Eat to Live or Live to Eat, The choice is Yours!

Ok it's true, when you are getting in condition; Changing your body composition, building muscle, losing fat, getting healthy, sometimes your actual weight increases.

No that's not an excuse to go binge, stuff your face or whatever. Muscle weighs more than fat does. Fat takes up 5 times the space muscle does. Fat burns much fewer calories than muscle does.

As I said, sometimes your actual weight increases. Keep on working out and your fat content will decrease. Your weight will decrease as well; that is if you have more fat to lose. Ok now that's not an excuse either.

The most important thing in losing weight, becoming healthy, any kind of training or life changes is (drum roll please) your mindset.

I used to Live to Eat, now I Eat to Live. Understand the difference? Yes? No? I can’t answer that question for you, only you can. When you understand the difference losing weight is no longer an issue.

No I don’t mean you will become healthy overnight. What I do mean is that when you understand that food is fuel for your body so you can live, not a coping mechanism to bury your emotions, or a place to hide. Or any number of other things, the list could go on and on.

You can actually enjoy what you eat, you are not limited in your selections.

You don’t have to use The Forte Diet to lose weight. Wow did I say that? Yes I did. Yes I market The Forte Diet. That said yes I use it. I like it. It makes for a quick and easy meal for me. I tastes good, is full of vitamins and minerals, keeps my energy levels at a good level, and my body feels good when I drink it for a quick meal.

That said, no it’s not the only thing I eat. I enjoy a good grilled steak too. Actually I enjoy meals now. No guilt over whatever I happen to eat. Woo Hoo! I used to freak over every bite. I eat to live now. I also listen to my body. Listen, your body will tell you when it’s had enough.

Yes you can ignore it and keep eating. You know that already, all you have to do is look around at all the obese people eating themselves to death to see that.

On the flip side-folks: starving yourself to death is not any healthier than eating yourself into size of a bloated walrus. Neither extreme is healthy!

I weighed in this morning. I gained 2 pounds. I knew I was going to gain, I’ve been lifting very heavy, working my muscles to exhaustion. No not in a gym, I’ve been working on the kennel getting it winterized. That involves lifting 13 foot sheets of tin, bales of straw, tires, posts, 2 by 4’s, and so on. At this point the Robbins Run Ranch: Pomeranian Kennel workout is all I can handle. Woof baby.

I can feel and see the difference in my body. It’s a good thing I have some suspenders or my jeans would be falling off. They look like baggy clown pants as it is. Lol.

Truth be told I’m looking forward to a new wardrobe as my size continues to drop. I’m also looking forward to being able to walk the Medicine Bow Half Marathon (13.1 miles) Sunday, May 25th, 2008.

It’s been a long journey from extreme illness to this point. It feels good being able to pick up a 13 foot sheet of tin, or a post driver. After surgery I couldn’t even lift a coffee pot. Forget picking up my Pomeranians. That was sheer torture.

My abs have healed back together, they were cut from my navel to bikini line. Now my body is getting stronger, and stronger. The fat is coming off my waist. I’m on my way to six pack abs.

It will take at least a year to work the fat off. I don’t want to take it off really fast, because I do not want my skin to be hanging all over the place. The goal is to lose fat at a steady healthy pace.

That said hopefully my skin will tighten up so I will not have to have it surgically removed. That said: if I have to have some removed, then so be it. But, I am going to do whatever I can to make that unnecessary, and still reduce my body size.

Life is a journey… enjoy the trip
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
307.788.0202