To forgo the correct grammar — me and weight loss, dieting, and exercise go WAY back. I have always loved exercise and fitness, but have never really managed to get into shape. My battle began in 7th grade when I stopped growing and my horrible eating habits caught up with me. Until then, I could eat whatever I wanted and not worry about gaining any weight at all. I was tall so the weight just never showed up. However, immediately when I stopped growning tall, I started growing wide! The weight was coming on so fast, there was no stopping it! Of course at the time I didn't realize that all the junk food, sodas, and candy I was accustomed to eating and binging on was the culprit. I had been taught nothing and knew nothing of nutrition and healthy eating habits. To make matters worse, that was the summer I got my first Nintendo — hours and hours of completely sedentary activity levels. Well, it all went downhill FAST from there and I've been paying for it ever since.

I started doing Jane Fonda's aerobics (for fun and for exercise) but nothing worked because again I was uneducated in fitness and the amount exercise that I should be getting. I had no idea about training and form — I was basically getting in sloppy cardiovascular exercise. Better than nothing, but not at all what I needed to get my body in shape.

Over the next few years, I suffered from strong lack of self-esteem because of what my body had become — an out of shape, unhealthy pod in which my real body was helplessly contained. I didn't feel like myself and hated how all the extra fat was distorting my body and affecting how people treated me. My first step to recovery was getting my head on straight. Once I realized that to be healthy outside I have to be healthy inside, there was no stopping my self-confidence and determination. I maintained my healthier eating habits, exercised, and kept the weight off for another year or so, not really making it anywhere fitness-wise but very happy and mentally healthy.

My junior year in high school, I decided to try Herbalife*, which for a young woman 40 pounds overweight was a great jumpstart! I altered my eating habits and vigorously club-danced every night to my favorite tapes. Forty fewer pounds later, I was finally feeling great on the outside! I still was not toned up or "fit", but I had lost a lot of fat (and muscle, too, unfortunately). More importantly, a spark had been made. I was now beginning to understand how nutrition and exercise was so important to my overall mental and physical well-being. Again, I maintained healthy eating habits and kept the weight off, although I still was not where I wanted to be on the outside.

When I started college, I was walking a LOT everyday to classes, plus working out 5 times a week. I lost 15 more pounds my first semester and continued to eat good things. Although I was working out, I was not training my body, so I stayed slim like I was but never got the muscle tone and physical fitness I thought that I was working to achieve. Despite my dedication and hard work, I simply wasn't doing enough and pushing myself to obtain results and progress fitness-wise. To make matters worse, when I met my husband a year into college, I let my healthy eating habits start to slide. Before I knew it I was addicted to eating junk foods like pizza, fries, Taco Bell, McDonald's Not-so-Lite menu items, and *cringe* — extra crispy KFC. My appetite was raging out of control again b/c I had let myself eat what I wanted instead of what I really needed. Luckily the walking and working out kept off the pounds during college, but as soon as I graduated and we were married and settled into our home, the weight came calling! Two years into my marriage, I had only been walking off and on for 2 months at a time at most and had given up completely on my healthy eating habits. My portions were growing bigger and bigger as the weight was tacking back on my legs, thighs, and butt. When I found myself halfway back to gaining the 40 pounds I had kept off so many years, I knew it was time to do something!

This brings my long, drawn-out history up to a year ago. I decided that I was going to change my lifestyle and what I ate. Regardless the results, I would be taking care of myself and my mind and body needed healthy feeding! I committed and succeeded at consistently using the treadmill and elliptical trainer on a regular basis, in addition to reducing my portions and avoiding junk foods as much as possible. I lost 15 lbs over the next 8 months and have felt better than I ever have! However, even though I gained much stamina and was improving my health and fitness level, the missing piece to my puzzle was that I STILL was not in shape! My lower body was still fatty with much extra padding and little to no muscle definition. I thought after 8 months of working hard, that I would see the results I wanted. As it turns out, though, I was NOT working hard at all. I was no more really pushing and challenging myself fitness-wise than I ever was. The truth was I still needed to learn about fitness and how it really is accomplished. I needed to learn about how the body works, how muscles work, and how I should be eating to support that fitness level.

A few weeks before my first BFL program, I read Bill Phillip's Body-for-LIFE, admittedly skeptical of the before and after photos, and decided to research more. I wanted to get in touch with people who REALLY knew if the program worked and what they REALLY thought. It didn't take long at all to realize the feedback from REAL people was overwhelmingly positive and exciting! People on discussion groups and chat rooms shared their thoughts and stories and showed proof of their success or the success they've already had just weeks into the program. It finally hit me that this program is real, it works, it makes sense, it is JUST what I've wanted and needed for so long. Finally, I had the program in my hands that would tranform my mind, body, and life. I knew then what I need to do and eat and think to acheive my goals. I made a plan to never get off track again after I completed my program(s). After seeing the wonders it has done for my body, energy level, and mind already, I would have to be out of my mind to ever stray from this healthy way of living.

Which brings us to ... NOW! I am currently on my NINTH BFL challenge and I am officially a LIFER! My recent programs haven't been perfect and not all 100% clean, but during my eight challenge I FINALLY got in the "groove" of living BFL instead of just "doing" BFL. It's not about perfection, but about progress, and I've made huge strides. Future programs will only get me closer to my goal!!! I am so excited as I have seen and felt big changes in my strength and appearance. WOW -- BFL is awesome!

Each day is a new day and you should take them one at a time. Good luck with your Body-for-Life.

* NOTE: I would only personally recommend Herbalife to young people 22 or younger. It had no adverse affects on me when I was younger, but when I tried using it again when I was 23 I had some major heart racing going on (needless to say I quit immediately).