This is a guest post by Tracy, aka Crazed Veggie, who blogs about bentos, amigurumi and personal rants and raves at CrazedVeggie.com. She's lost 50 pounds (22.7 kg) so far since June of last year, and uses bentos as part of her successful weight loss program!

The story goes a little something like this. I've been overweight all my life. Struggling with the weight had been an everyday thing and I've never known anything different. Two years ago I decided to become vegetarian. I did this due to ethical reasons (I just couldn't go on knowing that an animal had to die for me to shove food in my mouth!). Once I became dedicated and seen how easy it was for me to make such a massive change in my food habits, I decided that I was going to watch everything that I ate and not destroy my body any longer. I joined a calorie counting website and went on a mission to lose weight. That was June of 2008, and so far I've lost 50 pounds! 

I began incorporating bento box making into my weight loss program in January. As soon as I began researching the history behind them and the many websites and blogs dedicated to them, I knew this was something that I just had to be a part of. 

We all know that they make it so much easier to stay in control of portion size which is essential to any diet regimen. For me, it goes so much deeper, almost emotionally. Because I've always associated food with happiness, seeing something in front of me that looks appealing, is healthy and colorful, and I know I put time and effort into, makes me feel just as happy as I'd be eating a cupcake or a piece of chocolate. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables than I ever have before, thanks to the little spots in my bentos that need a little splash of color.

This colorful bento by Tracy features homemade pizza, salad with low-cal dressing, apple bunnies and a checkerboard pattern apple.
Total: 280 calories.

  Bento making also is allowing me to explore food options that I'd never even think of getting into two years ago. I love finding a book or website on making my own veggie sushi. I love trying out a new recipe on my husband and him looking at me in disbelief that I even knew anything about the ingredients we were eating, but that I actually made it myself!  It's exciting, and very addicting!  I read something one time that if you do something 30 days in a row that it then becomes a habit. Well this is my new habit!  

I feel so much better in everything I do. I have so much more energy and my entire outlook on life has improved. I'm eating healthy. I'm loving animals. I'm doing a little part to save the environment. Yep, life is good!  This just goes to show that you can do anything that you set your mind to and you can not be successful by continuing to feel sorry for yourself and by using words like "I can't!" when you know full well that "You can!". If an overweight-meat eating-cupcake lover, who's idea of a gourmet meal came from a box or the freezer, can make such massive changes in her life - anyone can!

Tracy, CrazedVeggie.com