Overweight......Yuck!! You Don't have to Be!!

    Overweight. Obese. Fluffy. Whatever you want to call it, it's not fun. It's frustrating in the morning tryng to fnd clothes. It's frustrating and disheartening in the summer trying to find a bathing suit. You re not alone, though. Did you know that 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese? It's not just our looks we need to worry about it. It's our health. The incidence of diabetes has risen 76% in the last 10 years. And besides the health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol that excess weight causes, it's darned expensive! Think about the copays to the doctors office; the copays for the medicine; the increased insurance rates. You CAN lose that weight and keep it off! I speak from personal experience. My youngest child is 10.... About 9 months ago I weighed 211 lbs. I am 5'6". That was not good. I felt awful and I felt like I looked awful. I decided I wasn't going to let food control my life. So I did three things and now I weigh 146 lbs. That's a 65 lb. weight loss! First...I shifted my calories to earlier in the day. I eat a grain cereal or grits in the morning. I eat what I want at lunch, and then I don't eat past 2 pm in the afternoon. With that said.....do I get hungry at night? NO! I have an appetite, but that is different from hunger. Most of us do not know what real hunger is. Quit eating your dainty salads at lunch because that won't hold you until the next morning. EAT LUNCH! We put our weight on at night. I know Americans have busy lives, and we eat late, skip breakfast, etc. etc., etc. It doesn't mean you have to. Your family can eat and you can sit with them. Alcoholics learn in their recovery process that they are going to be with people who drink and they can't. You have to learn to sit with people who are eating and not eat. Food is an addiction. One note of caution, if you are diabetic, obviously you need three meals a day, but you still can adjust your calories to earlier in the day.
   Second thing I did.......became more active. I didn't go out an join a gym. As a matter of fact my treadmill is still in the garage. Find something you can do to exert yourself 4 times a week. I play Wii sports with my kids. I currently hold the ski jumping record and I am in second place in the hula hoop! With 4 kids that's what I have time to do. Turn off the TV and get off the couch or off the computer for 30 minutes. I don't care how tired you are, do something.

   You wouldn't let another person control you like food and weight do, so get healthy AND more beautiful.