As 2015 rounded down, I was rounder than I wanted to be. I was determined to lose weight for real this time. To lose weight and not have it creep back. I tried the point plan and lost weight, but once I stopped tracking points, it all came back. Like everyone else, I know what I am supposed to do – limit alcohol, eat better, and get more exercise. I get all of that; however, I want to enjoy life with pepperoni pizza and guacamole, too. 

 

A friend had been going to Belinda and suggested I try her out. I was skeptical. I thought going to a nutritionist meant she would tell me exactly what to eat, when to eat, and lecture me when I went off track. Despite my concerns; my desperation to do it right this time drove me to make an appointment. I had my first appointment right before Christmas. I wasn’t planning to eat salad for Christmas, but figured it would help me plan and prepare for the post-holiday weight loss marathon I was about to take on.

 

Seeing Belinda was the best decision ever! She did the typical stuff – educated me on calories in versus calories out, portion sizes, and scheduling workouts. Her philosophy, however, was energizing. “Enjoy Taco Tuesday, but keep your goals in mind while doing it. The reality is you are there for tacos, so why fill up on three bowls of fried chips & salsa first?”  Her insight made it all click for me.

 

Over the next year, I incorporated her philosophy into my calorie consumption choices. If I wanted something, I ate it. Maybe not all of it, but enough to fill my need for it. I started paying attention to enjoying the food I was eating. Something might look good, but if that first couple of bites didn’t make my taste buds light up, why keep eating it? I was working hard to lose weight, and it wasn’t worth wasting calories on something I wasn’t enjoying. As my food IQ grew, the give and take of exercise and movement followed. 30 pounds and two years later I feel like a new me. I am no longer running a weight loss marathon. Instead, I am evolving how I look at food and exercise to mold a new me that is healthy and food-loving!