CHANGES

Huge Changes, One Year at a Time

       This past year was one of the best I’ve ever had.  However, at its meager beginning, all my doctors pleaded with me to lose fifty pounds.  At first, I turned a deaf ear, saying to myself, “Happiness should be my only goal in life; eating whatever I want makes me happy.”  Finally, though, their complaints wore me down.  I decided to try healthier eating just one day and re-evaluate again tomorrow.  So began my remarkable year-long journey filled with new discoveries about myself and eating.

My psychiatrist points out that all my medications cause weight gain.  Nonetheless, I have managed to lose forty-seven pounds!   I attend a group where we share what worked that week and areas where we still struggle.  We applaud each others’ small changes even if they don’t result in weight loss.

For me, with past anorexia, I have watched for extreme measures such as not wanting to eat or over-exercising.  They haven’t surfaced and I’m ecstatic!  In fact, I exercise only moderately and relish all the new foods I’m eating!

The biggest change in me is that I’m more assertive, not hiding timidly inside big clothes.  I get inspiration at work from other exercisers and read inspirational books.  Friends, family, and my cats all benefit from my enthusiasm.

In just one year, my life changed immeasurably.  Imagine, by making one small change at a time on a goal you have, how yours could change, too!

By Susan K.