Once an OVER EATER, always an OVER EATER! One year anniversary of losing 100 pounds!

It has been almost one year since I lost 100 pounds. You would think this would start getting easier...but it's NOT!

For those of you who have an addictive personality, you may understand that we can find ourselves falling back into old habits that can cause problems in our lives. Addictions can be with alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and yes, even for some of us it's FOOD! 

There are times in my life I find myself falling right back into those habits that caused me to balloon up over 300 pounds.

Have you ever found yourself eating but you never seem to get full? I have!

Have you ever justified what you are eating, that it really isn't THAT bad for you? I have!

People ask me all the time, " does it get easier now that you've lost the weight?" I answer, "NO! There will always be times in my life that I get weak, bored, depressed, stressed or just crave something unhealthy. When I have those times I simply need to remind myself of where I started and how far I have come.

Changing your lifestyle won't be easy, but it's a lot better than dieting the rest of your life! DIETING SUCKS!

As an OVER EATER it can be a struggle to even maintain a healthy weight. In the past I can remember losing 40-50 pounds and everything would be great for a year or so. Then slowly but surely my weight would start creeping up there again. I would fall into bad habits all over again like going through the drive thru at a fast food restaurant once or twice a day or having a dessert with every meal. I might even skip a day or two from going to the gym, which would then become a week or two. Why should I go to the gym? Why can't I have a couple pieces of cake? Why can't I eat what I want? I hit my weight goal. What more is there for me to do? This is why I now preach changing your lifestyle versus setting a goal weight as a your ultimate goal. With a healthy, active lifestyle as your goal, the weight will take care of itself.

"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!"

Don't you love it when people come up to you and ask you if you have lost weight? Or they might say, "Wow! You look great!"   Doesn't that give you that extra spark, a little more drive and a whole lot more motivation to continue working hard at the gym? I know it does for me. Think about those compliments when you are out to eat and you order something healthy from the menu instead of a burger and fries. Try a nice salad with grilled chicken. Trust me, you will satisfy your hunger and feel a whole lot better later.

Staying motivated and keeping a positive attitude are a couple keys to my success in losing weight and keeping it off. I also set challenges for myself to keep striving to become better. That's why I've chosen to compete in these physique competitions. I know I will never get really BIG like a bodybuilder, but it gives me something to strive for with each competition. You need to find something that will help to keep you motivated when times get hard and when times are good. We have a tendency to want to gain more weight when times are really good for us.

Over this past year, my weight has fluxed from 210 pounds down to a one-day low of 184 on September 29. I have been maintaining a pretty steady weight between 205-210 pounds for the majority of the year. That I can live with. This journey started on April 1, 2011 when I weighed 306 pounds, and today I'm at 205 pounds on my way down to competition weight. My next competition will be in April. Has it been easy to maintain my weight...no way! Has been tough? You bet it has! Is it worth all the working out and preparing  meals in advance? Absolutely!

I have never been as healthy as I am right now, and I am 50!  I'm excited to see what else I can accomplish over the next 50 years!