Forever Growing: Welcome to My Roller-Coaster

Let me tell you why I wanted to have a blog section on eating healthy and why I try and offer healthier recipes that anyone can muster up in the kitchen.
Up. Down. Up. Down.UP

My ride never ends.

I have struggled with weight since I hit my final growth spurt in 5th grade. Yes. I have practically been the same height ever sense. Sucks. I was suppose to keep growing and be a world famous model or something. However no one told me I was done growing, so I continued eating like a little kid, without a care in the world. Thus I blew up.

I have been a yo-yo dieter ever since then.
Remember Atkins? Yea my family was hardcore with that one. Then I became a devoted calorie counter, I worked at job were I was constantly on the move and that seemed to keep me fit.

Then I moved to KC after graduation. and met a boy.

look how cute and young we were. ah. to be a teenager again.

They say when you're happy. You get fat.

I hate that saying. It's more like "You're happy, and you eat out all the time and get fat"

that saying never rang more true for us. We ate out all of the time. Even twice a day. I think back to our old eating habits and it disgusts me. No wonder I gained weight. I ate Burger King ( mMMmM the double stacker is my weakness) for lunch, and then chinese take out for dinner. I had a sit down job, that involved little to no activity, and I never exercised. Then New Years 2009 came around, and after looking at that picture above, I knew I had a problem. I felt ugly. I lost confidence in myself, and I wasn't happy.

So I had to rectify this. I was not going to dwell on how out of control my weight had gotten. I was going to find a solution.

In the past I would yo-yo diet. So I started looking up the newest trends. South Beach was out there, and then there was good old weight watchers and Jenny Craig, oh and lookie there... Atkins is still around.

Then I stumbled upon the gym ads and current promotions. I had the most basically simple epiphany. I need to change my lifestyle. Diets don't work for me. This is evident in the fact that my weight is constantly fluctuating.

I needed a lifestyle change.

I became more active. I joined a gym. I stopped all fast food consumption. I became a health nut. I cook dinner at least 5 out of the 7 nights. I started eating fish ( I use to HATE fish). I stopped using rice as a side-dish and learned to eat veggies. I went by the notion that brown and tan foods are bad, your plate should be colorful! I started making weekly menus and detailed grocery lists, that way I could control over what foods I ate, and not buy processed yuckness on the whim. Danny and I are more active with our dogs, taking them on walks and playing with them.

Don't get me wrong. I still cave into cravings, I know I can't deny myself some chocolate, or even Red Robin, but I just do it in moderation. And I don't beat myself up when I do indulge.

The weight slowly came off. But I never stressed over it. I knew my journey would be a lifelong one. Yea I could have lost the weight faster if I crashed diet, but where would that get me? I'd be back at 155lbs or more in no time.

So after two years, and a lifetime of bad habits to break, I have finally met my goal.

I feel great.

and I want others to feel great. Because I know how it feels to struggle with weight, and if my small random healthy blog section helps one person out, then I will be ecstatic.

So, to continue my journey to a healthier life, I bought a food steamer this weekend.