When I was in my 20s I always was trying to lose weight. There was no reason for it actually because my size was completely fine. I am 5’6” and weighed between 125 and 135 pounds. I lived with two female roommates who swore by a certain diet supplement. We didn’t know at the time, but it contained ephedra and wow did it ever work. My lifestyle did not change and my weight kept falling until I reached 115 pounds. Everyone told me how great I looked, but I did not feel right. My eyes twitched and occasionally I would have stomach issues. In addition, I knew this was not something I could continue for a lifetime although I took it for at least two years. Thankfully, ephedra was banned so I had no choice other than quitting.
My weight slowly crept back up to 130 over the course of two years, and then I became pregnant. After the baby was born I assumed my weight would go back to normal, but I stopped losing at 155 pounds. I started exercising and changed my eating habits to exclude most processed foods and include more vegetables and fruit. I did not eliminate meat entirely, but cut back to no more than one serving a day and I stuck to a serving (3 – 4 ounces). Over time my desire to exercise increased and my taste for healthy food did as well. These days I am just as happy drinking a smoothie than I would be drinking a milkshake; and I feel a lot better about that decision too.
It has been a slow process of discovering healthy living. I am no longer as concerned about the number on the scale as I am about having a healthy lifestyle. My weight stays between 135 and 140 pounds and I am ok with that, although I still consider myself a work in progress. Am I the thinnest I have ever been? No. Am I the healthiest and strongest I have ever been? Absolutely. There is no magic pill to bring us health. Looking good on the outside is not the same as being healthy. Too bad it took me 30 years to realize that. I can only hope that diet pills caused no lasting harm to my body.
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