I don’t claim to be ANY sort of expert on fitness or dieting, but I am a card carrying lifelong member and 100% complete aficionado on being fat. If there is one thing I DO know, it’s about fat and how to be fat and how to get fat and how to stay fat. I’ve lived most of my life as a fat person. From being a pudgy child, to a chubby teen, then morphing into a large sized young gal and ultimately a morbidly obese woman; there is no doubt…I’m the fat expert!
However, my new mission in life is to change that. I’m changing FAT into FIT.
My expertise comes from 3 decades of my own personal struggles with obesity & chronic dieting along with a myriad of dangerous weight consequences that have resulted in severe health issues, negative body image and low self-esteem. As a recovering food addict; I have been there, I am still there, but I am winning. My in-the-trenches life experiences with the battle against weight; make me a true expert in guiding others to increased levels of self-care and self-love.
I’ve gone through this journey, so I am better equipped to understand the predicament of others and I can inspire people through our mutual struggles and progress. It is because I have been there that I can use my life as a testament and a huge source of inspiration for those who are where I have been. My role is very important, as I am able to perceive the wellness of others and translate that wellness to them by sharing my story, so that they are able to see and understand that reaching the desired destination is nowattainable.
I have worked very hard to resolve my own weight issues and now I want to share my compelling, compassionate and constructive approach to inspire others to start their own journeys to take charge of their lives and to…WAKE UP & Stop Being A Victim Of Your Own Self.!!!
How many times have you woke up on a Monday morning and said, “Today is the day I’m going to lose weight”. And then by Noon, you are in the drive-thru ordering a milk-shake, fries and a greasy hamburger. How many Tuesdays turn into the day that you wished you had listened to yourself the day before, but you end up defeated and beating yourself up and well, you messed up already and then you convince yourself, “I’ll Start Next Week”. And the same pattern happens over and over again, week after week, month after month, year after year. Pound after pound after pound…What if you changed your thinking and instead of saying, “Today is the day I’m going to lose weight”, that you woke up and said, “Today I choose to live”.
If I can do it, anyone can do it. All you have to do is have the motivation and be told that you can. My journey is not over and I am on a mission to help others start theirs. Imagine where YOU will be a year from now.
Less than one year ago, in August 2010, I was tipping the scales at almost 300 pounds. My health was dangerously catapulting out of control and my self esteem was at an all time low. Both factors were filtering into my professional life. I am an entertainer/event director and also teach music & dramatic arts. I lead a very busy and strenuous lifestyle. Many of my productions involve strenuous activity and long periods of stamina. I was a morbidly obese woman leading the life of a thin person, and it had caught up with me. I had one staggering health issue after another. It was becoming obvious to all of my fellow cast-mates and colleagues that I had given up on my appearance, which was having a direct impact on my performances and a noticeable decline in student attendance. After years of my body expanding and continued bad health; my journey took me to yet ANOTHER doctor’s office in at the beginning of August 2010. I underwent a 2 hour medical test for an inner ear imbalance, due to the fact that on top of pancreas issues, severe acid reflux and vision ailments; I was now experiencing horrific attacks of acute vertigo and continual nausea. During the examination, I had a violent physical reaction that ended up with me being covered in bodily fluids, vomit and fecal excretement. I sat up from the table, in a freaked out state of embarrassment and disorientation and cried, “Joan you didn’t sign up for this”.
Faced with the humiliation of having to leave that medical clinic with remnants of vomit, urine and feces still in and on my clothes and having to call my son to clear the driveway because I needed to quickly run into the bathroom; I looked down at my soiled pants and the stench of puke in my hair and I broke down. I did this to myself, ME; and it was up to me and ONLY me to undo the damage. I decided right then and there that I am no longer going to be a victim of my own self. As my son BJ was screaming at me in desperation, I made a promise to myself, to my son, my family and my friends, that I was going to stop watching them in fear of my health and take control of the most important commodity that God has given me…MY LIFE.
I made a commitment to myself and to everyone that is important to me, that it was time to get really serious about my future. I was sick of being sick. I was fed up living a lonely life and I was ready to get healthy. I am winning in my quest to change my lifestyle, one pound at a time.
This is NOT rocket science; it’s all about re-educating yourself, and it’s all complete common sense. The road to weight loss must be paved with a lifestyle change resulting in a commitment to healthy eating, an activity plan for some form of fitness and ultimately to yourself. Put Down The Fork & Get Moving.
No gimmicks, no fancy pills, no stupid fad diets, no $2000.00 year memberships to weigh in…..YOU have the power to be your own doctor and to change and undo the damage you have done. The ONLY gimmick out there that works FOREVER is YOU!!!
Want a wake up call? Take out the white stuff in the Oreo smear it on as cold cream and tape the black cookies to the sides of your head. OR Next time you reach for that bucket of KFC, empty it out and stick the bucket on your head and flap your arms like a chicken. Sounds stupid? What is more stupid, doing this or eating them?
The 6 best doctors ANYwhere are; Sunshine, Rest, Air, Water, Diet & Exercise. YOU are the best doctor…it’s about YOU YOU YOU.
This journey MUST be about a lifelong commitment to your health. It doesn’t end when you reach your goal. That is just the beginning. The target weight is just a milestone. The goal is to remain eating healthy for the restof our lives. A lot of us carry around emotional baggage and wear it like a mantel – or a spare tire. Once we deal with that emotional baggage and let it go, then it releases us to shed that mantel and get on with our healthier,happier lives.
Imagine where YOU will be a year from now. Look to where I was a year go…when I said, “Today Is the Day I Choose To LIVE!!!”
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