My mother & father, sibling & sister, aunts, uncles & cousins are all larger people.
The whole family is severely overweight & numerous of my relatives are obese… I grew up eating a big dinner that included waffles, bacon, donuts, danishes & pancakes, then my associate and I often got take-out, drive-thru or some type of fast food for dinner.
There were consistently popcorn in the cupboard. I had easy access to potato popcorn, snacks, chocolate, twinkies, cookies & soda. I was never encouraged to go outside & play or to do anything physical. My family watched a lot of television, played board games & made sundaes for a treat. I really wanted to go out for volleyball, softball or cheerleading while in school but was too intimidated! Because of being overweight, I became extremely introverted. I never joined any clubs or attended any school activities. It wasn’t until I went away to college that I started making changes for the better. I learned that my college tuition included free access to the school’s fitness center. I was also able to sign up for a consultation with a nutritionist, however she helped me to design a healthy meal plan that included lots of fruits, vegetables & lean proteins. She taught me the importance of drinking lots of water, avoiding empty calories & getting reasonable vitamins & minerals. She also recommended that I toil with a personal trainer. This motivated me to get a task to be able to afford the personal trainer. The task forced me to become more outgoing, although it felt like the personal trainer was trying to kill me, he was really appealing. The combination of those hard workouts & better eating habits worked to get rid of the extra weight, build muscle & get me feeling confident & healthy.