Being Fat - And Getting Healthy

I use to be a large woman. In fact, I was obese 11 years ago, when I weighed close to 250 pounds! I battled weight issues as a child, but when I was 13...I went on my first diet, and entered the world of being thin. I noticed that when I lost the extra weight, society and my peers treated me differently. In fact, I gained instant respect, was talked to as a human, and realized how guys found me attractive. Years later, I learned how valuable a healthy diet can be when you become struck down with an illness...

I went on my  first diet when I was 13, which was an unhealthy diet. I lived on salad, and nothing else. I lost weight rapidly, felt extremely tired, but loved the positive attention I received from looking slim. The strange thing I realized at this point was people didn't consider me a joke anymore. I wasn't the "fat girl" anymore and I was no longer teased and ridiculed. I gained respect and many "new friends." Some people who didn't want to be seen talking to me...now did. Although, I found these so called friends of mine exciting at first, I quickly realized our friendship was based on my outward appearance, and not who I was as a person.

During my first pregnancy, I noticed the weight pile on. I had food pushed in front of my face, and literally into my mouth by my husband. People would tell me to eat more because I was eating for two. I know now, that is not true! I should of only been consuming 500 more calories a day. 

After the birth of my son, I was disgusted with how I looked. I weighed approximately 220 pounds and attempted to lose weight. However, Jimmy argued and fought with me about this....telling me, "I was losing weight to look good for other men."

I didn't realize at the time, he was controlling me. I was young, only 20 years old and didn't know better. Instead, I didn't argue back, and continued to live as a large woman, although I couldn't stand how I looked or felt. I thought I was fat, ugly and grotesque.

After my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, I lost a dramatic amount of weight...100 pounds! For several months I went on a diet which consisted of fruits, vegetables and chicken. I knew I had to lose the weight because shortly after my diagnosis I had trouble walking and became scared at the thought of using a wheelchair. I realized when I went on Canadian crutches that it was hard for me to move my body because of the extra weight I carried. I thought, if I couldn't lift a one-hundred pound weight right now...How am I carrying all that weight on my body? I couldn't imagine having further and more difficult times walking and carrying an extra 100 pound load around. This is when, why, and how I began my diet... and lost the weight.

Shortly after becoming thin, my husband began accusing me that I was cheating on him! He asked, "Why would you lose weight? I like you just the way you are! So who are you losing it for?"

He didn't care or realize the extent of my illness. In fact, he never went to any of my doctor's appointments with me. He was being selfish and hurtful. I realized at this point he only cared about himself. I knew I had to lose the weight...and I'm glad to this day I did. It was only two months later, when I filed for a divorce. 

Ever since I was 23...I never let myself go, as I once did. I had begun to implement a lifelong healthy nutrition, which I've fined tuned and changed over the years, to what I do now. I basically eat food, which are from the produce, meat, and dairy sections of a grocery store, as well as, rice, beans, nuts and natural oils. I don't consume any red meat, gluten, processed oils, fried food, processed boxed foods, and or preservatives. I prepare my food one day a week...for the rest of the week. I don't cook everyday because its time consuming. I plan what I'm going to eat ahead of time and stay far away from fast food, which is loaded with fillers and preservatives.

Eating healthy is not only a way to look good, but it helps mentally everyday with how you see yourself. If you eat nutritious good foods, you feel positive, light on your feet and good about yourself. When we make poor food choices we feel negative, guilty, heavy, weighed down and have a poor image of ourselves. 

I know that through eating right, I have helped my body and mind in every way possible. I see myself in a positive way, I feel great and it has helped my disease from progressing. When you eat healthy it helps maintain proper vitamins and nutrients necessary to our bodies and our cells to heal properly. Our brain needs good fats to heal, protein to work, and carbohydrates to process the protein. I've always believed in a high protein diet, coupled with vegetables, fruit, rice and potatoes.   

I'm not saying to never have a snack, but there are healthier snack choices (which I will specifically get into, in a later post). Also you may want to wean yourself off of junk food because there is a mental and physical addiction to it. Our body craves what we've been eating, and our mind finds comfort in it. So slowly getting rid of processed foods takes time...I recommend beginning with all sugary beverages, especially soda....and diet soda. Soda is extremely high in preservatives and is in no way healthy! Most people don't want to drink water, however, its the healthiest thing to drink.

I wish I began a healthy lifestyle years before I did. I didn't realize, how much better I'd look and feel. 

If you have questions about what you are drinking and or eating, and aren't sure whether its healthy or not, feel free to post a comment and ask me.

I will be getting into nutrition further on later posts, as well as what I consume and why.