A Dieter’s Juggling Act

June 9, 2009 by lisagriffis  
Filed under Uncategorized

 

I am a cover girl! No I am not the one in the pink dress but I am on the bottom right hand corner. Check out the June 22 issue of First magazine.

I am a cover girl! No I am not the one in the pink dress but I am on the bottom right hand corner. Check out the June 22 issue of First magazine.

You never know where life will take you.

Over 5 years ago, I started on my life-altering journey of trying to lose my excess weight and become a “normal-sized person” for the first time in my life.

Diets had never really worked for me in the past but this time was different. I wanted it more than ever before and I learned this time that by putting down my fork and moving my butt I could actually lose weight.

Pound by pound, my dream of living in the land of the “normal-sized person” was achieved.

It wasn’t easy to lose 185 pounds and it will always be a struggle for me to keep those pesky pounds from jumping back on to my body. Truth be told in the last 2 years, I have lost and gained the same15 pounds more times than I would like to admit.

Sometimes I am better at maintaining my new weight and sometimes I allow stress to run my life. The economy, the rapid decline of my beloved newspaper profession and the pressure to figure out what my next career will be have lead to more stress eating than my new smaller-sized pants have allowed for.

This is why I have been absent from my site for the last few months. I am pursuing certificates to become a wellness coach and personal trainer so that I can help other people with weight issues. Hours of studying online courses is harder than I thought it would be because it is up to me to do ALL the work.  I chose the gold standards for the industry and Wellcoaches and American College of Sports Medicine are putting me to the test to become the best coach I can be for the future.

 

I introduced my boyfriend to one of my childhood favorites, a root beer float from my hometown hangout.

I introduced my boyfriend to one of my childhood favorites, a root beer float from my hometown hangout.

Then I met the wonderful guy that has shown me that you need to have balance in your life and as they say, stop and smell the roses along the way. He is a runner and has the best metabolism of any human I have ever met. In short, he can eat anything and he never gains a pound. I have to learn to start using him as my human portion control device.

Check out MedicalMommas.com

Check out MedicalMommas.com

Plus: Diana Keough, a friend of mine who is a former medical reporter, has started a new website, www.medicalmommas.com and has asked me to be a featured columnist. She and others are coming together to give great advice to women about medical and everyday issues. Join us as we muddle through our days and seek words of wisdom from doctors and experts on subjects that we all face like weight loss.

Oh yea, I am burying the lede, as an editor would tell me. I am a cover girl, like I thought I would ever being saying that in my lifetime. Check out the June 22 issue of First magazine at a newsstand. I am one of several women featured that used the tips from “The Biggest Loser” to get rid of extra pounds. My mom says my teeth look great. Thanks Mom!

Well, I am off to enjoy my summer, the morning walks with my dog, bike rides along the lake and swims at the local pool. Enjoy your summer and I would love to hear from you.

Your gal pal,

Lisa

P.S. I saw a guy walking his snake in the park the other day. You just never know what life will bring.