Fitness and healthy living - it takes a village

Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

When I decided that I would get off my butt AND make it tighter in the process, I knew I would not be able to do it alone. Sure, I'd risen from my couch in the past on hundreds, OK, tens, of occasions. Oddly enough, I always found my couch to be far more comfortable than bending and stretching ever was. Imagine that.

When I rose off my couch the last time, I assembled a team of professionals to help keep me off. My nutritionist, Keri Glassman, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., armed me with all I needed to eat wisely. She was skilled enough to incorporate things into the plan that I could not give up. That's right, Keri did not force me to give up Nilla wafers and grits. Instead, she taught me moderation. Anybody who allows me to eat grits is alright in my book. Keri is definitely a top five all-star to me.

My first trainer was the amazing Liz Neporent. I hated her from the start. Seriously, her butt was as tight as a drum. I just didn't think I could trust nor have anything in common with a woman who's butt was that tight! I was wrong. I love Liz, and she loves me. She taught me more about fitness in a few weeks than I'd learned my entire life. I was pro bono work for her, by way of a TV show that flopped. Even when the show went away, she stuck with me. My only competition with Liz was to see if I could be as committed to my fitness as she was. Liz, call me when you get rid of all that celebrity clientele. I need you more!

I even had the opportunity to consult with THE Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS. Name doesn't ring a bell? Then call P Diddy and ask HIM who Dr. Jonny is. He knows Dr. J and looks to him to guide his own personal eating. I had the pleasure of speaking to Jonny and in a phone call, my life was changed. He gave me enough information to write a book. Fortunately, he's already written the books, and I'm reading voraciously.

Then there's Jake, my current trainer. I'm not sure if he has celebrity clients or not. However, folks he's trained are far more important. They are Marines. He is a marine. And I must be crazy. Have I seriously hired a military man to train me? A military man named JAKE? I should've gotten a Billy. Surely he'd be easier than a Jake. Talk about tough! OK, so he tries to be gentle in an "I'm still a Marine" sort of way but he's no pushover. He calls me out on shortcuts and cheating. When I hired him, I thought he'd be so mesmerized by my beauty that he'd make allowances. Ummm, not so much. Needless to say, 6:00 AM is not my most beautiful time of day. So he works me. He motivates me. He pushes me. I whine, and he pushes harder.

I name all of these very significant people because I did not get here alone. They each helped me see that I SHOULD, that I CAN and that I AM worthy of a better life. Provision of these wonderful resources are compliments of none other than God because I am not rich. I mean, in Spirit I am. But in dollars, again, not so much. I have a nine to five, and I clip coupons. I make the sacrifices necessary. I can buy takeout, or I can have Jake. One makes me fat, and the other makes me run like I've never run in my life.

You don't have to be rich to partner up with a friend and get outside. Two are better than one. Find a local walking club, and start a few days each week. I don't work work well alone. I think too much and find every reason why not. I need Jake because he reminds me why. He keeps me on track, and I'm keeping him.