Hello, my name is...

Lisa. I'm 23 years old. I have been overweight for...basically since early childhood. Probably about age 9-10 is when people started commenting that I had a big belly. That's always been my problem. My legs are comparatively small, and most other parts as well. My gut has always been the main issue with my body. Of course, I'd love to see weight lost in my thighs, arms, and neck/chin, also, but my tummy is deinfitely my main focus. Besides, I've read in articles and heard on TV that the waist line is the most dangerous place, heart wise, to store fat! My family does have a history of heart problems and diabetes, so I am trying to learn as much as I can about decreasing those risks. I used to smoke, but I stopped about 2 months ago. I never thought I could quit smoking. I had tried many times and failed. Eventually I somehow ended up quitting gradually without really trying or realizing it. I just stopped. I'm happy about that, and I wouldn't even be tempted to go back to smoking now. Every time I smell cigarettes it really grosses me out! I hate it when my boyfriend smokes around me, now, not because I'm tempted but because the smell makes me sick! So now that that's out of the way, I really want to get healthier and change my eating and exercise habits. The last time I was really active was in elementary school, when I played sports. When I hit middle school, I guess I got super lazy because that was a wrap on the sports and activities. In the recent past, the most exercise I got was an occasional walk down the street or washing the dishes/cleaning. When I first started working at the place I now work at, I was impressed that they had exercise equipment in the de-stress room. They have an elliptical and a treadmill. I've been hopping on the treadmill on my breaks every change that I get for the past couple weeks. I can usually only fit in 5-15 mins, but every time adds up and it's better than nothing. I'm hoping to join a gym or get my own treadmill and workout DVDs so I can include even more activity, but I'm starting small and I feel good about that. I want to get into Pilates, since my mid-section is the main thing I want to work on, along with my balance, and strengthening my core is definitely something I need to do. If anyone happens to have any advice on what DVD or set to choose, let me know.

I'm also working hard on adding more fruits and vegetables into my diet and stop eating so much meat. I have to admit that before I started this, I was regularly pigging out on mainly fried or processed meat and starches (fied chicken, fish, corn dogs, fries, chips, etc.). Now I've cut out fried foods, pop, and other sugary drinks, and focusing on drinking mostly water and trying to add fruit or vegetables into every meal. I've been reading a lot, looking at pictures and recipes for healthy meals. The more I learn, the more I feel armed with information. For example, they say that half of your 9" plate should consist of vegetables and fruit, a quarter meat/protein, and a quarter grain/starch. That's pretty much the opposite of how I think most people eat. Generally, I think my plates would have consisted of half meat and half starch/bread. So now that I know what it's supposed to look like, and have started to explore different options when it comes to eating vegetables, I'm really excited to make that my goal. So many studies have proven over and over that eating less meat and more whole foods like plant foods and whole grains decrease risks for all kinds of nasty diseases! So many people focus on the outside aspect of the results instead of the benefits to your insides! When I get on that treadmill and get to the point where I want to stop, not only do I think or tell myself things like "Don't you wanna look good in a bathing suit and make all the guys jealous of your man?" but also "Don't you wanna be a good mom and keep up with your kids and watch them grow up and have kids of their own, then watch your grandkids get married and have kids? Don't you wanna be able to take a hike in the woods at 60-70? Don't you want to avoid all the pain, meds, hospital visits, and surgery? Do you really want to worry about developing diabetes?" Losing weight at a slow, healthy rate of 1 pound per week does seem like slow progress and it would take a while to see visible results, but what I'm impressed with is how much my resting heart rate has gone down since I started exercising! I donate plasma and in order to do that your pulse has to be below 100, and for a while I was consistantly having problems with my heart rate being over that, which is not healthy. A healthy resting heart rate is considered to be between 60-100 beats per minute. Since I've started fitting in those treadmill sessions, the last time I went to the plasma center, it was 81! What a victory! Even though I'm not seeing huge external results yet, I do notice a change in my energy level, my mood, and the way I feel in general. It's totally worth it, even if I am taking baby steps, because I know every day that I continue on this path is another step towards my goals. It's not easy, and I have stumbled a few times, but I expected to. That's the great thing about a journey like this. You don't have to stay on the forward track 24/7 to continue on it. You might take steps backwards a few times, but as long as you don't keep going backwards you're still making progress overall!

I look forward to getting to know some of you a little bit and sharing our experiences.