"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food."
~ Hippocrates

100-Day Challenge
CONQUERING THE WEIGHT LOSS FRONTIER

By Kristi Nielsen

November 10th, 1903: Alberta is still part of the North West Territories. The snow creaks beneath one's boots and the chill of the icy winter wind cuts through to the bone. A man swings his axe through the frigid winter air as he is splits firewood for to fuel the fire, to keep his family warm. He is a pioneer, a survivor, a man fuelled by passion. He is my grandfather. The pioneers, who settled the frontiers of North America, had visions fueled by passion.

Is passion alive today?

One hundred and three years, four generations later, the challenges are different. I have faced many challenges and like my grandfather, I am a survivor. I have an unconquered frontier in my life and like my grandfather, I see opportunities.

My challenges have been very different than my grandfathers. I have survived six car accidents, and several other serious traumas. Most recently I spent two hours dragging myself to safety with multiple injuries on an icy cold Alberta winter night, following an accident. I survived the ensuing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - the hardest journey of all. I have been an inspiration to many. It would seem, having survived so much, that nothing should seem too hard for me.

I am a middle-aged morbidly obese woman. I have done it all Atkins, Diet Centre, Weight Loss Clinics, Weight Watchers, and many fad diets. I have exercised regularly for most of the past ten years, yet I make little real progress in reducing my size. I am in good health, yet I know I am playing Russian Roulette, with my health. When my children and grandchildren were all united for a holiday this July, I had just crossed the 100 pounds overweight mark. Upon returning home, I received the digital family photos. I was shocked. My girth now exceeded the size of my belly when I was 9 months pregnant - 20 years ago. I now was the biggest I had been in my entire life.

If I address my weight problem, I could live to see my great, great grandchildren born. If I don't I may not even life to see my grandchildren reach adulthood. Immediately I started to exercise more and worked on eat healthier. I have lost about 17 pounds and I have reduced my waist by eight inches - mainly through exercise. My waist is still twelve inches more than it should be.

I recently started a core stability exercise program and the first noticeable result was a huge reduction in my low back pain. My chiropractor was so impressed last week he said, "Your back is the best he has seen it in the five years since my last accident." Now I am starting a core stability 100 Day Challenge. Do I have what enough passion to succeed?

Passion comes from the root word passio meaning "to suffer for". I suffer for things I don't even want - I suffer when I binge eat. As any emotional binge eater will know, it isn't lack of knowledge or lack of discipline that is the problem. My self-discipline is evident in the other things I have accomplished in life. The real work is learning to deal differently with emotions.

There are spectators in the journey of life; there are sprinters and marathon runners. The 100 Day Challenge is my marathon to better physical shape. I invite you to participate. Will you do the challenge with me, or are you a spectator watching my journey? The choice is yours.