Four Years Ago, I Ate Mexican Food And Life Hasn't Been The Same

I seem to do this post once every two years, so it was about time. On this day (actually August 1-but you'll forgive me), four years ago, I had lunch at Fiesta Azteca in Nashville, TN. I ate a chicken quesadilla and as many handfuls of chips, salsa and guacamole as I could handle. Then I went back to work and saw my friend Evon on the computer checking out recipes. It was a new company wellness program we'd just gotten.

"Those recipes look pretty good, " I said. "And that doesn't look so hard."

And from there, I decided it was time to work on my weight. I am still amazed at why this happened or how it worked this time when I'd tried so many times before to lose weight. But for whatever reason, it did. And I lost 88 lbs from my heaviest to my lightest. Most

of that was within the first year.

Now, four years after I first started, I'm still trying to fully incorporate all those things into my life. It's a struggle and I've done better and worse depending on the day or even months. I crept back up about 30 lbs from lowest point before I decided to kick my butt into gear again. Now, I'm once again about 10 lbs (okay, exactly 10lbs because I obsess over it) away from my lowest weight and trying to break through my last plateau number to go even lower.

Through this I always forget and then remember a few things:

1. I actually like exercise. I like to sweat. I have more energy and feel better when I do it.
2. There is always time to make better choices. That's never a good enough excuse.
3. Nine times out of ten, I don't really care what I have for a meal. I need to just make a better choice, not the easier choice.
4. When that tenth time hits, just cave in and get what I really want. Otherwise I'll eat about 20 things trying to satisfy my real craving.
5. I always feel better with my life when I'm exercising, eating better and writing. If I can do all three on a daily basis, life's good.
6. There are very few things I can't accomplish when I stop being afraid to try.

So, here I am today. Ten pounds away from my low and a lifetime away from the heavy girl I was before. And I'm determined not to go back. That chicken quesadilla was good, but not that good.