Two Down, Ten to Go

I can hardly believe this is the last day in February - the first two months of 2011 have really gone fast! 

So how's 2011 going for you so far?  If you do over the next ten months what you've done for the first two, where will you be on December 31 of this year?  I'm asking because the reality is that the next ten months will fly by, just as these last two months have done. 

Many of us started January by breathing a sigh of relief that we'd turned the page on a year that didn't quite get us where we hoped we'd be.  We vowed that the good intentions we didn't follow through in 2010 were a thing of the past - 2011 was a new year, a new decade, and we squared our shoulders and made new resolutions.  This time, for sure, we weren't kidding - we were going to do this . . . 2011 was our year!

So how's it going so far?  I hope you've seen great progress in the last two months and continue to incorporate healthy habits that will not only bring you to your goal, but also maximize your chances of staying at your goal.  I know that's true for many of you - keep up the great work!

For others, I know that those resolutions of January 2 are a bit wobbly right now.  It's not that you don't have good intentions, and it's certainly not that you've decided you don't want to lose weight, because you do.  The problem is that life keeps getting in the way.  There's been stress, you've had to travel, your kids are driving you crazy, the dog developed a case of fleas in the middle of winter . . .  Honest, I'm not diminishing the reality that many of you have already faced some pretty challenging things this year - sometimes life just happens and when it does it threatens to undo the best of our intentions.  The problem is that life has a way of continuing to happen.  Things come up, if not every day then at least every week, and there are always reasons to not stay on plan "today."

But what if life keeps happening in March, April, May . . . ?  I'm guessing that you don't want to be right where you are twelve months from now, right?

For me, an important part of this program was learning to change how I related to food.  During the almost 11 months it took me to lose 126 pounds, life definitely kept happening and there were any number of events, big and small, that could have sent me running to food for comfort.  Thankfully, one of the things I learned was that food was incapable of comforting me; food couldn't relieve my stress or do anything other than provide nourishment when I was physically hungry.  It was absolutely worthless when it came to meeting a single emotional need.  The emotional eating I did in the past was throwing food down a bottomless pit - an emotional black hole.  No amount of food could ever fix the problem and once the binge was over, it was replaced by frustration, anger at myself, disgust, self-recrimination, and a feeling of overwhelming defeat.

The reason I'm addressing emotional eating is because I'm guessing that if you are struggling to stay on plan, emotional eating is the reason.  It may be emotional eating disguised as something else (it has a sneaky way of disguising itself), but when you peel back the layers, that's what you're most likely to find.

I write a lot about making choices, and that's true even for emotional eating.  There is always a moment, however brief, when we make the decision to eat or not to eat.  Sometimes it feels like eating is an automatic response, but it's always - always - ultimately our choice.

So if the past two months aren't representative of how you want the next ten to go, today is the perfect day to chart a new course.  It won't be easy, but very few things worth having come easily.  It certainly will be worth it, and I can promise you that a year from now you'll have no regrets. 

It's a new day and a new week, with new challenges and new opportunities.  Choose wisely :-)

The Process

I keep running across quotes and sayings and articles that all talk about "process".  It makes me think that Somebody is trying to tell me something :-).

People who know me well will probably describe me as a tad driven and goal-focused (among other things that they'll say!), and it's often hard for me to slow down and just enjoy the journey.  When my husband and I are on a trip and he's driving, I find myself glancing over at the speedometer and wanting him to speed it up a bit because I just want to GET THERE!  (My husband tends to drive a few miles UNDER the speed limit, just to make sure he doesn't go over, and I'm usually 5-10 miles OVER the speed limit on an expressway, making our trips interesting and subject to a certain amount of good-natured negotiation.)

Anyway, this "let's just get there FAST" person is reading a lot lately about the value of the process.  Sigh . . . 

I've lived long enough to understand that growth doesn't happen in an instant, whether it's physical growth, emotional growth, or spiritual growth.  Often we aren't even able to access our own personal supply of Miracle Grow to speed up the process - the process tends to take as long as it's going to take.

In her excellent study on the book of Esther, Beth Moore writes "As painful as the process may be, that which shatters our superficiality also shatters the fetters of our fragility and frees us to walk with dignity and might to our destinies."

"The process" is often painful . . . working through all of the emotional issues that led to me reaching my top weight of 268 was difficult and it didn't happen in an instant.  Over time, however, it was incredibly healing to face those old demons and release them, allowing God's healing to wash over all of those wounded emotions.

Dealing with those emotions shattered the surface superficiality that pretended that everything was fine, and it has allowed me to reach out with great compassion and understanding to others who are still mired in emotional eating.  I can't really explain what it's like to look into another person's eyes without shame as I share my own struggles, then see hope begin to spark in their eyes as they begin to believe that they can experience freedom, too - but it's a wonderful thing!

I can't say for certain that I am now walking with "might to my destiny," because my own process continues (and I'm all too aware of how far I still have to go). What's wonderful is that along the way I continue to meet so many fabulous people, making the journey a real joy.

Losing weight and releasing old habits isn't easy, and the transformation that ultimately happens, inside and outside, is a process.  Hard-wiring healthy habits into our lives (and our brains!) is a process, too - one day and one choice at a time.

I'm learning to find joy in the process and not just focus on the destination.  I have to choose to find joy every day, and some days the joy finding is easier than others.  But I choose to look for it!  You get to make the same choice every day, so choose wisely :-)

Why Are You Doing This?

Staying on plan and working to get to a health weight isn't always easy, and it sure isn't always fun.  The weekend is here and for many of you who are on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, that means that you aren't doing some of the things on weekends that you did before.  For me, weekends were all about getting caught up on household chores, relaxing, and eating (plus church on Sunday, of course!).  We usually got together with friends over the weekend and food was always the centerpiece of the gathering.  Once I started on 5&1, the household chores, relaxation and Sunday church didn't change, but my weekend eating habits sure did. 

Because weekends are such a challenge for many, it's really important to know why you're doing this to begin with.  Is reaching goal a vague concept, or have you taken the time to detail what goal will mean to you?

One of my friends lost 68 pounds on this program and is doing great in maintenance (she is now a runner!).  When she started on 5&1 she made a list of the reasons why she was doing this.  She e-mailed me her list:


Here's my list for wanting to lose weight:

• Cute clothes
• Looking in the mirror and liking what I see.
• Bras and underwear that fit.
• Bathing suits.
• Vacation pictures.
• NOT wearing control top pantyhose.
• Comparing favorably to others in the office/at the mall/in the grocery store/my friends.
• Feeling good about myself.
• Thinking good things about myself.
• Self Control.
• Having a flat(er) stomach and butt.
• Throwing away my fat clothes and buying new, smaller ones.
• Running!
• Energy!
• Living longer.
• Going out in public and feeling GREAT.
• Getting dressed easily.
• Looking sleek in clothing.  Not lumpy.
• Feeling sexy.
• Shopping on the other side of the store.
• Standing in from of people singing, and feeling great about how I look.
• Treating my body like the amazing gift it is - not a trash can.
• No back, leg, foot pain.
• Not worrying about what my family thinks about me because I am fat.

She keeps this list in her planner so she can look at it on a daily basis.  Reviewing her list of "whys" not only helped her stay focused while she was losing weight, but it continues to remind her of what she wants so that she will continue to make the choices necessary to maintain her healthy weight.

We got together with her and her husband last night for dinner (her husband lost 93 pounds as well) and the four of us spent some time talking about the difference losing weight has made in our lives.  (Between their weight loss and ours [my 126 pounds and my husband's 50 pounds], the four of us lost a total of 337 pounds!)  Remembering where we were and continuing to stay focused on what we want is helping us stay at a healthy weight.  It's not always easy, but as we compared our lives before and after our weight loss, it was clear that none of us would ever go back.

Do you know why you're doing this?  Make a list of all of the reasons why you want to reach your goal and look at it on a daily basis as a reminder of what you REALLY want.  Keeping what you want in front of you will help, especially on the weekends.

Know what you want, then choose wisely :-)

Refire, Rewire

I watched a fascinating segment on the Today Show earlier this week about how women relate to their bodies.  Shockingly, 97% of women have negative thoughts about their bodies and the psychologist on this Today segment said that the average woman has 13 negative body image thoughts per day.  She said that we emotionally abuse ourselves in a way we wouldn't tolerate from others.

The psychologist went on to say that whatever we focus on shapes our brain.  She said that "neurons fire, then they wire" and create strong neuro pathways in our brain.

That is a critically important point for us to consider as we are working to rewire our "fat brains."  Most of us spent years telling ourselves that we were fat, undisciplined, etc. etc.  For a long, long time, I spent a fair amount of time and mental energy berating myself for being so out of control with my eating.  I looked in the mirror and began a rundown of all of the things I hated about my body and, at 268 pounds, there wasn't much about my body that I liked.  I told myself that I couldn't lose weight, that I couldn't stay on a weight loss plan.  What I now understand is that I was faithfully laying down strong neuro pathways of negativity in my brain.  As a result, what I told myself became a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Our challenge is to begin to fire new neurons and lay down new, healthier neuro pathways in our brain.   But how do we do that?  I'm not a psychologist, so I'm coming from a practical perspective here.  My suggestion is that we do two things. 

First, we have to recognize and reject negative thoughts the minute they appear.  That's not an easy thing to do when we've spent years thinking negatively about ourselves, but practice makes better (we'll never be perfect at this!).  When I look in the mirror and start to run down the list of things I don't like about my body, I try to catch myself and stop the negativity.  Sure there are things I'd like to change about my body, but I don't allow myself to dwell on those things anymore. 

Second, we have to start focusing on what we like about ourselves.  By switching my focus to what I DO like about myself, I can begin to be thankful . . . beginning with the fact that I'm now at a healthy weight.  My body isn't perfect, but it's healthy and I focus on that.

Rewiring our neuro pathways also applies to how we think about what we can and can't do.  We have to start stopping those negative "I can't" thoughts as soon as they pop into our brain, replacing them with affirmations about what we CAN do.  It may be easy to think that doing that is just kidding ourselves because we may not believe that we can, but as we keep telling ourselves that we CAN do this (and say it out loud, looking at yourself in the mirror!), we will begin to replace negative thoughts with positive ones and literally begin to rewire our brain. 

We CAN make our next meal a Medifast meal, we CAN stay on plan today.  We CAN get to a healthy weight and we CAN learn healthy habits that will enable us to maintain our weight.  These are true statements, so tell yourself this over and over again today . . . and tomorrow and the day after that!

Proverbs 23:7 (New American Standard Bible) says, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is."  Our thoughts are powerful and they will help to shape our future.  When it comes to both your eating and your thoughts today, choose wisely :-)

Interested or Committed?

One of the fun things my husband and I do is host monthly get-togethers for people in our area who are on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  It's fun to get together with everyone and celebrate their progress.  Our last meeting was this past Tuesday night and my husband talked about the difference between being interested in losing weight/getting healthy and being committed to doing so.

Almost everyone is interested in losing weight and being as healthy as possible, but far fewer individuals are committed to actually doing it.  So how can you tell if you're interested or committed?  You look at your behavior and the choices you make.  Here are a few examples my husband shared:

Interested: "Well, it's just a little bite; I've been good - it won't hurt."
Committed:  "I'm prepared for any event. I know I can take my food anywhere and be happy.  Nothing tempts me because I've already decided."

Interested:  "It's my birthday (anniversary, vacation, girls' night out . . . pick an event).  You don't expect me to stay true through that, do you?"
Committed:  "I will have my sparkling water with lime in a fancy glass and feel like I'm included in any social situation."

Interested:  "I'm not really hungry, so I won't eat all my meals.  I may lose even faster.  I'm TRYING to drink enough water, but I don't like water so I don't always get my water in."
Committed:  "I know if I'm true to this program, it's easy to do.  There is NO way I'm veering from the plan.  Nothing is worth messing this up!"

Interested:  "WOW - I can eat anything I want when I reach my goal if it's this easy to lose again!  I'm not going to bother with Transition or the Maintenance plan!"
Committed:  "What else is there for me to learn to make sure this weight loss sticks?"

It's easy for us to think that we're committed to losing weight, but if we take a close (and honest) look at our actions, we'll quickly be able to determine if we're truly committed or just interested.  I spent a lot of years telling myself that I was committed to losing weight, but my actions told an entirely different story.  I wanted to lose weight - absolutely! - but I was far from committed because I repeatedly refused to take the actions I needed to take and make the hard choices I needed to make in order to accomplish what I said was my goal.

What about you?  Are you interested or committed?  I hope you're committed!!  If so, then your actions will support your commitment.  It's one day and one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)

Cans and Cant's

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you CAN do!"  This quote is from the late John Wooden, who was not only a wonderful coach but also an outstanding motivator.

I love that quote, because it calls for us to make a fundamental shift in how we think about things.  For most of us, we tend to focus on what we can't do.  When looking at a black dot in the center of a white sheet of paper, we see only the black dot, not the vast white open space surrounding it.  We focus on the obstacle and allow that focus to blur our vision for anything that lies just beyond the obstacle.

It's so easy to decide that there are certain things that I "simply can't" do, but most of what we think we can't do is just a faulty concept.  We have the ability to do so much more than we give ourselves credit for!  Sometimes we're afraid to even try because the "can't" is so deeply embedded.  If we start doing what we know we CAN do, and if we are willing to keep trying and stretching, we will go a lot farther than we ever dreamed possible.  We will see many of our "can'ts" transformed into "CANS!"

We've failed on other weight loss plans, so the "I can't lose weight" concept is deeply embedded - but it's a false concept.  Maybe you think you can't lose weight, but you CAN choose to eat 5 Medifast meals today and have a lean & green :-).  Don't let what you think you can't do (my revision of the quote!) interfere with what you CAN do!

We're half-way through this work week and many of you are already thinking ahead to your weekend plans.  Don't focus on what you can't have, and don't allow yourself to think that you just "can't" stay on plan when the weekend hits.  Focus on what you CAN do.  Figure it out - make a plan and stick to the plan!  You CAN have a good time, even if everyone else is eating something else.  Some of you are looking forward to upcoming Spring Break trips and yes, you CAN go on vacation, have a wonderful time and come home weighing less than when you left.

Don't allow what you think you can't do interfere with what you CAN do, and more importantly, don't let those false concepts keep you from what you REALLY want - getting to your goal.  What CAN you do today?  Focus on the "cans", then choose wisely :-)

Complacency and Fear

An important component on our weight loss journey is getting - and keeping - our head in the game.  Along with keeping our head in the game is the challenge of managing the emotional changes that accompany our weight loss.  The meal portion of Take Shape for Life/Medifast is simple - all we have to do is follow the 5&1 and the weight comes off!  We don't even have to believe the program will work, we just have to do it.  The mental and emotional part of the journey is far more daunting.

What prompted this morning's blog were recent conversations I've had with two different friends.  Both have done really well on plan and both have gotten within striking distance of goal.  Interestingly, as goal loomed on the horizon for both of them, something happened to get them off plan.  One friend momentarily stepped off and is now back on plan, and another is struggling to get back on plan after watching several unwanted pounds return.

What my friends experienced is something I've seen over and over again.  When people are closing in on goal, there is a real danger that they will either experience complacency or they'll experience fear.

Complacency often settles in because by the time someone is within ten pounds of goal, particularly if they've lost a lot of weight - they feel SO much better about themselves, they're in smaller sizes and they look and feel pretty "normal."  They may now be smaller than many of their friends, which makes it hard to stay on plan when all of their friends are eating other things.  I know this was true of me when I was about ten pounds away from goal.  I was in a size 10 by that time, the same size as many of my friends, yet they were eating things that were still off-plan for me.  There were times when I just wanted to be done with the plan and say "good enough."  I'd lost over 100 pounds, reversed my diabetes, and I looked and felt pretty good!  The problem was, even though I was in a size 10, I wasn't at a healthy BMI and I wasn't at my goal.  Complacency definitely reared its ugly head and I had to refocus over and over again on what I really wanted, and what I really wanted was to be healthy, and I didn't want to settle.

The other emotion that often catches people by surprise is fear.  We get really good at losing weight and being on 5&1 becomes a safe place for us.  After years of battling weight, we finally found something that actually works and we want to stay in our cocoon forever.  The thought of reaching our goal can be scary, as it means that what has become familiar is about to change as we begin to introduce food groups back into our diet.  We can become afraid that we'll start gaining the weight back.  I've seen people self-sabotage so that they stay in a gain-lose cycle because it feels safer than facing the unknown of being at their goal weight.

For those of us who have used our weight as a protective shield, closing in our goal means we aren't invisible to people any more.  People are commenting about the weight we've lost and we're getting compliments, and that can become uncomfortable.  For many women, having other men suddenly noticing us can be extremely unsettling.  If we don't acknowledge the fear and find healthy ways to address it, we can find ourselves heading in the wrong direction once again.

A while back I read a good definition of fear:  False Evidence Appearing Real.  This definition was part of a devotional that I read about how we deal with the challenges in our lives.  The devotional talked about the story from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus walked on the water.  One of his disciples, Peter, stepped out of the boat at Jesus' invitation and began to walk towards Him.  As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was fine, but when he looked at the waves around him, he immediately began to sink.  The devotional said that "the circumstances of our lives, whether unusual crises or everyday difficulties, batter our senses into believing untruths.  We cower at the authority of these winds and waves--these very concrete illusions--as though their authority is real.  It isn't.  We must do what is extremely difficult to do--ignore them."

When I faced many of those fears as I approached my goal, I had to choose to keep moving forward and trust that just as God was faithful to me each step of the way on my weight loss journey, He would also be faithful to me as I reached my goal and beyond.  I knew I couldn't lose the weight on my own and I knew (and I still know!) that I would need to depend on the Lord and keep my eyes on Him to keep the weight off.  As long as I do that, I can ignore the waves around me and keep on walking!  And so can you :-) 

As I approached the third year anniversary of reaching my goal (I'll celebrate that anniversary three months from today!), I still depend on the Lord to give me the strength I need to make the choices I need to make.  Like you, this is a daily walk for me - one meal and one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)

Simple Math

Do you know what I love about the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program?  It's really goof-proof!  That's one of the things that attracted me to the program at the very beginning.  I was SO tired of counting calories, carbs, points, fat grams . . . anybody else raising their hand right now?

I LOVE the fact that we don't have to count anything, other than counting out 5 Medifast meals every day, then adding in our choice of a lean and green.  Simple!  Just not always that easy :-).

The program itself is simple, and the results are guaranteed.   In math, Take Shape for Life/Medifast would be called the constant:  follow the program and the weight comes off - every time.  The variable in all of this is, well, us!  If we're committed to doing the program, it works; if we play around, waffle (sorry to use an off-plan word!), cheat here and there - maybe it will work and maybe it won't, depending on whether or not we eventually get serious and get it done.

That's why it's so important to recommit on a daily basis!  Deciding to just do it, one day, one meal and one choice at a time ensures ultimate success.  It doesn't always happen as quickly as we'd like (I would have loved to lose the entire 126 pounds in, say, a month!), but we WILL lose and we WILL reach our goal.   If you're just starting and have a lot of weight to lose, isn't it great to know that you don't have to commit today to do this for months on end?  You only have to commit to do the plan today!  One day and one choice at a time - so simple, and so effective.  Choose wisely :-)

Trying to Fix the Wrong Thing

Yesterday I blogged about my conversation with a woman who was still struggling to lose 100 pounds four years after having lap band surgery.  She, like so many others, believed weight loss surgery would be the answer to her struggle with obesity - but the surgery didn't fix it.

People are desperate to find a solution that will allow them to finally win their battle with obesity, and more and more are turning to weight loss surgery.  Others are looking to the pharmaceutical industry for an answer, hoping and praying for a pill that will enable them to lose weight.   Time and time again, weight loss drugs fail to win FDA approval because clinical trials reveal major health risks, but the drug companies continue their quest to develop the magic pill that will cure obesity.

The problem with both weight loss surgery and diet drugs is that these methods are trying to fix the wrong thing.  Weight loss surgery addresses the issue of obesity by reducing the size of the stomach, with the assumption that if the stomach is smaller, people will feel full with less food and less food will result in weight loss.  Drugs are developed to suppress the appetite, with the expectation that if people aren't hungry, they won't eat and will lose weight.

Both of these approaches assume that the root of overeating is hunger - that if hunger can be better managed, either surgically or chemically, people will eat less and lose weight.

I can't speak for anyone else, but physical hunger had very little to do with my morbid obesity.  In fact, when I started on this program, it had been a long time since I could remember actually being hungry.  I ate for lots of reasons, but being physically hungry was often not one of the reasons.  I was an emotional eater and would often eat until I was numb. 

When we are using food to try and meet our emotional needs, we are trying to fill a bottomless pit.  There isn't a surgery or an appetite suppressant that can fix our heart hunger, which is why a distressing number of individuals who've had weight loss surgery end up gaining much or all of their weight.  The surgery fixed their physical hunger, but it couldn't touch their heart hunger.

If we are going to be successful long term, we have to change how we emotionally relate to food.  For those of us who are long-term emotional eaters, we have to find new and healthier ways to deal with life.   As I've shared so often here, my weight loss journey resulted in unexpected emotional and spiritual growth as I learned to go to the Lord instead of food.  Only God could meet the needs of my heart, and as I gave Him my stress, my anger, my disappointment, I found a comfort and a peace that food was never able to offer. 

Changing emotional eating patterns isn't easy, and it may be one of the most difficult things that some of us ever do.  But it IS possible!  It starts with recognizing the source of our hunger, then being willing to change how we respond and make a difference choice.

Have a great Sunday, and choose wisely :-)

What If . . .

Have you ever had the feeling that, for just an instant, you've had a view of a "what if" in your life?  I had that very experience yesterday, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

I had a phone call with a woman yesterday, someone I've never met but who heard about Take Shape for Life/Medifast and wanted more information.  She had lap band surgery four years ago and has lost 50 pounds, with at least 100 more to go.  Her insurance didn't cover the surgery, so she paid for it herself in the hopes that this would be the solution to her long struggle with obesity.  Now it was four years later and she was stuck and had been unable to lose any additional weight because, in her words, she kept making poor choices.  After spending thousands of dollars on a procedure that was going to finally fix the issue, she was frustrated.  She called me because I've been helping one of her friends lose weight on our program and she is considering trying it for a month.

Four years ago . . . that's when I was researching weight loss surgery for myself, surgery that wasn't covered by my insurance.  I was learning towards lap band surgery, primarily because it was less expensive and I would be paying for it myself (I was considering taking out a second mortgage on our home to pay for the surgery).  I was convinced that surgery was the only way I would ever be able to lose 120 pounds. 

It was while I was reading up about different weight loss surgery procedures that I came across information about Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  I decided to give the program a try for a month before I risked my house and potentially put my family in financial jeopardy to pay for surgery.  The rest, as they say, is history.  And I am SO eternally grateful!

But yesterday's call was very sobering, because that SO easily could have been me.  What if I hadn't come across information about Take Shape for Life/Medifast?  Would I now be in the same position as this dear woman I talked to - still morbidly obese and in a financially difficult situation, feeling hopeless?  I remember thinking that surgery would be THE answer for me, but what my outcome would have been the same as this individual's?  These thoughts give me great pause . . .

All I know is that, for whatever reason, God led me to this program at a time when I felt out of hope, and this program not only restored hope, but it gave me back my life.  More than that, it has given me an entirely new life!  However, even as wonderful as this program is (and it IS!), the program alone wouldn't have gotten me to my goal.  In the end, I had to not only make the choice to try Take Shape for Life/Medifast, but I also had to make the choice to follow the program and stay on plan.

You've made the choice to go on this program, too.  If you continue to make the choice to stay on plan, one meal and one day at a time, it will change your life, too.  Don't risk "what if's"  . . . choose wisely :-)

Change

I read something that absolutely shocked me yesterday.  According to the article, "Medical studies have shown that even though people who have had heart-bypass surgery are told that they must change their lifestyle or die, about 90 percent do not change.  Typically, 2 years after surgery the patients haven't altered their lifestyle.  It seems that most would rather die than change."

You would think that a major surgery like heart-bypass would be THE wake-up call and that, post surgery, individuals would be motivated to do whatever was necessary to stay healthy, but that's not the way it works.

The article didn't say why people don't change their lifestyle, so I'm going to do a bit of speculation.  My guess is that these individuals think their problem has been fixed, and since they are focused on fixing a problem rather than creating a new, healthy life for themselves, they go right back to what they were doing that got them into trouble in the first place.  Even though they are told they will die if they don't change their lifestyle, the immediate problem that led to the bypass (chest pain, etc.) is gone, so the sense of urgency isn't there.  For these heart patients, what they wanted was to fix the issue with their heart, and once the problem is solved (in their mind), there is no motivation to change their lifestyle. 

Motivation is never, ever sustained by fixing a problem; it will only be sustained by focusing on something we want to create, and it has to be something that we REALLY want.

That's why diets don't work, because diets are focused on fixing a problem - the number on the scale, the too-tight clothes (or clothes in a size we don't want), or the bad lab report from the doctor.  Focusing on what we don't want won't keep us motivated, or moving forward.  According to studies, 85% of dieters regain the weight they lost, plus additional weight, within two years.  The statistics aren't on our side! 

Like me, you probably started this program hoping to fix a problem - it's almost always something negative that prompts us to finally start a weight loss program.  However, if you want this to ultimately be more than just another failed diet in a long line of failed diets, it's important that you begin to shift your focus from what you're trying to move away from to what you're moving towards.

In his book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Take Shape for Life/Medifast's Medical Director, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen details the phases of this program that follow getting to a healthy weight: transition to healthy eating, developing habits of health for life, optimizing our age, and living a longer, healthier life.  These steps keep us focusing on what's next and enable us to continue to create health in our lives. 

The article I quoted at the beginning of this blog said that most heart-bypass patients would rather die than change their lifestyle.  What about you?  Is this program a quick fix for you, or are you ready to change your lifestyle and create something amazing in your life?  The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)

High-Stakes Gambling

Are you a gambler?  Some people gamble by purchasing lottery tickets, some play slot machines, and others put money on horses.  Those are amateur gamblers - I've gambled for much, much bigger stakes than that!

I've never purchased a lottery ticket or gambled in any of the ways people think of when they think about gambling, but I was a high stakes gambler because I gambled on my health and my life. 

I knew I had a strong family history of diabetes, yet I played the odds for over twenty years, eating what I wanted, as much as I wanted, when I wanted, gambling that I could do so indefinitely and beat the odds of my family genetics.  I also knew all the statistics about all of the other health risks of obesity (working in health care for twenty years, I was NOT lacking in knowledge about the link between obesity and disease), but I continued to play the odds.  When I'd go in for a physical and lab work and all of my lab work came back fine, I'd let out a sigh of relief that I'd beat the odds once again.  Sure, I was overweight (OK, obese), but I was HEALTHY, and I had the lab work to prove it. 

Like almost all gamblers, the odds finally caught up with me in September of 2005 when a routine wellness blood draw at the hospital where I worked came back.  All of my numbers were bad - cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL/LDL, and glucose.  My luck had finally run out and it was time to pay up.  I was a diabetic, and I knew I was in trouble.

I can't even express how mad I was at myself that day, because I knew I had been gambling with my health for years.  As I looked at a printout of my lab work, it was an indictment of two decades of denial and bad choices.  That day began my journey to wellness, although it would be almost two more years before I found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and finally had the tools to reverse my diabetes and high cholesterol and reach a healthy weight.

I call myself a recovering gambler because I know those old habits will come roaring back if I stop being diligent.  My family genetics haven't changed, and the fact that I was diabetic means that this disease will return if I return to my old, gambling ways.  I hear some people talk about how they've completely lost their taste for certain foods since losing weight, but I don't identify with that at all.  I still have "fat girl" taste buds - everything tastes as good as it ever did, and it would be all-too-easy to go back to my old eating habits.  I wish I HAD lost my taste for some of my old favorites, because it would be a lot easier now.

But it's not easy.  Some days are easier than others, and I have structured my life to keep those old favorites at a distance (I keep them out of my house, for instance).  But there are other days when I am honestly tempted to throw caution to the wind and fill my shopping cart with stuff that is devoid of nutrition and full of calories, sugar, fat and carbs.  Of course, I don't :-).  Having gambled and lost once, I am thankful that God gave me another chance to have a healthy life, and I'm committed to maintaining my health.

How about you?  Are you finished playing your own high-stakes game?  If you've been able to avoid obesity-related health issues thus far, that's wonderful.  Are you willing to gamble that you'll avoid health issues indefinitely?  If you're ready to stop gambling, it can end today.  All you have to do is decide to stay on plan - just for today.  Then if you do the same thing tomorrow, and then again the day after that, you'll soon find that your gambling days are over.

One meal, one day, one choice at a time . . . choose wisely :-)

That Blasted Scale . . .

So after making a wise choice on Valentine's Day (as I blogged about yesterday), instead of seeing the scale reward me for my good choice, it was actually up two pounds - TWO POUNDS!  Although I have successfully lost 126 pounds on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and stayed in my goal range for almost three years, and even though I know this program works wonderfully, it's still not a happy morning when I see the scale blip up.

However, two things keep me from throwing the scale out the window.  First of all, I know that body weight fluctuates from day to day due to humidity, water retention, hormones, etc. etc.  During the almost-year that it took for me to lose 126 pounds, I was a daily weigher (still am).  While I don't recommend weighing on a daily basis because it can really mess with your head, daily weighing taught me a lot about how my body works.  Even though I stayed on plan the entire time, never went off, sometimes the scale would show a one, two, or even three pound gain.  I knew I couldn't possibly have gained "real" weight on less than 1,000 calories a day, so I understood that the blip up on the scale wasn't fat, but water.  That didn't mean that I was happy to see the scale go up, because I wasn't, but understanding that it was water retention helped me take it in stride.  I knew it then, and I knew it again when I got on the scale this time and saw the higher number.  While I don't always know what triggers the water retention, I know that it will be gone in a couple of days.  I haven't done anything wrong - it's just the way my body works.

Second - and most important - I'm in this for the long haul.  I was then and I worked to reach a healthy BMI, and I am now, as I move towards the middle/lower end of my BMI range.  This isn't a diet, this is a lifestyle change, so a temporary upward blip on the scale doesn't cause me to throw in the towel and call it quits.  I know that this program works, and it works fast, so as long as I work the program and keep my eyes on where I want to go, I'll be fine.

The scale is the least dependable reflector of our progress - it is frustratingly temperamental, yet we tend to give it more, um, weight than anything else.  While we certainly want to see the scale go down, absolutely!, look at other things as well.  How are your clothes fitting?  How many inches have you lost?  How are you feeling?  Have you been able to reduce or eliminate any medications?  What are you able to do now that you weren't able to do before starting on this program?  Look for all of the non-scale victories and celebrate each and every one of them!  Don't let the scale dictate your mood, and certainly don't let it determine whether or not you stay on plan today.  It WILL eventually reflect your goal weight, as long as you continue to choose wisely :-)

Those Blasted Choices . . .

Sometimes I really hate to have to make good choices.  Yesterday was a prime example, and it took me a few minutes to actually decide what I was going to do.

After hanging out near the top of my healthy BMI range for a while, I made the decision last month to get down to at least the middle, or perhaps even the lower end, of that range.  The easiest way to do that, of course, is to go back on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, which I did.  I experienced the expected couple of days just before going into fat-burning when I was hungry and headachy, but I know that all of that passes and have been happily in fat-burning for a couple of weeks.  This past weekend in Denver I stayed on plan and passed up a number of very tempting-looking items on restaurant menus - no problem.

Then there was yesterday - Valentine's Day.  My husband spent 38 years as a retail jewelry store manager, so Valentine's Day was a huge business day for him and he usually worked until close (9 PM).  As a result, we never went out for dinner on Valentine's Day, until yesterday.  We made reservations at a new local restaurant and I looked forward all day to a nice dinner together.  I am in the habit of checking out restaurant menus on line prior to dinner so I can see what they have and pre-plan what I'm going to eat, so I sat down at my computer around 3:30 yesterday afternoon to figure out what I was going to order.  To my surprise, instead of a regular menu yesterday, the restaurant had a special Valentine's menu - dinner for two - and the price included an appetizer, two glasses of wine, a choice of several entree's, and dessert.  Our much-anticipated romantic Valentine's dinner was clearly going to involve a lot more food than I wanted to eat, and it was also clearly going to throw me right out of fat-burning.

I can go right back on plan - that's not an issue - so I really toyed with just enjoying the meal with my husband and starting back on program today.  I mean, we have NEVER gone out for a Valentine's dinner before, and this looked like it was going to be a wonderful meal from start to finish.  The restaurant even had a long-stemmed rose for each woman.  It's not like I HAVE to lose weight - I just want to. 

Therein was the rub . . . I WANT to drop some additional weight.  The question I had to ask myself was, what did I REALLY want?  I looked at the on-line menu several times, then printed out so I could look at it again. 

I decided to call a couple of other restaurants in the area that weren't advertising a Valentine's special, but they were booked (it was almost 4 PM on Valentine's Day after all).  So I gave some additional thought to just keeping our reservation and enjoying the dinner, but I also started hearing the words "choose wisely" running through my head :-).  I knew that keeping our reservation and enjoying the undoubtedly delicious meal wasn't a "bad" choice, and no one would ever fault me for making the choice.  What I understood, however, is that that choice didn't support what I REALLY want, which is to move in the middle/lower range of my BMI.

With that realization, I decided to call one more restaurant to see if they had any openings for dinner and they had one left, just an hour from the time I called.  (I'd already made the decision that if this restaurant didn't have any openings, I was going to thaw a couple of salmon fillets and cook some fresh broccoli at home.)  I booked that reservation, canceled my other reservation, then called my husband at work (since retiring, he now works part-time in the jewelry department at our local Penney's store) and told him that I'd be there to pick him up when he got off work at 5. 

We had a table next to a window with a view of the lake and watched the sun set on the lake while we enjoyed a small salad, grilled tilapia stuffed with seafood, and steamed green beans.  We drank ice water with lemon and ended dinner with conversation over black coffee.  I also ended the meal still on plan and still in fat-burning!  And while I didn't leave the restaurant with a rose, I did leave with a long-stemmed carnation that each woman was given at the close of the meal.  And I left with no regrets.

I had a dozen really good reasons for going off plan yesterday, and only one good reason for staying on plan:  I wanted something else more than I wanted the special Valentine's dinner for two. 

Once we decide what we REALLY want, we will figure out what we need to do to get it.  There will always be challenges and a million reasons to not do it, but if we know what it is that we want and we stay focused on it, those reasons (really, excuses) will evaporate.  It's not always easy to choose wisely, but in the end it's the only way to get what it is that you REALLY want.  Do you know what it is that you want today?  If so, stay focused and choose wisely :-)

The Other Part of the Plan

We're just about six weeks into this new year, a year that many people vowed would be THE year to finally get serious about their weight.  Right after the first of the year, everybody seems to be talking about eating healthier and people flock to gyms and health clubs with the best of intentions. 

Some of you are a part of that group of individuals who started anew on January 1 or 2, while others have been on your weight loss journey for a while and are focused on making 2011 the year you reach goal.

Sooner or later, one things becomes crystal clear:  the weight loss part of the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program is simple (not always easy, to be sure, but it's simple!).  What's NOT so simple is the maintenance part.  Most of you reading this probably aren't in maintenance yet, but this is where all of you are heading (you ARE heading towards your goal and maintenance, right??). 

I've had multiple conversations with people who reached their goal, did transition "sort of", then found themselves back into old habits. No surprise, sooner or later these individuals have to deal with the reality of regained weight.  Regardless of whether they gained back a few pounds or much of their weight, they eventually realize they have to rethink what they've been doing and the habits they've developed (or not developed).

No matter how well you do on the weight loss portion of this program, you will probably gain back your weight if you don't change how you think about and relate to food.  That is the bad news, and there's no way to soften it.  If you don't fundamentally change your head and your heart when it comes to food, this will ultimately be nothing more than another diet.  To be sure, it's a very effective diet and there is no safer way to lose weight quickly.  If you work the program, you can't help but lose weight.

But I don't think that anybody here wants to lose the weight and then gain it back.  We've all "been there, done that" and it's a miserable way to live.  That kind of oscillating behavior leads to terrible frustration and a feeling of failure.  I'm guessing that everybody here wants to lose weight, reach your goal, then stay there for the rest of your life.  The GOOD news is that you CAN do that!  However, it will require some hard work to change your relationship with food. 

I tell people all of the time that when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, I just hoped that I'd lose a little bit of weight - I had no idea that there would be so much emotional and spiritual growth in the process.  Learning to NOT turn to food for comfort was a major turning point for me, and it has made all of the difference.  Identifying what I REALLY wanted - reaching and staying at a healthy weight - has helped me to make the secondary choices I need to make to maintain my weight.

There are times when I'm tempted to dive fork-first into a platter of my old favorites, and there are certainly times when I DO have small portions of some of those foods, but I'm careful about what I eat.  I refuse to waste my calories on less than wonderful food, and when I find myself suddenly craving something, I take a moment to figure out WHY I suddenly want it.  More often than not, for me a sudden craving means that I'm stressed or frustrated or something, and the old "reach for comfort food impulse" has once again reared its ugly head.  I keep hoping that it will eventually disappear forever, but so far that's not the case.  What HAS changed is that I know that food doesn't fix anything except for real, physical hunger.  When I recognize that old impulse, that's my cue to address the real issue and not bury it with food.  As I've shared in the past, addressing the real issue for me begins with turning to the Lord in prayer.

I hope you're having a fantastic, on-plan Thursday!  Keep up the great work on the food part of this plan, and don't forget about the "other part" of the plan.  It's not the easy part of the plan, but it's the part that will make all of the difference for the rest of your thin and healthy life.  Whether you're in the early weeks of this program, half-way to your goal or in maintenance, remember to choose wisely :-).

***
I am leaving this afternoon for Chicago and flying to Denver for a weekend conference, home Sunday night.  While I'm gone, I won't be blogging.  Have a great, and on-plan, weekend!

When, Not If, Temptation Comes

As much as I wish it wasn't so, the reality is that we will be tempted over and over again.  It would be wonderful if we could escape into a temptation-free, stress-free bubble while we're getting to our goal (actually, it sounds like a pretty nice place to live permanently!!), but there is no such bubble.  Even if we started our weight loss program overflowing with resolve and firmly focused on our goal, temptations will come.  It's not a matter of if, but when.

So now what?

First of all, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that there WILL be temptations.  If we expect that somehow we won't be tempted, sooner or later we will be greatly disappointed.  Temptations of all kinds, big and small, are pretty much a constant.

We also have to be responsible and realize that, despite the temptation, we are ultimately in charge of the choices we make in the face of temptation.  Nobody makes us cave, and no circumstance is beyond our ability to handle.  We always have a choice and we need to take responsibility for our choices and not blame our spouse, our children, or our boss.

We also need to be ready for the temptations that will come our way.  We don't always see them coming, but if we're realistic and anticipate that there will be temptations along the way, we will have the opportunity to plan our strategy in advance.  Sometimes that strategy will require us to face down the temptation, and sometimes our strategy will be to get as far away from the temptation as we can, as fast as we can.  You already know where you're vulnerable, so don't wait until the heat of the battle to figure out your game plan.  Make a list of your known areas of weakness - when and why are you most tempted to go off plan - and write down how you're going to handle the temptation the next time.  Thinking through the situation and visualizing a successful outcome can really make the difference!

Finally, get refocused.  Focus on what you want, not on what you don't want.  The more you try to fight the temptation, the harder it is to fight.  Don't focus on fighting it, focus on what you want and where you want to be in three months, six months, a year from now.  Shifting your focus changes the dynamics immediately.  When I was on 5&1 and the inevitable food temptation showed up, I would tell myself (sometimes out loud!) that "this isn't going to get me where I want to go."  I constantly had to refocus my attention off of the temptation and back to what I wanted . . . then I got away from the food temptation immediately!

Temptations will come - maybe even today.  When they come, you will have a choice to make . . . choose wisely :-)

***
Today's blog was inspired by last Sunday's sermon, entitled "How to Win Over Temptation," based on James 1:12-18.  The pastor had one last point following "get refocused" - be reborn (James 1:18).  By allowing God to have control over our lives, we can then draw on His strength when we face those inevitable temptations.  While I did all of the other four steps outlined in today's blog in dealing with the temptations I faced (and still face!), I could not have done those things in my own strength.  As I looked to my Heavenly Father and asked Him daily for the strength I needed, and as I was willing to do my part, He provided all that I need.

Find a Way, or Find an Excuse

When it comes to success on this program, the outcome is always determined by what we want.  I've seen individuals who embrace this program from Day 1, follow the protocols and get to goal quickly, and I've seen others who struggle for a while and hit one bump after another, but who finally make the decision to get to goal - then they do. 

The individuals who embrace the program and take a straight line straight to goal don't have more willpower or less temptations than anyone else.  They've just figured out what they want and have made a decision to get there.

The bottom line is that if you really want to do something, you'll find a way.  If you don't, you'll find an excuse.

I'm speaking from my own experience.  I tried to lose weight on a myriad of other programs for over two decades, only to fail miserably time and time again.  Some of the failure was undoubtedly due to the programs I tried - crazy, fad diets that weren't sustainable over time and threw my body so off-kilter that I didn't even feel well.  However, there were other programs that had a decent track record and were relatively well-balanced, but I couldn't stick to those programs either.  My bottom-line issue was that while I was interested in losing weight, I didn't want to lose it enough to do whatever I had to do to reach my goal.  I wanted something that would somehow get me to a healthy weight without having to sacrifice anything.  I wanted the results without the effort.  For that reason, I eagerly followed news reports on FDA trials of new diet drugs, hoping that the next one out would be "it" and magically get me to goal while allowing me to continue my clearly unhealthy habits. 

Because I was far more interested in losing weight than actually committed to doing so, it didn't take much for me to go off plan.  Any social event, regardless of how small, was a reason.  A stressful day at work?  Well, that certainly made for a "no diet" day for me.  Coming down with a cold?  Poor baby - eat some chocolate and feel better.  I could be perfectly on plan on a perfect day, but life is life and I was hard-pressed to ever have very many "perfect days" in a row.  I kept kidding myself and telling myself that I wanted to lose weight - really I did - but my actions didn't support what I said I wanted.  I always had an excuse - a good excuse - why I just couldn't stay on the diet "today."

By the time I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, I was really desperate.  I had regained almost all of the 36 pounds I'd lost on my last diet attempt (took me almost 9 months to lose those 36 pounds and I managed to regain the weight in less than 6 months).  My blood sugar was also going up and I knew my efforts to stay off of oral diabetic medications were coming to an end and that I'd soon be adding those to the other prescription medications I was on. 

I didn't place my first order with a firm commitment to losing weight - it was more like grasping at straws.  I didn't expect the program to work and, in fact, carefully researched the return policy because I thought I'd probably hate the food, feel hungry, and return everything.  The only thing that initially kept me on plan was the cost, because I couldn't justify spending the money unless I was actually following the program.

The switch was flipped in my brain - finally - when I started to see the weight come off (9 lbs. my first week and 18 my first month) and realized that I actually felt great!  I liked some of the food, wasn't so crazy about a few things, but realized that this was a program that could actually work - if I let it.  It was at that moment that I made the decision to go for it and get to a healthy weight, and everything changed.  I still had some of the same struggles as I'd always had - work was stressful, we had a lot of social events, I still got colds - but this time I figured out what I needed to do.  Those things were no longer excuses.

So, the question this morning is:  do you really want to get to a healthy weight?  If so, if you've really made the decision to do that, if that is what you REALLY want, you'll find a way to do it, one day and one choice at a time.  Make the decision, then choose wisely :-)

Watch Out for Orange Peels

Every now and then I hear a bit of trivia that captures my imagination.  My latest bit of new trivia was learning about someone who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel on July 25, 1911.  Having visited Niagara Falls last summer and marveling at the beauty and power of all that water, I can't imagine anyone thinking that going over the Falls would be a good idea, but several individuals have done so and lived to tell the story.  This particular individual was Bobby Leach, the first man (and second person) to go over the Falls.  He used a steel barrel in his stunt, and although he survived, he broke both kneecaps and his jaw in the plunge.  What fascinated me was learning that years later, while touring in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel, injured his leg and died from complications due to gangrene.  He survived Niagara Falls but an orange peel led to his demise.

So what on earth does this have to do with losing weight and getting healthy, you may be asking?

Simply this:  it's often the little things that trip us up - the things that we aren't watching for, the things we're unprepared for.  We may plan and prepare for our food Niagara Falls - the family get-togethers, last night's Super Bowl - then hit an orange peel when we encounter some unexpected stress or find ourselves in a situation where we're really hungry and we don't have a Medifast meal.

Thankfully, those "orange peel" situations don't have to be our undoing, if we're prepared.  Those situations, while unexpected, aren't unfamiliar to us, because they are often our food triggers.  As a recovering food addict/emotional eater, I know that stress was a trigger to eat.  When I went on 5&1, I couldn't control when or how the stress would appear, but I could plan ahead for how I would handle it.  Knowing how we've responded to our orange peels in the past is the first step in planning for future situations.  If necessary, write out a typical "orange peel" scenario, then detail how you will handle the next one. 

If your orange peel is a busy lifestyle that sometimes finds you caught without a Medifast meal, keep extra meals in your car, your desk, your purse, etc. so that no matter where you are, if it's time to eat, you're prepared.  I still keep a box of Medifast pretzels in my car, along with several bottles of water.  I always have a couple of crunch bars in my purse and, when I was still working outside my home, I kept several meals in my desk drawer.

Even when we do hit an orange peel, we always have the ability to choose our response.  Our food orange peels don't have to land us on our backside - we can keep standing and keep moving ahead.  We just have to make the decision to get to a healthy weight, plan ahead, then choose wisely :-)

Mud Puddles or Pristine Ponds?

In her devotional book "Believing God Day by Day," author Beth Moore wrote about one morning walk when she came across four ducks splashing in a mud puddle in the sidewalk while a large, pristine pond was just over a small hill. 

That simple story made me wonder how many times I've been content to splash in a mud puddle that was conveniently located, rather than make the effort to go a bit farther and enjoy the pristine pond just over the hill.  Almost every time I choose immediate gratification, what I'm choosing is the mud puddle instead of the pond, because I settle for what's close instead of what I really want.

I have to keep going back to the principle of identifying my priorities, then making secondary choices that support those priorities.  I may not always LIKE or WANT the secondary choice, but I make those choices because they support what I REALLY want.  Dr. Andersen talks at length about this in his book, Dr. A's Habits of Health.  Getting to what I really want always takes more effort than settling for what's at hand (the mud puddle), but the effort is absolutely worth it.

At this point in my life, my primary choice in terms of my health is to maintain a healthy weight and continue my pursuit of optimal health.  That means that I have to ignore the mud puddle within my reach (my puddle looks a lot like chocolate . . . ) and keep on moving!

There are mud puddles along our path every day, so it takes a renewed commitment every day to keep on walking and not settle.  Don't stop, because the pond is just over the hill :-)

Who wants an on-plan, mud puddle-free day today?  You can have it, if you want it!  Staying out of the mud puddles happens by making the decision to choose wisely :-)

Are You Ready for the Weekend (and Some Football)?

Happy Saturday!  Do you have your game plan in place for this weekend? 

For me, careful planning made all of the difference for me when it came to weekends.  I'm a fairly social person (in case you haven't figured that out yet!), so weekends usually include spending time with family, friends, or both.  For better or worse, almost all get-togethers involve food.  Getting together for Saturday brunch or dinner out on Saturday night, out for dinner after church on Sunday, our small group Bible study on Sunday night - regardless of the occasion or who we're with, sooner or later we eat.

I made two decisions when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  First, I made the decision to stay on plan.  Second, I decided to live my life while I stayed on plan.  Staying on plan and maintaining an active social life are NOT mutually exclusive :-), but successfully doing both requires planning.

For one thing, I didn't go out to eat twice in day.  If I met a friend for brunch on Saturday, we didn't go out for dinner that night because I would have had my lean (Eggbeater or egg white veggie omelet) for brunch.  Sundays were less problematic because the food served at our small group was (and still is) dessert.  While everyone else enjoyed their dessert, I'd have a bar - simple!  What was a pleasant surprise was that people really didn't care what I ate or didn't eat.  Any concern I had that a hostess might be offended if I didn't eat her dessert was quickly dissipated.  For me, the key was to assure her that it looked delicious, but then say (with a smile!) that I was trying to make healthier choices.  Sometimes we'd have our own lean & green just prior to our get-together, so I could easily, and honestly, say that I'd just eaten and wasn't hungry.  Because I stayed positive and didn't make a big deal about not eating something, everybody quickly forgot about what I was or wasn't eating - they honestly didn't care :-).

If you're getting together with friends tomorrow to watch the Super Bowl, offer to bring some raw veggies to share and have some Medifast pretzels, puffs or a crunch bar with you.  Everyone will be so busy watching the game (or the commercials) to care about what you're eating.  For additional tips on how to not only survive, but thrive, while you watch the Super Bowl, check out Take Shape for Life/ Medifast's Medical Director Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen's latest blog:  http://www.drwayneandersen.com/2011/02/be-a-winner-at-your-super-bowl-party/.  (While you're there, check out his entire website for a lot of great information about this program and living an optimally-healthy life!)

All too often we allow our concerns about what we THINK other people will think to sway us, and we end up not sticking with our plan.  Today I'm encouraging you to plan your eating for this weekend and then stick with your plan.  Plan carefully, then choose wisely :-)

Being Successful

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm going to make the assumption that everybody - without exception - is hoping to be successful on this program.  You may not believe at this point that you'll be successful, and you may have started, as I did, with more than a little apprehension and skepticism.  Nevertheless, deep down, you really hope that this time will be "it" for you and that you will successfully reach your goal. 

I have good news for you!  You CAN be successful, and you WILL be successful, just by taking small steps each day.  I read a quote yesterday that I really like:  "Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out."  ~ Robert Collier

Sometimes this journey can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose.  I remember my first day on plan, weighing 260 pounds, and feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of needing to lose 120 pounds.  It didn't happen in a day or a month, but day by day, one step at a time, I kept moving forward and each step brought me closer to my goal.

The steps we take to reach our goal are really simple, small steps.  It's one meal at a time, one day at a time.  There were many times when I didn't think I COULD reach my goal, and there were times I doubted by ability to stay on plan for an entire day.  But I knew that I could choose to make my next meal a Medifast meal.  It was really that simple.

Choosing to stay on plan is the simplest thing in the world because all of the figuring is done for us.  We don't have to worry about how many calories we're taking in, we don't have to count carbs or points or calculate whether or not we're getting good nutrition.  If we choose one of the "grab and go" meal options like a Ready to Drink shake, crunch bar, pretzels or cheese puffs, we don't even need to have a blender or a microwave - it doesn't get any more simple than that.  Choosing to stay on plan also means that we don't have to waste time or energy trying to decide if we're going to eat something that's not on the program.  Simple!

Please note that I said "simple" - I didn't say "easy." It's not always easy to take these simple steps!  What I can promise you is that if you make the decision to get to a healthy weight and choose to take one small step at a time, a few weeks or a few months from now you WILL be at your goal.  I can also promise you that once you're at your goal, you will never regret the choices you made to get there.  Choose wisely :-)

Redefining Our Future

In response to the statement that "you are what you eat," I once heard a comedian lament, "Oh no!  I'm a doughnut!"   More recently, my pastor made the statement "Who we are today is the sum total of the choices we've made."  I remember looking in the mirror at my 260 pound body and thinking "I did this to myself." 

Coming to grips with the reality of past choices can be pretty sobering, but the good news is that those past choices don't have to continue to define us.  While it's true that who we are today is the sum total of the choices we've made, it's also true that who we will be tomorrow will also be the sum total of the choices we're making today.  In a very real way, we have the ability to change our health destiny beginning today, if we're willing to make different choices.

It's hard work learning to make new and better choices, but the more we make those choices, the easier they get.  When I first started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, I was really focused on staying on plan for 21 days in a row.  I had heard for years that it takes 21 days to make a new habit or break an old one, and since I'd never stayed on ANY plan for 21 days straight, I thought it was a worthy goal to shoot for.  I marked each day off on the calendar and as I got closer and closer to that 21st day, it was amazing to realize that I was going to actually do it.  When I hit the 21st day, I began to believe that maybe I could truly change some long-time bad habits, habits that had taken me further and further away from the healthy person I wanted to be.

The choices I made for over two decades resulted in a morbidly obese, diabetic woman who looked back at me in the mirror.  The choices I've made since June 24, 2007, the day I started on this plan, changed all of that, reversing my diabetes and bringing me to a healthy weight (and keeping me there!).  I know that I have to continue to make healthy choices every day, because who I will be tomorrow will reflect the choices I'm making today.

It always comes back to the choices we make today, doesn't it?  Choose wisely :-)

Snowed-In

Like many of you, I am literally snowed-in today as the Great Blizzard of 2011 has shut down pretty much everything here in West Michigan, including the malls. 

Years ago, being snowed-in like this (and we do get snowed-in from time to time) would have been the perfect excuse for a day of baking and eating.  I'm not sure why blizzards triggered an all-out feeding frenzy, but then again, it didn't take much for me to devote a day to cooking, baking and eating (especially eating!) back then.

I'm sure part of it was boredom . . . the novelty of being stuck inside the house for a day or two wears off quickly, and if I was bored, I ate.  The lack of sunshine also sapped my energy (it still does), and when my energy was lagging, I ate.  When our children were small, being snowed-in also meant that they had a lot of pent-up energy and no good way to spend it, resulting in squabbling and repeated cries of "I'm bored," all of which increased my stress, and when I was stressed, I ate.

I didn't always wait for the lack of energy, boredom and stress to start eating in those days - I was pretty good at pre-emptive eating!  Food was pretty much my first line of defense in almost any situation, it was my go-to thing for whatever was going on emotionally.

If you're snowed in today, you may be facing some of your own feelings of boredom, low energy or stress.  If so, how are you going to deal with those emotions and still stay on plan?  If you aren't snowed in - if you're in a part of the country where it's warm and sunny and flowers are blooming all around you (and I'm working hard to not be jealous!!), you may still have things around you that create a host of emotions to deal with.

First of all, understand that food won't fix it . . . never has, never will.  Whenever that last bite of food is swallowed, the feelings you were trying to salve are right back, along with guilt, frustration, and a lot of negative self-talk - at least that's the way it was for me.  Running to food for comfort always eventually back-fired and I was left with more negative emotions after the food frenzy than I had before.

Focus on what it is that you REALLY want!  Write it down and look at it often to remind yourself of why you want to reach your goal.  By choosing to focus on what's really important to you, you will regain the perspective you need to make the choices you need to make.

Lastly, find a healthy, non-food way to deal with those emotions.  As I've shared in the past, my way of dealing with those emotions was to turn to the TRUE Source of my comfort, my Heavenly Father.  God alone was and is able to fill the spaces in my life that I tried to fill with food, and He was and is faithful to meet my needs.

As you focus on what you really want, and as you find healthy, non-food ways to deal with your emotions, you will be able to stay on plan, one day and one meal at a time.  You will not only reach your goal, but you'll also develop a new set of habits that will help you maintain your healthy weight for the rest of your life!  It begins with the choices you make today, so choose wisely :-)

Just a Little Cheating

Take Shape for Life/Medifast is a very rigid and restrictive plan, and for a lot of people, the restrictions are challenging to live with.  Having been on other plans that allow for "wiggle room", some individuals keep looking for a way to somehow incorporate some of their favorite foods into this program and still make it work.  They want to be have the kind of success they see others have, in the same amount of time, while being able to cheat on the weekends.

The truth is that you CAN cheat if you choose to do so, and you can do this and still reach your goal . . . it will just take you a lot longer.  Here's a real-life example from a couple who both went on the program at the same time.  The wife made the decision to stay on plan 100% of the time and she lost 50 pounds.  Her husband also made the decision to follow the program, with one exception:  he did the 5&1 plan plus had a glass of wine every evening with dinner.  In the same amount of time that his wife lost 50 pounds, he lost 20.  Yep - his wife lost over twice as much weight in the same amount of time!

So often we may think that it's OK to modify the plan just a little . . . after all, we reason, it's only a LITTLE bit off plan, so how much could it hurt?  I guess the question each person has to ask is, "how quickly do I want to reach my goal?"  If you aren't in a hurry, then perhaps having a glass of wine or eating something off plan might be OK for you.

When I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and began to realize that I had finally found a program that actually worked, something that really WOULD help me to reach my goal, I wanted to get there as quickly as I possibly could.  I fought obesity for over twenty years and I didn't want to be obese for one day longer than I had to.  I knew I didn't have any control over how fast my body released the weight, but I COULD control whether or not I stayed on plan.  I knew that staying on plan would get me to my goal the fastest.  It's not that I didn't miss a lot of things while I was on plan, but I figured that nothing was worth keeping me obese a day longer than necessary.  As I approach the two-year anniversary of reaching my goal, I certainly don't regret the decision I made to stay on plan :-).

Almost every day presents a challenge to stay on plan.  If it's not stress, it's an occasion of one kind or another (Super Bowl this week, Valentine's Day in two weeks, for instance).  If it's not an occasion, perhaps it's a friend or loved one who's less than supportive.  Regardless of the challenge, the choice is ultimately ours.  As we consider the choices we face, it might help to ask ourselves how fast we want to reach our goal.  After we honestly ask - and answer - that question, we'll make the choices that support what we want.  Think carefully about what you really want, then choose wisely :-)