Prologue

When I was a kid, I was pretty normal, somewhat skinny. At around 8, I developed a little bit of pudge, just baby fat that signified the coming of an early onset of puberty. As I got older and as puberty hit (in which I stopped growing by age 12), I got certifiably chubbier, having completely moved out of the children's clothing section by age 10. However, I and my mother probably took it worse than we should have, because I now wish I was my middle school weight and size. I spent most of my middle school years in leggings and XL t-shirts, wanting to hide my body and feeling ashamed, until I realized I wasn't as big as I thought I was.

I'm 4'11" and, according to my doctor, 175 lbs. This is not cool. I suppose I never really took it that seriously past the age of 14 - I was bigger in the chest and stomach, but my arms and legs remained disproportionately thinner. I felt good, I wasn't easily winded, I could walk long distances. Personal trainers always commented on my unusual amount of stamina, even compared to the skinnier, fashion industry ladies who would come into the gym I frequented (sparsely).

Now, at 175 lbs and a couple years away from 30, I still don't look "obese", but I definitely feel it more. I gained this last 10 or so pounds within the last 5 to 6 months, which is pretty quick. A couple factors contributed to this:
- I developed a pronating ankle (not sure what this is technically called, but my ankle bends a little inward when I walk, becoming achey after a few hours, even in good shoes. Basically a sprained ankle gone wrong)
- I quit smoking (I wasn't a heavy smoker, but it was a habit I've had since the age of 15)

Now that those factors have been pointed out, where does that leave me? Despite not having an overeating problem, I do need to set a LOT of things about my diet in order:
- less greasy/fried things
- less carbs
- more greens
- more legumes
- wean myself off sweets

The last part will be the hardest - both I and my sister (who is an aerobics instructor) have got it bad. But I need to do it. I also need to set up an exercise routine, 3 times a week. The road to making myself over begins tomorrow.

And I'll be here writing all about it.