Carmen: Seeing food as fuel

It's become clear that weight loss in a permanent and healthy way has nothing to do with starving or sweating until we pass out.

Food has taken on a new definition in terms of weight management. That four-letter word "diet" has now become "fuel". Food = fuel, not cravings, not being forced to eat what we don't like, feeling deprived and then going back to what we "like" which was full of empty calories and/or fat and no energy. What I now "like" and have more taste for, is what's good for me and that is a plate full of colorful fruits and vegetables and right portions throughout the day.

I used to weigh 200 pounds and couldn't go up a flight of stairs without stopping or huffing and only ate about two times a day. Now, 17 pounds lighter and inches off everywhere, I'm running circles around my old ideas of health, food, and exercise and I eat five times a day and and exercise 10-20 minutes per day. (Who would've thought?).

All thanks to this A New Way to a New You program!

Here's a quick snapshot of my losses and gains since mid-February:

Down an additional 10 pounds for a total of 17 pounds since I started.
Down 1% body fat.
Up .3% muscle mass.
Down 2 inches from my arms.
Down 3 inches from my waist.
Down 1.5 inches from my hips.