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I was tired of looking the way I did. I was carrying 340 pounds on my 5’2” frame. 

According to the body mass index, I would have to grow three-feet to justify all the extra weight I was hauling around.

I wanted to be “normal-sized” for the first time in my life. 

One of the first things I learned is that the average person faced over 200 food choices a day. That wasn’t a surprise to me. My obesity was a tribute to the fact I had made millions of crappy food decisions over the years.

If you were trying to lose weight, it would be a simple choice to make. But for me, who was trying to find comfort from my stressful day, it wasn’t simple. 

So, I began putting healthy things in my lunch box like spinach salads with grilled chicken or hummus with cherry tomatoes, or a container of my wickedly hot turkey chili. 

I started to really love the way the good food made me feel, less sluggish and ready to take on what the world had in store for me.

After several months, the simple steps of eating better and walking were making a small dent in my mountain of extra weight. I had lost around 25 pounds in the first three months. Gone were the four fat-laden food groups from my childhood like butter, chips, ice cream and chocolate. I was becoming more aware of a balanced-food world. Hello! Baked chicken in the correct portion size with a small salad and dressing on the side. I began to take to heart what the books were telling me about proper portion size. 

I even bought a food scale and began to use it on a daily basis. I would measure the chicken to make sure that I learned what a proper portion should be. 

The Land-Of-Plenty had skewed my vision to what was a normal portion. Super-sizing was a way of life for me but had to change along with what I was putting on my plate. I took a week and ate nothing but Lean Cuisines to teach myself what a 300-calorie meal meant. I learned to drink water to fill the void of being hungry and to chew sugarless gum to take my mind off of my growling stomach. 

A TV news story about how shopping the perimeters of the grocery store—where the fresh food and produce are normally sold—was a good way to fight the temptation to buy unhealthy food. That seemed like a good game plan to me. 

“The middle aisles are just bad for your mid-section,” became my new motto. The only problem with this theory was a store’s bakery is normally located on the outer rim. To fight the temptation of the “Cookie Monster,” I learned to employ the bakery dash: every time I would smell bread baking I would speed up my pace and look away from what was in the display cases. I reasoned if it doesn’t go into my cart it wouldn’t end up on my hips. 

By reading food labels, I learned where I had been making some of my worst food decisions, like products with too much salt and hidden fats, all foods that could sabotage my diet. 

I grew up watching the television program, “The Beverly Hillbillies.” I learned from Jethro, the oldest son of the Clampett’s that I should use the largest bowl in the kitchen to eat my cereal every morning. One box would last me only a few days. After I started reading labels, I learned that cereal boxes contained more than two weeks worth of full breakfast bowls in one box. Who knew? 

I then began to realize that if I couldn’t eat the right portion of a certain food, it was time to rid my pantry of that item. 

Eliminating some food choices was a good thing for me. Out went jars of peanut butter, Life breakfast cereal, Cheetos and mint-chip ice cream—all things I could never seem to eat the correct portions of to maintain my proper calorie intake. 

Instead, I began setting time aside each week to chop, cook and portion out my vegetable rich meals with small portions of protein. I had to make food that was convenient for my busy weeks. 

Still there were moments when I was stressed out or just plain hungry that I would raid the refrigerator or pantry for a treat. I had learned what a proper portion was but when these moments of weakness hit, a box of cookies disappeared in one sitting. 

So I added another rule: if it’s not in the house, you aren’t going to be tempted. So I cleaned out my food pantry and refrigerator, eliminating every item—not just some—I knew were not part of my healthy eating program. 

No more kidding myself I had the self-control to resist.

Tips to follow for the new you: 

Tip 1: Make a grocery list and stick to it. Plan out your meals and snacks. 

Tip 2: Read food labels. Take the time to realize what is in the food you are eating and make wise choices at the market. 

Tip 3: Buy organic produce and products. 

Tip 4: Prepare foods yourself. You can control what goes into everything you make. No hidden ingredients or fats.

Tip 5: Learn to taste and enjoy your food. You are eating less but that doesn’t mean you have to diminish the pleasure. 

Tip 6: Pack your lunch; it is less tempting to go off your plan. 

Tip 7: Find a few low calorie treats that you enjoy, like sugar-free gum and Jell-O. They have fewer calories and can help you overcome the feeling that you need to eat something sweet. 

Tip 8: Introduce a new vegetable or fruit into your repertory. Since most of your diet should consist of these items, mix it up to make it more interesting. 

Tip 9: Learn portion control. Vegetables should be about half of your meal with protein and starches equally filling in the rest of your plate. 

Tip 10: We all need our treats. But start to purchase them one at a time. Buy the single candy bar or buy a single cookie and then savor it. Eat it slowly, enjoying each bite. 

Tip 11: Pinpoint your weaknesses and start to overcome them, be it time of day, stress triggers or love of chocolate and ask yourself if it is really worth the extra calories. 

Tip 12: Catch yourself when you are overeating. Acknowledge it and learn from it and then put the fork down.

Lisa Griffis lost 185 pounds through diet, exercise and sheer determination.  To find out more about Lisa, visit her blog at www.lisagriffis.com.  She is a regular ShareWIK.com contributor.  

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