Fat 2 Fit: Martha Rust: Ordinary People Can Do Extraordinary Things!

Martha Rust, 52, of Grass Valley, Calif., is living proof that ordinary people are capable of the extraordinary. Rather than have me describe her progress and transformation, Martha preferred to use her own words: “In the first five months of my makeover, I lost 40 pounds and over 45 inches and dropped two sizes. My energy level increased exponentially. Here's my story:

 

“My teens began with starving myself down to 115 pounds, thereby setting the stage for years of dieting with repeated cycles of deprivation and failure. Thirty years later, I had yo-yoed up to 220 pounds. At 5 feet 2 inches, I was ‘morbidly obese.’

 

My knees hurt. I got winded walking to the mailbox. I spent leisure time reading. At 50 years old, I was exhausted by life's basic routines! What would 70 feel like? The probabilities were terrifying.

 

I decided to reinvent myself. Examining my eating and exercise habits was step number one. My discoveries have not always been pleasant or flattering, but facing the truth has freed me to embrace change.

 

A new understanding of nutrition has enabled me to make satisfying food choices that are pleasant and sustainable. No longer dieting, I'm simply behaving like a fit, healthy person.

 

Hunger is good. Meals are more satisfying when I'm truly hungry. When I sit down to a nutritious, thoughtfully planned meal, I eat guilt-free, enjoy my food, and still lose weight.

 

Essential to self-awareness, my food and exercise journal is my external conscience. I'm unable to pretend that I didn't eat something when it is written down in black and white. My records teach me what works and what doesn't.

 

My exercise log has also been enlightening. At first my daily walks were brutal, and my unconditioned body complained each morning. As I wheezed up and down the hills of my neighborhood, I told myself it would get easier with time—and it did.

 

Of utmost importance, I've discovered an exercise that I love: Jazzercise. Dancing with new friends, I’ve rediscovered the joy of movement. I still huff and puff a bit, but it feels great! When I have minor aches and pains, I know it is a result of use, not neglect.

 

Because I'm not hauling around 40 extra pounds, I’m more energetic! Anxious for springtime, I'm planning to learn how to kayak. In the past, I'd have thought this impossible. Today, I feel free to try anything.

 

Clearly, my success has provided some unexpected benefits. Instead of reading about someone else’s life, I'm living my own.

 

While the tape and scale measure what I've lost, my heart knows what I've gained. With confidence and self-respect, I look in the mirror and see a more pleasing reflection—and my new best friend.