Intro!

The popularity of blogging has been booming as of late, and weight loss is ever the popular topic today. Who better to take advice from than someone who has been through it all? Weight loss, relapse, learning to adjust to eating 'normally' and not as a hardcore dieter.

I had been overweight for almost all of my life. Sure, it was cute when I was a little kid! I never had healthy eating habits implemented growing up, I never had to ask to eat foods, I ate what I wanted, when I wanted. We had tons of cookies, chips, candies around the house. Nothing was portioned, my family always encouraged us to eat more at meals. Funny thing is, I'd never disliked fruits or veggies, we just never had them around. Also, this was back when fat kids were not as common as they are now, so growing up, I was constantly picked on by both girls and boys. Puberty is freaky enough without being picked on by all your peers. It didn't exactly work wonders for my self-esteem, and took me a long time to grow out of those insecurities, even long after high school ended. I find I'm still growing into being completely comfortable in my own skin, though looking at me (someone who spends time on their appearance), you would never guess.

The turning point was when I was 20. I feared the scale, always have, but would secretly weigh myself occasionally when I did come across a scale. The number would always be a small increase from the one before. I knew slowly but surely, I was buying bigger pants, and couldn't blame it on 'growing up' anymore. My lowest point, I can still remember clear as day- finding out I had finally broken the 200-lb mark. I mean, that's a high number even for a guy! So starting my real attempt at a healthier lifestyle, I was 5'9" and 205 pounds.

Dieting is a difficult, arduous process. Good news is, it gets easier as time goes on! Keep in mind, any new habit takes about 3 weeks to keep up and your taste buds take about 2 weeks to adjust. So if you're used a high-salt, high-sugar, high-fat diet, then yes, a complete overhaul on your diet will taste horribly bland at first. With so many healthier options out there now, it's pretty easy to cheat with a little know-how.

Looking back now, I can't even see myself falling into those habits again. I do still love food, but don't eat to the point of sickness anymore. Getting off your butt to exercise is hard, but you do feel better after it's done, both mentally and physically. You only have one life, one body, so why treat it as best you can?

Please feel free to ask me anything, I've probably read everything there is to read on dieting, working out, food, etc.! I'd feel very lucky knowing I helped anyone in anyway :)