Eating less...what a concept

A good thing has happened to me this Fall. I started working with a nutritionist because pretty much everything I have tried to do to lose weight and eat healthy has failed. I consider Fall to be a time for change for me - time to focus and start something new. The nutritionist, Michelle, introduced me to the new food pyramid, mypyramid.gov, and counseled me on eating well. I'm happy to say I've lost 11 pounds so far and my goal is opened-ended. What I mean by that is that I'm headed for fitness, not just a number of pounds. I'll know when I get there because I will be fit - swimming and training for the sprint distance triathlons next summer. I'm going to stay there by continuing to see Michelle periodically. I told her I can get in a groove: cravings disappear and healthy eating is easy. But I also said I will need her when I start to get into bad habits again. My motivation to do anything is cyclical and my willpower will flag eventually. If I can admit it, I can deal with it.

I am at a crossroads in my life. In my 30's I used my body to make babies. It was hard and exhausting work. I feel as if I can choose to live a sedentary and overweight life or fight back and be fit. I'm choosing fitness but I know I need help with motivation both for proper nutrition and exercise. I'm drawing on all my resources for exercise, to swim and then add biking and running. If I surround myself with folks who value exercise then I find their enthusiasm infects me as well.

This past August I participated in a relay team in the Pine Tree Triathlon here in Maine. I was the swimmer. After not training the entire month of July I was seriously nervous about the 800 meters. I was slow which disappointed me but my teammates were very good sports about it and picked up the slack. We all had fun. I'm really looking forward to tri-ing again and this time doing all the events. Cross training swimming, biking and running is a recipe for fitness. Couple that with good eating and I feel confident I will reach my goals.