How it all started.....

Towards the end of the year (2010) a close friend of mine had asked me for some advice. She has been overweight most of her life and has struggled with yo-yo, fad and trendy diets never succeeding and keeping the weight off. She came to me with hopes that my nutritional background and allied health experience would make me knowledgeable about losing weight the healthy way and keeping it off. Initially I gave her the same advice anyone would and told her to just exercise and watch what you eat. It really can't be that hard....right? But for her it was. She wasn't familiar with the things that I had learned and experienced. She didn't know how to read a food label let alone how to interpret it. She had never stopped to think about the difference between ordering salad dressing on the side versus on the salad. She was intimidated by the gym and thought there was no way she could exercise if she couldn't get over this. But most importantly she didn't know what a calorie was? Now it took me some time to realize her frustrations and troubles, but when I did I decided to sit down with her and offer up the best advice a friend can give. I decided to be a model for her while helping her develop the tools she needed to succeed  in eating healthy, losing weight, getting in shape, and making a permanent lifestyle change.  I started this journey in January and have since lowered my BMI from 24 to 21. Yes, I know I was in the normal category to start, but this change has not only lowered my BMI it has also improved my overall physical and mental health. I am also fitting in clothes that I wore years ago! My husband has also joined the bandwagon and he too has had success. The purpose of this blog will be to share my new found recipes and ideas along with fun facts to help those who struggle with weight loss, or unhealthy eating habits. So now I'm asking you to follow me in my journey to a healthier lifestyle and just maybe you will learn something new along the way.