Last year, I missed one day of Fit4Change training. This year, I’ve already missed one day — today. I know, I know – bad Marshall, right? Go ahead and beat me with a wet noodle. Because I couldn’t agree with you more. I believe what Woody Allen said: “80 percent of success is just showing up.” But I have a good excuse. I’m on the road. So let me talk 
about something that is as important as exercise in my battle with obesity: Diet.
By the title Fit-to-Fat-to-Fit, you might have guessed I was once fit before I got fat. In fact in 2010, I ran a marathon and weighed 195 lbs. But when my job changed and I picked up a second one to make ends meet, I started drinking Cokes to give me energy. I might as well have pumped lard into my gut. Oct. 2010, I weighed 195. March 2011 (when I started drinking regular Cokes) I weighed 220. By December 2011, I was 248.
And I was absolutely miserable.
When I started Fit4Change, I bought into the whole program. It wasn’t about just exercise; it was a lifestyle change. I quit sodas immediately. For two weeks I would have killed gladiator-style for a six-pack of 20-oz, frosty, fizzy Cokes. But that craving eventually passed. I also greatly reduced the amounts of simple carbohydrates I ate. Breads, high fructose corn syrup, candy, desserts, fried foods — they all went out the window. When I went to a restaurant, I looked for the healthy menu. When I HAD to go to a fast food restaurant, I’d look for something like a grilled chicken sandwich or a low-calorie salad. You don’t realize how addicted you get to junk food. After a couple of weeks of “withdrawal,” I felt amazingly better. I had energy levels I never knew I had before.
I also changed how I ate. No longer did I gorge myself on big meals. I would three smaller meals with healthy snacks every two hours. My goal was to keep my blood sugar even and not spike up and down. Part of my problem was that I’d crash around 3 p.m. and eat junk food to wake back up.
After the 12-week program was over, I stuck with my new lifestyle. And now, one year later, I’ve kept the weight off. (and my waist is as small as it was when I was 16.)
Now, I will admit, I will eat pizza occasionally (although I won’t during the next 12 weeks.) And I will eat a hamburger every once in a while. I cut my portions way back when I do. But all and all, I have successful modified my diet and my lifestyle. I don’t WANT food that is bad for me. It’s no longer punishment to eat things that are good for me. I crave healthy food.
It started with a few simple choices. They snowballed into a better life. One bite at a time.