Obesity Free Forever Blog™

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve written and I apologize.  A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I needed to make some important decisions.  I feel like I am back on track now.

Major decisions used to flip me upside down when I weighed 280 pounds.  In fact, I always felt a sense of hope and optimism when the new year approached.  Sure, I felt some guilt from overeating during the holidays but as the new year approached, I felt as though I had an opportunity to be successful at weight loss.

The truth is that I was practicing denial!  You know, when you tell yourself you’ll start your diet tomorrow and tomorrow never comes.  That happened to me for over 25 years.   

When I made the life changing decision to become obese free forever, I started sometime in August of 2004, the exact date escapes me.  The difference between that August day and the other thousands of days of the 25 years before it was that I had had enough!  Many refer to this as the “aha” moment.

We’ve all had an ”aha” moment when we know we are ready to abandon our old ways and try something new.  In 2004, I made my new years resolution that August and I never looked back!

Now in my 4th year of maintenance of losing over 140 pounds, my advice to others is to drop your new years diet resolution and weight loss plans and commit to taking care of yourself today.  My experience is that a diet and willpower have nothing to do with permanent weight loss. 

Rather, becoming obese free forever begins with a commitment to yourself that you will become your best friend no matter what your current weight.  This may seem counterintuitive to you as it was to me at 280 pounds.  But to commit to becoming your own best friend and to accept yourself no matter how much you weigh is the most important first step you can take on your weight loss adventure.  After all, if you cannot accept yourself “as is”, how can you expect others to?

You can read more about my weight loss adventure in http://www.amazon.com/Obesity-Free-Forever-Losing-Weight/dp/0595486843/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230687453&sr=8-7.

Take care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

I was recently asked what the causes of obesity are.  Actually, obesity can be caused by several factors including genetics, environment, social and behavioral.  Here is some background information on each of the causes of obesity.

Obesity due to genetics is very rare.  At 280 pounds, I wanted to believe that genetics was my problem but no dice! 

Environmental and social causes of obesity often go together.  Environmental factors are whether you have access to eating healthy food and exercise for weight loss.  Social factors are those cues or triggers that drive us to eat.  Social causes of obesity can be as subtle as going to a restaurant known for fattening foods every Tuesday with your friends or as blatant as your spouse filling the house with junk food when you start a diet for fear you’ll leave him when you get skinny!

Behavioral causes of obesity are the choices we make.  Whether we pick eating healthy food and a weight loss program or we choose to continue our bad eating habits remains within our control.  Keeping our bad eating habits is an example of a behavioral cause of obesity.

The effects of obesity were devastating for me.  Besides the health problems I developed such as severe shortness of breath and symptoms of GERD and Gastritis, I suffered from depression and social isolation. 

What’s the obesity solution?  Take control today!  Think about the cause and effect of your obesity and make a list of how obesity is holding you back.  Writing down the cause and effect of obesity and looking at the limitations it caused me was the first step I took in 2004 to lose over 140 pounds.  Once I made a decision to accept obesity no more, the path became clear and I’ve kept the weight off ever since.

Georgene Dana Collins, 134 Pounds

Here’s my latest picture as of October 31, 2008. 

Take Care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

I am traveling again, this time for work, and once again there are challenges to my healthy eating plan.  Here are the strategies I am using to stick to my healthy eating plan.

I planned my food intake before my trip and shopped for items that stored well without a fridge.  Luckily, though, the hotel I am staying at has an option to use a fridge during my stay for a minimal fee.  I brought items such as salads, fresh fruit and Jello brand diet jello (a staple food of mine!), and stored them in the fridge.

I also brought lots of Fiber One products such as my favorite cereal and bars.  In addition, I brought along some of Aunt Millies high fiber bread.  Fiber is very important to maintaining a healthy eating plan and it is equally important to prevent my symptoms of GERD and Gastritis.  Of course, everyone knows that fiber helps reduce the risk of many cancers, especially colon, which is a family history of mine.

Maintaining my healthy eating plan was easy on this trip because I was able to drive.  However, in the past, I’ve shipped my favorite foods to the location I was traveling to.  I just called ahead and asked for the process to ensure my box would find me once I arrived.

Maintaining a healthy eating plan is easy with proper planning and anticipation of challenges.

These are the tips I continue to use to maintain my weight loss of over 140 pounds, which I have kept off since 2005.

Take Care,

Georgene