“Amanda, time to get up and walk Noodles,” my Grandpa said as he awakened me one Saturday morning. I grumbled as I got out of bed and grabbed Noodles’s leash; I slipped into a pair of shorts and threw on a T-shirt. Then, Noodles and I went for a walk. The truth of the matter was that both Noodles and I were overweight. I hated taking Noodles for a walk in the hot Florida sun because my eyes suffered from photophobia due to my Nystagmus.
Despite this problem, I knew that Noodles and I needed to walk so our health wouldn’t worsen. Besides exercising, I also knew that our poor eating habits had to change. For example, not only did we needed to cut back on giving Noodles so many treats, but I also needed to stop eating so many cheeseburgers and French fries at the college cafeteria. One of the reasons why I was overeating was due to the stress of college. As a result of my poor dietary habits, I could barely fit into my clothes, and my energy level decreased.
One weekend, while visiting my grandparents, I said to Grandpa, “I am struggling with picking out healthy food at the cafeteria. All I want to eat are cheeseburgers, fries and soda.” My Grandpa, who had eaten lunch with me at the cafeteria before, said, “I remember they offer a salad bar there. Try to eat a salad with your lunch and dinner. Limit the number of times you get a cheeseburger meal and try to get out to go for a walk between classes.”
When I returned to college the following Monday, my friend suggested that we walk to church to get some exercise. On our way there, to attend Bible study, she handed me an orange and said, “Here, I know you have been trying to change your diet. I brought you an orange to try.” I tasted it, and even though I used to like oranges, this one did not appeal to me, just like most other healthy food. After I threw the orange in the trash, my friend said, “Don’t worry we’ll find some kind of fruit you like.”
Eventually, I forced myself to try more fruit. But other than bananas, no other fruit appealed to me.
Over the next year, Noodles and I made a lot of progress with our diets and exercise routines and lost the weight we needed.
Harris' InkWell 
Hey Amanda I’m so happy to hear about the positive changes you’ve been able to make and that despite the hard work and effort, you were strong enough to endure that and make the changes you needed. It’s really inspiring to hear xxx