Finding Health with Samantha

An ever present problem in my life has always been weight. By the time I was in the third grade my mother was restricting what I ate. For years upon years I played the game; diet, exercise, lose weight, stop and gain it back.

It was not until 2007 that I realized the name of the game was not solely weight loss. The most pressing matter was that I needed to be healthy. If I could make healthy lifestyle changes, the weight loss would come.

I began to read, research and absorb any information I could find about which foods contained which vitamins and nutrients, how to naturally raise my metabolism and how to get the most out of exercising. Nutrition and overall health is now my life's passion.

My highest weight in 2007 was 214 lbs. I would have been considered morbidly obese by any standard. Now in 2010 I am at 162 lbs, still working on my goal weight of 115 lbs.

I have learned to make good choices whenever I can and not to let small mistakes defeat my ambition. My weight used to cause knee problems but now I jog and play tennis. I know the weight I have lost is mainly due to progressive changes I have made to my diet.

 Everyone's body is different so I had to determine what was right for me. Low carb, low saturated fat and more frequent, smaller meals are the very basis of my diet. A diet rich in what my body needs provides the fuel for calorie-burning work outs.

I find difficulty in finding foods that do not have a laundry list of ingredients that would hinder all of my hard work. Not to mention foods that are plant-based.

For the first time, I live in a city that has an Earth Fare. In the past I'd only see it in magazine listings of healthiest grocery stores. Now I am able to add a stop to Earth Fare to my list of healthy habits. I am reaching for my goal at a steady, healthy pace and working toward becoming a registered dietitian because I am so enthralled by working with others toward a common goal of a healthier life.