Happy 9 Year Anniversary - to Me!

Today is an anniversary for me as it was 9 years ago today (9 years!!!) that I began a program that I was CERTAIN would fail, like every other program had failed, but a program that ended up changing my life in every conceivable way. 

I just went back and re-read the very first blog I'd ever written in my entire life, written on my first day on plan. I thought I'd share it with you, because it reveals where I was 9 years ago - hopeful and desperate. I couldn't have imagined all that would happen from that day forward to today, and re-reading it made me incredibly thankful all over again that God led me to this program. I tell people all the time that God led me to just the right program at just the right time, and I really believe it!

Here's the very first blog I ever wrote, on my very first day of my journey to a healthier me:

"Today is the first day of the rest of my new, healthy life. My first shipment came a few days ago, but I waited until today to start because I was out of town (in Chicago) Friday thru last night to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday. Now that the celebration is over, I am more than ready to start.
My first meal was the Dutch chocolate shake. I mixed it up last night (used my Magic Bullet for the first time), refrigerated it overnight and re-blended it this morning with 3 ice cubes. The shake was pretty good and, at least temporarily, filled me up. I'm anxious to try the other foods and figure out what I do and don't like so that my next shipment will be tailored to my taste.
I've been on so many weight loss programs over the past 20 years, which is how long I've been struggling with a major weight problem. Weight Watchers, Atkins, Fit for Life, Herbalife, Weigh Down, Slimfast, South Beach -- all worked for a while, but the weight has always come back, plus some. Last year I lost almost 40 pounds on South Beach and really, REALLY thought I had finally "gotten it." I was thrilled to buy clothes two sizes smaller last summer and, convinced that I'd never see "that" weight again, I gave away all of my larger sizes. It was devastating to have to go out this spring and purchase clothes in that larger size again, and I reached a turning point.
When I found myself trolling the internet for information on gastric bypass surgery (which my insurance doesn't cover), I realized that I had reached the point of desperation . . . then I was introduced to Take Shape for Life through our parent company, Medifast. I remember hearing about Medifast years ago, when it was strictly a liquid diet and available only through a physician. For those reasons, I never seriously considered it. This time, however, the testimonials and the fact that the program includes a variety of food options caught my attention. With the full support of my husband, I placed my order.
And today it begins. I am hopeful, and I am refusing to listen to the voices in my head that tell me I will fail at this like I've failed at everything else.
God is my refuge and my strength, and I want to honor Him with the way I care for this temple He has given me."

I certainly never imagined that I could lose 120 pounds, let alone do it in just 11 months*. I certainly never imagined that my decision to get healthy would have a ripple effect that would impact hundreds, let alone thousands, of other lives. I couldn't have imagined that my decision to get healthy would result in first me and then John leaving long-time careers to work full-time as health coaches, giving us both the financial freedom and time freedom to organize our lives around what matters most to us, and that we would be able to help others do the same thing. To God be the glory for all He has done, and for all He continues to do in and through us!

* Average weight loss for Clients on the Optimal Weight 5&1 Plan™ with support is 20 pounds. Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.

It's Saturday, but Sunday Is Coming!

On this day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I can’t help but wonder what Jesus’ disciples were feeling that Saturday morning. Their beloved leader and teacher was dead and buried, and all of their hopes and dreams died with him. They had left their fishing nets, their families – everything – to follow Him, and now He was dead. I don’t think words can even begin to describe the depths of their despair and sense of hopelessness. They didn’t know that Sunday was coming, and that with the sunrise their entire lives, and the world, would change forever. Their reality on that Saturday was one of no future, and they may have wondered if they would be the next ones nailed to a cross.

But Sunday DID come, and they heard the words they never expected: “He is not here, He is risen as He said!” What a difference 24 hours made in their lives! Jesus was alive – and is alive forevermore!

We all have Saturdays – days when it feels like there is no hope and we can’t envision a brighter tomorrow. We can find ourselves trapped in circumstances and it feels like there’s no way out and we lose hope. We may be discouraged by the economy, family situations, health issues, or even a frustratingly slow scale.

Hang in there! It may be Saturday, but Sunday IS coming!

Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday.  For those Christians who follow the Lenten season, this is the day when all of the fat and sugar would be eaten to get it out of the house in preparation for Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter.

While observing Fat Tuesday and the 40 days of Lent is not part of my own Christian tradition or practice, I do identify with the "Fat Tuesday" thinking of eating it up and "making it go away," because that was one of my "strategies" for years.  

When we'd have sweets in the house (which was too often in those days), my focus was often just eating them up and getting them out of the house.  My ability to eat them in moderation was nil, so I wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.  There was never any thought of just throwing the rest away, because that would be "wasting food."

What I realize now was that I was really the human garbage can. I didn't want to waste the food by throwing it away, so I ate it, whether I was hungry or not, whether I even wanted it or not.  All those starving children in India or Africa or wherever . . . how could I waste food by putting it in the trash?

Does anybody identify with this, or am I alone in this type of thinking?

Part of my weight loss journey was learning to look at food as fuel, not an object of comfort, AND learning that it was OK to throw something away.  My throwing the food away didn't impact those starving children at all (please note: my heart breaks when I see pictures of those children, so I am not making light of them).  

I learned to respect myself enough to NOT be a human garbage can anymore.  That's not an easy thing, because I grew up in a family where wasting anything, including food, was absolutely NOT done.  Those childhood tapes still run in my head, so learning to make healthier choices required - and still requires - a conscious decision to make better decisions.

When I was working outside the home, I could almost count on a co-worker or two picking up some Fat Tuesday pastries from the store and bringing them in as a treat.  I'm guessing that some of you may be facing the same temptation today.

Hang in there!  Don't lose sight of what you really want!  You've been doing great, so today is a day to recommit to staying on plan TODAY.  Today can be your THIN Tuesday, not your Fat Tuesday :-).  Like every day, the choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)

Creating a Mosaic

There are so many broken pieces in my life (don't we all have broken pieces?). For a long time, I have prayed for God to repair these pieces in my life. I know that when a broken thing is glued back together, you see the cracks and flaws; the repairs are evident and the repaired object isn't quite as lovely as the original, but it becomes functional again.  And I've been OK with that. Just put me back together again, make me useful and let people see the cracks.

A funny thing happened a few days ago and it totally changed my perspective, and it changed my prayer. God gave me a different picture of what He is doing in my life right now, and He isn't putting me back together at all.

The picture I have in my mind is a mosaic. A mosaic is a picture that is made from hundreds or even thousands of small broken pieces, skillfully assembled into something beautiful and new. The more I have thought about this, the more I have embraced this and believe that this is what God is doing in my life right now. He doesn't want to put me back together in some fashion that is a reminder of what I was; He wants to take all of these broken pieces and make something beautiful and new. He doesn't repair - He creates! Yes, the mosaic is made up of lots and lots of broken pieces, but the emphasis isn't on the brokenness but on the way all of those broken pieces come together in something new.

Right now the mosaic that is my life has lots of empty spaces and there are lots of broken pieces scattered here and there. I don't yet have a clear picture of what the finished product will look like, and my best guess is that I won't really see the finished picture until the last piece is added and I step into eternity. But I am trusting the Master Mosaic Maker - my great God and Heavenly Father - as He lovingly and skillfully takes each broken piece and fits it into what He is creating. Our struggles, our pain - nothing is wasted. There are no left-over broken pieces in the end. I don't know how all of these pieces will fit together, but I have a renewed sense of peace and hope, and yes, anticipation, as I watch and wait.

God is creating my mosaic, taking the broken things and putting the pieces into something beautiful and new. I look forward to the day when I can look at the mosaic and pick out those pieces that seem so random now and say, "oh yes, so this is why . . . this is how God used this in my life." I look back on my life and I can see how some of the broken pieces in the past have been gently placed into what God is creating, and I know that my faithful God will continue to take each and every piece and place it exactly where it needs to be.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that ALL things [my emphasis] work together for good for those that love God, for those who have been called according to His purpose." All things, even the really hard things, the things we would never choose - God works them all together for our ultimate good, and for His ultimate glory.

Those "all things" make up the mosaic of our lives, and if we love God, we can rest assured that He is creating something beautiful in our lives. I am trusting Him and resting in this assurance today. I hope you are, too!

Saving Energy

Staying on plan is a lot of work.  There's no getting around it.  Opening packets isn't hard, but being surrounded by the ever-present temptations IS hard and it takes constant focus to avoid them.  That focus can be exhausting sometimes.  

That's true, but did you know that it's even more exhausting to give in to temptation and go off plan?

I recently read that it takes as much energy to avoid a task as it does to do it; procrastination saps energy while completion gives relief.

This was certainly true for me.  I cheated miserably on every other program I'd ever been on until I started on Take Shape for Life, and the energy I spent cheating really was exhausting and demoralizing.  The internal struggle pre and post cheat went something like this:  "That really looks good and I want it.  I know I'm not supposed to have it, but it really looks good and I'm hungry/tired/stressed and I deserve it.  I shouldn't have it . . . I really shouldn't have it.  OK, I'll just have a bite.  Well, maybe half won't be too bad . . . Ugh, I ate the whole thing.  Since I ate one, I'll eat the other one so I won't be tempted anymore . . . Well, I really blew it.  How could I be so stupid and weak?  I don't even feel good - I ate way too much.  I'm never going to lose weight.  Why do I even try?  I wish I hadn't eaten the stupid thing - it wasn't worth it."

That cycle was repeated over and over again, and it was emotionally exhausting.  Every time the cycle was repeated, I felt more demoralized and defeated and reaching a healthy weight seemed just a little further away.  Talk about an energy drain!

Contrast that with the energy involved in staying on plan:  "That really looks good and I want it.  But I also really want to get to a healthy weight and I want that more than I want the food.  I can have that if I want, but I am choosing to not eat that right now because it won't get me where I want to go . . . Wow, I did it - I didn't cheat.  Whew!  I really did it - that feels great!"  Instead of feeling emotionally drained, this scenario energizes you - it really does!

I remember really struggling at times to stay on plan and there were a few times when I almost caved.  The internal dialogue was certainly more extended than the example listed above.  However, there was SUCH a feeling of relief when I walked away - I was flooded with relief and joy once the temptation had passed.  The realization that I really could stay on plan gave me hope that I would eventually reach my goal and it also strengthened my "no thank you muscle" for the next inevitable temptation.  Knowing that I'd resisted once made it just a bit easier to resist the next time, and that next time made it even easier to resist the time after that.

So how are you going to spend your energy today?  It all depends on the choices you make, so choose wisely :-)

Aligning Priorities

"When our old priorities don't go with our new life, we either return to our old life or adopt new priorities."  


My old priorities as they related to food and my health were WAY off.  I was very much focused on instant gratification and only gave a passing nod to the idea that what I was putting in my mouth today could negatively impact me tomorrow.  I was certainly aware of the dangers of obesity, but I always had VERY good intentions to "start being good tomorrow."  I can't tell you how many "last suppers" I've had in my life as I tried to eat up all of the "bad food" before starting on the next sure-thing diet.  I knew that exercise was important, and I could give a pretty good list of all of the reasons why, but there was never time to exercise today - but I'd promise myself that I'd get started tomorrow.  My priorities were pretty much on the here and now, and "tomorrow" never showed up on my calendar.  Every day was only "today."

To this day, it amazes me that God led me to the right program at the right time, knowing that I was finally - FINALLY - ready to make permanent changes in my life.  I didn't even realize it at the time, and that the thought that I could really make permanent, positive changes seemed impossible.

However, June 24, 2007 was the beginning of what has truly been a life-changing journey, and, with God's help, I have made permanent changes in my life.  I know I can never return to that old life, so I've been forced to adopt some new priorities.  Many of these priorities flow out of my primary choice/secondary choice philosophy - I know what's most important to me (primary choice), so I make choices to support that (secondary choices). Some of those secondary choices aren't always what I would prefer to do (saying "no thank you" to unhealthy food choices or exercising), but I choose to do them because they support what is most important to me.

Some of my priorities - my most important priorities - remain unchanged: my faith and my family.  However, other priorities have been rearranged because being healthy is now one of my new, permanent priorities - a primary choice.  

According to the statistics, 85% (or more) of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back, plus some, within two years.  I can't help but wonder if many of these people return to their old, overweight life because they never changed their priorities.

Priorities don't automatically change.  They only change as we choose to change them.  It's never an easy task, but if we don't change our priorities to support our new, healthy life, sooner or later we'll find ourselves in a place we vowed we'd never see again.

Changing priorities happens one day at a time, one choice at a time.  What choice are you making today?  Choose wisely :-)

Don't Get Spooked!

Happy Halloween!  In my past, Halloween was the beginning of an all-out food fest that didn't end until I was in a sugar-induced stupor on January 2.  Between Halloween and New Year's, it wasn't unusual for me to pick up at least 10 pounds - yikes!

I have a terrible sweet tooth that I inherited from my dad (he's the only person  I know who will put peanut butter and jelly on his grilled cheese sandwiches, and I've seen him put it on hamburgers once or twice).  When my children were young, I would sort through their trick-or-treat bags and take out all of the "yucky" candy bars (I know, I'm bad . . . the kids eventually figured out what I was doing and I was busted).

Seven years ago, being on 5&1 and staying on plan meant keeping my hands out of my grandchildren's trick or treat bags (a sugar-aholic is shameless . . . ), but it wasn't easy.  Halloween was the first big test of my commitment to stay on plan, so I approached the day with a bit of trepidation.  When the moment finally arrived and I stared down all that candy, I realized that once I started eating it I probably wouldn't be able to stop, and I knew that once I DID stop, I'd feel awful - physically and mentally.  That was one of the first times on plan that I can remember sensing a serious threat looming to my weight loss journey, and my response was to think ahead and not get caught up in the moment.

I'm writing about this now because I'm guessing that some of you will be facing down a lot of candy and chocolate today.  I'm encouraging you to anticipate the temptations and decide what you're going to do and how you're going to respond. 

Planning ahead is critical on this plan.  So many of us are impulsive eaters, and I know that there were many times when I found myself eating almost before I realized it.  That was always followed by regret, but it was too late to undo what had been done.  When we take the time to anticipate temptation and plan how we're going to respond, we're more likely to be successful.

Eating my Medifast meals on time was key to keeping me on plan, even when faced with some of my favorite sweets.  Because I was eating my meals at regular intervals, my blood sugar stayed stable and my cravings didn't get out of hand.  Because I wasn't hungry, it was much easier to walk away.  Keeping a crunch bar handy can also be helpful if the craving continues - they really satisfy my sweet tooth!

The most important thing you can do ahead of time is to spend some time thinking about what you really want.  When you're not facing a temptation, it's much easier to focus on what you really want (and what you REALLY want isn't the Halloween candy . . . ).  Get a clear picture in your mind now of what you want - think about how you'll look and feel at your goal.  If you get that picture in your mind, you'll be in a better position to make choices that will support your goal.

I'll talk more about the holidays in upcoming posts, but I'm encouraging you to have a solid plan in place for today.  Getting through this sugar-infused day will position you for success as we move closer to those OTHER holidays!

It's all about making choices to support what we really want. Choose wisely :-)