Growing up as a fat kid wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. Being somewhat kinesthetically challenged (a.k.a. – clumsy) I preferred reading over playing outside and it wasn’t until puberty hit that I finally lost some of my childhood chub. Not until my college years, however did I finally start becoming active on a regular basis.
My first year in the Mile High City was the adjusting year. A mixture of stress and homesickness caused a yo-yo effect on my diet and ultimately my weight. I would use food as a coping mechanism. After that first year I moved downtown where, parking being the bitch that it is, it proved much easier to walk rather than drive. I was forced to walk more – to school, food, stores, friend’s apartments, EVERYwhere. The local restaurants also offer food that is less greasy and smaller in portion size than what is offered in San Antonio therefore reducing my normal calorie intake.
Those lifestyle changes are what helped me lose the weight I had gained the first year in college and what helps me continue to keep the weight off. When I go home to visit, people ask me what it is that I’ve done to lose so much weight. It almost seems too simple when I say “walk more/eat less” but it’s true. Now, if only it were that easy to help cities like San Antonio tackle and overcome their obesity problems. Maybe there is an easy way?
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