How I became slim, fit and healthy Part II: Diet is important

The days I went without lunch were gruesome but as the days went on, I didn't mind at all. The next thing I know, the school would start to give out fruits and vegetables. I liked both, but with vegetables, I was(and still am to a lesser extent)picky with them. There were carrots and I believe celery some days with ranch dip. I wasn't too fond of putting fresh vegetables into a fatty condiment, so I would eat them as is and occasionally used dip if I had a taste for it that day. Fruit-wise, we would get grapes, oranges, tangerines or pears. I LOVE pears. Absolutely love them. The grapes were often sour and no good. In a blue moon the school got strawberries. But moving on to the pears, I finally found my compensation for lunch and whenever I was hungry.

The pears were often Anjou, though I'd see Bosc and Bartlett from time to time. The other students didn't care for them or the oranges, so I'd have my pick. One day I took thirty+ pears with me home. That's how many were leftover. Some days the same bag of pears would be still where they were from yesterday. Because I had so many, I went and put them in a juice with some of the carrots and the canned fruit I'd get from my cousin. It was really a great way to finally get something inside of me after a hard day and I didn't have to waste any money on junk and the overpriced pizza. I was blending since I was sixteen, but finally I had access to more ingredients. After I graduated, I noticed that I slimmed down from my waist a little. Wanting to keep that appearance, I attempted sit-ups. I would do a lot of them whenever I woke up, around 100-150 during the morning. Sometimes more if I was in good condition. It was slow, but it steadily showed some more results. I would do this often and eventually found myself to moving up to bigger and better things. Keep in mind that this was done by someone who didn't have to attend gym at all during his last year of grade school. It's a miracle I didn't balloon up more.

However, I still had a yearning for junk food. I still would munch on the packs of cookies and fig bars and potato chips. I would still drink juice cocktails, the beverages known to have very little juice and using High Fructose Corn Syrup to sweeten them even more. I had to try to drink more water, as it's the one thing your body can't do without. The tap was my go-to source, and to the people who don't drink tap water for fear of chemicals: There's nothing to worry about. In New York, I was raised on the tap. The tap isn't gonna kill you. I understand that spring and mineral water is supposed to be more healthy and better for you. But unless your tap comes from a polluted area, I think you can succumb to a few pitchers of the stuff. Get a filter if you feel the need. At least you can save on needless water bottles and cash.

Right around August is where I would discover a little device that actually encouraged me to walk around the area more. I think this one little bauble potentially saved my life in the long run...