Name: Lori Shisler

If you are reading this it probably means:

a)   you are already a member of the gym just looking at the site

b)      you are undecided and wondering whether you should wait until you’ve lost weight before you join the gym.

c)  you may have heard I would be here

If you chose b - stop right where you’re at!  I know you. I am you.

I am just you 70 lbs. lighter, leaner. Walk with me, not behind me and you will be there too. All you have to do is walk.

I started at 224 lbs. wearing a size 20. A size 20! When I think of that I feel sorry for me. I let that happen. I knew better. Some days I missed me. Then I woke up and realized “this is me”. This is the me that wants to be healthy, chase my kids around till I wear them out, shop till I drop in the juniors section, and finally wake up and not dread the day because I have to “diet”. Who made that word up anyway? It’s a farce.

I know the feeling of bending to tie your shoe and being out of breath just by that simple task. I know the look of “back fat”, having the thin, perfect sister, the idea that making sure you look your best everyday by showering and styling your hair makes you neat and not feel like a “fat person”. I know waistband burn like no one else, trust me, and we’re talking from sweat pants!  What about hiding the magazines with pretty, thin girls on the cover just so your husband won’t dare compare you? Yeah, I know that too. I want you to know that I am the real deal.

Last year my New Years resolution was to get rid of “it” once and for all.  I dreaded day one, day two, day three, honestly, I dreaded the first 2 weeks. Then came that one day when I woke up and it wasn’t the first thing I thought about. After that it got easier and easier and easier until it actually became a way of life. I don’t think about it all anymore.  It starts with a choice, one that you make, no one else and not because of anyone else.  Your choice.  Your body.  Your life. What does eating unhealthy actually do for you? Nothing. I had terrible eating habits. Junk was my lifeline. Portion control was no more than two words. Two very big words.  I had tried every avenue to lose weight. Need a diet book? Oh yes, I have every one of them. A diet that lets you eat anything you want? I’ve done them all. It taught me nothing. It taught me not a single thing about nutrition.

Surgery?  Contemplated it, but didn’t want to risk losing my life. The answer was simple: Stop the junk cycle, eat healthier and get up and move. I did just that. I eat 5 times a day now, but not devil dogs and soda. I eat a variety of carbs, proteins and fats. Some days I eat so much it scares me! Oh and yes, I still have the occasional pizza, cookie, etc., except I am in control of what I eat; it’s not in control of me anymore. I told you, I am the real deal. I honestly used to dread exercise. No time, headache, too big to join, maybe tomorrow, next week, whatever it took.  I laugh at that now. Exercise is the only thing that gets me through my day now! Honestly, talk about a stress buster! And the best thing of all?  You don’t have to run a marathon everyday, just move! Baby steps.

 I was stepping on the scale weekly. The weight was coming off 2 lbs. per week. I got below 200 (vowed never to see 200 again). I got below 190 (swore that off for life too). It was working. Oh boy, a pant size. What a bonus! Realistic goals. I never said, “Oh, I want to lose 70 lbs.” I simply said, “I need to get below 200” or “I need to get below 190”. Well, it was working.  Once I lost 25 lbs. people started noticing. Let me tell you comments are tiring, but compliments are soooo energetic.

 Then it happened!  I rang in the New Year this year and for the first time in my life I didn’t have to say, “My New Years resolution is to lose weight”.  I get goose bumps every time I think of it. I have successfully lost 70 lbs. and now I wear a size 10.  I could wear an 8, but I’m afraid of it. Mentally, I’m just not there yet. Baby steps. 

Lori Shisler

P.S. My 2010 New Year’s Resolution?  To make a difference in someone’s life. Care to be the one?

“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. Let that one person be you”