I'm training a woman right now who walked through my door several weeks ago nearing 300 pounds. I'll call her Crystal. At her morbidly obese weight, Crystal was desperate to lose about 150 pounds. One goal: To be able to sit on the floor with her kids.

Ever think your weight might spiral so completely out of control that you wouldn't be able to do something so simple? Neither did she. But it happens all the time. Here comes the great news.

Crystal found herself kickboxing with me on my heavy bag that first day. Since then, she's learned an arsenal of strikes and has been more mobile in the past three weeks than she has in the past few years. Could this be you?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, My question for you is: how can I lose weight when I'm no longer able to exercise due to a life time injury. I'm even stuck relying on the government for my income and food. Lisa

A. Hey Lisa. As if staying in shape isn't hard enough! Dealing with a disability truly makes weight management a challenge. It's not an impossible accomplishment though. It's just going to take a decent amount of education about nutrition for you, and an even greater amount of discipline.

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Redbook features in their March 2008 issue a woman named Betsey Goering who found a way to drop 32 pounds after discovering her clothing was growing in size. Bad lifestyle choices were the culprit -- after getting married a few years ago, her workouts waned, takeout food became customary, and plopping on the couch after work was commonplace. Something had to change. Well, not "some" thing. More like several things. So Betsey changed. Here's what she did.

• Betsey joined Weight Watchers. Weekly weigh-ins were great for her competitive personality. Competing against herself was the hardest she'd ever worked, she says. Participating in the program with a co-worker helped too. The pair checked on each other's progress, discussed healthy food choices, and cheered on one another.

• Betsey stopped eating fast food. She began cooking more at home, and vegetables made their way into her diet.

• When healthier eating resulted in a more energetic Betsey, the school teacher began walking 30 to 60 minutes three times a week. Then she started running. Now she runs half marathons and logs 30 to 40 miles per week. She takes off one day each week for rest.
  
  

A size 12 when her healthy living awakening began, Betsey now wears a size two and offers these slimming secrets for anyone wishing to whittle away at a growing waistline.

• Read food labels. Look for high-fiber foods that will slowly digest and keep you feeling fuller longer.

• Write down everything you eat. Nothing stops Betsey from overeating more than looking at a list of everything she put in her mouth over the course of a day.

• Set small weight loss and exercise goals. When she first started jogging, Betsey increased her time in 10-minute increments.

• Don't cut out all high-fat, high-calorie foods. If you deny yourself for too long, cravings will only strengthen. Indulge now and then -- just keep portions small and sacrifice in other areas to compensate for calories.

• Eat fruits and veggies first. Betsey buys fresh produce instead of canned or frozen when she can, and she treats meats and starches as side dishes. This helps her eat fewer calories while remaining satisfied.

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Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Robyn Ackerman

Age: 45

Occupation: Insurance Adjuster

How often do you exercise? I'm now aiming for five times a week. Just getting back after several set backs health-wise.

What type of exercise do you do? Kickboxing, running and some weights.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? The thought of you Fitz. Knowing that I've let you down by not doing what I should be. I'm also encouraged by my husband who is trying hard to support me.

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