I was 187 pounds and on my way to 200 pounds. I knew I had to do something and had to do it fast! I was 35 years old and knew it was time in my life to make some changes. I knew the importance of good health and knew that at my present weight I was setting myself up for a spectrum of possible health problems. So I set out to achieve overall better health as my primary goal. This was the beginning of the battle against fat. The first thing I did was to get on a good vitamin and mineral program. The next thing I started to do was to read as much as I could.
This led me to my next step which was watching my fat intake. I now not only watch fat but also sugar and sodium. But in the beginning by just watching fat I began to see results immediately, which made me want more. I now began eliminating certain things from my diet and began consuming eight glasses of water a day. Yes, eight glasses of water. They always tell you to do that and now I am telling you that this is essential part of weight loss program.
My last challenge was to incorporate exercise into my already very busy life. This proved to be the most difficult and humiliating part of my plan. I decided to join a gym, after my first initial visit and weighed in along with finding out what my percent of body fat was. I was told I was OBESE. I always knew I was overweight but, to be called OBESE, I had a hard time accepting this! The young buff guy at the gym was not making it any easier. I wanted to join the gym on a one month trial basis to see if I really liked the facility and to see if I was going to stick with this program. I had joined gyms before only to throw money down the drain, because I never used them. I was not interested in a more complex membership. They were not interested in me. I left the gym that first day without even a one month membership. Totally disgusted, I got in my car and cried. I went back to the gym that day and insisted on purchasing a one month membership and I did! I began going to the gym at once and I took every type of aerobics class I could to see which ones I liked. Rode the bikes, used the machines and did the best I could. They did not make it easy for me and it was very awkward in the beginning. Exercise is now an important part of my life and when I see a new person at the gym I always try to lend a helping hand because I know what it’s like to just be starting out and have all this apparatus seem so totally foreign.
In order to maintain my current weight of 125 pounds, I need to exercise at least three times a week. My body no longer craves the food it used to and I no longer diet, I just make healthier choices about what I am putting into my body. It’s been almost two years since I started this program and it’s no longer work, it’s just a way of life! I am 36 years old and feel healthier than I have been in years.
Debbie Alfonso
New Jersey