Secrets to Being Fit and Fab: Where to begin?

Harlequin Intrigue author and long term weight loss and maintainer Angi Morgan takes over Fit and Fab duties this month and tells her story!

Each part of my journey over the past two years has been building to today and becoming part of such a wonderful column. I'm completely blown away when people tell me that I inspired them to lose weight or get healthy. I struggle every day with my choices. And today's no different.

Nov 2009, size 20

I love reading Michelle's columns, they're full of information and 'ah ha' moments for me. I've been wondering exactly what I'd say for almost three months now. And here I am typing…and still wondering. So you already caught that?    LOL

Okay, the beginning: 234.8 pounds, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels, a triglyceride level that kills, asthma, asthma attacks that caused me to pass out, thyroid disease, allergic to statin drugs (that help reduce cholesterol), and miserable watching life from the sidelines. Diets didn't work. Exercise didn't work. *I* didn't work.

Sometimes people get wake-up calls that change their lives. Mine? Five realizations: 

1) My doctor said I needed to see a cardiologist since she couldn't be certain my heart was okay. Six months passed. 

2) I sold to Harlequin and didn't like the way I looked. I was about to turn 50 and didn't think anything would work. 

3)  I was attending a local conference and couldn't wear any of my clothes. I had to buy a size 22 pants. 

4) I watched THE BIGGEST LOSER and realized I weighed as much as two of the contestants when they'd started the season. 

And 5) My 22 year old daughter and I were looking through pictures from 20 years earlier and she said, "I have no memory of you ever looking like this (slim)."

BAM. What a wake-up call. My daughter couldn’t ever remember me being healthy. At that moment in time I knew I had to do something. I needed a program and the best fit for me is TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE  which uses Medifast pre-packaged products. 

Nov 2010, Size 8

I began on March 24th, 2010. I lost. Fast. In three months I was practically healthy. I was off all asthma drugs and inhalers. Cholesterol looked good, Triglycerides were phenomenal, my blood pressure was perfect at 110/70.  I loved being able to move again, to tie my shoes without cutting my oxygen off, to ride a mountain bike, to hike with my husband. In six months time I hit all my goals and I'd lost 60+ pounds. By Christmas, I was almost at my goal weight of 135... almost...

I'll be sharing more about the ups and downs of this journey. It's not over yet. I feel like every day's a new discovery: Why did I gain? Why isn't it easier to keep it off? Will I ever eat sugar again? 

So writing the Fit & Fab column with Michelle...It's one more step to a healthier life and understanding how to stay fit.

Feb 2013

The first decision on the road to getting healthy is stating out loud that it will happen. Find what works for you, set obtainable short-term goals, reward your self for achieving that goal (can't be food, clothes, or be from another person). People ask how I got published after ten years...I believed I was good enough. When I finally believed I was good enough and deserved to get healthy... I did.

To learn more about Angi and her books visit http://www.angimorgan.com/

I'm on Facebook & Twitter & I have a blog where I post my monthly contests.

DID you have a realization when you began a healthy journey? Care to share? Got a tip to stay on a healthy path? Anyone leaving a comment will be entered in my monthly drawing for a crystal Hershey's kiss. (Be sure to leave your email or email me at Angi@AngiMorgan.com .)