Hi everyone! With Christmas closing in and lots of things to do between now and then, I thought I'd post what will probably be my last blog of 2009 (if I have time and feel inspired, I reserve the option of posting something between now and the first of the year!).
Right now, I honestly don't know what else to say except what I've been trying to say in lots of different ways over the past year: focus on what you really want and don't settle for less. With a million and one temptations facing most of us between now and January 1, what you choose to focus on will determine whether or not you stay on plan. If you stay on plan, you will be that much closer to your goal as you ring in the New Year. If you don't stay on plan, the good news is that you will start the New Year knowing exactly what you need to do, because you already know that this plan works :-).
Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Cheryl
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Is the Prize Worth the Sacrifice?
It's always interesting to see what people are willing to do, and willing to give up, when they have their eyes on something they really want. Last night I watched the season finale of "Survivor," and viewing highlights from the season was really interesting. As with every other season of this program (some I've watched and some I haven't), there is a lot of struggle and deprivation as contestants endure cold, hunger, separation from family, and a host of other things in the hopes of winning one million dollars. Of course, only one person is eventually declared the sole survivor and wins the money.
If most people were offered the opportunity to leave their family and live with a bunch of strangers outdoors with no plumbing, no beds, no change of clothing, little food, and little protection from the elements, we would turn it down flat if there wasn't the potential of a reward at the end that would make the sacrifice and inconveniences worth it. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't sign up for that kind of adventure for nothing. (Full disclosure: my idea of roughing it is running barefoot through a 4-star resort, so I'm not a camping kind of girl to begin with.) I watched the contestants on this season be absolutely miserable as they endured days of torrential rain and sleeping in the mud, all because they had their eyes on winning the money.
To be willing to sacrifice beyond what is comfortable, the prize has to be worth more than the temporary sacrifice. We simply won't change our routine and give up what's comfortable unless there is a compelling reason to do so. However, if we want it bad enough - and if the prize is valuable enough - we will do a lot of things and make a lot of sacrifices to reach our goal.
This is a good week to talk about this, because the next few days will see some people staying on plan right through Christmas while others won't, despite good intentions. In the end, it's really not a matter of some being stronger than others - it comes down to what reaching goal is worth to you. How badly do you want to reach your goal? I don't mean for this to be an unfair question, because I know that on one level or another, everyone reading this wants to reach (or remain at) their goal. When not faced with food temptations, every one of us would emphatically insist that we really, REALLY want to do this. However, in the face of food temptations, some of us will keep our eyes on the prize and keep on going and some won't.
It all comes down to what we really want and the choices we're willing to make to get what we want. Choose wisely :-)
If most people were offered the opportunity to leave their family and live with a bunch of strangers outdoors with no plumbing, no beds, no change of clothing, little food, and little protection from the elements, we would turn it down flat if there wasn't the potential of a reward at the end that would make the sacrifice and inconveniences worth it. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't sign up for that kind of adventure for nothing. (Full disclosure: my idea of roughing it is running barefoot through a 4-star resort, so I'm not a camping kind of girl to begin with.) I watched the contestants on this season be absolutely miserable as they endured days of torrential rain and sleeping in the mud, all because they had their eyes on winning the money.
To be willing to sacrifice beyond what is comfortable, the prize has to be worth more than the temporary sacrifice. We simply won't change our routine and give up what's comfortable unless there is a compelling reason to do so. However, if we want it bad enough - and if the prize is valuable enough - we will do a lot of things and make a lot of sacrifices to reach our goal.
This is a good week to talk about this, because the next few days will see some people staying on plan right through Christmas while others won't, despite good intentions. In the end, it's really not a matter of some being stronger than others - it comes down to what reaching goal is worth to you. How badly do you want to reach your goal? I don't mean for this to be an unfair question, because I know that on one level or another, everyone reading this wants to reach (or remain at) their goal. When not faced with food temptations, every one of us would emphatically insist that we really, REALLY want to do this. However, in the face of food temptations, some of us will keep our eyes on the prize and keep on going and some won't.
It all comes down to what we really want and the choices we're willing to make to get what we want. Choose wisely :-)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
No Compromise
I'm leaving for church in a little while, so I'm going to make this short, sweet, and to the point this morning :-).
With Christmas just days away, this is a busy time for most of us. We have full schedules and a number of things to still check off our to-do list (or is it just me?). When my schedule gets crazy these days, it's wonderful to be able to grab a Medifast meal and just keep going - not having to figure out what to eat is a blessing. That wasn't always the case, however. Years ago, a busy schedule was the death of healthy eating - I rationalized that I was too busy to "stay on a diet" and promised that I'd get back to it once things settled down.
The difference now isn't in the level of busyness. The difference is in the choices that I make, because I will no longer allow a busy schedule to compromise what I really want - a thin and healthy body.
It always comes down to choices, even during this time of year. Have a wonderful Sunday - and choose wisely :-)
With Christmas just days away, this is a busy time for most of us. We have full schedules and a number of things to still check off our to-do list (or is it just me?). When my schedule gets crazy these days, it's wonderful to be able to grab a Medifast meal and just keep going - not having to figure out what to eat is a blessing. That wasn't always the case, however. Years ago, a busy schedule was the death of healthy eating - I rationalized that I was too busy to "stay on a diet" and promised that I'd get back to it once things settled down.
The difference now isn't in the level of busyness. The difference is in the choices that I make, because I will no longer allow a busy schedule to compromise what I really want - a thin and healthy body.
It always comes down to choices, even during this time of year. Have a wonderful Sunday - and choose wisely :-)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
An Early Christmas Present
With less than a week until Christmas, I received an early Christmas present late yesterday afternoon. It wasn't anything that was on my list, but it was a wonderful gift! To make it even more special, this gift is truly priceless.
My husband and I met with our life insurance agent yesterday afternoon. Our policies were up for renewal, so we had to have mini-physicals in late October. We hadn't heard anything more about either the physicals or the policy renewal in over a month, and I had honestly pretty much forgotten about it. Our agent called a couple of days ago to let us know that our updated policies were ready, so we arranged to meet at a local coffee shop to sign the new policies.
To my delight, the agent told me that my new policy is at the lowest rate possible for a woman my age! I am in such great health that the insurance company is gambling that I'm going to live for a very long time :-). What makes this so incredibly special - priceless, in fact - is that this is another example of just how much my life (and my health) has improved since losing 126 pounds on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. Two and one-half years ago, I was 260 pounds, diabetic, and on several medications. I know that if nothing had changed, it would have been much more difficult - and definitely more expensive - to have secured life insurance today.
Wearing small sizes is fun (LOTS of fun, in fact!), and feeling pretty good about how I look today is also wonderful, but nothing is as fabulous as being healthy, truly healthy. And I AM healthy, and I have both the lab work and the life insurance policy to prove it :-).
I am so happy to know that my life insurance policy is betting that I'm going to be around a long time yet, hopefully and prayerfully long enough to play with my great-grandchildren (maybe even THEIR children!).
As you know, there are days when I get tired of making healthy choices and grow weary of the thought of having to make healthy choices for the rest of my life. However, when I think about what food would be worth returning to where I was, or what I could eat that would be worth missing out on time with my family, I can't think of anything!
Taking a long view makes the choices I have to make every day a lot easier. I hope the same is true for you, too! Everyday, including today, you will have the opportunity to make choices that will ultimately impact tomorrow. Choose wisely :-)
My husband and I met with our life insurance agent yesterday afternoon. Our policies were up for renewal, so we had to have mini-physicals in late October. We hadn't heard anything more about either the physicals or the policy renewal in over a month, and I had honestly pretty much forgotten about it. Our agent called a couple of days ago to let us know that our updated policies were ready, so we arranged to meet at a local coffee shop to sign the new policies.
To my delight, the agent told me that my new policy is at the lowest rate possible for a woman my age! I am in such great health that the insurance company is gambling that I'm going to live for a very long time :-). What makes this so incredibly special - priceless, in fact - is that this is another example of just how much my life (and my health) has improved since losing 126 pounds on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. Two and one-half years ago, I was 260 pounds, diabetic, and on several medications. I know that if nothing had changed, it would have been much more difficult - and definitely more expensive - to have secured life insurance today.
Wearing small sizes is fun (LOTS of fun, in fact!), and feeling pretty good about how I look today is also wonderful, but nothing is as fabulous as being healthy, truly healthy. And I AM healthy, and I have both the lab work and the life insurance policy to prove it :-).
I am so happy to know that my life insurance policy is betting that I'm going to be around a long time yet, hopefully and prayerfully long enough to play with my great-grandchildren (maybe even THEIR children!).
As you know, there are days when I get tired of making healthy choices and grow weary of the thought of having to make healthy choices for the rest of my life. However, when I think about what food would be worth returning to where I was, or what I could eat that would be worth missing out on time with my family, I can't think of anything!
Taking a long view makes the choices I have to make every day a lot easier. I hope the same is true for you, too! Everyday, including today, you will have the opportunity to make choices that will ultimately impact tomorrow. Choose wisely :-)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Failing Our Way to Success
My husband has a sign in our office that says, "The lesson is in the struggle, not in the victory." He has this sign as a reminder that there is value in the struggle, and even in the failures we experience along the way to what is ultimately victory.
We are a success-oriented, success-celebrating society, and most of us have spent our lives viewing failure as something to be avoided at all costs. That thinking has been difficult for many (or most) of us who have struggled with our weight for years. It's hard to be a walking example of weight loss failure in a society that rejects failure.
When we start on this program, we all experience immediate success as we see weight begin to drop, and that early success propels many of us on all the way to our goal. However, that early success doesn't keep everyone motivated and many find themselves struggling sooner or later.
I want to encourage all of the strugglers today. Your struggles, and even your failures, are valuable stepping-stones on the way to ultimate success. Every struggle and every failure teaches us what doesn't work and gives us the opportunity to fine-tune what we're doing - if we're paying attention along the way :-). I attended a nation-wide webcast last night and heard one presenter state that "the hallmark of achievers is that they have failed their way to success - every failure teaches us what doesn't work."
The key, of course, is to pay attention and use those struggles and failures as opportunities to learn. We may trip and fall a dozen times, but if we get up again and learn from the experience, we'll be stronger in the end. The victory will also be that much sweeter - and there WILL eventually be victory.
When we fail - and we all do, one way or another, sooner or later - we are faced with a choice. We can either beat ourselves up and allow the failure to define us, or we can choose to learn from the failure and use that failure to propel us to future success. The choice is ours, so choose wisely :-).
We are a success-oriented, success-celebrating society, and most of us have spent our lives viewing failure as something to be avoided at all costs. That thinking has been difficult for many (or most) of us who have struggled with our weight for years. It's hard to be a walking example of weight loss failure in a society that rejects failure.
When we start on this program, we all experience immediate success as we see weight begin to drop, and that early success propels many of us on all the way to our goal. However, that early success doesn't keep everyone motivated and many find themselves struggling sooner or later.
I want to encourage all of the strugglers today. Your struggles, and even your failures, are valuable stepping-stones on the way to ultimate success. Every struggle and every failure teaches us what doesn't work and gives us the opportunity to fine-tune what we're doing - if we're paying attention along the way :-). I attended a nation-wide webcast last night and heard one presenter state that "the hallmark of achievers is that they have failed their way to success - every failure teaches us what doesn't work."
The key, of course, is to pay attention and use those struggles and failures as opportunities to learn. We may trip and fall a dozen times, but if we get up again and learn from the experience, we'll be stronger in the end. The victory will also be that much sweeter - and there WILL eventually be victory.
When we fail - and we all do, one way or another, sooner or later - we are faced with a choice. We can either beat ourselves up and allow the failure to define us, or we can choose to learn from the failure and use that failure to propel us to future success. The choice is ours, so choose wisely :-).
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Close Call
There is something powerful about making a public commitment. That proved true once again last night for me. Because I wrote a couple of days ago that I've decided to go back on 5&1 until Christmas Day, I feel obligated to actually STAY on 5&1 until Christmas Day. That commitment was put to the test last night.
I attended my oldest granddaughter's school Christmas program (she was the cutest 1st grader up there, of course!). Following the hour-long program, they had a reception - three banquet tables lined up and covered with homemade baked goods. Yikes! My preference would have been to have avoided the post-program activity all together, but since this was an opportunity to spend time with my two oldest grandchildren, I stayed. My younger granddaughter (almost 5) needed help, so I ended up walking the entire length of the tables, looking at all of the food, as she decided which cookies she wanted. It was painful and I cannot tell you how tempted I was to have "just one."
But I didn't :-). What mostly stopped me was knowing that I'd just blogged about staying on plan, and I knew I needed to stand by what I said I'd do. I also realized that if I ate anything, it would undoubtedly end up being more than "just one." My brain disengages when I start eating sugar (it amazes me how fast I turn stupid when I get around sweets), so I knew that one cookie would most likely lead to several.
I also know how much I hate feeling guilty when I eat. I spent years feeling guilty about much of what I ate and it's no fun at all. I knew that if I started eating cookies last night, I would have felt guilty while I ate them and would have felt even MORE guilty as I wiped the last crumb from my mouth. It's not worth it.
So instead of eating things that I'd end up regretting, I helped my granddaughter get her treats, then got myself a cup of black coffee. I found a chair and enjoyed my coffee along with a Medifast chocolate mint maintenance bar. What amazed me was that the minute I unwrapped my bar and took a bite, the temptation to eat something else was gone - evaporated in a second. The temptation was replaced by a huge sense of relief at having stood firm and not caving in.
I may be in maintenance and may have been in my goal range for almost 19 months, but there is still a real sense of relief and empowerment when I can make a good choice - even when I don't want to :-). The sense of relief I had last night revealed how much I really did want to do the right thing for me. I savored my bar, sipped my coffee, and felt great - no guilt! It was a great feeling.
Making healthy choices isn't always easy and it sure isn't always fun, but after the choice is made, it feels a whole lot better than the alternative. When you face your own choices today, I hope you'll choose wisely :-)
I attended my oldest granddaughter's school Christmas program (she was the cutest 1st grader up there, of course!). Following the hour-long program, they had a reception - three banquet tables lined up and covered with homemade baked goods. Yikes! My preference would have been to have avoided the post-program activity all together, but since this was an opportunity to spend time with my two oldest grandchildren, I stayed. My younger granddaughter (almost 5) needed help, so I ended up walking the entire length of the tables, looking at all of the food, as she decided which cookies she wanted. It was painful and I cannot tell you how tempted I was to have "just one."
But I didn't :-). What mostly stopped me was knowing that I'd just blogged about staying on plan, and I knew I needed to stand by what I said I'd do. I also realized that if I ate anything, it would undoubtedly end up being more than "just one." My brain disengages when I start eating sugar (it amazes me how fast I turn stupid when I get around sweets), so I knew that one cookie would most likely lead to several.
I also know how much I hate feeling guilty when I eat. I spent years feeling guilty about much of what I ate and it's no fun at all. I knew that if I started eating cookies last night, I would have felt guilty while I ate them and would have felt even MORE guilty as I wiped the last crumb from my mouth. It's not worth it.
So instead of eating things that I'd end up regretting, I helped my granddaughter get her treats, then got myself a cup of black coffee. I found a chair and enjoyed my coffee along with a Medifast chocolate mint maintenance bar. What amazed me was that the minute I unwrapped my bar and took a bite, the temptation to eat something else was gone - evaporated in a second. The temptation was replaced by a huge sense of relief at having stood firm and not caving in.
I may be in maintenance and may have been in my goal range for almost 19 months, but there is still a real sense of relief and empowerment when I can make a good choice - even when I don't want to :-). The sense of relief I had last night revealed how much I really did want to do the right thing for me. I savored my bar, sipped my coffee, and felt great - no guilt! It was a great feeling.
Making healthy choices isn't always easy and it sure isn't always fun, but after the choice is made, it feels a whole lot better than the alternative. When you face your own choices today, I hope you'll choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Too Busy?
I never know where the next blog idea will come from, but I am always on the lookout for things that inspire me or get me to thinking. I clicked on a website yesterday and read their "thought for the day" and immediately knew I'd write about it. Here's the quote: "A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools." Isn't that a great quote?
Think about it. Imagine the best auto mechanic you know (they are worth their weight in gold, by the way!). If you've spent any time around a mechanic, you know that they are very particular about their tools. They carefully choose their tools and they make sure their tools are taken care of, because if they don't have their tools in proper working order, their business will suffer or even fail. Without their tools, they can't function.
During this time of year, we all have a tendency to say that we're too busy to take care of ourselves. We may think that we don't have time to eat right, don't have time to exercise, we don't have time to get enough sleep. When we don't care of ourselves, we end up functioning at less than our best. We don't feel good - we're tired, we're sluggish, and we may be dealing with blood sugar swings because we're not eating the right things at the right time.
The good news is that we can keep ourselves at our best by staying on plan and continuing to do the things we know we need to do. This time of year, we don't have time to NOT be our best.
To stay at our best, we have to make choices every day - some easy, some not. Choose wisely :-)
Think about it. Imagine the best auto mechanic you know (they are worth their weight in gold, by the way!). If you've spent any time around a mechanic, you know that they are very particular about their tools. They carefully choose their tools and they make sure their tools are taken care of, because if they don't have their tools in proper working order, their business will suffer or even fail. Without their tools, they can't function.
During this time of year, we all have a tendency to say that we're too busy to take care of ourselves. We may think that we don't have time to eat right, don't have time to exercise, we don't have time to get enough sleep. When we don't care of ourselves, we end up functioning at less than our best. We don't feel good - we're tired, we're sluggish, and we may be dealing with blood sugar swings because we're not eating the right things at the right time.
The good news is that we can keep ourselves at our best by staying on plan and continuing to do the things we know we need to do. This time of year, we don't have time to NOT be our best.
To stay at our best, we have to make choices every day - some easy, some not. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Still a Foreign Language - Kind Of
I am coming to the conclusion that making healthy choices will always be a bit like speaking a foreign language. With practice, it becomes more and more natural, but I'm not sure it will ever be my "mother tongue." This time of year is just plan tough - there's no other way to put it.
This is my second holiday season in maintenance, and it's not getting easier. Food temptations are everywhere and my "fat girl" taste buds are still alive and kicking - ugh! I wish I could say that making good choices all the time is second nature to me now, but that's not quite the case. Sometimes I just get tired of asking myself "what do I REALLY want?" because I am momentarily convinced that what I REALLY want is whatever is on the plate in front of me! I would like to get to the point where I'm not tempted any more, or where I am always focused on making healthy choices. I would like to be in a place where maintenance is always easy and always fun.
I hope nobody is disappointed to read that I'm struggling a bit right now, and it's OK if some of you are even relieved :-). I am committed to being as honest as I can be here in the hopes that if I honestly share my thoughts and my own journey, perhaps my experiences will resonate with someone and be helpful.
Because I've been "speaking this foreign language" for over 2-1/2 years now, I am getting better at it, but 100% fluency isn't yet on the horizon. What IS getting better is my ability to recognize when I've gotten off track and then rein things in again. I weigh myself every day and have my drop-dead number that mandates action. I also don't have anything in my closet that doesn't fit, so my clothes help to keep me honest. When I'm bumping up against my "drop dead" number on the scale, and/or when I have slacks getting snug, I know what it is I need to do. I would like to get to the point where I never, ever bump up against that number, and I would like to never again pull on a pair of slacks and find them more snug than I want them to be, but I'm not there yet.
In the midst of struggling a bit, there are some real victories. Yesterday I dealt with a very stressful situation, something that created a fair amount of turmoil for a while (thankfully, the situation was satisfactorily resolved a few hours later). For a brief moment, I really wanted to just eat, and I didn't want to eat anything healthy. Thankfully, I didn't have anything in the house that would have satisfied the cravings I had and I also recognized that I was dealing with a knee-jerk reaction to the stress. I took a deep breath, prayed a bit, then fixed some Medifast beef vegetable stew for my lunch.
Between now and Christmas Day, I'm sticking to five Medifast meals and a healthy lean and green. My reason for this is two-fold. First, I don't like the fact that I have been bumping up against my "drop dead" number on the scale lately, and I have a couple pairs of 6's that are snug (they all zip and button or snap, but they look and feel more snug than I'm comfortable wearing). I know that a short course of 5&1 will quickly remedy the scale and slack issues. Secondly, sticking to 5&1 from now until Christmas will keep me away from the "other stuff." I know that I don't do well once I start eating sugar, and there's enough of that stuff around (not in my house, but everyplace else) to keep me in a sugar-induced stupor for the rest of 2009. Being on 5&1 makes it easier for me to not eat the stuff - no need to deliberate over the choices.
Choices are never more challenging than they are this time of year, and every day brings a whole new set of challenges. Stay focused on what you REALLY want, and choose wisely :-).
This is my second holiday season in maintenance, and it's not getting easier. Food temptations are everywhere and my "fat girl" taste buds are still alive and kicking - ugh! I wish I could say that making good choices all the time is second nature to me now, but that's not quite the case. Sometimes I just get tired of asking myself "what do I REALLY want?" because I am momentarily convinced that what I REALLY want is whatever is on the plate in front of me! I would like to get to the point where I'm not tempted any more, or where I am always focused on making healthy choices. I would like to be in a place where maintenance is always easy and always fun.
I hope nobody is disappointed to read that I'm struggling a bit right now, and it's OK if some of you are even relieved :-). I am committed to being as honest as I can be here in the hopes that if I honestly share my thoughts and my own journey, perhaps my experiences will resonate with someone and be helpful.
Because I've been "speaking this foreign language" for over 2-1/2 years now, I am getting better at it, but 100% fluency isn't yet on the horizon. What IS getting better is my ability to recognize when I've gotten off track and then rein things in again. I weigh myself every day and have my drop-dead number that mandates action. I also don't have anything in my closet that doesn't fit, so my clothes help to keep me honest. When I'm bumping up against my "drop dead" number on the scale, and/or when I have slacks getting snug, I know what it is I need to do. I would like to get to the point where I never, ever bump up against that number, and I would like to never again pull on a pair of slacks and find them more snug than I want them to be, but I'm not there yet.
In the midst of struggling a bit, there are some real victories. Yesterday I dealt with a very stressful situation, something that created a fair amount of turmoil for a while (thankfully, the situation was satisfactorily resolved a few hours later). For a brief moment, I really wanted to just eat, and I didn't want to eat anything healthy. Thankfully, I didn't have anything in the house that would have satisfied the cravings I had and I also recognized that I was dealing with a knee-jerk reaction to the stress. I took a deep breath, prayed a bit, then fixed some Medifast beef vegetable stew for my lunch.
Between now and Christmas Day, I'm sticking to five Medifast meals and a healthy lean and green. My reason for this is two-fold. First, I don't like the fact that I have been bumping up against my "drop dead" number on the scale lately, and I have a couple pairs of 6's that are snug (they all zip and button or snap, but they look and feel more snug than I'm comfortable wearing). I know that a short course of 5&1 will quickly remedy the scale and slack issues. Secondly, sticking to 5&1 from now until Christmas will keep me away from the "other stuff." I know that I don't do well once I start eating sugar, and there's enough of that stuff around (not in my house, but everyplace else) to keep me in a sugar-induced stupor for the rest of 2009. Being on 5&1 makes it easier for me to not eat the stuff - no need to deliberate over the choices.
Choices are never more challenging than they are this time of year, and every day brings a whole new set of challenges. Stay focused on what you REALLY want, and choose wisely :-).
Monday, December 14, 2009
Good Intentions or Thought-Through Strategies?
Happy Monday! We're just about half-way through December and just a couple of weeks away from the start of a new year. Whew!
Yesterday I read an article on perseverance - doing the right thing "until the stars fall." The writer said, We’d all agree that “Do right” is a terrific piece of advice. But coming to grips with that advice may be a challenge. I usually feel pretty good about what I do. And I rarely think I am wrong. But my best-intentioned moves in life are more like ready, fire, aim, instead of well-thought-through strategies on how to do what is truly right. Emotions have a way of pulling the trigger before I fully think the moment through. Rationalizations and excuses have a way of fogging my perspectives so that things that are clearly wrong look like pretty good options."
When it comes to staying on plan through the holidays, this is definitely the time for well-thought-through strategies instead of just good intentions. Good intentions tend to bite the cookie dust this time of year if we don't take the time (or make the time) to really plan our day. Many of us will attend one or more party between now and the end of the year, and there is no such thing as a party without food. While we're on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, most of the party food will not be on plan. If we walk into those situations with good intentions, but no plan, there is a good chance that we'll leave the event off plan. We walk in with good intentions, but then we see something that looks good and we rationalize that we'll just have one bite. Several bites later, as we realize that we've probably kicked ourselves out of the fat-burning state, we may then decide to just go for it with the food and get back on plan tomorrow. We've allowed emotions to pull the trigger before we've thought it through.
I have two suggestions as you face your own food challenges over the next couple of weeks. The first suggestion will probably come as no surprise: commit to stay on plan and view this as just one holiday season that you're sitting out (food-wise) in order to celebrate holidays the rest of your life at a healthy weight. Two years ago, that's exactly what I did and I have NO regrets for doing so. Some of you will do the same and will start the new year at a new, low weight.
The second suggestion is for those of you who have made the decision to "take a break" until the holidays are over. My purpose here isn't to try and talk you out of it, nor do I want to debate the wisdom of your decision. What I DO want to do is make a suggestion or two that will hopefully help you get through the next couple of weeks with minimal damage.
My second suggestion is to carefully plan the how, when and what of eating off plan. For the days when you don't have a holiday event, I would encourage you to stay on plan. On the days you have a holiday event, eat several Medifast meals leading up to the event to help manage your calories, and make sure that you have a Medifast meal before you leave for the party so you don't arrive famished. When you get to your event, figure out exactly what it is that you really want to eat and take a small portion of just those things. If you view these next couple of weeks as a food free-for-all, you can potentially lose a lot of hard-fought ground and wake up on January 1 up several pounds. If you've already decided to go off plan, I'm encouraging you to set a goal of not gaining any weight between now and the first of the year. By planning carefully now, and by not losing sight of what you really want, you will do some controlled off-plan eating and be ready to pick up where you left off after the holidays.
The choice to stay on plan or not stay on plan is yours, so think about the choice you want to make and think about how you'll feel on January 2 as a result of that choice. Then choose wisely :-)
Yesterday I read an article on perseverance - doing the right thing "until the stars fall." The writer said, We’d all agree that “Do right” is a terrific piece of advice. But coming to grips with that advice may be a challenge. I usually feel pretty good about what I do. And I rarely think I am wrong. But my best-intentioned moves in life are more like ready, fire, aim, instead of well-thought-through strategies on how to do what is truly right. Emotions have a way of pulling the trigger before I fully think the moment through. Rationalizations and excuses have a way of fogging my perspectives so that things that are clearly wrong look like pretty good options."
When it comes to staying on plan through the holidays, this is definitely the time for well-thought-through strategies instead of just good intentions. Good intentions tend to bite the cookie dust this time of year if we don't take the time (or make the time) to really plan our day. Many of us will attend one or more party between now and the end of the year, and there is no such thing as a party without food. While we're on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, most of the party food will not be on plan. If we walk into those situations with good intentions, but no plan, there is a good chance that we'll leave the event off plan. We walk in with good intentions, but then we see something that looks good and we rationalize that we'll just have one bite. Several bites later, as we realize that we've probably kicked ourselves out of the fat-burning state, we may then decide to just go for it with the food and get back on plan tomorrow. We've allowed emotions to pull the trigger before we've thought it through.
I have two suggestions as you face your own food challenges over the next couple of weeks. The first suggestion will probably come as no surprise: commit to stay on plan and view this as just one holiday season that you're sitting out (food-wise) in order to celebrate holidays the rest of your life at a healthy weight. Two years ago, that's exactly what I did and I have NO regrets for doing so. Some of you will do the same and will start the new year at a new, low weight.
The second suggestion is for those of you who have made the decision to "take a break" until the holidays are over. My purpose here isn't to try and talk you out of it, nor do I want to debate the wisdom of your decision. What I DO want to do is make a suggestion or two that will hopefully help you get through the next couple of weeks with minimal damage.
My second suggestion is to carefully plan the how, when and what of eating off plan. For the days when you don't have a holiday event, I would encourage you to stay on plan. On the days you have a holiday event, eat several Medifast meals leading up to the event to help manage your calories, and make sure that you have a Medifast meal before you leave for the party so you don't arrive famished. When you get to your event, figure out exactly what it is that you really want to eat and take a small portion of just those things. If you view these next couple of weeks as a food free-for-all, you can potentially lose a lot of hard-fought ground and wake up on January 1 up several pounds. If you've already decided to go off plan, I'm encouraging you to set a goal of not gaining any weight between now and the first of the year. By planning carefully now, and by not losing sight of what you really want, you will do some controlled off-plan eating and be ready to pick up where you left off after the holidays.
The choice to stay on plan or not stay on plan is yours, so think about the choice you want to make and think about how you'll feel on January 2 as a result of that choice. Then choose wisely :-)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It Really Is a Wonderful Life . . . Now
Happy Sunday! After going to the "Nutcracker" ballet yesterday afternoon with my daughters and two oldest granddaughters (and we had a wonderful time), I ended the day by watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my husband.
"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my favorite Christmas movies and it still makes my cry at the end as George Bailey realizes how rich his life really is. For those of you who are familiar with the movie, you know that George didn't realize how blessed his life was until he had the opportunity to see what life would have been like if he'd never been born.
After watching the movie, I did a little imagining of my own, only instead of imagining what life would be like if I'd never been born, I got to wondering what my life would look like today if I hadn't found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost 126 pounds. I certainly couldn't have imagined 2-1/2 years ago that my life would have changed as much as it has, and I got to imagining for a few minutes what it would look like if I was still 260 pounds.
It's wasn't a happy picture. For one, I know that if I was still 260 pounds (or more), I would now be a full-blown diabetic on medication. I was diabetic when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, but not yet on medication. However, my numbers were on the rise and I knew that at my next doctor's visit she would insist that I go on one drug or another. I was already on medication for cholesterol and gastric reflux, and with my blood pressure on the rise, I imagine I would also be on medication for that by now. My knee was really painful and I often had problems walking very far, so I'm guessing that I would be even less mobile now. Because my weight was going up, I may have been edging close to 300 pounds by now. My energy would be low and I'd feel sluggish most of the time. I remember hating how I looked and felt, and I imagine that another 2-1/2 years of morbid obesity would have wreaked further havoc on my emotions and my self-esteem. The picture in my mind is pretty sad.
I would also still be at my job at the hospital, putting in lots of hours and most likely dealing with the challenges hospitals are facing as they try to balance their budget (i.e., small or no salary increase, or even reduction in hours or pay). My work day priorities and my pay would still be determined by someone else and I wouldn't have the flexibility I do now to focus on the things that matter the most to me. Losing the weight led to me eventually becoming a full-time Take Shape for Life certified health coach, and I now have the joy of working with people every day and helping others get healthy.
Had I not found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost my weight, my life would also be far less rich in friendships, as I have met so many wonderful people from all over the country through the Take Shape for Life community.
The "what if I hadn't lost weight" imagining didn't last very long - thankfully! It wasn't a very happy mind escape, but it WAS very sobering and humbling. I certainly had no idea that anything positive would happen when I started on the plan. Honestly, I thought the only thing I would really lose was close to $300 :-). I had no idea that I would not only lose the weight I needed to lose (and continue to keep it off), but that I'd also enjoy so many wonderful new things.
As I think about all that has happened, the word that comes to mind is "joy." My life has so much more joy these days, and I'm so thankful to God for all He has done in my life, including leading me to this program when He did. As I watched "It's a Wonderful Life," all I could think of is, it sure is!
As I imagined my life still obese, I realized that the difference today began with a choice to go on plan. Each day that I reinforced that original choice by staying on plan moved me one day closer to the life and health that I have today.
The choices you make today will either move you towards the life you want to live or will keep you in a place you don't want to be. Choose wisely :-)
"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my favorite Christmas movies and it still makes my cry at the end as George Bailey realizes how rich his life really is. For those of you who are familiar with the movie, you know that George didn't realize how blessed his life was until he had the opportunity to see what life would have been like if he'd never been born.
After watching the movie, I did a little imagining of my own, only instead of imagining what life would be like if I'd never been born, I got to wondering what my life would look like today if I hadn't found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost 126 pounds. I certainly couldn't have imagined 2-1/2 years ago that my life would have changed as much as it has, and I got to imagining for a few minutes what it would look like if I was still 260 pounds.
It's wasn't a happy picture. For one, I know that if I was still 260 pounds (or more), I would now be a full-blown diabetic on medication. I was diabetic when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, but not yet on medication. However, my numbers were on the rise and I knew that at my next doctor's visit she would insist that I go on one drug or another. I was already on medication for cholesterol and gastric reflux, and with my blood pressure on the rise, I imagine I would also be on medication for that by now. My knee was really painful and I often had problems walking very far, so I'm guessing that I would be even less mobile now. Because my weight was going up, I may have been edging close to 300 pounds by now. My energy would be low and I'd feel sluggish most of the time. I remember hating how I looked and felt, and I imagine that another 2-1/2 years of morbid obesity would have wreaked further havoc on my emotions and my self-esteem. The picture in my mind is pretty sad.
I would also still be at my job at the hospital, putting in lots of hours and most likely dealing with the challenges hospitals are facing as they try to balance their budget (i.e., small or no salary increase, or even reduction in hours or pay). My work day priorities and my pay would still be determined by someone else and I wouldn't have the flexibility I do now to focus on the things that matter the most to me. Losing the weight led to me eventually becoming a full-time Take Shape for Life certified health coach, and I now have the joy of working with people every day and helping others get healthy.
Had I not found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost my weight, my life would also be far less rich in friendships, as I have met so many wonderful people from all over the country through the Take Shape for Life community.
The "what if I hadn't lost weight" imagining didn't last very long - thankfully! It wasn't a very happy mind escape, but it WAS very sobering and humbling. I certainly had no idea that anything positive would happen when I started on the plan. Honestly, I thought the only thing I would really lose was close to $300 :-). I had no idea that I would not only lose the weight I needed to lose (and continue to keep it off), but that I'd also enjoy so many wonderful new things.
As I think about all that has happened, the word that comes to mind is "joy." My life has so much more joy these days, and I'm so thankful to God for all He has done in my life, including leading me to this program when He did. As I watched "It's a Wonderful Life," all I could think of is, it sure is!
As I imagined my life still obese, I realized that the difference today began with a choice to go on plan. Each day that I reinforced that original choice by staying on plan moved me one day closer to the life and health that I have today.
The choices you make today will either move you towards the life you want to live or will keep you in a place you don't want to be. Choose wisely :-)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
It's a Memory-Making Day
Happy Saturday! Today is a special day for my daughters, my two oldest granddaughters and me, as we will be going to lunch together and then attending "The Nutcracker" ballet this afternoon.
This is a tradition I started with my daughters when they were young and we've gone to "The Nutcracker" almost every December since. It's a real joy to now be sharing this fun tradition with my two oldest granddaughters (6-1/2 and almost 5), and I look forward to having my youngest two grandchildren joining us next year when they're 4. After the ballet, the children take part in the "Sugar Plum Parade," where they are able to go back stage to see the set and meet the dancers (and have their picture taken with the Nutcracker and the Sugar Plum Fairy). Before heading home, we'll go out for dessert and coffee (hot cocoa for the children). It will be a very full and very fun afternoon, and I hope we're making some memories they will treasure the rest of their lives. If today is anything like last year, the little girls will be all dressed up and they will spend part of intermission twirling around, pretending to be ballerinas. The restaurant where we'll have lunch, and later dessert, is at a lovely hotel that will be decorated to the hilt for Christmas, and we'll spend time walking around looking at all of the decorations, including a two-story Christmas tree.
My grandchildren were one of the reasons I was motivated to finally lose weight and get healthy. Two and a half years ago, when I first started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, my grandchildren were all tiny and I realized that I risked not watching them grow up if I didn't get healthy. Between being diabetic and being morbidly obese, I knew I was heading to an early death. I also knew that there was no way I would be able to be an active and fun grandmother at 260 pounds, and I didn't want the quality of my life compromised, especially when it came to enjoying my grandchildren. As I contemplated the prospect of missing out on fun times with my grandchildren because of my obesity, food didn't seem quite so appealing anymore - my "why" was finally big enough to do what I needed to do.
We all have to find our "why", and it will be different for each of us. What's important is that our "why" be big enough to get us through those tough on-plan days. What is your dream? What will reaching goal look like for you? What will it mean for you?
For me, my "why" was being able to enjoy my grandchildren and be a part of their lives the whole time they're growing up. Lord willing, that's what I'm going to do. We're going to make some memories this afternoon, and I'm looking forward to making memories with them for many years to come. There is nothing I could eat that would be worth missing out on these memories.
I'm choosing to be around and make memories with my grandchildren, which means I'm choosing to stay as healthy as I possibly can. What choices will you make today for your own "why?" Your choices will either support your "why" or they won't, so choose wisely :-)
This is a tradition I started with my daughters when they were young and we've gone to "The Nutcracker" almost every December since. It's a real joy to now be sharing this fun tradition with my two oldest granddaughters (6-1/2 and almost 5), and I look forward to having my youngest two grandchildren joining us next year when they're 4. After the ballet, the children take part in the "Sugar Plum Parade," where they are able to go back stage to see the set and meet the dancers (and have their picture taken with the Nutcracker and the Sugar Plum Fairy). Before heading home, we'll go out for dessert and coffee (hot cocoa for the children). It will be a very full and very fun afternoon, and I hope we're making some memories they will treasure the rest of their lives. If today is anything like last year, the little girls will be all dressed up and they will spend part of intermission twirling around, pretending to be ballerinas. The restaurant where we'll have lunch, and later dessert, is at a lovely hotel that will be decorated to the hilt for Christmas, and we'll spend time walking around looking at all of the decorations, including a two-story Christmas tree.
My grandchildren were one of the reasons I was motivated to finally lose weight and get healthy. Two and a half years ago, when I first started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, my grandchildren were all tiny and I realized that I risked not watching them grow up if I didn't get healthy. Between being diabetic and being morbidly obese, I knew I was heading to an early death. I also knew that there was no way I would be able to be an active and fun grandmother at 260 pounds, and I didn't want the quality of my life compromised, especially when it came to enjoying my grandchildren. As I contemplated the prospect of missing out on fun times with my grandchildren because of my obesity, food didn't seem quite so appealing anymore - my "why" was finally big enough to do what I needed to do.
We all have to find our "why", and it will be different for each of us. What's important is that our "why" be big enough to get us through those tough on-plan days. What is your dream? What will reaching goal look like for you? What will it mean for you?
For me, my "why" was being able to enjoy my grandchildren and be a part of their lives the whole time they're growing up. Lord willing, that's what I'm going to do. We're going to make some memories this afternoon, and I'm looking forward to making memories with them for many years to come. There is nothing I could eat that would be worth missing out on these memories.
I'm choosing to be around and make memories with my grandchildren, which means I'm choosing to stay as healthy as I possibly can. What choices will you make today for your own "why?" Your choices will either support your "why" or they won't, so choose wisely :-)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Complete Meals - Then and Now
It's amazing what passes as a "meal" these day. One of the local fast food restaurants near my house has been advertising "complete meals" for only $4. What a deal - or is it?
First of all, the "complete meal" is a hamburger, fries and soda. Once upon a time, I would have considered that a "complete meal", figuring I was getting protein, carbs, and veggies (fries). To be sure, even in those days I knew it wasn't a balanced meal, but I'd hate to tell you how many times French fries were as close as my children and I would get to a vegetable on one of our busy, on-the-go days. I might enhance the nutrition incrementally with some lettuce and a slice of tomato on the burger, but I certainly missed the nutritional mark by a wide margin. I tried to find the nutritional information for one of the complete meal options, the triple steakburger and fries, but it wasn't available on the company's website. I can only guess, but it wouldn't surprise me if the calorie, fat, and sodium count for that meal exceeded the recommended daily guidelines. Sadly, while a meal like this would be way over the recommended guidelines for calories, fat and sodium, it would be severely lacking in nutrition.
When I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, some people questioned the safety of consuming less than 1,000 calories a day, certain that going this low wasn't safe. The irony was that even though my calories were drastically reduced, I was probably getting better nutrition than I had in a very long time - perhaps ever. Many of the calories I consumed to sustain my weight at 260 were empty calories - sweets, chips, etc. Yes, I ate fruit and vegetables and I tried to eat organic and preservative-free as much as possible, but I also consumed a lot of empty calories. On 5&1, every calorie was nutrient dense.
It's been a journey to go from viewing a burger, fries and soda combo as a complete meal to considering a single Medifast crunch bar a complete meal (which it is, in every sense of the word "complete"). By making that change in my thinking, I was able to finally reach a healthy weight and went from surviving to truly thriving. I'm also saving money, because for the price of the "complete meal" offered by the fast food restaurant, I can have two REAL meals - Medifast meals - now that's a true deal!
Today we'll face choices as to how we're going to spend our calories and our money. Choose wisely :-)
First of all, the "complete meal" is a hamburger, fries and soda. Once upon a time, I would have considered that a "complete meal", figuring I was getting protein, carbs, and veggies (fries). To be sure, even in those days I knew it wasn't a balanced meal, but I'd hate to tell you how many times French fries were as close as my children and I would get to a vegetable on one of our busy, on-the-go days. I might enhance the nutrition incrementally with some lettuce and a slice of tomato on the burger, but I certainly missed the nutritional mark by a wide margin. I tried to find the nutritional information for one of the complete meal options, the triple steakburger and fries, but it wasn't available on the company's website. I can only guess, but it wouldn't surprise me if the calorie, fat, and sodium count for that meal exceeded the recommended daily guidelines. Sadly, while a meal like this would be way over the recommended guidelines for calories, fat and sodium, it would be severely lacking in nutrition.
When I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, some people questioned the safety of consuming less than 1,000 calories a day, certain that going this low wasn't safe. The irony was that even though my calories were drastically reduced, I was probably getting better nutrition than I had in a very long time - perhaps ever. Many of the calories I consumed to sustain my weight at 260 were empty calories - sweets, chips, etc. Yes, I ate fruit and vegetables and I tried to eat organic and preservative-free as much as possible, but I also consumed a lot of empty calories. On 5&1, every calorie was nutrient dense.
It's been a journey to go from viewing a burger, fries and soda combo as a complete meal to considering a single Medifast crunch bar a complete meal (which it is, in every sense of the word "complete"). By making that change in my thinking, I was able to finally reach a healthy weight and went from surviving to truly thriving. I'm also saving money, because for the price of the "complete meal" offered by the fast food restaurant, I can have two REAL meals - Medifast meals - now that's a true deal!
Today we'll face choices as to how we're going to spend our calories and our money. Choose wisely :-)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Semi-Snowed In
Happy Thursday! The winter storm moved in in earnest last night and we have a blizzard with all that brings, including near-zero wind chills. I know that a lot of you are dealing with this same type of weather and I hope everyone is able to stay warm and safe.
My husband has the day off today (he works part-time in the jewelry department at our local J.C. Penney store after retiring last January from 38 years as a retail jewelry store manager). We're planning to stay in and will work from home today (he also works with me in our TSFL health coaching business). In the past, being snowed in meant only one thing: baking (and eating) lots of chocolate chip cookies. Living in Michigan, getting snowed in is a given at least once every winter, so we always kept supplies on hand and were ready. I remember one time years ago when the snow hit so fast that it caught us off guard. One of our friends stopped by on his snowmobile to see if we needed any supplies and we asked him to pick up a couple bags of chocolate chips for us, which he did. Thankfully he had to pass our house to get to the store, so I didn't feel guilty asking him to risk life and limb so we could bake cookies :-).
Prior to losing weight, food - especially fattening food - was the centerpiece of almost any event, and any event was a reason to eat. I'd be less than honest if I told you that I wasn't even tempted to bake - and eat - a dozen cookies or so, because the thought crossed both my husband's mind and mine. What's different this time is that even though we toyed with the idea, and even though it was a pretty tempting thought, we didn't follow through with it.
It's not that there is anything wrong with spending a snowy day inside baking cookies, but my husband and I know that warm cookies aren't something that we can approach with any level of moderation. If we baked them, they would be gone in record time, with only crumbs around our mouths to incriminate us. Because neither one of us can deal rationally with sweets in the house, we keep them out. Period - no negotiation.
It helps that both of us are committed to maintaining our weight loss and continuing our pursuit of optimal health, because I think that if one of us was game to bake, the other one would probably go along. When we were both overweight, we were co-conspirators in our eating. We openly sabotaged each other sometimes - it's no surprise that we both struggled with weight for such a long time. Now we support each other to stay healthy, which is MUCH better!
Staying focused on what we really want - staying healthy - helps us make some tough choices. It always comes back to primary choices and secondary choices. Since our primary choice is staying at a healthy weight, we make some secondary choices that aren't necessarily fun (like deciding to not bake & eat cookies) because those secondary choices support our primary choice. Once we've made a decision on what's most important to us, it makes those other decisions a lot easier.
The choices we make today will either move us in the direction we want to go or will move us away. Choose wisely :-)
My husband has the day off today (he works part-time in the jewelry department at our local J.C. Penney store after retiring last January from 38 years as a retail jewelry store manager). We're planning to stay in and will work from home today (he also works with me in our TSFL health coaching business). In the past, being snowed in meant only one thing: baking (and eating) lots of chocolate chip cookies. Living in Michigan, getting snowed in is a given at least once every winter, so we always kept supplies on hand and were ready. I remember one time years ago when the snow hit so fast that it caught us off guard. One of our friends stopped by on his snowmobile to see if we needed any supplies and we asked him to pick up a couple bags of chocolate chips for us, which he did. Thankfully he had to pass our house to get to the store, so I didn't feel guilty asking him to risk life and limb so we could bake cookies :-).
Prior to losing weight, food - especially fattening food - was the centerpiece of almost any event, and any event was a reason to eat. I'd be less than honest if I told you that I wasn't even tempted to bake - and eat - a dozen cookies or so, because the thought crossed both my husband's mind and mine. What's different this time is that even though we toyed with the idea, and even though it was a pretty tempting thought, we didn't follow through with it.
It's not that there is anything wrong with spending a snowy day inside baking cookies, but my husband and I know that warm cookies aren't something that we can approach with any level of moderation. If we baked them, they would be gone in record time, with only crumbs around our mouths to incriminate us. Because neither one of us can deal rationally with sweets in the house, we keep them out. Period - no negotiation.
It helps that both of us are committed to maintaining our weight loss and continuing our pursuit of optimal health, because I think that if one of us was game to bake, the other one would probably go along. When we were both overweight, we were co-conspirators in our eating. We openly sabotaged each other sometimes - it's no surprise that we both struggled with weight for such a long time. Now we support each other to stay healthy, which is MUCH better!
Staying focused on what we really want - staying healthy - helps us make some tough choices. It always comes back to primary choices and secondary choices. Since our primary choice is staying at a healthy weight, we make some secondary choices that aren't necessarily fun (like deciding to not bake & eat cookies) because those secondary choices support our primary choice. Once we've made a decision on what's most important to us, it makes those other decisions a lot easier.
The choices we make today will either move us in the direction we want to go or will move us away. Choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Good News!
Happy Wednesday! Like much of the country right now, my state is in the grips of a winter storm today. Since losing my layer of fat, staying warm is definitely more of a challenge now - but I've happily traded the fat for some wonderful Cuddle Duds and warm sweaters :-).
The weather report isn't necessarily good news today (unless you're either a skier or a polar bear), but I DO have some good news to share! I read an article yesterday entitled "Never Have a Heart Attack" (it was in the latest issue of "AARP Magazine", but don't hold that against me!). As I read the article, I realized that Take Shape for Life/Medifast is the answer to all but one of the risk factors for heart attacks.
Before I share the risk factors, I want to back up and share what the article said about the difference risk factors can make. According to the article, "a 50-yr. old man with none of the risk factors has only a 5 percent chance over the next 45 years of ever having a heart attack," according to the director of the Framingham Heart Study. "But if that man has even one risk factor, his change of having a heart attack soars to 50 percent. For a woman with no risk factors, the chance of having a heart attack is 8 percent; with just one risk factor, it goes to 38 percent." The article noted that twenty-five percent of Americans over age 50 have at least two risk factors and only ten percent have every risk factor under control.
The six steps in reducing your risk are:
1) Keep your cholesterol in check. Take Shape for Life/Medifast can have a very impressive positive impact on cholesterol, and it often happens quite quickly. Even before significant weight has been lost, individuals often see their cholesterol levels return to normal because eating six small nutrient-dense meals per day helps to normalize blood chemistry.
2) Lower your blood pressure. Again, blood pressure often begins to drop shortly after an individual starts on the program, even before there has been a big drop in weight.
3) Stop smoking. Take Shape for Life/Medifast doesn't directly help with this, but often once people start losing weight and getting healthier, they find new motivation to kick their smoking addiction, too.
4) Control your blood sugar. Take Shape for Life/Medifast's diabetic program has helped many diabetics reduce or eliminate their medication while, at the same time, bringing blood sugar into a normal range. This program eliminated my own diabetes, and I saw my blood glucose return to normal in the first week on the program.
5) Control your weight. Everyone who goes on the program and follows the program loses weight, and if you stay on the program, you WILL get to a health weight.
6) Exercise regularly. An important part of this program is incorporating activity into our lives, and it is essential to maintain a healthy weight and as we continue moving towards optimal health.
Maybe you're only on this program so you can fit into your favorite pair of jeans, but even if that's your motivation (and there's nothing wrong with that!), while you're getting into those jeans, you're also getting healthy. What you're doing right now is reducing your risk for a host of disease later on, including heart disease. Pretty good deal, don't you think?
If you started on this program because of health concerns, then be encouraged to know that you really ARE getting healthier, one day at a time.
Reducing risk for heart attack and other diseases happens one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-).
The weather report isn't necessarily good news today (unless you're either a skier or a polar bear), but I DO have some good news to share! I read an article yesterday entitled "Never Have a Heart Attack" (it was in the latest issue of "AARP Magazine", but don't hold that against me!). As I read the article, I realized that Take Shape for Life/Medifast is the answer to all but one of the risk factors for heart attacks.
Before I share the risk factors, I want to back up and share what the article said about the difference risk factors can make. According to the article, "a 50-yr. old man with none of the risk factors has only a 5 percent chance over the next 45 years of ever having a heart attack," according to the director of the Framingham Heart Study. "But if that man has even one risk factor, his change of having a heart attack soars to 50 percent. For a woman with no risk factors, the chance of having a heart attack is 8 percent; with just one risk factor, it goes to 38 percent." The article noted that twenty-five percent of Americans over age 50 have at least two risk factors and only ten percent have every risk factor under control.
The six steps in reducing your risk are:
1) Keep your cholesterol in check. Take Shape for Life/Medifast can have a very impressive positive impact on cholesterol, and it often happens quite quickly. Even before significant weight has been lost, individuals often see their cholesterol levels return to normal because eating six small nutrient-dense meals per day helps to normalize blood chemistry.
2) Lower your blood pressure. Again, blood pressure often begins to drop shortly after an individual starts on the program, even before there has been a big drop in weight.
3) Stop smoking. Take Shape for Life/Medifast doesn't directly help with this, but often once people start losing weight and getting healthier, they find new motivation to kick their smoking addiction, too.
4) Control your blood sugar. Take Shape for Life/Medifast's diabetic program has helped many diabetics reduce or eliminate their medication while, at the same time, bringing blood sugar into a normal range. This program eliminated my own diabetes, and I saw my blood glucose return to normal in the first week on the program.
5) Control your weight. Everyone who goes on the program and follows the program loses weight, and if you stay on the program, you WILL get to a health weight.
6) Exercise regularly. An important part of this program is incorporating activity into our lives, and it is essential to maintain a healthy weight and as we continue moving towards optimal health.
Maybe you're only on this program so you can fit into your favorite pair of jeans, but even if that's your motivation (and there's nothing wrong with that!), while you're getting into those jeans, you're also getting healthy. What you're doing right now is reducing your risk for a host of disease later on, including heart disease. Pretty good deal, don't you think?
If you started on this program because of health concerns, then be encouraged to know that you really ARE getting healthier, one day at a time.
Reducing risk for heart attack and other diseases happens one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-).
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A Clearer Perspective
Last night my husband and I went to see "A Christmas Carol" in 3-D at our local IMax theater. I love the story anyway, and it was fun seeing it in 3-D and on an IMax screen. Without the 3-D glasses, the screen was pretty fuzzy and looked out of focus, but the glasses really brought the scene to life - it felt like we could reach out and touch the characters. The glasses gave me the proper perspective to enjoy the movie as it was intended, and the result was amazing!
When I first started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, my view of the program was pretty fuzzy and slightly out of focus. I viewed this as a diet and figured that it would probably take the same route as every other diet I'd ever been on. I thought it was pretty restrictive (which is it!) and I wasn't particularly excited about having whole food groups removed from my eating plan. I viewed the program as a "quick fix". Since I knew it was the same program Johns Hopkins uses, I realized it wasn't a fad or crash diet, but I really didn't think it was sustainable over a long period of time. Still, I felt relieved that it freed me from having to think a lot about what I was going to eat, and I was happy to not have to count calories, carbs or points.
Somewhere along the way, however, it felt like I picked up a pair of 3-D glasses, because I began to view this program from an entirely new perspective. For starters, instead of viewing the program as restrictive, I saw it as a secure vehicle that would safely get me to my goal as quickly as possible. By keeping it really simple, the program was truly "goof proof" - all I had to do was follow the simple guidelines and I couldn't help but lose weight. Because I saw a dramatic improvement in my blood glucose numbers (down to normal my very first week), I also realized that this program was about a lot more than just getting me thin - it was also getting me healthy. Instead of thinking of this as a diet or a weight loss program, I began to view it as a wellness program.
I also realized that reaching my goal wasn't the end of my journey, but an important step on an ongoing journey. That was a very different perspective indeed! I had never even gotten close to my goal on any other program I'd tried, so I'd never thought about what would be on the other side of goal until I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.
The last change of perspective came when I shifted my focus from moving away from my obesity to creating health in my life. Creating something is a lot more exciting and definitely more fun than solving a problem, and creating is an ongoing journey, while problem solving is self-limiting.
When my focus was still fuzzy, it wasn't always easy to stay on plan because I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. Looking back, I'm so glad I made the choice to just do it, even when I wasn't sure it would work and even when I wasn't having much fun. Getting a different - and much clearer - perspective made the choice to stay on plan a lot easier, and keeping that new perspective makes maintenance a lot easier, too.
Every day we have to choose what we're going to focus on, then choose how we're going to respond. If you feel like your own vision is still a bit fuzzy, hang in there, because in time you'll get your own pair of 3-D glasses and you'll view this program with a whole new perspective. In the meantime, choose wisely :-).
When I first started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, my view of the program was pretty fuzzy and slightly out of focus. I viewed this as a diet and figured that it would probably take the same route as every other diet I'd ever been on. I thought it was pretty restrictive (which is it!) and I wasn't particularly excited about having whole food groups removed from my eating plan. I viewed the program as a "quick fix". Since I knew it was the same program Johns Hopkins uses, I realized it wasn't a fad or crash diet, but I really didn't think it was sustainable over a long period of time. Still, I felt relieved that it freed me from having to think a lot about what I was going to eat, and I was happy to not have to count calories, carbs or points.
Somewhere along the way, however, it felt like I picked up a pair of 3-D glasses, because I began to view this program from an entirely new perspective. For starters, instead of viewing the program as restrictive, I saw it as a secure vehicle that would safely get me to my goal as quickly as possible. By keeping it really simple, the program was truly "goof proof" - all I had to do was follow the simple guidelines and I couldn't help but lose weight. Because I saw a dramatic improvement in my blood glucose numbers (down to normal my very first week), I also realized that this program was about a lot more than just getting me thin - it was also getting me healthy. Instead of thinking of this as a diet or a weight loss program, I began to view it as a wellness program.
I also realized that reaching my goal wasn't the end of my journey, but an important step on an ongoing journey. That was a very different perspective indeed! I had never even gotten close to my goal on any other program I'd tried, so I'd never thought about what would be on the other side of goal until I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.
The last change of perspective came when I shifted my focus from moving away from my obesity to creating health in my life. Creating something is a lot more exciting and definitely more fun than solving a problem, and creating is an ongoing journey, while problem solving is self-limiting.
When my focus was still fuzzy, it wasn't always easy to stay on plan because I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. Looking back, I'm so glad I made the choice to just do it, even when I wasn't sure it would work and even when I wasn't having much fun. Getting a different - and much clearer - perspective made the choice to stay on plan a lot easier, and keeping that new perspective makes maintenance a lot easier, too.
Every day we have to choose what we're going to focus on, then choose how we're going to respond. If you feel like your own vision is still a bit fuzzy, hang in there, because in time you'll get your own pair of 3-D glasses and you'll view this program with a whole new perspective. In the meantime, choose wisely :-).
Monday, December 7, 2009
Avoiding Fender Benders
Some things are as predictable as, well, snow in Michigan in the winter. One of the things that is absolutely predictable with the first snow of the winter is an absolute rash of fender benders. Thankfully, most of these are just that - fender benders - with no serious injuries. Once everyone readjusts to driving on snowy (and sometimes icy) roads, things settle down pretty quickly. What amazes me is that it snows absolutely every winter, and anyone who has lived in Michigan for any length of time and driven in winter has developed the winter driving skill set they need to navigate the roads safely - at least that's the theory. In practice, however, it appears that some people relearn how to drive every single winter, and the rest of us try our best to avoid getting hit by one of them.
Why is it that we so quickly forget what we think we've learned? I am almost certain that by the time the snow melts for the last time every spring, most Michigan drivers are expert at dealing with winter roads. Then the weather turns warm, the roads become dry once again and many drivers get lax and are seemingly caught unaware when the snow inevitably falls the next winter.
The same is often true for those of us on 5&1. We think we've "got it" this time, and we do really well for a while. Then things come up and some find themselves off plan and quickly out of the 5&1 routine. When that happens, there can be a series of "5&1 fender benders" before these individuals are back on the road again.
Staying on plan, like winter driving, requires lots of repetition and attention. The more we do it, the more comfortable we are and the easier it gets. We can't afford to take our eyes off the road because there may be unexpected "slick spots", but if we hit a spot and start to skid, we know exactly what to do to bring things under control so we don't end up in a ditch. And landing in a ditch is no fun at all!
With Christmas looming, there are a lot of food "slick spots" waiting to put your 5&1 vehicle into a spinout, so my encouragement to you today is to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and keep doing what you're doing (staying on plan!). Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are becoming a more "expert driver" and will be better able to navigate past potential pitfalls. Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are one day closer to your destination - your goal weight.
Today, as every day, the choice is yours. Choose wisely :-)
Why is it that we so quickly forget what we think we've learned? I am almost certain that by the time the snow melts for the last time every spring, most Michigan drivers are expert at dealing with winter roads. Then the weather turns warm, the roads become dry once again and many drivers get lax and are seemingly caught unaware when the snow inevitably falls the next winter.
The same is often true for those of us on 5&1. We think we've "got it" this time, and we do really well for a while. Then things come up and some find themselves off plan and quickly out of the 5&1 routine. When that happens, there can be a series of "5&1 fender benders" before these individuals are back on the road again.
Staying on plan, like winter driving, requires lots of repetition and attention. The more we do it, the more comfortable we are and the easier it gets. We can't afford to take our eyes off the road because there may be unexpected "slick spots", but if we hit a spot and start to skid, we know exactly what to do to bring things under control so we don't end up in a ditch. And landing in a ditch is no fun at all!
With Christmas looming, there are a lot of food "slick spots" waiting to put your 5&1 vehicle into a spinout, so my encouragement to you today is to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and keep doing what you're doing (staying on plan!). Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are becoming a more "expert driver" and will be better able to navigate past potential pitfalls. Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are one day closer to your destination - your goal weight.
Today, as every day, the choice is yours. Choose wisely :-)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Always Interesting . . .
It's always interesting when I run into people I haven't seen in a while. Yesterday I spent the morning with a group of friends, having breakfast and shopping in our downtown area. After I left my friends, I went to a local arts and crafts fair. When I was downtown and again at the fair, I saw people that I haven't seen in a while. When this happened a year or so ago, there was surprise when they saw how much weight I'd lost. This time the surprise is quite different.
This time as I ran into people I hadn't seen in a while, I heard things like, "it looks like you've kept your weight off," or "you're still slim!" There seems to be surprise that I'm still in the same size I was the last time they saw me, even though it's been several months. My response is pretty much the same - I smile and say, "Yes, I've been in my goal range for almost 19 months."
Most people have a diet mentality. I don't mean that in a condescending way at all - it's just the mindset that most people have, and it's a mindset based on experience. Most people (over 85%) who lose weight gain it all back, plus some, within two years. The natural expectation is that anyone who loses weight will begin putting it right back on. The fact that I'm still in my goal range has less to do with me and more do to with having the right tools to help me stay there.
While I was on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, I learned (finally) that food has never and will never fix my non-food needs. It will never comfort, never relieve stress, never even alleviate boredom. That realization has made a huge difference for me.
For times when I make less than stellar choices (and yes, there are "those times,"), I know what to do to bring things back to where they need to be. For me, Medifast foods are my secret weapon, and I don't apologize for that. I regularly use 2-3 meals a day as my healthy snacks to make sure that I'm eating a small, nutritional meal 5-6 times a day. But when I've gone over my calories for a few days and the scale starts to tick up, or when my size 6's start to feel a bit snug, I don't hesitate to increase my Medifast meals by a meal or two for a few days. After losing 126 pounds, my mindset is very much "whatever it takes."
When I first started on the plan 2-1/2 years ago, my intent was to use the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program to jump-start my weight loss, then switch to "real food" to finish the journey. Once I started seeing how fast the weight came off and how great I felt, I changed my mind and decided to stay with the program until I lost my weight, then figured I'd go back to "real food" once I reached my goal. As I've shared before, I now realize that Medifast products ARE "real food" - nutritious meals packed with all of the vitamins and minerals I need, in a calorie and portion-controlled package. If I wanted to, I could certainly figure out all six meals per day myself, but the truth is that I'm too busy and a tad too lazy to do so. I figure that since what I'm doing is continuing to work for me, why change it?
Getting to my goal required choosing every day to stay on plan, and staying in my goal range requires choices every day, too. I know I feel better, physically and mentally, when I'm making wise choices. I'm guessing you feel better when you're making wise choices, too :-). What choices are you going to make today? Choose wisely :-)
This time as I ran into people I hadn't seen in a while, I heard things like, "it looks like you've kept your weight off," or "you're still slim!" There seems to be surprise that I'm still in the same size I was the last time they saw me, even though it's been several months. My response is pretty much the same - I smile and say, "Yes, I've been in my goal range for almost 19 months."
Most people have a diet mentality. I don't mean that in a condescending way at all - it's just the mindset that most people have, and it's a mindset based on experience. Most people (over 85%) who lose weight gain it all back, plus some, within two years. The natural expectation is that anyone who loses weight will begin putting it right back on. The fact that I'm still in my goal range has less to do with me and more do to with having the right tools to help me stay there.
While I was on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, I learned (finally) that food has never and will never fix my non-food needs. It will never comfort, never relieve stress, never even alleviate boredom. That realization has made a huge difference for me.
For times when I make less than stellar choices (and yes, there are "those times,"), I know what to do to bring things back to where they need to be. For me, Medifast foods are my secret weapon, and I don't apologize for that. I regularly use 2-3 meals a day as my healthy snacks to make sure that I'm eating a small, nutritional meal 5-6 times a day. But when I've gone over my calories for a few days and the scale starts to tick up, or when my size 6's start to feel a bit snug, I don't hesitate to increase my Medifast meals by a meal or two for a few days. After losing 126 pounds, my mindset is very much "whatever it takes."
When I first started on the plan 2-1/2 years ago, my intent was to use the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program to jump-start my weight loss, then switch to "real food" to finish the journey. Once I started seeing how fast the weight came off and how great I felt, I changed my mind and decided to stay with the program until I lost my weight, then figured I'd go back to "real food" once I reached my goal. As I've shared before, I now realize that Medifast products ARE "real food" - nutritious meals packed with all of the vitamins and minerals I need, in a calorie and portion-controlled package. If I wanted to, I could certainly figure out all six meals per day myself, but the truth is that I'm too busy and a tad too lazy to do so. I figure that since what I'm doing is continuing to work for me, why change it?
Getting to my goal required choosing every day to stay on plan, and staying in my goal range requires choices every day, too. I know I feel better, physically and mentally, when I'm making wise choices. I'm guessing you feel better when you're making wise choices, too :-). What choices are you going to make today? Choose wisely :-)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Two Year Retrospective
Happy Saturday! Since we are now into December and the holiday season, I thought I'd share with you a blog I wrote two years ago yesterday. I was just over five months into my weight loss journey, and I approached the holidays with a lot of trepidation. Here's what I wrote:
It's only December 4, but this is going to be one tough month! December is always challenging, but in years past I always dealt with stress be eating more chocolate or Christmas cookies, and one stress I never dealt with was trying to AVOID all of the holiday goodies. But this is definitely a different year for me - time to gird my (shrinking) loins!
There is food all around me, and almost NONE of it is on plan. We hosted a Christmas party for our small group Bible study on Sunday night and I stuck with the shrimp cocktail (no cocktail sauce) and some raw veggies (both were part of my L&G for the day). Then I walked into work on Monday morning to find a large box of Godiva chocolates sitting my my desk (that was quickly taken to the kitchen and OUT of my sight!). Then a large package of gourmet popcorn was delivered to our office, and additional food gifts will continue to come for the next two weeks. Our office is holding a holiday luncheon for physician office billers on Thursday and we're catering in a full Italian meal - two different kinds of pasta, homemade breads, and truffles and cannoli for dessert - certainly nothing for me to eat! And the list just goes on and on, day in and day out for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of holiday events to attend and/or host, and it will be a literal minefield for me to walk through every single time.
But what's true for me is probably true for many of you, too. I'm not complaining, just taking stock of all of the potential dangers and carefully planning my strategy to ensure that I don't end up thrown off plan. Part of the planning is making sure that I eat my Medifast meals on time and don't allow myself to get overly hungry. Part of the planning is making sure I have an emergency stash of MF food at my desk and in my purse so that I never have an excuse to stray.
Then there's the mental and emotional preparation! Here's what I'm telling myself right now:
Yes, I'm talking to myself a lot right now! lol But I am committed to losing weight and don't want anything to get in my way. It's not easy, but having made the decision to stay on plan, it really IS simple. If the food isn't on plan, I don't eat it! Who's with me?
Besides, the Reason for the Season isn't food, anyway, right?
That was my mindset two years ago, and with God's help, that's what helped me lose 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Then, as now, it always comes down to a choice that we have to make. I have no regrets for the choice I made two years ago :-). If you want to get through the holidays without regrets, choose wisely!
It's only December 4, but this is going to be one tough month! December is always challenging, but in years past I always dealt with stress be eating more chocolate or Christmas cookies, and one stress I never dealt with was trying to AVOID all of the holiday goodies. But this is definitely a different year for me - time to gird my (shrinking) loins!
There is food all around me, and almost NONE of it is on plan. We hosted a Christmas party for our small group Bible study on Sunday night and I stuck with the shrimp cocktail (no cocktail sauce) and some raw veggies (both were part of my L&G for the day). Then I walked into work on Monday morning to find a large box of Godiva chocolates sitting my my desk (that was quickly taken to the kitchen and OUT of my sight!). Then a large package of gourmet popcorn was delivered to our office, and additional food gifts will continue to come for the next two weeks. Our office is holding a holiday luncheon for physician office billers on Thursday and we're catering in a full Italian meal - two different kinds of pasta, homemade breads, and truffles and cannoli for dessert - certainly nothing for me to eat! And the list just goes on and on, day in and day out for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of holiday events to attend and/or host, and it will be a literal minefield for me to walk through every single time.
But what's true for me is probably true for many of you, too. I'm not complaining, just taking stock of all of the potential dangers and carefully planning my strategy to ensure that I don't end up thrown off plan. Part of the planning is making sure that I eat my Medifast meals on time and don't allow myself to get overly hungry. Part of the planning is making sure I have an emergency stash of MF food at my desk and in my purse so that I never have an excuse to stray.
Then there's the mental and emotional preparation! Here's what I'm telling myself right now:
- That non-plan food will not get me where I want to go, and it may result in me getting seriously off-track
- Everything I need nutritionally is provided through my 5/1, so there is absolutely no need for me to go off plan (and "just because I feel like it" doesn't count!)
- I already know how all of this food will taste because I've had it before, so I don't need to taste it
- These types of food will be around next year, and next year I will be able to have a small (as in VERY small) taste of the things I'm most wanting
- By refusing to give in now, I am strengthening my "no thank you" muscles; this will help me to maintain my weight loss later
- I don't want to spend one more day than necessary being overweight, and that piece of chocolate/cookie/etc. could cause me to spend another day overweight
- I haven't been out of the fat-burning state since I first got into it in late June and I do NOT want to go through that misery again just to have that chocolate/cookie/etc.
- If I get out of the fat-burning state, in addition to the misery that will accompany getting back in, it will take me approximately 3 days to get back in. That's 15 meals and $30 (@ $2/MF meal). Is that chocolate/cookie/etc. worth $30 to me?
Yes, I'm talking to myself a lot right now! lol But I am committed to losing weight and don't want anything to get in my way. It's not easy, but having made the decision to stay on plan, it really IS simple. If the food isn't on plan, I don't eat it! Who's with me?
Besides, the Reason for the Season isn't food, anyway, right?
That was my mindset two years ago, and with God's help, that's what helped me lose 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Then, as now, it always comes down to a choice that we have to make. I have no regrets for the choice I made two years ago :-). If you want to get through the holidays without regrets, choose wisely!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Let it Snow!
Happy Friday! We received our first snowfall of the season last night, so it's definitely starting to look a lot like Christmas in my neighborhood. Since losing 126 pounds, even my view of winter has changed - for the better!
For years, I wasn't able to wear fashion boots because my calves were too heavy. I had a pair of grandma-looking ankle snow boots (I love being a grandmother but I don't want to look or dress like one!), and while they served the purpose, they sure didn't make a fashion statement. One of my Non-Scale Victories was being able to buy some great leather boots, and I still get a thrill when I put them on and they easily zip. I don't know if I'll ever stop taking little things (like zipping boots) for granted, but I hope not. I wore the boots for the first time this season yesterday and zipping them up was a reminder all over again of how far I've come.
I used to be a lot more wary on ice and snow because my balance wasn't that great. I think the major issue was I was trying to navigate slippery surfaces carrying almost 130 extra pounds. Losing weight and becoming physically active has greatly improved my balance, and although I'm still careful when it's slippery outside, I'm not as timid as I once was.
Most surprising to me is that I am on the brink of actually taking up a winter sport. My husband and I each have a pair of cross-country skis that used to belong to my parents (my mom used her pair exactly one time). Neither my husband or I know the first thing about cross-county skiing, but we have a couple of friends who've offered to give us a private "skiing for dummies" lesson. At my top weight, I wouldn't have considered doing such a thing. For starters, I didn't have proper clothing for skiing and wouldn't have wanted to invest any money in clothing in a size I didn't want to be. I also wouldn't have had the stamina for skiing (I had limited energy for most activity). I think it will be a while before I'm actually excited about seeing snow on the ground, but there's a possibility that may happen!
Right now we're under a winter storm warning, so my opportunity to get out and enjoy the snow may come sooner than I think. The really good news is that if I don't learn to love the snow, I now easily fit into an airplane seat and can head someplace warm :-).
All of these NSVs are the result of making the choices I needed to make every day - choices to stay on plan, choices to get more active, choices to drink my water. Making these choices every day, whether I felt like it or not, has continued to reap benefits in my life, up to and including today.
The choices you make today will impact your tomorrow, perhaps in ways you can't even imagine. Choose wisely :-)
For years, I wasn't able to wear fashion boots because my calves were too heavy. I had a pair of grandma-looking ankle snow boots (I love being a grandmother but I don't want to look or dress like one!), and while they served the purpose, they sure didn't make a fashion statement. One of my Non-Scale Victories was being able to buy some great leather boots, and I still get a thrill when I put them on and they easily zip. I don't know if I'll ever stop taking little things (like zipping boots) for granted, but I hope not. I wore the boots for the first time this season yesterday and zipping them up was a reminder all over again of how far I've come.
I used to be a lot more wary on ice and snow because my balance wasn't that great. I think the major issue was I was trying to navigate slippery surfaces carrying almost 130 extra pounds. Losing weight and becoming physically active has greatly improved my balance, and although I'm still careful when it's slippery outside, I'm not as timid as I once was.
Most surprising to me is that I am on the brink of actually taking up a winter sport. My husband and I each have a pair of cross-country skis that used to belong to my parents (my mom used her pair exactly one time). Neither my husband or I know the first thing about cross-county skiing, but we have a couple of friends who've offered to give us a private "skiing for dummies" lesson. At my top weight, I wouldn't have considered doing such a thing. For starters, I didn't have proper clothing for skiing and wouldn't have wanted to invest any money in clothing in a size I didn't want to be. I also wouldn't have had the stamina for skiing (I had limited energy for most activity). I think it will be a while before I'm actually excited about seeing snow on the ground, but there's a possibility that may happen!
Right now we're under a winter storm warning, so my opportunity to get out and enjoy the snow may come sooner than I think. The really good news is that if I don't learn to love the snow, I now easily fit into an airplane seat and can head someplace warm :-).
All of these NSVs are the result of making the choices I needed to make every day - choices to stay on plan, choices to get more active, choices to drink my water. Making these choices every day, whether I felt like it or not, has continued to reap benefits in my life, up to and including today.
The choices you make today will impact your tomorrow, perhaps in ways you can't even imagine. Choose wisely :-)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Happy Birthday, Dad!
I'm wishing my dad a very happy 79th birthday today! I am very blessed to have both of my parents living about 5 miles straight down the road from me (they moved to West Michigan from Chicago when my dad retired almost 17 years ago). My dad is probably the youngest 79 year old you'll ever meet, with the energy and enthusiasm that rivals someone a generation (or two) younger than he.
One thing that keeps my dad so youthful is that he is a life-long learner. Over the years, I've watched him grow and change, and that continues to this day. As my dad watched me lose weight, he started asking questions about how the plan worked. Because my mom has been diabetic for a long time and struggled to maintain stable glucose levels, my dad was particularly happy that my own glucose levels quickly went down and stayed down (and are still normal!). Right around the time I reached my goal (almost 19 months ago), my dad called me and told me that both he and my mom and decided to go on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. He has carried around a bit of extra weight for most of his adult life - not terrible, but he wasn't in a healthy BMI range, either. My mom has struggled with her weight for much of her adult life, at least since her early/mid 30's, and her excess weight was certainly a contributing factor to her own diabetes.
I knew that my dad was primarily starting the program as a way of encouraging and supporting my mom, but he went into it with commitment and enthusiasm. My dad never does anything half-heartedly, and that was certainly true of 5&1. He stayed on plan and really encouraged my mom, too, and within a couple of months he reached his goal. Amazingly, he now weighs less than he did when my parents got married over 58 years ago! He was able to reduce both his blood pressure and his cholesterol medication, which pleased him and impressed his physician. Because of my dad's decision to go on plan, my mom ended up losing 40 pounds herself and is now off of her day-time insulin (she was previously taking 4-7 units of insulin after every meal) and only needs a bit of insulin during the day when she gets into sweets or eats too many carbs. Two years ago, my dad was concerned that my mom would soon be in a wheelchair, but because he led the way in getting them on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, my mom is in better health today at 80 than she was two or three years ago.
For my dad, this hasn't been a diet - it's become a new way of life. Even though he reached his goal over a year ago, he continues to eat 5-6 small meals a day and is maintaining his weight loss. I do have to confess that while he dutifully ate Medifast oatmeal while he was on 5&1, that was the first thing he replaced when he reach week 4 of Transition and was able to reintroduce whole grains, and I don't think he's had any since :-).
My dad reads my blog every day and is always sending me ideas for future blogs - things he's read in the newspaper, an article he found on line, or something from his morning devotional reading. Next to my husband, my dad is my biggest cheerleader (my mom is right there, too!). I am so blessed!
My dad is living proof that it's never too late to make healthy changes in your life. It always comes down to what we really want, and the choices we're willing to make to achieve our goal.
What choices are you going to make today? I hope you choose wisely :-)
Happy birthday, Dad!
One thing that keeps my dad so youthful is that he is a life-long learner. Over the years, I've watched him grow and change, and that continues to this day. As my dad watched me lose weight, he started asking questions about how the plan worked. Because my mom has been diabetic for a long time and struggled to maintain stable glucose levels, my dad was particularly happy that my own glucose levels quickly went down and stayed down (and are still normal!). Right around the time I reached my goal (almost 19 months ago), my dad called me and told me that both he and my mom and decided to go on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. He has carried around a bit of extra weight for most of his adult life - not terrible, but he wasn't in a healthy BMI range, either. My mom has struggled with her weight for much of her adult life, at least since her early/mid 30's, and her excess weight was certainly a contributing factor to her own diabetes.
I knew that my dad was primarily starting the program as a way of encouraging and supporting my mom, but he went into it with commitment and enthusiasm. My dad never does anything half-heartedly, and that was certainly true of 5&1. He stayed on plan and really encouraged my mom, too, and within a couple of months he reached his goal. Amazingly, he now weighs less than he did when my parents got married over 58 years ago! He was able to reduce both his blood pressure and his cholesterol medication, which pleased him and impressed his physician. Because of my dad's decision to go on plan, my mom ended up losing 40 pounds herself and is now off of her day-time insulin (she was previously taking 4-7 units of insulin after every meal) and only needs a bit of insulin during the day when she gets into sweets or eats too many carbs. Two years ago, my dad was concerned that my mom would soon be in a wheelchair, but because he led the way in getting them on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, my mom is in better health today at 80 than she was two or three years ago.
For my dad, this hasn't been a diet - it's become a new way of life. Even though he reached his goal over a year ago, he continues to eat 5-6 small meals a day and is maintaining his weight loss. I do have to confess that while he dutifully ate Medifast oatmeal while he was on 5&1, that was the first thing he replaced when he reach week 4 of Transition and was able to reintroduce whole grains, and I don't think he's had any since :-).
My dad reads my blog every day and is always sending me ideas for future blogs - things he's read in the newspaper, an article he found on line, or something from his morning devotional reading. Next to my husband, my dad is my biggest cheerleader (my mom is right there, too!). I am so blessed!
My dad is living proof that it's never too late to make healthy changes in your life. It always comes down to what we really want, and the choices we're willing to make to achieve our goal.
What choices are you going to make today? I hope you choose wisely :-)
Happy birthday, Dad!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Yet Another Reason
Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week!
Almost every time I read the news these days, either on-line or in print, I read another reason why it's imperative that we make the choice to get healthy and stay healthy. I won't even go into all of the vanity reasons - and there are a lot of them :-). Right now I'm talking health and all that means: longevity, quality of life, and economics.
According to a study released late last week, the number of Americans with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years, and the costs of treating them will triple. Accounting for inflation, the direct medical cost of treating them will rise from $113 billion annually to $336 billion. If that isn't scary enough, one researcher considers the predictions "very conservative" because they don't account for the growing proportion of overweight children and teenagers, who are at higher risk for developing diabetes.
According to the article, the most common risk factor is simply being overweight, but "even modest weight loss will reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. More ambitious lifestyle changes, such as diet, regular exercise and assistance through counseling lowered the risk of diabetes by 58 percent, even without medication, in a major federally funded study."
The article goes on to say that "Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, according to the American Diabetes Association, and nerve damage and damaged blood vessels are also common. About 15 percent of diabetics require amputation of a lower extremity at some point in their life . . . "
I don't know about you, but that scares me to death. My uncle had a leg amputated due to diabetic complications six years before he passed way, and one of my mom's first cousins, age 68, lost a leg to diabetes about three years ago and is currently fighting to save his other leg.
I can't think of anything I could eat that would be worth risking a return of my diabetes and that would put me at higher risk for amputation or kidney failure. I have had relatives on dialysis and this is no way to live. For better or worse, I've had the opportunity to see up close and personal some of the consequences of a lifetime of unhealthy habit and obesity, and I don't want any part of it!
Most of the time maintenance is fine - even fun, but there are those "other times." There are days when I don't feel like doing what I know I need to do, and it's not always easy or fun. With the holiday season in full force, this time of year gets tough for me because so many of those old favorite foods (all high sugar and high fat) are around. When things get tough, I look ahead at what I want to create in my life - optimal health. While I'm aware of what I don't want to become - overweight, diabetic and dealing with multiple complications, that's not my focus.
Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels, and that's a choice that each of us has to make every day. I'm making that choice today - how about you? Choose wisely :-)
Almost every time I read the news these days, either on-line or in print, I read another reason why it's imperative that we make the choice to get healthy and stay healthy. I won't even go into all of the vanity reasons - and there are a lot of them :-). Right now I'm talking health and all that means: longevity, quality of life, and economics.
According to a study released late last week, the number of Americans with diabetes will nearly double in the next 25 years, and the costs of treating them will triple. Accounting for inflation, the direct medical cost of treating them will rise from $113 billion annually to $336 billion. If that isn't scary enough, one researcher considers the predictions "very conservative" because they don't account for the growing proportion of overweight children and teenagers, who are at higher risk for developing diabetes.
According to the article, the most common risk factor is simply being overweight, but "even modest weight loss will reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. More ambitious lifestyle changes, such as diet, regular exercise and assistance through counseling lowered the risk of diabetes by 58 percent, even without medication, in a major federally funded study."
The article goes on to say that "Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, according to the American Diabetes Association, and nerve damage and damaged blood vessels are also common. About 15 percent of diabetics require amputation of a lower extremity at some point in their life . . . "
I don't know about you, but that scares me to death. My uncle had a leg amputated due to diabetic complications six years before he passed way, and one of my mom's first cousins, age 68, lost a leg to diabetes about three years ago and is currently fighting to save his other leg.
I can't think of anything I could eat that would be worth risking a return of my diabetes and that would put me at higher risk for amputation or kidney failure. I have had relatives on dialysis and this is no way to live. For better or worse, I've had the opportunity to see up close and personal some of the consequences of a lifetime of unhealthy habit and obesity, and I don't want any part of it!
Most of the time maintenance is fine - even fun, but there are those "other times." There are days when I don't feel like doing what I know I need to do, and it's not always easy or fun. With the holiday season in full force, this time of year gets tough for me because so many of those old favorite foods (all high sugar and high fat) are around. When things get tough, I look ahead at what I want to create in my life - optimal health. While I'm aware of what I don't want to become - overweight, diabetic and dealing with multiple complications, that's not my focus.
Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels, and that's a choice that each of us has to make every day. I'm making that choice today - how about you? Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Details, Details, Details
Welcome to December! I always start to hyper-ventilate just a bit on December 1, because it means the countdown is on until Christmas. Like almost everyone else, there is a lot going on this month and a lot of things to do. I am a list maker by nature, but December puts my list making into overdrive. List of things to do, gifts to buy, events to attend (including grandchildren's Christmas programs) - the lists go on and on. For me, it's the best way I know of to stay on top of all of the details and make sure that everything I want to do and get done happens.
Some of us are more detail-oriented by nature, but whether we come by it naturally or not, paying attention to detail makes a difference. I recently read a story about a man from Germany who planned to visit his fiance for Christmas but ended up in snowy Sidney, Montana instead of sunny Sydney, Australia. Ouch!
Not paying attention to details while on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 can result in us not arriving at our destination, too, or getting there much later than we'd hoped. This time of year we have a lot of things vying for our attention, so it takes some extra effort to stay focused on what we're doing. An extra bite here and a small nibble there can quickly push us out of the fat-burning state, and if we're not paying attention, we may not even realize it. Since it takes a minimum of three days to get into the fat-burning state and since the Medifast meals cost approximately $10 a day, going off plan will cost us a minimum of $30, and that cost can go up if we don't get right back on plan.
Paying attention to details also means making sure you have some extra Medifast meals with you, just in case. This is a busy time of year, so make sure you don't end up in a situation where you're hungry and don't have access to a Medifast meal. Take the time to plan your meals each day - this small detail can make the difference, especially during this holiday season.
Plan carefully and pay attention to details and you'll get through this month just fine! The good news is that a month from now, while much of the country will be scratching their heads and looking at their protruding bellies and wondering what they're going to do, you'll be starting the new year weighing less than you do right now. All you have to do is make the choice today, so choose wisely :-)
Some of us are more detail-oriented by nature, but whether we come by it naturally or not, paying attention to detail makes a difference. I recently read a story about a man from Germany who planned to visit his fiance for Christmas but ended up in snowy Sidney, Montana instead of sunny Sydney, Australia. Ouch!
Not paying attention to details while on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 can result in us not arriving at our destination, too, or getting there much later than we'd hoped. This time of year we have a lot of things vying for our attention, so it takes some extra effort to stay focused on what we're doing. An extra bite here and a small nibble there can quickly push us out of the fat-burning state, and if we're not paying attention, we may not even realize it. Since it takes a minimum of three days to get into the fat-burning state and since the Medifast meals cost approximately $10 a day, going off plan will cost us a minimum of $30, and that cost can go up if we don't get right back on plan.
Paying attention to details also means making sure you have some extra Medifast meals with you, just in case. This is a busy time of year, so make sure you don't end up in a situation where you're hungry and don't have access to a Medifast meal. Take the time to plan your meals each day - this small detail can make the difference, especially during this holiday season.
Plan carefully and pay attention to details and you'll get through this month just fine! The good news is that a month from now, while much of the country will be scratching their heads and looking at their protruding bellies and wondering what they're going to do, you'll be starting the new year weighing less than you do right now. All you have to do is make the choice today, so choose wisely :-)
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