Have you ever looked in the mirror and saw the food you've eaten? This morning while brushing my teeth I know I saw the potato chips I ate last night. They were staring at me from my obtruding obliques. My husband and I have tried many different eating plans the most successful of which for us has been Eat Right 4 Your Type. Potato Chips however are not part of the plan. All jokes aside I've lost over 30lbs by eating right and exercising.

I completely understand how when a person gains weight they may not see the weight gain as well as when a person loses weight they may not recognize their loss. I was skinny as a child and even into my 30's I had a coworker that called me stick because I was so thin. I always wanted to gain weight. Be careful what you ask for. I've never been athletically inclined and did not exercise. In my opinion I didn't need to exercise. I thought exercise was for weight loss and I did not want to lose weight. In my ignorance I didn't think about the health benefits of exercise.

When I first began gaining weight I liked it. I had the hips and thighs although still small that I did not have previously. I went up one size in my clothing but didn't pay attention to the weight gain. A few years ago I had knee surgery and wasn't able to put weight on my knee for 4 weeks. Of course that meant not exercising. While shopping for my family's annual cruise I noticed the size I was wearing previously didn't fit. Still, looking at myself in the mirror I could not tell I gained weight. For me the tell was in the clothing. Even with that I just bought larger sizes. I camouflaged my weight gain. No one seemed to notice, or at least they didn't say anything.

After knee surgery I began physical therapy, slowly at first. When I returned to work after 12 weeks I continued my therapy in the gym. About 18 months ago my husband and I decided to stick closely to the Eat Right 4 Your Type eating plan. That along with daily exercise jump started my weight loss. My weight loss became evident when I could pull my pants off without unzipping them. I bought one size smaller pant size but within a couple of months the new pants were too big. I actually dropped 3 sizes. When I look in the mirror just as I didn't see the weight gain I don't see the weight loss. I’d even gotten to the point where people were telling me I shouldn't lose any more weight. I'm not exactly sure how I got to that point.

Well as you may know eating healthy and exercise is a lifestyle change. Recently my husband and I joined the GWRRA, a local Goldwing motorcycle club. The group meetings are accompanied by a meal, either breakfast of dinner. Prior to joining the Goldwing club my normal breakfast was oatmeal. I think I have eaten more over the past couple of months for breakfast that I did the entire previous year. The meals coupled with taking a two week vacation have taken a toll on me, thus my obtruding obliques. I may not have seen the weight creeping up on me previously, but since my clothing size is smaller I can definitely see it now.

What seemed to be easy a few months ago, maintaining my weight, is no longer easy. It's okay to indulge every now and then, but a lifestyle change is just that, a lifestyle change. Rather than eating my favorite pancakes at the breakfast meetings I'm now sticking with the low calorie breakfast. I've even decided if there is nothing on the menu I should eat I will skip the meal and just attend the meeting. It's all about choices, and making the healthiest choices you can make.

What lifestyle changes do you need to make, or have made that perhaps you haven't stuck with? Don't beat yourself up. Instead focus that energy on something that will benefit you and keep you moving in the right direction.

Encouraging your financial, emotional and physical wellness

Greta