I've Lost 87 Pounds and Am Still Going

by Corrine
(Dallas, TX)

2008 was the year when I finally decided I'd had enough of being obese. I had gotten so large that I couldn't get around comfortably, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't breathe, and I knew my health was in jeopardy. I'm only 5'5" tall, yet I weighed 263 pounds.

I've dieted the biggest part of my life, and I knew that fad diets didn't work. I also didn't want to pay someone else to help me when I knew that I'd have to do all the work myself anyway. So, I worked out my own diet and exercise schedule, and I got started.

Every morning I start my day by doing a Richard Simmons exercise tape. At first I could only get through one or two of the simplest exercises, but it wasn't long before I was able to get through an entire tape. When I hit a plateau along the way, I added a second exercise tape on Mondays and Fridays, and that seemed to help.

I restricted myself to 1000 calories a day, and I concentrated on eating whole foods. My son lent me a book called "The Omnivore's Dilemma" which gave me a lot of insight into proper eating. Eating whole foods means eating poultry and non-processed meats, fresh vegetables and fruits, and milk. It also means eliminating canned and packaged foods which contain a lot of additives and unhealthy bi-products.

My son also steered me to a website called "Fitday" which allowed me to keep a record of my weight loss, my caloric intake, my exercise, and my nutrition. It has been an invaluable tool, and I've maintained it for almost nine months now.

As I stated in the title of this article, I now weigh 87 pounds less than I did when I started. I feel much better now and have a lot more energy to play with my grandchildren or take on projects around the house. For the holidays, I'm just trying to get through without regaining any weight. Then I'll take off my final 46 pounds after the first of the year.