howididit

My name is Krista and I am a 35 year old mother of 4 children. After baby #3, I became officially obese ( I was overweight for 5 years prior to that) and it has taken 5 years to make a decision to do this. In the past my motivation was simply that I wanted to look good. I always failed with that motivation. I am a mother, former high school teacher and Jr. High church youth leader. It took realizing that I was setting a poor example to my children and all the children I teach and minister to. If I couldn't have self-control, how I could expect my children too? I also realized how short and precious life is and how important it was for me to be around for my children. These two motivations are ones that I couldn't fail with. Everyday I have the eyes of all the children who look up to me to keep me going. God also showed me that in order for the oustide to change, the inside must change. I had to change my will, my heart and my attitude and once I conquered that, the outside changes were simply a side effect. If we try to just change the outside, that is a fleshly motivation and we will fail. If we change from the inside out, that is eternal.

Once I conquered the inside, I began losing the weight simply by counting my calories, fat, sodium, carb and protein intake using a free program on the internet and exercising regularly. The best online tracking is Spark People. I am eating the calories of a 140lbs woman, which is my goal. To figure out how many calories you should be eating, use this equation.

(weight you want to be) X 11

For example, I wanted to weigh 140 so:

140 X 11 = 1540 calories

There are many opinions on how to determine your calories, but this is the method that worked best for me.

If you are pregnant or nursing you would add 300-500 calories to your total (ask your doctor). After doing this for 2 months, I no longer had to keep track on the computer. I have trained myself to know from memory how much I am eating and how to make wise choices when eating out. Use the tool below to analyze the different foods you eat.

Most of the time, I eat a bowl of cereal with fruit or a very light meal for dinner and my bigger meal at breakfast or lunch. This gives my body more time to burn off the heavier food. It also improves my metabolism by giving it a big start in the morning. If I do plan to have a bigger meal in the evening due to a special occasion, I make sure and save my calories for it by eating a small breakfast and lunch.

So the kids do not have to diet with me, I cook our big meal at lunch, eat my portion, then serve it to the rest of the family for dinner. I also do not eat after 8pm. I have not suffered at all and have never felt deprived of food. It is amazing how doing little things can make a huge difference.

Click Here For Many More Learning To Eat Right Tips that Have Blessed Me

For exercise, for the first 20lbs, I didn't do much except swimming. I had too much weight and it caused a lot of stress on my knees and ankles. Counting calories was enough to get the weight off quickly. After the first 20lbs, I began jogging, lifting weights and swimming. I have now worked my way up to jogging for 2 miles and doing

Tae Bo®.Tae Bo® has been a huge asset in learning focus and control as well as body sculpting. It is very low impact, but has high impact results. It didn't put stress on my knees and ankles and you can modify it according to what you are capable of doing. I exercised 5X a week in the beginning by splitting it up and doing 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. Now that I am at my goal weight, I exercise 6X a week and do 1 hour in the morning of Tae Bo® and 30 minutes at night of cardio like running. You can view my exercise routines from the beginning HERE. The more in shape you get, the more you will want to work out! It is important to not overdo it and take at least one rest day each week. The exercise helps tone up and improve cardio but eating less calories is what helps me lose the weight. It has become a habit and something I actually look forward to. NEVER thought I would say that! I am tracking my Body Mass Index (BMI) on the homepage. Even if I look good, I must get down to the proper weight for internal health reasons. Being above your target can put you at a huge risk of health problems. BMI is determined according to your height and weight. You can calculate your current BMI HERE.

Once in awhile, I usually do a Daniel Fast where you only eat fresh fruits and vegetables and once a month, I usually do a fresh fruit juice fast to cleanse my system and to keep my stomach small. If I feel I am overeating again, I do a fast as well to keep my body in check.

I believe this is the only way to lose weight and keep it off for a lifetime. It is unrealistic to spend the rest of your life doing a diet that you cut something completely or almost completely out. It is about moderation, portion control and exercise! It is also spiritual. You have to take control of your flesh. You cannot let your flesh control you. Ask God to help you and show you how to conquer your flesh or anything else that is keeping you from leading the healthy life that He wants for you. These changes must take place from the inside out. Change what is inside and what changes outside is the side effect. We are given 120 years on this earth, but if we do not take care of ourselves, that will be greatly shortened and we will spend our elderly days suffering from sickness. I know I want to live my life healthy and sick-free and I know you want to as well. If you ever want encouragement or help losing weight, Email me!