A new lifestyle.

So, you may or may not know that I am currently working at Camp Pennbrooke which is a weight loss camp for young women. If you know me at all, you know that all of my life I have struggled with my weight. Last August I weighed more then I had ever weighed before in my entire life. 220 pounds is not something to be proud of but that is what I was. I could blame it on so many reasons like the freshman fifteen or it was just muscle since I worked out all the time, but the truth was that I was addicted to food and I had a problem. I thought that because I was eating healthy food that it did not mater how much I would eat. Also, I have a small obsession with ice cream. Both of these issues are why I came to a point in my life when I realized that I needed to make a change. So as I started a new year of school I decided that I would change the way I lived and the way I ate and that is where my long hard journey began.

As the year went on I watched what I ate and made sure that I watch my portion sizes. Also, I exercised every day and stayed away from any and all fast food restaurants. Looking back it really was not as hard as I had thought it would be. I think that one of the keys to my success is that I had school, work and sports to keep me busy. I did not allow myself free time in which to think about food. Also, I found that taking a daily vitamin would help me get through the day since I was burning so many calories but not eating as many as I had in the past. As the pounds started to come off, I could feel myself being more and more active. I was even becoming more social then I had ever been I my entire life. Don't get me wrong, I am still very socially awkward, but I have become much more open with people. Another thing that I made sure to do was to allow myself to have unhealthy foods every so often. If I was going to change the way I ate forever, I was not going to give up ice cream or anything else for the rest of my life. After all, I was changing my life style not going on a diet. So now and again I would let myself have an iced coffee or ice cream if I wanted it.

As my second semester came to an end, I had lost just over thirty pounds and was feeling really great about myself. Then I got home for the summer and all my hard work came to a stop. I no longer had a full day of classes and work and there was a kitchen full of food right in front of me.
Although I had no problem working out everyday and trying to stay as active as possible, I started turning back to my old ways of eating for no reason at all. It was there so I would eat it. Also, I was hanging out with my old friends. They are all thin and beautiful and can eat whatever they want with no consequences. It would make me feel bad about myself and again I would turn to food for comfort. Needless to say, I did not really gain weight but I was no longer losing it. Also, I was starting to feel unhealthy and just gross. My body did not like what I was putting into it and I needed to get back on track as soon as possible. That is when I started work at Camp Pennbrooke.

Over the past few weeks I have been working here at camp and I am finally back on my path to a healthy lifestyle. While here I am working out most of the time, I am learning what to eat and how to eat that will keep me healthy for the rest of my life, and I am getting to know some really great people all at the same time. The girls I am working with are ages 13-16. It makes me feel great to know that as I help them improve their lives I am also improving my own. This camp is giving me knowledge that I didn't have before. It is helping me become a better person inside and out and I cannot wait to take what I am learning here and put it to use in the real world. Oh yeah, I have already lost another ten pounds while here. I am starting to love myself and learning to not hate the way I look. It has been a very long journey to be able to love myself for who I am and I will continue to work on it. For now I will continue on my path to a better life and try to enjoy it as much as I possibly can.