Pick two and go for it today!

Pick up a beginners workout DVD.  The Dancing with the Stars series is fun (although I have NO rhythm) and after I got the hang of a few dances I really enjoyed it.  I close the blinds for that workout though!

Check out a local gym.  Take a beginners yoga class, walk the treadmill, or take a low-impact aerobics class.

Don’t be afraid of the gym.  Yes, it can be intimidating, but it is truly the place for everyone.  If you are uncomfortable with a co-ed atmosphere, there are women’s only centers as well.

When I hit the gym for the first time it was to learn resistance and weight training.  I don’t do cardio (except to train for a 5K I’m about to run) but instead I’m building lean muscle which burns more fat than cardio will.  Cardio is good for your heart, but burns up all the fuel you feed your body.  I will cover that more later.

If you can budget it, hire a personal trainer to give you a hand getting started.  You would be amazed at the help a trainer will be.  I used one for four months and it truly made all the difference in my efforts!

Make a conscious effort to move for your health everyday!

Third, stay away from fad diets.  Believe me, I’ve done them all.  I’ve no-carbed, counted points, took a pill, drank a shake, fasted, etc….  All that did for me was stress me out, made me cry and head to the kitchen because I was starving at the end of the day!

Your body needs fuel.  Feed it, just feed it correctly.

Choose lean meats, fresh veggies, low to no sugar, and very low sodium.  Bake, Broil (w/o butter), and grill your meats.  Make your own salad dressings using natural products.  Mrs. Dash and growing my own herbs has become the norm for preparing meals in my kitchen.

Clean out your cabinets and pantry.  Throw out the chips and cookies and Hamburger Helper and pasta salad mixes and Special K bars and cereal and…..

Eat clean.  You’ll feel better, it’ll taste better and you’ll notice a difference really soon!

And speaking of eating, eat!  DO NOT skip a meal.  Balance each meal with a lean protein, a carb (potatoes, rice, etc…), and fresh veggies (at dinner & supper).

I actually measure my food.  I have 4-5 ounces of my protein (8 ounces of fish), one cup of a carb and unlimited fresh veggies.

When you start out eating, go with your three standard meals, but as your body starts to change, possibly lose weight and you feel better, you may find yourself hungry more.  Add a fourth meal.  Don’t snack away the hunger.  It just doesn’t work.  Right now I eat five small meals a day.

One last thing, write down everything you eat all day long …. even the one bite of peanut butter or taste of a cookie.  Then look back at the end of the day and see what you could have definitely done without.

You’ll be amazed.

Keep a food journal.  It will help keep you accountable.

Fourth, don’t quit!  No one ever said this was easy.  In fact I have shed many a tear of discouragement and frustration.  There have been days I just want to scream, throw a dumbbell, or break a plate, but that’s all a part of it.

Talk openly and candidly with your family about what is going on with you.  Invite their support and encouragement.  Enlist the help of friends who will walk with you, or even workout with you.  A support system will help you through the most trying of times!

I think I have the best support system around.  Audley works out with me on weights, as do Bradley and MacKenzie.  Madeline has convinced me to run a 5K with her in two weeks, so she is my running partner for now.

This chick who couldn’t walk up hill or stairs without getting winded a year ago is playing softball on a co-ed team right now, climbed a mountain earlier in the summer, and keeps a pretty clean house these days (as clean as three teenagers allow, anyway).