Building and Strengthening Infrastructure

About four hours north of where I live in Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge links the upper and lower peninsula of our state. The Discovery Channel's program, "Dirty Jobs," did a story about a man who is an industrial painter on the Mackinac Bridge. He paints the inside of the bridge, a job that nobody sees - a job that doesn't at first glance appear to be very important.

However, this man understands the importance of what he does because the paint he carefully applies to the inside of the bridge ensures that the steel of this wonderful suspended bridge won't rust from the inside out, which would compromise the integrity and safety of the structure.

It's hard to do something, day after day, when the results may not always be visible. The scale doesn't always move as fast or as often as we'd like. People may not notice that we've lost weight. It can get discouraging! There were weeks when I only lost a pound, and I had several weeks when I didn't lose anything, even though I stayed on plan. It wasn't until I'd lost 30 pounds that a co-worker finally commented that my face looked a little thinner; after losing 60 pounds, a couple of people wanted to know if I'd changed my hairstyle. Finally, after losing close to 100 pounds, everybody finally starting commenting that it looked like I'd lost some weight :-). Feedback, either from the scale or others, just wasn't always there for me, and it may not always be there for you, either.

Moral of story? Hang in there! Stay on plan and do it, even if the scale is temporarily stuck (I say "temporarily stuck" because it WILL move, I promise). Stay on plan and do it, even if nobody notices. Eventually they will (I promise). As you're waiting for the affirmation you want (from the scale and others), you're building a strong infrastructure that won't rust out on you!

Blessings!
Cheryl

Getting Started or Starting Over?

Happy Monday morning everyone!

For some of you, today is your first day on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and you're a mixture of excitement, skepticism and hope - you're hopeful because you've read about the success that others have had, but you're not quite sure if this will really work for you. If this describes you, you're in good company, because that's the way that most of us felt when we first started - I know that's EXACTLY how I felt. I'm glad you're here!

For others of you, today is the first day of your restart. This may be the first time you've restarted, or this may be the 10th. You are probably a bit lacking in the excitement department, and you may even have a bigger dose of skepticism, but you're here and determined to make it work this time. I'm glad you're back!

Whether it's your very first day ever on Take Shape for Life/Medifast or you're restarting - again - one of the things that will make a difference is making this program your routine. A routine is developed over time and repetition - the more we do something and the longer we do it, the more likely it is to become a habit that becomes hard to break.

When I first started on Medifast in June of 2007, I remembered that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit or break an old one. In over two decades of dieting, I don't think I ever stayed on a diet without cheating for 21 days, but I decided to set this as my Medifast goal. I wasn't even that focused on how much weight I would lose (I wasn't sure I could lose weight); my focus was on just doing this for 21 days to see what would happen.

I was thrilled to lose 9 pounds my first week (I started at 260), and I was honestly surprised to see that I really COULD lose weight. But my focus was on the calendar, checking off every day as I moved closer to 21 days. When I reached my 21st day on plan without cheating, I realized that I could do this one day at a time.

Every morning I asked God for the strength I needed for the day, and every day I focused on getting through that day, one meal at a time. The funny thing was that it worked! I couldn't commit to staying on plan for the better part of a year, the time it would take to lose 126 pounds, but I could commit to a day at a time.

So, if you're just starting or just starting over, I want to encourage you today to take it one day at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow - just get through today. If you do that day after day, you'll be establishing a new, healthy habit that will stay with you for the rest of your life and you'll also reach your goal.

Go for it!

Blessings!
Cheryl

The Right Key

Thursday morning when I got ready to leave and meet my daughter and her family at the butterfly exhibit, I ran into a bit of a problem. I put my key into the ignition of the car, but it wouldn't turn. I've run into this occasionally with my car in the past (it's a Hyundai), so I made sure the steering wheel was locked, gently touched the gas pedal - all of the things that usually work, but not this time. I waited for a minute, rechecked the steering wheel to make sure it was locked in place, gave a little MORE gas, then tried the ignition again, but the key wouldn't turn. I then wondered if maybe I was supposed to have my foot on the brake pedal instead of the gas while I turned the key, so I tried that. Nope.

My husband had already left for work and I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to call the auto club and miss the butterfly exhibit when I finally realized that I the wrong set of car keys (our other car is also a Hyundai). I felt pretty stupid and frustrated that it had taken me several minutes to realize what should have been obvious. Of course, as soon as I dug the RIGHT keys out of my purse, the car started right up and I was finally on my way.

As I think back on 20 years of yo-yo dieting before finding Take Shape for Life/Medifast, it feels like I spent 20 years trying my best but having the wrong key. No matter how much effort I put into any given diet, I experienced nothing but frustration and never got anywhere. For me, Medifast was the key I had been looking for, and once I started, I took off and never looked back :-).

The Take Shape for Life/Medifast program has the key we need to not only take the weight off FAST (and safely), but it also provides the key necessary to keep it off. It's simple, but it's not always easy.

This Saturday morning, I hope you have the right key in hand and are ready to start your engines for the day. Make sure you only use premium fuel (Medifast food) and make sure to keep sludge out of your tank :-).

It's Scary Out There!

I am MAD this morning . . . really, REALLY MAD!! Losing weight and keeping it off is hard enough when temptation is kept to a minimum, but there are times when it seems like EVERYTHING is out to get us!

What has me in a snit this morning? Well, I learned last night that one of the biggest, most disgustingly unhealthy hamburgers of all time is going to be served this summer at our local ball park. The burger weighs four pounds, consists of five one-third pound hamburger patties, five slices of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, chili, salsa, sour cream, corn chips and an eight-inch sesame seed bun.

The burger costs $20. If anyone can eat the entire burger by themselves during the game, they will get a T-shirt that has the burger's name and a picture of it on the front, and the nutritional facts listed on the back.

What are the nutritional facts?

Calories -- 4889
Total Fat -- 299.5g
Saturated Fat -- 119.2g
Cholesterol -- 744.6g
Sodium -- 10887.9mg
Total Carbs -- 354.9g
Fiber -- 17.9g
Sugars -- 37.3g
Protein -- 198.7 g

I live in Michigan, which is one of the fattest states in the nation. This burger might just push us to the top of the list - ugh!

Society is not on our side. The food industry is definitely not on our side. We have to be on guard all the time and learn to ignore the sludge that surrounds us. While others may view eating this 4,889 calorie burger as a epicurean challenge, we know that this will lead us in the direct opposite direction from where we really want to go.

Have a wonderful, on-plan day - and beware of monster hamburgers (and everything else that's out to get us)!

Blessings!

Cheryl

P.S. My husband noted that that one hamburger has the caloric equivalent of 49 Medifast meals!!!

What a Difference!

Today is going to be fun for me. I'm planning to meet my oldest daughter, her husband and their 2-yr. old twins at a botanical garden near their home where there is a large butterfly exhibit going on. There are more than 6,000 tropical butterflies flying free in the 15,000-square-foot conservatory; more than 40 different species from the Far East, Africa, and Central America. After a long and very cold Michigan winter, a morning in a tropical conservatory with a couple of grandchildren, surrounded by butterflies, sounds heavenly to me! Of course, I will bring my camera :-)

I went to the butterfly exhibit three years ago with my two oldest grandchildren, but there were no photos of me taken with them on that trip. I was near my top weight and much more comfortable behind the camera. I have some great photos from that visit, but there isn't a single one of me. That makes me sad, but it was so typical of where I was at that point in my life.

This time will be different, and I intend to get some photos of me with the twins. Just another difference in my life, thanks to Medifast!

When I was on my weight loss journey, I couldn't have envision all of the changes - big and small - that would happen in my life as a result of reaching my goal. The differences continue to amaze me, and I'm so thankful!

Are there things you don't do right now because of your weight? Are there things you look forward to doing when you reach your goal? Life this side of goal has held much more than I had ever envisioned, and life continues to surprise and delight me. Although I wish I hadn't spent so many years of my life struggling with obesity, I'm incredibly thankful for this time in my life and the chance to enjoy so many things at a healthy weight.

Have a great, on-plan day. You're worth it!

Picking Yourself Up and Starting Over Again, and Again

Nobody ever said losing weight and getting healthy was going to be easy! I've seen it over and over again - people who start strong and then, for whatever reason, slip and fall off their weight loss plan. Even if they were strong for months on end, once they slip, the ground seems to turn to one big banana peel beneath their feet and they often find themselves slipping again and again.

What can you do if the above paragraph describes you? Here's my best suggestions, free of charge (of course)!

First, take a deep breath. You aren't the first one to ever slip, and unfortunately you won't be the last one. This is a minor setback, NOT a major catastrophe (at least, it doesn't HAVE to be a catastrophe). If this was a first, one-time slip, get right back on track. Don't go to bed until you've had a Medifast meal! Even if you've consumed WAY more "off plan" calories than you can afford, get in a Medifast meal before you end your day. That way you will go to bed knowing that you ENDED your day on plan. You didn't put off restarting until tomorrow, you did it today. That puts you in a good mindset for the next day.

Secondly, pull out 5 Medifast meals for the day and sit down and log those meals in "My Plan." If you don't know how to use this tool, spend a little bit of time exploring it, because it's fairly intuitive and easy to use. Logging your meals ahead of time helps to solidify in your mind exactly what it is you're going to eat and lets you preview your planned calories and carbs for the day. I logged my meals every day when I was on 5&1, and I usually did this the night before, once I'd selected my foods for the next day. I would check them off the next day after I'd eaten them, but they were almost always logged in advance. Sure, it took a little bit of time, but it was worth it because it helped me stay on track. I literally did not put anything in my mouth for almost a year unless I logged it :-). After you've selected your meals and logged them, do a bit of prep work so they're ready to go the next day. Mix up your soup, mix up your shake (I like making my shakes ahead of time and refrigerating them overnight, then blending them in my Healthmate blender in the morning with ice - they come out thick and creamy!). Make sure that even if you're running late in the morning, your food is ready to do. Plan, plan, plan!

If your struggle has been going on for a while, sit down and write down every reason you can think of for wanting to lose weight and get healthy. It doesn't matter how big or how trivial your reason is, write it down. Then write down every reason you can think of for going off plan - stress, boredom, fear of reaching your goal, etc. Spend some time doing some self-examination and be really honest with yourself, because you can't change what you won't or can't acknowledge. Once you have your lists, spend some time reflecting on them and, if you're so inclined, pray about them (I highly recommend this, by the way!).

Get support and set up accountability. If you have a health coach, pick up the phone and give your coach a call - that's what a coach is there for! Whatever you do, don't bury your head in the sand and ignore the problem, because it won't go away on its own.

Be encouraged to know that most of the people who reach goal found themselves faltering at one point or another. They got back on plan and made it, and you can, too!

I'm cheering for you today! No matter what happened yesterday, and no matter how today may have already begun, the rest of today can be an on-plan day that will bring you straight to goal. Go for it - you're worth it!

Blessings!
Cheryl

Growing - One Day and One Commitment at a Time

One of the things I'm learning is that growth happens in spurts. Sometimes growth (in any area of our live) seems slow and it's hard to measure progress from day to day. There are other times when we can almost see it happening before our eyes. The challenge is to be faithful when it feels like nothing is happening. In fact, learning to be faithful and just hang in there in those times often results in the most growth of all.

That is certainly true on the Medifast plan (although we want to "shrink" and not "grow" :-) ). Even when the scale is frustratingly stuck, things are happening, not only inside our body but inside our mind and our heart. Choosing to stay on plan even when we're not seeing fast results on the scale is important, not only because eventually the scale WILL catch up with what we're doiing, but also because we are learning to do what we need to do, regardless of the results.

If our focus is on becoming healthy, then we will make healthy choices and not allow the scale to determine what we're going to do. Learning that now becomes critical when we reach goal and beyond and the scale is no longer a daily measure of our choices. We have to learn to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do.