A Letter to My Former 200+ lb Self

When I was over 200 lbs, my notion of a healthy lifestyle was salads and extreme exercise.

Thus, I didn't do it. I hated both of those things, unless the first was covered in blue cheese dressing.

This is what I wish I could tell that girl:

Dear me,

Healthy eating does not have to boring, or tasteless, or difficult. There are SO many things available that are good for you AND taste good. You have to identify which healthy foods you enjoy, and go with it. Here are some of what your favorites will be in 5 years when you weigh 60 lbs less:

1. Vanilla yogurt with fresh berries and a few chocolate chips

2. Carrots or cucumbers dipped in roasted red pepper hummus

3. Roasted veggies!! All these years you thought you didn't like veggies. In reality, you just hadn't ever had them prepared in a way that was appealing! A little bit of olive oil, a pinch of salt and some roasting turns most any vegetable into little gems of deliciousness that you could eat all day long.

3. Fish. Salmon, cod, haddock, you name it.

You can lose the weight, you are not destined to be large forever. Pretty soon you'll have two little ones to chase after and it will break their hearts and yours if you can't keep up. If you don't even try to keep up.

Do it for them, but most of all, do it for you. You don't need to become a crazy exerciser but you do need to keep your body moving. Walk whenever possible, even standing instead of sitting makes a difference.

Water is your best friend. The more you drink of it, the better you feel. It helps the body constantly flush itself out. All those headaches you experienced as a teenager and in your 20's? Most definitely caused by not being hydrated enough. Start off by downing a bottle of room temp water after you have your breakfast in the morning. You won't believe the difference you feel.

You can do this, and you're going to do it through a realistic plan that doesn't cut anything completely out. You're not going to deprive yourself because, as you know, that always backfires. You can still eat chocolate every day, but in a much smaller amount. You can still eat bread, and pasta, and all those good things you love dearly, but you're going to watch your portions and be aware of how many calories you're consuming and what exactly is in the food you're eating.

Before you know it, these new ways of thinking (like eating every 3 hours instead of saving up for 3 big meals) will be habit and the weight will start to come off. You will reach a point when the scale doesn't seem to want to go any lower, and that's okay. That means you've reached your happy weight. It's the weight your body feels most comfortable at with the new, healthy habits you've established.

You've got this. Your future, 150 lb self is sure of it.

Love,
Me