It's Not THAT Kind of Program

Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend and are ready for a great and on-plan week!

My brother sent me an e-mail with some physician suggestions that he thought I might find interesting. As I read the questions posed to the physician and his response, I realized two things. First, this was obviously a joke e-mail - here are a couple of the questions and answers:

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of
goodness that way. Beer is also made of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: I can't think of single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...good!

You get the point :-).

Second, I think there is a part of most of us that wishes this kind of advice was really true. A lot of us wish there was a credible doctor who would tell us exactly what we wanted to hear. I spent a long time hoping for a pharmaceutical breakthrough that would magically allow me to eat whatever I wanted, remain a couch potato, and still lose weight. I remember asking more than one person how they lost weight, only to be disappointed when they said, "Cut calories/changed how I eat and started exercising." I was wanting to hear about something EASY, and the people who actually lost weight were always telling me the same old thing. That only changed when weight loss surgery became an option for a lot of people, and I actually toyed with pursuing that, erroneously believing that that would be the ultimate "easy way" to lose weight.

I wanted the end result, but was unwilling for years to make the changes that would get me the results I longed for. I was always interested in losing weight, but never committed to actually doing it. Almost every time a new diet book came out, I bought it and made another half-hearted attempt. I kept looking for something easy, goof-proof, fast and effective.

Imagine my surprise when I finally found it! You guessed it - it was Medifast. As we all know, this isn't an "eat anything you want and lose weight" kind of a program, but it IS easy, goof-proof, fast and effective. I tell people all the time that I would never tell anyone that this is the ONLY way to lose weight, but my passion for this program comes out of the reality that it is the only one that ever WORKED. It worked fast for me, even though I lost the weight at age 55, an age when women aren't supposed to be able to lose weight. Better than even losing the weight in less than 11 months is that I am still in my goal range 18 months later - and counting.

If you read yesterday's blog, you know that I don't always find maintenance easy - or fun. But I do find it sustainable over time, and that's what's important to me. I know that there is no program out there that will allow me, or anyone else, to eat whatever they want whenever they want, be a couch slug, and be healthy. There is no magic pill that will do it all for me, and the pharmaceutical companies aren't going to find one, either.

But by making a series of small choices every day, this program enabled me to lose my weight and the maintenance phase of this program is allowing me to maintain. It always comes back to choices. We face a series of them every day, and if we know what we really want and make the choices we need to make, we'll go further than we ever dreamed - all the way to our goal.

My encouragement to you today is to face those choices one at a time, then choose wisely :-)

What a Party!

I had a party yesterday, but it wasn't very much fun.  The sun was shining and it was really beautiful outside, the kind of weather that usually puts me into a great mood.  I'm always up for a good time, so normally when I throw a party, everyone has a great time and a lot of fun.  Not yesterday.

Thankfully, the attendance at yesterday's party was really small - just me.  Yep, it was a full-blown, not very pretty, pity party.  Ugh.  I haven't had one in a long time, but that doesn't mean I was past due and decided to hold one to make up for not having one in a while.  This one really snuck up on me.  Being tired from two busy days, including Thanksgiving, probably didn't help, and I'm sure some of the extra food (including sweets) didn't help my mood, either.  Maybe I should have seen it coming, but I didn't.

It all started innocently enough.  I got on the scale yesterday morning, saw it was up three pounds and decided that two days worth of eating pretty much whatever I wanted was enough.  I made the decision to add in a couple of extra Medifast meals for the next two or three days and to cut out all of the extra stuff.  Simple enough.  I've done this often enough to know that it's no big deal and I actually feel better when I'm eating better, so I had a Medifast peach oatmeal for breakfast and a French vanilla shake late morning.  So far, so good. 

My brother and his family were in for Thanksgiving and staying at my parent's house (my folks live about five miles down the road from me).  My brother planned to leave after lunch yesterday, so I decided to stop by for a cup of coffee and a short visit before they left.  When I got to my parents' house, everyone was having turkey sandwiches and dessert.  That's when my pity party showed up, quite unexpected and unwelcome.  I've passed up lots and lots of food over the past 2-1/2 years, both while I was on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 and since reaching my goal.  Normally it doesn't bother me a bit.  Normally.

Yesterday I sat at the table drinking my coffee and watching everyone else eat "other stuff" and I was irritated - more than irritated, actually.  Several of the family members munching on "other stuff" were overweight and/or had health issues related to their health, but they were obviously enjoying every bite.  And there I sat - wanting to join in, yet knowing that I'd made a decision earlier that day to cut back.  I didn't eat any of the food, but I ended up talking a lot about healthy eating, which probably irritated some of my family members.  What I didn't realize at the time was that while they certainly thought I was talking to them, I was really talking to myself and reminding myself of what's really important to me - being healthy and not being diabetic.  I'm not sure that I was very diplomatic in how I said things, so I left my parents house feeling like I had behaved less than graciously, and I was also just plain mad at myself.

I was mostly mad at myself because I realized once again that I will have to be on my guard for the rest of my life.  To be sure, I never, EVER want to go back to being 268 pounds, size 24W/3X and diabetic - nothing I could ever eat would be worth that.  But I also realized again that I can no longer really eat whatever I want whenever I want, day after day.  A couple of days of less-than-mindful eating were more than enough, so while I made the decision I needed to make yesterday, I wasn't happy about it.

Anytime I start to recognize issues with eating again, like yesterday, it is a signal that something else is going on.  For me, I think yesterday was a combination of two days of not-that-great eating coupled with being tired and having a lot of things that I wanted to get done, including all of my decorating for Christmas.  When things come together in a perfect storm like that, my knee-jerk reaction is still to want to eat - and what I want to eat is NOT healthy stuff.

The good news is that my pity party was short lived and that while it spoiled my mood for a while, it didn't result in me making food choices that I would soon regret.  Doing the right thing whether I feel like or not isn't always easy, but I've also learned that dealing with regret from poor choices isn't so much fun, either.

I am committed to continuing to make healthy choices 98% of the time because I have a clear picture in my mind of what I do - and what I do not - want.  I don't want to ever be obese and diabetic again, but more than that, I want to be healthy and comfortable in my skin.  Most of the time, I stay focused on what I am creating in my life - health and a vastly improved quality of life.  When I do that, the pity parties are few and far between.  Thank goodness!!

I hope this isn't a pity-party kind of a day for you, but even if it is, you still have the choice of how you're going to respond.  Choose wisely :-)

Time Flies

Good morning, everyone!  I woke up to blue skies and sunshine this morning, a real treat in West Michigan this time of year.  Today I'm focused on getting out all of our Christmas decorations and putting my house into the holiday spirit.  Right now I have Christmas lights on the house and pumpkins and scarecrows on my porch - a real mix of seasons!  I put all of my Christmas music on my iPod yesterday and listened to that while I put away things from our Thanksgiving dinner.  As much as I would like to bask in the glow of Thanksgiving, Christmas is coming and I have to shift gears in a hurry.

As I was listening to my Christmas music yesterday, it was hard to believe that it's been almost a year since I heard those songs.  I pulled out a few Christmas things this morning and it seems like it wasn't that long ago that I was putting them all away. 

The reality is that time really does go fast.  Days morph into weeks, and weeks into months almost faster than we can imagine.  For everyone on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 right now, this is really, REALLY good news :-).  I know there are some really long days on plan (at least I sure had a few!), but in retrospective, the days, weeks and months go by in a flash.  By staying on plan now, even on those really, really long and difficult days, you will be at your goal before you know it.  That's true whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100.  The days will pass regardless, and they will pass quickly.  If you choose to stay on plan now, everyone one of you will be getting ready for Christmas next year at your goal weight.  Many of you will be buying your spring and summer wardrobe in your goal size, too, if you choose to stay on plan now.

It's so easy to get caught up in the here and now and go straight for the immediate gratification (my hand is raised as I write this . . . ), but the here and now is gone in a breath and tomorrow is just a moment away.  Staying on plan today means that you are choosing to temporarily give up something you enjoy eating to reach something you really want - a healthy weight and a great goal size.  The decision to make wise choices isn't always easy, but there are never any regrets for doing so. 

The choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)

It's a New Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!  We enjoyed having most of our family together (my younger daughter is a nurse and had to work, but her husband and children were with us).  We also celebrated our twin grandchildren's 3rd birthday yesterday (they turned 3 today), so there was a lot of activity and excitement.

Leading up to our 5 PM dinner, my husband and I had 4 Medifast meals, saving most of our calories for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.  I'd like to be able to tell you that I ate in moderation and didn't over-do it, but that wouldn't be true.  By the time the day was over, I was full-to-stuffed, and I realized all over again that I really don't like that feeling.  The good news is that I sent food home with everyone and made sure the desserts left the premises, too :-).  One of the things I've learned over the past year is that I cannot have sweets in the house.  I'm only half-kidding when I say that my brain disengages the minute I start eating sugar.  I rarely eat sweets these days and I need to eat them in very controlled situations - in other words, leaving a plate of homemade cookies at my house is not a good idea . . . Eating Medifast meals prior to our Thanksgiving dinner helped to off-set the calories consumed at dinner and today is pretty much back to basics for me. 

One of the things that's so wonderful about this program is that, in maintenance, I can enjoy an occasional over-indulgence and rein it back in immediately by cutting my calories back for a few days.  Because I want to make sure I'm still getting great nutrition even when my calories are low, picking up a couple of extra Medifast meals is the way I choose to bring things back in line.  I know I feel better when I'm eating right, and the sluggish feeling I had last night was a reminder to me of how much I don't want to go back to my old, bad habits.  It also made me realize that I could have made better choices, and that old sluggish feeling honestly made me wish that I had.   However, I didn't waste any energy berating myself for my less-than-stellar choices last night - today is a new day!

Learning to not allow past choices to unduly dictate future choices has been an important part of maintenance for me.  When I do stray from the straight and narrow, I head back to what I know I need to do right away.   And every time I do, I am choosing to remain healthy. 

If you stayed on plan yesterday - good for you!  Having gotten through one holiday on plan, you are well-positioned for great weight loss right through the holidays.  If yesterday wasn't a stellar day for you plan-wise, today is a new day for you, too!  Don't allow yesterday's choices to dictate the choices you make today.  This can be a new day for you, too!

It always comes down to choices, so choose wisely :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I'm expecting a houseful this afternoon, with four generations seated around my table.  We're also going to celebrate my twin grandchildren's third birthdays today (they turn three tomorrow), so it will be a busy and fun day.  This year has held a lot of challenges for many of us, myself included, but today is a day for counting our blessings and giving thanks, and that is certainly what I'm going to do.   Like the Pilgrims of so long ago, I thank God for His mercy, grace and blessings!

With lots to do before the family comes, I just want to wish you a very blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving.  If you've chosen to stay on plan today, good for you!  You won't regret it, I promise you.  If you focus on the people across the table from you instead of what's on your plate, you'll do just fine.  Thanksgiving is more than just the food anyway :-).   If you've chosen to go off plan today, I hope you'll plan your day carefully, pay attention to portions and then commit to going right back on plan on Friday.

Enjoy your day!

Dangerous Denial

Right now I am in full-blown denial that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a month from today is Christmas.  Never mind I'm having over 20 people at my house for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow - I am struggling to believe we're here already.  Our mild November weather has made it feel more like fall than time for the holidays (not that I'm complaining, of course!).  Denial or not, tomorrow IS Thanksgiving, of course, so I will get into high gear shortly to prepare for a house full of family.

Denial comes in all shapes and sizes, and we can choose to act on what we know is the true reality or allow denial to lull us into complacency and inaction. 

I was watching Jay Leno last night as he interviewed the latest contestant to be voted off "The Biggest Loser."  I was interested to hear that in addition to being a fire fighter, this individual also serves as a county coroner.  Jay asked him if he ever looked at the bodies of people who had died due to obesity-related causes and thought that it could be him, and he didn't hesitate as he responded "no."  He acknowledged that he was basically in denial.

I spent a lot of time in denial, weighing myself every day and watching the scale continue to go up - all the way to 268 - while I refused to acknowledge the risk to my health.  I'd see my weight reach a new high and then get off the scale, get dressed, and eat a high-fat, high-calorie breakfast.  I somehow believed that if I didn't deal with the reality of where I was, I would be able to escape the consequences.

The problem with denial is that it doesn't change reality - denial only gets in the way of enabling us to deal with reality.  If we spend long enough in denial, we can actually limit the choices available to us.  My mom didn't deal with the reality of her diabetes until she'd lost part of her vision and had kidney damage.  Her diabetes is now much better controlled thanks to losing 40 pounds on Medifast and continuing to use the products to help her manage her disease, but sadly this didn't happen in time to prevent the damage.  The family member we buried yesterday ignored troubling symptoms for months, including inexplicably losing close to 100 pounds.  When he finally agreed to see a physician a few months ago, he was diagnosed with advanced Stage 4 colon cancer.  Once diagnosed, he underwent aggressive treatment, but it was too late and he died five months after his diagnosis.

Denial about the gravity of obesity won't change the fact that it threatens our health and may well shorten our lives.  We may tell ourselves that what we do today doesn't really matter, perhaps we even promise ourselves that we'll start eating better tomorrow.  The best thing we can do for ourselves and our loved ones is to make the choice to face reality, even when it's hard.  Once we stop being in denial, we are in a position to begin making positive changes.

The choice is ours - we need to choose wisely :-)

Changing Our Destiny

I'm in Indiana today, attending the second funeral in two days.  Two different extended family members passed away late last week, so I drove my parents to Indiana yesterday for the first funeral, then went directly to the visitation for the second family member.  His funeral is this morning and after the service and luncheon we'll head back to Michigan.

It's always good being with family members, even under such difficult conditions.  Many of my extended family members are overweight or obese - it's hard to find anyone related to me who isn't overweight.  A couple of my relatives have had weight loss surgery and are now at a healthy weight, but I'm about the only member of my family at a healthy weight without having had surgery.  It's a pretty sobering thing. 

Being around my family, I am painfully aware of my genetic disposition and of how easily I could still be in the same place so many of them are.  I see relatives younger than I who are out of breath just walking around.  As I've shared before, most of my relatives are diabetic or pre-diabetic.  My mom is now the oldest of her surviving cousins and she is the healthiest, even though she's almost 80-1/2.  Two years ago my mom was in the same place as many of our relatives - overweight, diabetic and in declining health.  Today she is a different woman after going on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and losing 40 pounds.  She now rarely takes any insulin injections and she is much more mobile than she was.  Many family members remarked at how good she looked - she looks (and is) healthy!

I talked with a couple of family members today about this program and I continue to hope that I can help to change what many of my family believes is a predetermined health future.  It's scary to see how many are resigned to being sick.  Some of them are still in their 40's and just think that being overweight and diabetic is their fate - part of the "family curse."  I'm on a mission to change this thinking - wish me luck!

We have the power to change the future of our health - we just have to make the choice to do so.  We don't have to make a lot of big choices all at once, we just need to start with the simple choice to stay on plan today. 

What kind of choices will you make today?

18 Months and Counting!

Happy Monday!  After a few days away, it's good to be back to blogging :-).

Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts for me, marking 18 months since I reached my goal.  The good news is that I am still in my goal range and in my goal size 6.  This is finally feeling like "normal" for me.  Settling into maintenance has taken some time, and I am admittedly still fine-tuning things, but I'm feeling comfortable with both my body and my food choices.  Let me give you an example.

Last week my husband and I got away for a couple of days and enjoyed staying at a bed and breakfast a couple hours north of where we live (courtesy of a gift certificate we were given).  We packed a lot of Medifast meals - crunch bars, pretzels and puffs - and used those for most of our meals.  We had planned to have dinner that first night at a favorite restaurant of ours and thought we'd get grilled meat, salad and vegetable (pretty much a lean & green).  However, the bed and breakfast owner told us about a small Italian restaurant that was run by someone who emigrated from Sicily.  We quickly decided to go there instead.  We walked several blocks from the bed and breakfast to the restaurant, enjoyed a great meal, then took advantage of the mild weather and walked several more blocks to Lake Michigan.  We then walked to a local coffee shop for coffee and dessert (I didn't finish mine) before walking back to the bed and breakfast.  It was a great combination of good food and some exercise (over two miles of walking).  The next morning we enjoyed the hot breakfast served at the B&B, then drove another couple hours north to spend the day and night in another town.  We ate three Medifast meals over the course of the day, then met friends for dinner, which was pretty much a lean and green followed by dessert.  We also walked a couple of miles that day.  Friday was another 2-1/2 miles of walking, Medifast meals, and an early dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant.

Following our time away, we've picked up a couple of additional Medifast meals for a few days to help off-set the extra calories we ate while we were gone.  It's certainly not a "feast or famine" type of thing, but we try to balance occasional splurges so that they stay "occasional."  When we do splurge, as we did for a couple of meals last week, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves and don't feel guilty about what we eat.  I will tell you that I don't eat until I'm stuffed anymore, as I don't like that feeling at all.  No matter how good the food is, I try to pay attention and stop when I'm satisfied.

What was wonderful about our time away was that we both enjoyed doing a lot of walking and weren't looking for the nearest place to sit.  Before losing weight, we would have driven from the B&B to the restaurant, overeaten and then driven back and crashed.  We would have taken in a lot more calories and burned very little.  Life this side of goal is very different indeed!

Maintaining for me is about making choices every day.  I plan my day and usually know at the beginning of each day what I'm going to eat for each meal.  When I have the opportunity to enjoy a great meal, I do so without guilt and plan meals preceding and following the meal that will balance the calories.  Everybody has to find their own balance in maintenance, but this is what works for me.  Most of all, I remind myself every day that what I REALLY want is to stay healthy and to keep feeling great in my size 6's, and that makes the other choices a lot easier.

No matter if you are just getting started on your journey, if you're at or near your goal, or someplace in between - today is filled with choices for you, too.  Focus on what you really want, then choose wisely :-)

On the Road Again :-)

Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week is going well - it's hump day :-)

My husband and I are leaving this morning and getting away for a couple of days to a bed and breakfast a couple of hours north of where we live.  We were given a gift certificate and decided to enjoy some time away before the busyness of the holidays hits.  My husband retired last January after 38 years as a retail jewelry store manager, but he's still working part-time in retail jewelry and will work full-time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Most of our traveling over the past few months has been on business, so we're going to enjoy a couple of days to just relax and do a bit of Christmas shopping.

We've packed several Medifast meals and, other than some select meals at local restaurants (and breakfast at the B&B), we'll stick with our MF food.  We'll save a lot of money and time, and we'll save our calories and carbs for some of those restaurant meals :-).  This has become our traveling strategy and we've been able to maintain our weight loss despite a busy traveling schedule.

For us, it's become all about maintaining balance.  We enjoy food but no longer view vacations, travel, and even holidays as a food free-for-all.  Neither one of us enjoys that over-stuffed feeling anymore and neither one of us wants to return to our former obese selves.  We are focused on staying healthy, and I'm thankful that we are able to support each other.

Maintaining balance is a choice that we have to make every day, and sometimes I would frankly like to throw caution to the wind.  Every time I'm tempted to do that, I remind myself that I haven't grown tired of being at a healthy weight and being in a small size.  I don't always feel like making healthy choices, but 98% of the tine I do it anyway because I love the results.  All of those individual small choices work together to keep me moving in the direction I want to go.

Today is another day filled with choices that will either move us closer to our goal or begin to move us farther away.  One small choice might be inconsequential  in and of itself, but those small choices weave together to form habits.  So, choose wisely :-).

P.S.  Since I'm going to be gone for a couple of days, I won't post another blog until this weekend.  Have a great rest of the week!

Process and More 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.

The latest quote that got me thinking - again - came from my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Esther.  Beth 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.

I'm slowly learning to find joy in the process and not just focus on the destination, and taking time to smell the roses is a very good thing!  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 :-)

A Challenge for You

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a great, on-plan week!

Yesterday I wrote about the friend I had lunch with on Saturday.  Another thing about her really impressed me, so I thought I'd share that today.

Because my friend has very low vision due to a progressive eye condition, there are certain things that make a big difference for her.  For one, she needs really good lighting to help her see.  When we got to the restaurant, the waitress initially led us to a table in a rather dark area of the room.  My friend noticed another area that was better lighted, explained that she had low vision and requested that we be seated at a booth with a light.  After ordering our salads, she requested that the chef cut up everything into bite-size pieces, telling the waitress that her low vision made it difficult to use a knife.

Those are just a couple of small examples, but I'm sharing this because I was impressed with how comfortable my friend was in politely letting people know what she needed.  So many of us are reluctant to clearly communicate what we need, and we hold back to our own detriment. 

I see this all the time as I read blogs and other on-line posts, and as I talk to people that I work with.  So often we're afraid of what others will think, or we don't want to potentially inconvenience someone.  So instead of letting people know what we can and can't eat, we go off plan.  Instead of clearly communicating the kind of support we need, we allow people to sabotage us. 

Most of us were raised to put other people first and tend to feel selfish if we put our own needs out there.  There's certainly a time and place to put others first, but there is also a time to make sure that others are aware of what we need, too.  Getting to a healthy weight is important - it's critical, in fact.  We shouldn't feel apologetic for making this a priority in our lives, nor should we hesitate to let those around us know what we need from them in order to be successful.  What our families eat for dinner may need to change from casseroles to lean protein and a healthy vegetable and salad, but that's OK - and it's healthier for the rest of the family, too :-).  Taking care of ourselves ultimately helps us take better care of others.

Today I'm encouraging you to make sure that you get what you need to reach your weight loss goal.  Structure your environment for success and make sure the people around you know how they can best support you.  This may be a paradigm shift for you, but doing so will better position you for success.

Go for it!

Choosing Our Attitude

Happy Sunday!  I can hardly believe we're half-way through November already.  We have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather in West Michigan, and today we're expecting temperatures in the mid 50's again.  Since this time of year often finds us with snow on the ground, this weather is a real treat!  I took advantage of the weather yesterday and drove to Kalamazoo, about an hour from my home, to meet a friend for lunch.  She is a remarkable friend and it was a remarkable lunch.

My friend lives in the Detroit area but is currently in Kalamazoo attending a program for the blind.  She isn't blind - yet - but is slowly losing her eyesight.  The program she is attending is teaching her how to use a cane, learn braille, and live a full and independent life. 

My lunch with her made me realize all over again how important our attitude is in tackling the stuff of life.  I don't know how I would react if I discovered at this time in my life that I would lose my sight, but I hope I would respond with half the grace and courage that she has.  I'm not saying that she doesn't have her moments, but I can tell you that I've never heard her complain.  Our conversation was marked by her enthusiasm and excitement over the things she was learning, as well as her determination to learn as much as she could.  I never heard one word of self-pity.

We can't choose the challenges we'll have to face, but we can always choose our attitude.  We can view problems as, well, problems, or we can view them as opportunities to grow and learn.  I know that's often easier said than done, but I've seen people respond in remarkable ways when faced with difficult circumstances, and my friend is definitely one of those remarkable people.

Today may or may not be a day when we feel like making healthy choices, and we can not only choose whether or not to make the right choice, but we can also choose whether or not we do it grudgingly or with joy.  There IS reason to be joyful, because each day that we choose to stay on plan is one day closer to our goal, and it's one more day of establishing healthy habits that will stay with us for the rest of our life.

Today you get to choose whether or not to stay on plan, and you also get to choose your attitude.  Choose wisely :-)

Time to Start Planning

A friend of mine wrote something the other day that I thought pretty much nailed it in terms of boiling down the choices we have to make about our health.  The upcoming holidays prompted him to write the following - I hope it will be as thought-provoking for you as it was for me!

*****
Any idea on how you’ll feel come January 1^st, 2010 or do you think about those things? Have you got a plan?  I guess it doesn’t really matter if you’ve got a plan or not because it will most likely come true.  It’s like saying “it doesn’t matter whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you are right”. 

What I like about creating health is there are no manipulations of emotion.  It’s either you want it or you don’t.  If you don’t want it right now then you don’t want it right now.  You can’t create health if your head is not in the game, so why even try?  But if you really do want to create health—even during the holiday season—it can be fun in a challenging way and very, very rewarding. 

 
Three basic plan choices:

1. No Plan:  a.k.a. The “what happens during the Holidays stays in the Holidays” plan.  The Holidays are a time to get away from all that stress, relax and enjoy family, friends and food.  Most Likely Result: What happened during the holidays doesn’t actually stay there.

2. Quasi-plan: a.k.a. The “let’s see how it goes” plan.  I’ll try to eat right and not overindulge.  I’ll try to exercise too.  Most Likely Result: Vegas odds on this one; could go either way.

3. Definite Plan: a.k.a. The “I know what I want” plan.    Most Likely Result: The empowerment of knowing you can create whatever you want in your life.

*****

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, it's not too early to start thinking about your holiday strategy.  The determining factor will be deciding what it is that you really want. 

Two years ago, I was 4-1/2 months into my weight loss journey and I had to make a decision regarding what I was going to do during the holiday season.  I had enjoyed great success with my weight loss but still had a long way to go, and up until Thanksgiving I hadn't cheated at all.  I briefly toyed with the idea of going off plan just for the day, but I decided that I didn't want to kick myself out of the fat-burning state.  I was also afraid that if I got my head out of the game, it might be hard to get back in and nothing I could eat was worth potentially undoing much or all of the progress I'd made.  I found some wonderful holiday recipes that were 100% Medifast legal and was able to enjoy the flavors of the day and still stay on plan.  My plate looked a lot like everyone else's, and even though I had 26 people at my house for dinner that year, I stayed on plan.  That gave me the momentum I needed to get through December, even though we had friends for dinner on Christmas Eve, I had 23 for dinner on Christmas day, and we hosted a sit-down New Year's Eve dinner for 10.

I didn't crawl into a cave that holiday season and I had a wonderful time, and on January 2 I was thrilled to know that I'd lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.  I breathed a sigh of relief that I'd made it through the many food temptations and knew that nothing would stand in my way between January 2 and whenever I reached my goal (which I did 5-1/2 months later).

I really encourage you to plan now.  The choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)

P.S.  If you would like my collection of Medifast legal holiday recipes, e-mail me at justpraisin@gmail.com and I'll get a copy off to you!

How-To's Aren't Enough

I am a voracious reader and usually have several books I'm reading at the same time, both fiction and non-fiction.  One of the non-fiction books I'm reading right now is "If How-To's Were Enough, We Would All Be Skinny, Rich & Happy" by Brian Klemmer.  This book was recommended to me by a friend, so I bought it used from Amazon.com. 

In the introduction of the book, the author writes, "Today you got up, went through your morning rituals, and embarked on teh tasks of the day.  Whether your mission involved leading a company or caring for a small child, you were called on to make thousands of choices over the course of the day.  Which of these choices cost you the results you truly wanted?"  He explores some of the reasons we make choices that don't support what we really want and discusses how to make different choices that support what we want.

I've read a lot of "how-to" books in my life, books that promised to unlock the secrets to a happy marriage, happy children, financial freedom, cleaner house, more beautiful garden, deeper prayer life, etc.  If you spend any time at a bookstore, you'll see shelves of "self-help" books.  With the plethora of books at our disposal, you'd think we'd all be just about perfect by now :-).

As the title of Brian Klemmer's book hints, ultimately it's about much more than just having the "how-to's" down.  At some point, if we want to move beyond theory and begin to experience what the books promise, we have to actually DO what the books tell us to do.  How-to's are everywhere, but what is clearly in short supply is making the choice to follow through.

Once upon a time, I had an entire shelf of books on how to lose weight.  Just about every time a new book with a new, sure-fire diet was released, I'd pick it up in the hopes that THIS would contain the elusive secret on how to lose weight and get healthy.  I now understand that most of those diets were doomed to fail because they were based on a faulty premise, but the failure I experienced on each and every one of them undoubtedly had more to do with my own lack of will than anything else.

With Take Shape for Life/Medifast, we definitely have the right products, proven over almost 30 years of clinical studies.  We have a lot of wonderful tools and support at our fingertips.  All of the how-to's that we need are there.  But the tools and products and how-to's won't get us where we want to go until we make the choice to actually get where we want to go.  Once the decision is made - really made - it's amazing how useful these tools become. 

We have to decide that we really DO want to reach our goal; we have to make that our primary choice.  When we finally decide, everything else becomes a lot easier.  Even the upcoming holidays become a lot easier if we've decided what we want and then focus on getting there.  If getting to our goal is in the "wouldn't it be nice" category and is more wishful thinking than a clear decision, then we will find ourselves caving in to temptation again and again.  Wishful thinking will never be enough reason to delay the pull of immediate gratification.

Where are you at today?  Are you still putting together your own collection of how-to's, or are you making the choice to put those how-to's into action?  How you answer this question will determine the other choices you make today.  Choose wisely :-)

Changing Seasons

Happy Thursday!  I awakened to a beautiful Michigan November morning - bright sunshine and a hard frost on the ground.  While I prefer the beauty of a Michigan spring or summer, I am mindful that each season has its own beauty.  My challenge is to look for and celebrate the beauty when I see it. 

Looking back, my weight loss journey had its seasons, too.  Times when things felt like spring - fresh, new, brimming with hope and expectation.  Other times felt like summer, warm and sunny - a "life is good" kind of season.  Then there were those other seasons, where things weren't exactly springy or summer-like.  Times when the joy of being on plan was slipping away and it was starting to feel old - an autumn of the heart.  Worst of all were those winter times - when it was just hanging on and doing it, when it felt like I would be on the program forever - a Narnia winter, where there is always snow and never Christmas.

Being on plan for 11 months meant that I went through all four seasons of Michigan weather while experiencing all four seasons of emotions.  The emotions didn't always coincide with the weather, which made things interesting at times :-). 

What I learned was that each emotional season had its own cause for celebration and joy.  It was easy to find those reasons in the spring and summer, challenging in fall, and even more challenging in winter.   Sometimes all I could celebrate during those challenging seasons was that somehow, by the grace of God, I was still hanging in there and still on plan.  I recognized that learning to do the right things for myself, whether I felt like it or not, was something in and of itself to celebrate. 

The choice is ours.  We can choose to stay on plan, regardless of which emotional season we're in, or we can choose to wait for more favorable weather.  We can choose to celebrate the season we're in, or not.

What is your choice today?

More Ripple Effects

Yesterday's post about losing weight from the inside out resulted in a phone call from a friend, who wanted to share with me her own story of inside out weight loss.  She's my age (we were born on the same day), we're the same height (5'5") and we both reached the same all-time high weight of 268.  To make things even more interesting, we're also both redheads!  She and I have each lost over 100 pounds and have a whole new life.

She shared with me some of the emotional and spiritual growth that has occurred since her weight loss and also told me that losing weight also prompted her to get counseling to deal with some of the issues that led to her weight gain.  She then went on to talk about how losing weight was the catalyst for change in other areas of her life, even encouraging her to declutter her home.

I wrote a week or so ago about the ripple effect our weight loss can have on others, but my friend's call reminded me of another kind of ripple effect our weight loss can have - on ourselves.  We've all known of people who changed their hairstyle or hair color after losing weight, but the ripple effect goes much farther than just externals (not that I'm knocking a new hair style!).  Once we begin to realize mastery over our long struggle with weight, it's amazing to see how much energy we begin to have to tackle other areas of our lives, whether it's long-standing emotional baggage or just a messy closet. 

For others, losing weight can be the key that unlocks a prison of perfectionism.  For me, when I was at my top weight, I was very much a perfectionist in other areas of my life.  I was unable to control my weight, but I tried hard to control other areas of my life (amazingly, my husband has always thought that I'm easy to live with!).  I knew that some people had the perception that overweight people are lazy (which I've always known wasn't true), so I worked hard to dispel that notion and kept busy with multiple projects so that I was "productive" most of the time.  I tried to make sure that my hair, makeup and accessories were "perfect" so that nobody would look at my size and conclude that I had just stopped caring about myself.  It was exhausting, but provided a pretty good cover so people wouldn't guess how much inward turmoil I was experiencing.  As I lost weight, I was also finally able to let go of some of that miserable and impossible-to-sustain perfectionism - what freedom!

Losing weight began a ripple effect for both me and my friend, and after changing so many things in our own lives, the ripple finally began expanding beyond us to our family members and friends.

It all began with a choice that both my friend and I made to lose weight, and a choice to stay on plan.  We each hoped that we'd maybe lose a little bit of weight, but we ended up changing our entire lives.  Amazing!

My encouragement to you today is to make a choice to start changing your own life - one day at a time!

From the Inside Out

Yesterday morning I turned on the "Today Show" while I got ready for my day.  One segment caught my attention, the story of a woman who lost 340 pounds over a four-year period.  Her story was inspiring as she talked about reclaiming her life.  I was intrigued by the statement that she "lost weight from the inside out."

That's really the bottom line for all of us, and it is ultimately the determining factor in whether this is just another diet or the program that will permanently put us on a healthy path. 

If we only lose weight on the outside and don't deal with our internal weight, we're likely to stay in an oscillating pattern of gain-lose-gain.  I don't know about you, but that's not what I want to do for the rest of my life!

I talk about internal weight because I'm guessing that most of us showed up on our first day of this program with a fair amount of emotional baggage.  I was an emotional eater and became an expert in burying my feelings under plates of food.  I did a pretty good job hiding the emotional pain I experienced due to my morbid obesity; in fact, my closest friends and even some of my family members were flabbergasted when I finally began to share how awful I felt for so many years.  I guess I should have been nominated for an Academy Award, because I gave a pretty good performance, acting like my weight was no big deal and didn't impede me in the slightest.  Of course, inside I was miserable and spent over two decades feeling pretty disgusted with myself and so very defeated.

Dealing with that pain, and then going even deeper and dealing with the things that happened in my life that caused me to escape into food initially caused more pain.  I'd made the decision to stay on plan, so turning to food to numb myself emotionally was no longer an option.  But as I allowed God to gently begin to peel back the pain, one layer at a time, healing finally began to happen.  That healing has made all the difference in not only enabling me to get to my goal, but to continue to maintain in my goal range for almost 18 months.

So, are you losing weight from the inside out today?  It's not an easy process, but it happens one day and one choice at a time, and you're worth the effort!

Eating as What??

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend and are now ready for a good (and on-plan) week.

I spent some time last night reading some of my early blogs and thought I'd share something I wrote almost two years ago.  Reading this again gave me food for thought, so I hope you'll enjoy it, too!

*****
I heard a great commentary on the radio a couple of days ago about the growing obesity epidemic in this country.  The commentary really got me thinking, because the commentator challenged the listeners to consider eating as an act of worship to God.

What???  I pray as an act of worship, I sing as an act of worship, I give as an act of worship, I do other things as an act of worship, but can eating really be an act of worship?  I think so, because the Bible says that in whatever I do, I should do all of it for the glory of God.  How I choose to nourish my body can be a way of honoring the Lord, which puts an entirely different spin on junk food

I've reprinted the commentary below, just in case it provides some food for thought for someone else.

Eating Ourselves To Death

Americans are vying for the title Heaviest People on Earth. One article after another records Americans "major league" eating habits, and now we are being warned that obesity ranks as a growing problem (no pun intended) among the nation's children.
I like to eat as much as the next person. Who doesn't? There is, of course, nothing wrong with eating. God fashioned omnivorous and carnivorous human beings. In the book of Genesis God said, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (9:3). He gave us the fruits of his creation and commanded us to develop them for our use and his glory. Throughout history, as God intended, people have eaten not just for subsistence but for enjoyment and as a key element in human fellowship.
But as I've gotten older dieting has become a part of my lifestyle, whether I want it to be or not. A combination of abundance, junk food, and sedentary occupations makes it easy for most of us to overeat. We live to eat rather than eat to live.
In Proverbs, God says, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor" (23:20-21). Moderation is always God's command regarding anything he has given us that is not in itself intrinsically evil. In other words, we get ourselves into trouble every time our participation in anything is motivated by self-indulgence.
Eating is a divine gift. When we eat according to God's standards, we reap bounty. When we eat according to selfish desires, we reap fat cells that carry with them their own consequences. Try this, think of eating as an act of worship and see how this thought changes your approach.

-

©Rex M. Rogers - All Rights Reserved
"Eating Ourselves To Death," #385 from the Making a Difference program, Cornerstone University Radio, and the Making a Difference newspaper column syndicated nationally.
*Making a Difference may be reproduced in whole or in part but must include a full attribution statement. Contact Dr. Rogers, President, Cornerstone University, or read more commentary on current issues and events on his blog at http://www.rexmrogers.com.
*****
I'm choosing to honor God with what I do today, including what I eat.  How about you?

It's a Process

We all want change in our lives, to some degree or another.  Everyone on this program wants to change their weight and many want to improve their health - I know I wanted both. 

I've often wished that I had either a magic wand or a fairy godmother so that any and all changes could happen in an instant - one wave of the wand and poof!  it's done.  I'd have the result I wanted without going through the process I needed to get there.  Honestly, sometimes that sounds SO good to me!

I watched a program on TV a few weeks ago about a man who was obsessed with plastic surgery.  He went so far as to get implants that gave the look of bulging arm muscles, because he said he wanted the look but didn't have the time or desire to work out at the gym.   So he got the look alright, but didn't have the true muscle mass he needed and he also didn't have the satisfaction that would have come had he built up real muscles over time.

I often hate the process.  I'm not a particularly patient person by nature (God is continuing to grow me in this area), so when results are almost immediately forthcoming, it's tempting for me to grow weary of the process.  That was certainly the case with every other weight loss program I ever went on.  They were a lot of work and the progress was agonizingly slow and I lost interest before I ever got very far.

Even on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, though there isn't a safer way to lose weight quickly, it's still a process that happens over time.  For me, it was almost 11 months of eating 5 Medifast meals every day and one lean & green, and those 11 months sometimes seemed eternal.  Honestly, some DAYS on 5&1 felt like an eternity :-). 

What I didn't fully understand at the time, but I see more clearly now, is that those 11 months were a time of sowing seeds of new actions and responses.  I was seeing results right along, which kept me motivated, but the process of learning to eat a different way planted seeds that are now bearing fruit.  Those seeds planted while I was on 5&1 are now becoming a crop of lifestyle changes and healthy habits that have enabled me to stay in my goal range for almost 18 months.  Had I had the magic wand and reached my goal in an instant, I would not have done the work I needed to do to maintain my weight loss and ensure a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life.

Planting seeds of new, healthy habits happens one day and one choice at a time, so choose wisely :-)

That Rotten Little Voice

Sometimes I'm stunned by the thoughts that pop into my mind.  Just when I think I've really, truly, finally "gotten it" when it comes to maintenance, a little voice starts talking in my head, and the owner of this voice has a fully-developed set of fat-girl taste buds.

Last night started out innocently enough.  My husband and I decided to out for some ethnic food and wanted to try a restaurant we'd never been to before.  We had talked ahead of time about what we'd eat and knew that we could make some pretty healthy choices (we're in maintenance, so "healthy" does not always equate to "lean and green").  Unfortunately, when we got to the restaurant (coupon in hand!), the restaurant had closed.  It was one of those places we kept saying we needed to check out "one of these days", and apparently we waited too long.  Since there's not another restaurant of that ethnicity in our town, we had to figure out what to eat.  Nearby was a small restaurant that featured BBQ, so we decided to go there.  The meat we selected was fairly lean, but all of the choices for the sides were definitely not in the "green" category.  We figured we'd just go for it, so we did.

That's when that little voice popped up in my head.  We'd eaten a yummy meal that left us satisfied and not over-full, but that little voice nagged at me that I hadn't eaten as healthy as I usually do.  That triggered some old tapes to start running in my mind, with thoughts like, "Well, since you've already blown it, you might as well REALLY blow it!"  I started thinking about different places we could go for dessert, and I contemplated suggesting to my husband that we go to a drive-through for a frozen dairy dessert.

In retrospect, what really frustrated me was that I went right back to that old mindset that, #1, I'd eaten something "bad," and #2, since I'd already eaten "bad", I might as well be really, really bad.

The good news is that I didn't follow through on those miserable thoughts.  While those old thought patterns showed up once again, I'm so thankful that I recognized them as faulty almost immediately and chose to not act on them.  I realized that even thought our dinner fell short of our usual healthy fair, it certainly wasn't "bad."  There was no reason to feel guilty for eating it; this was an exception, not the rule, and exceptions in maintenance are more than OK.  Secondly, I recognized that I wasn't remotely hungry, so going on a quest for a dessert really didn't make sense.  That impulse was in response to feeling guilty for eating the dinner and was a throw-back to that old "stuff the bad feelings with more food" cycle that eventually brought me to my all-time high of 268 pounds. 

Maintenance isn't for sissies, and the head and heart part of maintenance is sometimes just as challenging as it was during the weight loss phase.  I'm encouraged that I was able to quickly recognize what was going on in my head and not fall victim to it.

Instead of heading out for a dessert that I really didn't want, we headed home.  About three hours later, I enjoyed a Medifast S'more Crunch bar - something that satisfied my sweet tooth, nourished my body, and left no guilty after taste. 

Making healthy choices isn't easy, and I am the first to admit that I don't always make them myself.  However, it's a great feeling when we DO make the difficult, but right, choice!

Have a wonderful weekend filled with good choices!

The Not-So-Good News

The news is in, and it's not good . . . there is more reason than ever to get to a healthy weight and then stay there!  Our health, and our lives, may depend on it.  An article published on November 4 was headlined, "H1N1 Poses Special Threat to Obese People."  The article reported "As with other studies, obesity appeared to play a significant role in the severity of disease. In the 268 cases of adults over 20 whose weight was known, 58 percent were obese, with a body mass index of over 30, and of these, 67 percent were morbidly obese, with a BMI of over 40."

Another article, published yesterday, reported that "Approximately 100,500 cancers occurring in the US every year can be attributed to excess body fat, according to estimates released today by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). The figure underscores the central role that overweight and obesity are now understood to play both in the development of cancer and in cancer survivorship, said researchers."

Ugh!  When I was hovering around 260 pounds, I hated hearing about all of the health dangers associated with obesity.  I hated how I looked and felt, and it seemed like adding insult to injury to remind me that I might also be killing myself because I couldn't figure out how to stop eating.  When I was finally diagnosed with diabetes a little over 4 years ago, the reality of the health risks of my obesity finally hit home.

The reality was that, whether I liked it or not, I was at risk for a host of health issues, and I'm thankful that my diabetes was diagnosed early, before it did damage.  I'm also incredibly thankful that my diabetes is completely gone, and I'm hopeful that if I continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle and normal weight, the diabetes will never return.

I've shared a lot about many of the joys I've experienced since reaching my goal, and having tangible benefits to weight loss is wonderful.  What I can't measure are the diseases I won't get because I'm no longer obese.  

There are days when staying on plan is hard.  There are days when continuing to deny ourselves our favorite foods just doesn't seem worth it.  The reality is that it IS worth it, perhaps more than we even know!

The choice is yours - choose wisely :-)

How's This for a NSV?

Happy Thursday!  I'm enjoying some time with a friend of mine who drove up from Chicago yesterday.  She and I have been friends since we were 8 years old and in the same third grade class.  Now we're both 57 years old and grandmothers, and I'm not sure we've yet figured out how this happened so fast!

What's wonderful to me is that even though I'm creeping up on another decade in my life (one that will start with a "6"), I feel better, younger, healthier, and more alive now than I have in years.  I know it's because I AM healthier and more active now than I have been since I was in my early 30's.  Losing 126 pounds and maintaining my weight loss for going on 18 months has made all the difference.  Instead of facing the future with fear about declining health and decreased energy, I am busier than ever and having more fun than I have in years.  I'm doing things I love and things that I believe are making a difference in the lives of others, and I have time to spend (and the energy to keep up with) my grandchildren.

My girlfriend and I spent yesterday afternoon and evening with my almost-3 year old twin grandchildren, helping out my daughter while her husband is out of town on business.  One of the twins favorite games with me is "tickle bug" - which is basically me chasing them all over the house so I can tickle them when I catch them.  Sometimes my daughter has to remind the three of us (children and me) not to run in the house :-), but most of the time she doesn't mind.  I love the fact that I can run and chase two little ones - that's something I certainly couldn't have done two years ago!  How can I feel old (or even older) when I'm running through the house chasing children?

This is just another one of the Non-Scale Victories (NSVs) that continue to bring joy, even this many months after reaching my goal.  It's funny, but if I had never been obese, I would take moments like chasing children for granted.  Instead, I am filled with joy and thanksgiving that I can do something that is such fun for me and the little ones.  I'm so thankful that I can be a fun grandmother, and I want to be an active, vital part of their lives for years to come.

One month of Take Shape for Life/Medifast:  @ $300
Being able to chase toddlers without getting winded:  PRICELESS!
Choosing to continue living a healthy lifestyle:  ALSO PRICELESS!

For me, just like for you, a healthy lifestyle happens one day and one choice at a time.  I know what I'm choosing today - what about you?

Fond Reflections

I started thinking today about two years ago, when I was just a little over 4 months into this journey. I am so happy that I blogged all along my journey, because it's fun to look back and remember. Here's what I wrote two years ago today:

The NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) just keep coming! Even as I move ever closer to leaving the 200's behind forever (currently at 206!), I'm enjoying some great NSVs which keep a silly, but very contented, smile on my face.

One HUGE NSV is shopping. Oh my goodness!! I don't know when the thrill of shopping in Misses sizes will begin to dissipate, but it's still there in full-force every time I walk into a store. Last Saturday I went to a store in the mall that had 40% off of the total purchase, so I happily shopped the sale racks for clothes in the next size down, knowing that there would be an additional 40% taken off - gotta love that! I bought a pair of Misses 14 slacks which zip and button, but are too tight to be worn in public, but I bought them in FULL confidence knowing that I'll be in them in a few weeks. I also bought a couple of Misses size 12 blazers - a bit snug yet, but not for long!! I have to keep reminding myself not to go crazy - yet - because I'm not in my final size. But after spending years with very limited fashion choices in the Women's department, this is way too much fun!

With some very wintery weather moving into Michigan yesterday, I realized that I needed a new good winter coat. I bought a new winter jacket a couple of weeks ago, but had hoped that the wool coat I bought 3 years ago might work for this year, but not a chance! The coat is a 20W and it was ridiculously huge - there was absolutely NO way I could wear it this year. When I bought it, I hadn't been able to find anything in the store that fit my 268 pound body, so I ordered it from L.L. Bean. Now that I am 62 pounds lighter :-), the coat was beyond huge on me. Oh darn - I had to go shopping again! It was wonderful to walk into the department store and have CHOICES - choices of color, style, length. I found a great wool coat on sale for half price, which was wonderful because it will be WAY too big next winter!

And my last fun NSV was when my husband and I were walking a couple of days ago. We were talking and holding hands when he commented, "You're walking a lot . . . smoother . . . these days!" He hesitated and searched for the right word before he came up with "smoother." :) I told him that it was probably because 1) my knee was feeling SO much better and I wasn't limping any more and 2) because my thighs don't rub together any more when I walk! He just shook his head and grinned, but we swung hands while we walked!

If someone would have told me last June 24, my very first day on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, that I would be enjoying these things today, I'm not sure I would have believed it. But taking it one meal and one day at a time, life has gotten much sweeter, and the best is yet to come! Is it worth giving up some former favorite foods? What do YOU think?!

What's interesting now is reading - and sensing - the joy I had at that point in my journey. I was only four months into what would end up being an eleven month process, so I still had a long way to go when I wrote this. I'm so thankful that I didn't wait until I reached the end of my journey and was at my goal to find things to celebrate.

It's hard to stay motivated when our goal is months away, and there are certainly days when staying on plan is no fun at all (I had plenty of those days!). While I really encourage individuals to stay focused on their goal, sometimes it's helpful to shift our focus for just a moment.

Sometimes we need to look back at where we were when we started, just to remind ourselves of how far we've come. We really ARE making progress, one day at a time.

Sometimes it also good to stop for a moment and look at where we are right now. We may not be where we want to be, but thank God, we're not where we were, so celebrate that!

Stay focused on your goal, of course, but don't put your life on hold until you get there. There is a lot to celebrate now. Every day that you choose to stay on plan, you are choosing to change your life!

The Power of A Choice

I got together last night with a friend of mine, the same one I wrote about last week who'd lost 90 pounds and was able to sit on the floor at her grandchild's school.

What's interesting about my friendship with her is that I only met her a few months ago through a mutual friend of ours. That friend was a casual acquaintance of mine at the time, but our friendship was renewed when she ran into me at the grocery store. She was so stunned at my weight loss that she literally ran down the aisle of the grocery store pushing her cart and yelling, "What did you do? What did you do?" She placed her first order the next day and lost 70 pounds, reaching her goal. Then HER friend saw her and decided to try the program, too, losing 90 pounds in eight months. Now we are all good friends - and we're all at our goal after years of obesity. How amazing!

As I got together with my friend last night, I had to marvel at the ripple effect of my own weight loss. My friend made the comment that if our mutual friend hadn't run into me at the store, she would still be 90 pounds heavier and miserable. The three of us have lost 286 pounds, plus our husbands have all lost weight too - mine lost 50, one husband lost 40, and the third husband has lost 60 (so far).

The ripple effect is amazing, and it's also very humbling. I couldn't have imagined just 2-1/2 years ago that my decision to place a 4-week order would end up being a blessing not just to me, but to so many others as well. I think back to the times when I was tempted to quit the program and it's sobering to realize that had I done so, some of my friends would probably still be struggling with their weight. Seeing the pure joy on the face of a friend who's been able to drop a medication or get into a smaller size or sit on the floor with her grandchildren always makes my day. There were some challenging days on 5&1, but not only getting to my own goal weight but now seeing others reaching their own goal makes it all worth while.

There are times when I know that you don't wake up joyful at the thought of eating 5 Medifast meals - I had LOTS of those kinds of days :-). There are days when life is pressing in hard and you're tempted to throw the plan out the window and dive back into your favorite comfort foods. For all of those times, and for all of the other times when staying on plan isn't easy, I really encourage you to stay on plan anyway.

You have in your hands the tools to change your life, if you'll let them. And if you change your own life, I can promise you that you'll inspire others to do the same thing. And then they will inspire others . . . and the ripple effect will go on and on.

It starts with your choice today :-)

Changing Priorities

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

I read this quote yesterday when I working on my Beth Moore "Esther" Bible study and it stopped me in my tracks. For a few moments, I shifted my focus from my study and just thought about that statement and how it applied to my own life.

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 (are you tired of hearing about this yet?).

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. Are you making those choices today? I sure hope so!

It's That Time of Year . . .

Happy Sunday - and Happy November! I can hardly believe I just typed "November" . . . this year is quickly slipping away.

It's been really windy here the last couple of days, so many of the trees are suddenly bare. This time of year always feels tentative to me. It doesn't look or feel much like autumn anymore, but it's not yet winter. The weather is damp and chilly and we start to deal with a lot of cloud cover due to our proximity to Lake Michigan. Frankly, this time of year is pretty depressing for a lot of people, and I used to be right at the top of that list. I still don't like cold weather and I still struggle when I don't see the sun for days on end (always makes me wonder why on earth I choose to live in Michigan!), and I find that I have to choose my attitude every morning.

Before losing weight, this time of year would have me reaching for all of my favorite comfort foods, and I had a pretty long list! Pretty much anything that was full of sugar and carbs went on that list. The holidays only added to the mix, but I was usually into full carb-loading mode before I ever bought my turkey. I used to joke that I'd make a great grizzly bear because all I wanted to do this time of year was put on a nice layer of fat and sleep until spring :-).

Now that I'm in maintenance, it would be easy to slip back into that pattern. Knowing that I CAN have whatever I want to eat, as long as I eat it on occasion and in moderation, could easily become a trap for me. The reality is that I know full well that I can't eat sugar-laden, carb and fat-laden food in moderation - my brain absolutely disengages when I start in on that stuff!

So what am I doing instead to cope with this dreary (weather-wise) time of year? I'm doing some very practical things, including taking extra Vitamin D and getting in regular exercise. The exercise really makes a difference in my mood and my energy level, and after I've exercised I no longer feel like eating sludge. I am also logging all of my food - if it goes into my mouth, it goes into my food log. (I am now logging my food on my bodybugg's website.) It's one thing for me to eat sludge, but I am loath to log that I've eaten it, and that fact alone helps keep me on the straight and narrow :-). I am also continuing to drink lots and lots of water, even when I'm cold and would rather suck down gallons of hot coffee, because I know that I need to keep properly hydrated.

Putting these things into place helps to keep me focused on moving forward and keeps me from sinking into a place that I don't want to go. This is not to say that I do all of this perfectly, because I don't - when I talk about not being able to eat sugar-fat-carb-laden food in moderation, I speak from experience! However, I want to keep moving forward, so keep making the choices I need to make, whether I feel like it or not. When I've made less than stellar food choices, I make sure that my next meal is a Medifast meal. This works to "reset" my brain, so that that "less than stellar" choice ends up being the exception, not the rule, because I immediately return to my healthy eating plan.

For me, it all gets back - again - to those primary and secondary choices. My primary choice is clearly continuing to stay at a healthy weight and moving forward towards optimal health, so I make lots of secondary choices that aren't necessarily fun (exercise and drinking lots of water in cold weather) because they support my primary choice.

Whether it's warm or chilly where you are today, and whether the sun is shining brightly or you're starting to forget what the sun looks like :-), I hope you're choosing to make the choices that will get you where you want to go.

Have a blessed Sunday!