When I was a little girl in elementary school, kids were mean to me. So, after I came home on the bus, I often comforted myself with a bowl of potato chips or mocho mix ice cream (moch mix is a non-dairy creamer--I had to stay away from milk due to phenylketonuria). I loved popsicles and sprite, A&W root beer, or any root beer. Neeedless to say, like most kids I couldn't care less about sugar, and the more junk food the better! It's sad to say, but my junk food gave me something to forward to when I got home. Junk food and a couch in front of a T.V,--how can a kid ask for more? In fact, I remember one of my brothers saying to me one day, "Every time I see you, you're eating!" When I was about nine or so my family would be eating at a restaurant and I would get plate filled with so much food that you wouldn't think a child could consume it all. My dad would say, "Can you eat all that?" I always did. I comforted myself with food and it felt so good! This was a far cry from when I was 3 or so and had to have a tube up my nose and into my stomach repeatedly becase I wouldn't eat, but boy did I ever make up for it!

Considering my childlike eating habits, I didn't gain weight as I could have, but I remember feeling overweight for most of my life, even though I loved jumping on our big trampeline for years. I wore at least two of them out--I fell right through the first. This, I suppose may have kept me from blowing up like a blueberry!( Willie Wonka allusion -I love that movie!)

Just prior to graduation from Ricks College I weighed about 145 (I'm 5,2 1/2--that half is important!) and by exercise and watching a little of what I ate, I lost about 15 lbs. However, after I went home, I enjoyed my mom's ccoking and ceased exercising and gained it all back!

Fast forward to the present. Back in June, the most I weighed was 178 lbs.! That's the most I ever weighed! I decided that's it, I have got to lose weight and change my ways!

Since then, da, da, da, da! I have lost over 25 lbs! This morning my digital scale said, "151.2." I still have quite a while to go before I reach my ideal weight, but I look and feel so much better! Don't you love baggy pants and needing to wear a belt?

Anyway, how have I done it? The same way I did it before. Regular exercise and watching what I eat. And by watching what I eat, I mean portion control and mostly healthy foods. I really haven't made drastic changes to my diet, just minor ones I feel I can stick to for the rest of my life. The key to remember is that any changes you make should be lifestyle changes. If you can't live by your new diet the rest of your life, you'll probably gain it all back after you lose it, because you'll miss your old foods. I say, your favorite foods every so often is ok. There is no need to deprive yourself completely of yummies like bugers, pizza, and Mexican food forever! How sad would that be! You just have to be sensible about it. Also, you need to get on an exercise regimen that you sustain throughout your life was well.