When I decided to make a change...

After the doctor "floored" me with his extremely grim diagnosis, I cried as I walked to the bus stop.  I felt as if I only had a short time before I'd "drop dead".  Part of me wanted to eat, my response to pretty much every feeling.  I ate when I was happy, sad, angry, depressed.  That, in addition to being from NL, where food is the centerpiece of every social gathering and occasion.  Thankfully, I didn't immediately resort to eating comfort foods.  In the coming days, after some thoughtful reflection, I decided that I "HAD" to take my life into my own hands, a life that I had taken for granted all my life.  Even now I can remember asking God, "Why did you make me fat?", "Please just make me normal!", among other things.  I now know that I was in a state of denial.  I didn't remain in that stage long, which was a good thing.  I decided not to renew my bus pass and treked an hour to and from MUN every day.  I also began following the Canada Food Guide, eating according to the recommendations of a dietician that worked with Diabetics.

The biggest change would have to be the way and how I ate.  I quickly emptied out my deep fryer and tossed it out.  I stopped eating fried foods (for the time being), added a variety of fruits and vegetables (which was not difficult, as my parents grew their own), and reduced my portion sizes.  In addition, I began a regime of waking up between 6-6:30am and going for a walk, from my house (near Elizabeth Avenue & Torbay Road), around Quidi Vidi Lake and back home.  Sometimes I did this walk several times a day, in the morning and the evening.

The results of my efforts?  In only a few months, I managed to drop a substantial amount of weight. Exactly how much? Well, I went from a 58" to a 48".  As for actual pounds, I will check with my doctor and post it in the coming weeks.