I am a.....

...............Fitness buff. No really, I've decided that with as much as I've read, researched, consulted, and learned in the past 5 months, I pretty much am a health nut with a whole bunch of knowledge.

It feels good. I feel in control. I feel empowered. I feel smart. I've realized that even though I am still 75 pounds overweight, and larger than most everyone I talk to about fitness, that I actually am more knowledgeable than them.

This is great for a few reasons:

1) It's easier to take criticism now. If you've ever tried to lose weight, you know that everyone and their mother has their own opinion about how you're going about it, and advice for how to do it better. Sometimes it's constructive, other times not so much. or at all. But regardless, it's usually pretty sensitive and hard to take well. Especially when it comes from skinny minnies who just don't get what you're going through. Now that I have done my homework (and then some), I'm able to evaluate if the info they give is actually right for my body (as opposed to just taking their word for it that it must be because it's what they do), and if need be, I can just sluff it off and be unscathed, confident that I know what I'm doing.
2) I know that I'm going to succeed because now I actually know what my body needs to have and what it needs to do to succeed. No more of this guessing game, or trying different fads for a while, or hearing some health advice from some unknown 2nd hand informant. I know my stuff. I know nutrition. I know calories. I know fitness.
3) I know that this knowledge will allow me to teach my own children (when I have them) about health and fitness, it a way that will enable them to lead healthier lives from the start. I can't wait to have a healthy, happy family.

Even though getting out and running, jumping, shaking, stepping, and just generally moving what you got is what will burn off the calories, arming yourself with information about the healthy ways to do it and how your body works will help you make smarter, healthier decisions, and help keep the weight off that you do lose. Join me in becoming a fitness buff! :)