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For reasons I still don't understand, my entry
into puberty was accompanied by twelve extra pounds.
My parents immediately overreacted and began to
ration my food. My counter-reaction was even worse.
At first I learned to sneak food, gaining even more
weight. Horrified, I learned to go on crash (and
burn) diets, thus beginning my 25-year career as a
yo-yo dieter. Predictably, each upward swing of the
yo-yo deposited yet more fat on my body. Finally,
after having two kids, struggling with a demanding
career, and reaching 160 pounds as the yo-yo
continued ever upward, I hit the wall. I simply
couldn't face either another diet or another food
binge. I honestly didn't care if I ever lost weight
again, as long as I didn't gain either. I spent two
years "stuck" with 160 pounds on a 5'
3" frame. Those two years were not wasted. I
learned to eat when I was hungry. I gave up my
"rules" about good food and bad food. I ate
what I liked at meals and the binging stopped. I
actually made healthy choices naturally. My husband
and I even splurged on a stairmaster to keep in our
garage, and I worked out faithfully three to four
days a week. Most important, I detached from the food
obsession that had dominated my thinking for so long.
I became an expert at maintaining 160 pounds. But
finally, I wanted more -- I wanted to reach a
healthier and more attractive weight.
But how? All I knew about losing weight was
eating as little as possible until I couldn't stand
it anymore. So I decided my weight loss/fitness plan
would be to increase my exercise while eating enough
that I would not be hungry. I increased my
stairmaster workouts to 5 times a week for 45 minutes
and never ate fewer than 1400 calories a day and
often as many as 2000. I dropped 20 pounds almost
without effort, but I wanted to lose 20 more. About
that time I came across Bob Greene's book
"Making the Connection". His strategy
worked perfectly for me. I increased my workouts to
six or seven days a week and -- most important --
slowly increased the intensity of the workouts. I was
working harder, not longer, and my metabolism edged
upward to accommodate the change. I ate meals
balanced according to the USDA food pyramid, still
consuming at least 1400 calories per day. Another 23
pounds melted off. In total, I lost 43 pounds in
about six months, scaling down from a size 12-14 to a
6P.
I loved the way I looked and especially how I
felt. But there was still something missing...I had
iron quads from the stairmaster, but my other muscle
groups didn't have much tone. That's when I bought
some free weights and tried toning videos. Of course,
once I tried The Firm, nothing else would do. I was
hooked!
I've stayed within ten pounds of my goal for six
months now. I work out early every morning before
work while the kids are asleep and my husband is
nominally "in charge". My stairmaster
workout is at the top level of the machine, and I let
go of the handrails at intervals to increase the
intensity. I listen to books on tape while
"climbing". After the stairmaster it's into
the house to do "Standing Legs",
"Lower Body Sculpting", "Upper
Body", "Tough Tape" or "Lie Down
& Work Out" by The Firm. At some point my
kids get up and trot into the family room where I'm
exercising. My three year old occasionally ties my
husband's socks around his ankles to simulate ankle
weights and tries to join me. And my seven year old
son, previously oblivious to the tapes, has suddenly
started to pay rapt attention whenever Susan Harris
appears on the screen. But the kids know that
mornings start with Mom working out and that they
won't have her undivided attention until she's done.
They also know it will be worth the wait.
I know that being fit is not a panacea for life's
problems and we certainly have our share. But I feel
somehow better equipped to handle the good, the bad
and the ugly knowing that I've done what I can for my
body and soul. It's a great foundation to build upon.
Mare
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