Starting - and Maintaining - a Bonfire

Where does your motivation come from?  Do you look for other people to get you motivated and keep you motivated, or does your motivation come from somewhere deep inside of you?  I read a quote from Steven Covey that addresses this question:    "Motivation is a fire from within.  If someone else tried to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly."

I think we've all had the experience of someone else trying to light a fire under us - whether it was our boss or our mother :-).  It was pretty hard to keep that fire going, wasn't it?  The same is true when we try to light a fire under someone else (one of the reasons being a mother is so challenging!).

If this quote is true, then it's also reasonable to conclude that we can't look  to someone else to provide motivation for us.  It doesn't matter if it's someone else trying to light a fire under us or if we're looking to someone else to do it for us, external motivation doesn't last.  This is particularly true when it comes to making long-term changes in our lives.

For long-term, permanent weight management, we have to find the motivation from within.  Doing this because our spouse, our friends, or even our doctor wants us to lose weight ultimately won't work.  We have to WANT to get to a healthy weight and we have to make the fundamental choice to get healthy.

The motivation we need to be successful isn't a "let's go get 'em" type of feeling, because that doesn't last, either.  The motivation we need isn't a burst of inspiration that sustains itself over time, because inspiration definitely comes and goes.  The motivation we need is born out a decision that we make to get to a healthy weight.  It's a decision, not a feeling.  Because it's a decision, it will carry us through those days when we don't feel like doing this - and there are definitely those "don't feel like it" days.  Once we make the fundamental choice to get healthy, once we create in our mind a vision for what living at a healthy weight will look like for us, we will continue to make the secondary choices we need to keep us moving forward.  That doesn't mean that we will never mess up - some will choose to stay on plan 100% of the time and some won't  - but we know where we're going and we'll keep putting one foot in front of the other, one meal at a time.

When that kind of motivation burns within us, it's a fire that cannot be doused and it will burn hot and bright.  Even on days when we don't feel like doing this, there is a deep satisfaction that comes from doing it anyway because that choice moves us a day closer to our goal.  There were days when I was sick of staying on plan, but I went to bed those nights thankful that I'd made the choice to do it anyway.

Motivation from within will get the fire started and the choices you make will keep the fire burning.  Choose wisely :-)

It's a Wonderful Life

We have a pretty good collection of Christmas movies that we've collected over the years and one of the things I love to do in the evenings this time of year is sit in front of the fireplace and watch one of the movies.  "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 5-1/2 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 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.  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 5-1/2 years of morbid obesity would have wreaked further havoc on my emotions and my self-esteem.  The picture in my mind is pretty sad.

Had I not lost weight and become a full-time health coach, 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. 

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 MyTSFL/MyMedifast on-line community and Take Shape for Life.

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 :-)

Filling the Gaps

Part of my weight loss journey five years ago was addressing the things that led to the overeating that resulted in my weight ballooning to 268 pounds.  I understood that I didn't get to that weight just because I enjoyed a good meal or because I'm a great cook - I was a self-confessed emotional eater.  As I've shared before, an unexpected outcome of going on Take Shape for Life was my coming to grips with turning to food and other things as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress, anger, boredom, etc.

This is a time of year when those of us who are recovering emotional eaters can be especially challenged.  The holidays tend to be emotional times anyway - good and bad - as they not only bring back memories from past holidays, but the busyness of the season creates its own level of stress.  When our emotions are running on high and then a lot of holiday food shows up, it can be hard to stay on plan.

A couple of years ago, I did a personal study of Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study.  Her study is focused on helping women truly break free from the things that keep us trapped in unhealthy behavior.  After completing the lessons for each week, I download the video lesson she teaches.  One on the video lessons especially impacted me, as it was a powerful illustration of my own attempts to fill the gaps in my life.

Beth shared the story of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at a well, a woman who had tried to fill the gaps in her life with relationships (she'd been married 5 times and was living with a man).  Jesus recognized that she was thirsty for more than the water in the well and He offered her living water so that she would never thirst again (He, of course, was referring to Himself as the Living Water).  Beth took a large glass container and began to put all kinds of things in the container - a couple of small dolls to represent relationships, chocolate, money, jewelry, etc. - different things that people use to fill the holes in our lives.  She filled the container full, stuffing in as many things as she could, but it was clear there were still gaps in the container.  Beth explained that we could never put enough stuff into our lives to fill every gap, and she said that we all have gaps that we want to fill.

Beth then took a container of water and poured it into the container and I watched as the water filled every empty spot - every gap was filled.  For me, this was a powerful reminder that only God can fill the gaps in my heart.  For years, even though I knew stuff, including food, couldn't fill the gaps, I still tried.  I couldn't eat enough, couldn't shop enough, to fill the gaps.  I want to point out that my life was good - a solid, happy marriage, healthy kids, a good job, nice home, wonderful friends and family - but there were still emotional gaps, the kind that we all have.  When I was under stress or upset about something or even bored, those gaps became gaping holes.  No amount of chocolate or anything else could fill those holes.

Part of my weight loss journey was learning to turn in an entirely new way to the Lord, and He filled every gap in my heart.  When that happened, food was able to take its rightful place in my life as a source of nourishment for my body, not my heart.  Watching Beth pour water into that container was a powerful visual for me and a good reminder once again during this time of year to not reach for food when the pressure of the season weighs me down.

We all have gaps in our lives and we choose how we're going to try and fill those gaps.  Choose wisely :-)

Enjoying Food or Enjoying Life?

For many of us prior to starting on Take Shape for Life's 5&1 program, enjoying food was one of the major pleasures in our lives.  Going on this program was hard because it meant giving up a major source of pleasure.  My social life revolved around food - every time we got together with someone, it was to eat.  There was good conversation and a lot of fun, but all of that took place over a meal or dessert or a variety of snacks. 

What I realized after starting on this program was that while I had been enjoying food - lots of food, I wasn't enjoying a lot of other things.  I didn't enjoy physical activity because pain in my knee and my back made even walking difficult at times.  I didn't enjoy shopping for clothes because I hated the size I was in and, out of embarrassment, never shopped for clothes with my friends.  I felt fatigued much of the time and was happiest when I was sitting someplace, particularly at a table with food in front of me.  I didn't enjoy going to a beach and would never attend a pool party . . . the list of things I didn't/wouldn't/couldn't do was pretty long.

What was true for me then is still true for some people I know.  They won't even try this program because they claim that they just enjoy food too much to give it up.  What's sad is knowing that for some of them, their enjoyment of food and their resulting obesity is preventing them from enjoying so many other things - they're enjoying food, but not really fully enjoying life.

As I started this program and began to really embrace it, an amazing thing happened.  While I wasn't enjoying food in the same old way (from a culinary perspective, eating five Medifast meals and a lean & green doesn't placate the pleasure centers in the brain like all of those high-sugar/high-fat and calorie-laden meals), I WAS enjoying other things.  My knee and back started feeling better pretty quickly and I started to enjoy taking walks.  My energy level went WAY up and I didn't feel like crawling into bed when I got home from work.  We still got together with friends, but I found out that I could have a great time with them and NOT eat the same old food - a lean & green at a restaurant or having my own Medifast meal while they snacked on something else didn't impact my ability to have fun at all.

As I continued to lose weight, I realized that I was getting a whole new life for myself - one that wasn't defined by obesity or dependent on food to have a good time.

Five years ago, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  My memories of that holiday season aren't about the food I did or didn't eat - they are of time spent with family and friends.  My enjoyment of the holiday season wasn't diminished in any way because I didn't eat this or that because my focus was on enjoying time with the people that I loved.

Since reaching my goal on May 22, 2008, I've been able to enjoy a wide variety of food again, but the lessons learned while on 5&1 have remained.  Enjoying life is about so much more than what's on my plate.

Today are you choosing to enjoy life, or are you choosing to enjoy food?  Choose wisely :-)

Watching Out for Slick Spots

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 :-)

It's the Most Wonderful, and Challenging, Time of the Year

Since we are now into December and the holiday season, I thought I'd share with you a blog I wrote in early December four years ago.  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 Medifast 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!  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 five 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 four years ago :-).  If you want to get through the holidays without regrets, choose wisely!

Food Won't Fix It

The food part of Take Shape for Life's 5:1 program is the easy part.  In fact, it couldn't be easier!  The hard part of this program is the head and heart part - learning to redefine our relationship with food and learning to not view food as anything more than nutrition for our bodies (nutrition we can enjoy, of course!).

For those of us who were or are emotional eaters, learning how to establish a healthy and proper relationship with food is hard work.  Some of us spent decades of our lives enmeshed in a very unhealthy, love/hate relationship with food.  We ran to it whenever there was a blip on our emotional radar, somehow expecting that food would fix the problem or at least make us feel better.  The problem was that we never ended up feeling better.  My own experience was that even while I was doing my emotional eating thing, I kept mentally telling myself that I shouldn't be doing this and reminding myself that I was cheating on whatever diet I was currently on.  Of course, those thoughts didn't keep me from eating the food, but they did make me feel guilty while I was eating it.  Once the last bite was swallowed, the comfort I had been seeking was replaced by more guilt and self-recrimination, sending me deeper into whatever funk had prompted the eating to begin with.  The problem that I'd tried to salve with food was still there, of course, and I'd added a nice layer of guilt and regret on top of it.

Can anybody relate to this?  Honestly ask yourself:  when did food ever fix the problem?  Food can help to bury the feelings for a moment or two, but the problem never was solved with a fork.  Never.

Learning to deal with problems and the emotions that accompany them in a healthy way is such an important thing to learn if we want to not only reach a healthy weight but also maintain a healthy weight for the long term.

For me, part of this process was really learning to turn to my Heavenly Father in a new and deeper way.  I made a commitment to stay on plan and not cheat, so when the stuff of life bubbled up (as it always does), I realized I couldn't resort to old habits and run for the nearest chocolate.  Out of desperation I cried out to the Lord and asked for His strength to get me through the moment, and as I did that, I found Him to be faithful to provide what I needed in that moment.  Every time I turned to the Lord and made the choice to draw on His strength, there was enough strength to get me through that particular moment.

As I continued to do that, I realized that food never did truly comfort me, that it really wouldn't - and couldn't - fix anything in my life.  And that realization finally set me free from years of emotional eating.

This holiday season evokes lots of memories and emotions.  Some of them are good, but other emotions are difficult.  We may feel a lot of stress as we try to get through a long list of things to be done.  This is the time of year when some people give in to the emotion of the moment and toss aside their good intentions to eat healthy and stay on plan.  But food won't fix it.  Eating stuff that will get in the way of goal won't make us feel better.  We'll end up feeling sluggish, guilty, and frustrated.  And eating more to deal with THOSE feelings will only make us feel even worse!

Choosing to walk away from emotional eating isn't easy, especially during this time of year.  But making the choice to do so is incredibly freeing.  The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)

When Obstacles Don't Matter

I don't know about you, but the calendar seems to go into hyper-speed between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Once the leftover Thanksgiving turkey is put in the refrigerator and the Christmas decorations come out, the days start to fly. 

Between the decorating, shopping, family get-togethers and holiday parties, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can feel like one obstacle after another for those of us who are either on our weight loss journey or focused on staying the course in Maintenance.

A while back I read a quote that said, "The only time when our obstacles matter is when we take our eyes off the goal."  That's a good quote to keep in mind - or post by our computer or wherever we'll see it - as we launch into this holiday season.

Keeping our eyes on the goal is key throughout this journey, but it's critical during the holiday season when we are surrounded by distractions that threaten to get us off course.  If we're focused on what's really important to us - getting to and maintaining a healthy weight - then the potential obstacles won't matter.  We will be aware of them and have a strategy in place to make sure that we leap over them.

Think about Olympic runners in track and field.  They encounter hurdle after hurdle, but their eyes remain fixed on their goal and they sail over the hurdles.  If a runner becomes fixated on the next hurdle, it not only slows their pace but that hurdle could be the one that causes them to trip and fall.

Where do you want to be on January 1?  Focusing on that as a short-term goal can help you get through these next weeks unscathed.  More importantly, how are you going to look and feel when you're at  your goal?  That's where you're heading - don't let anything get in your way!  You will be faced with lots of choices over the next few weeks, and those choices will either bring you closer to your goal or result in a step or two back.  Choose wisely :-)

Waiting for Perfect

If you've read my blogs for very long at all, you've probably noticed that I enjoy good, thought-provoking quotes.  There is often a lot of truth wrapped up in a pithy sentence or two.  That is certainly true for this quote: 

"Don't wait until everything is just right.  It will never be perfect.  There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions.  So what!  Get started now.  With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.  ~ Mark Victor Hansen

I am the kind of person who likes to get her ducks in a row, get everything "just so" before I take the first step.  There have been a number of things in my life over the past 4-5 years that have moved me outside of my comfort zone as I've been forced to learn as I go instead of getting everything right first.  I've realized that waiting until optimal conditions, with everything in place and all obstacles cleared away, usually means that I keep waiting . . . and waiting . . . Life has a way of being messy and less-than-perfect, and just as soon as one obstacle is eliminated, two more pop up.

That was certainly true of my past weight loss efforts.  I wanted the calendar clear, with nothing on the horizon that would involve food and tempt me to go off plan.  Things had to be good at work - no stress, and there certainly couldn't be any issues at home.  When all of these things were properly aligned, I could focus on losing weight.  However, the minute life happened - good or bad - the diet was once again off.  And trying to lose weight around the holidays?  Forget it!  Talk about a less-than-ideal time to lose weight!

I was very much in a mindset of wanting to wait for the perfect time to start another program just prior to placing my first Medifast order.  I started this program on June 24, 2007, just when the summer fresh fruits were beginning to appear at our local farmer's market.  I really like fruit, so the thought of not eating fruit for an entire summer was troubling and I seriously considered waiting until fall to begin the program.  But then I thought about the honey crisp apples, my favorites, that made their appearance in the fall.  Fall wouldn't be a good time to start, either!  But then after fall, I knew the holidays would be here and who in their right mind starts a weight loss program during the holidays?

So, in mid-June of 2007, as I tried to figure out when I should place my order and get started, I realized that the next "convenient" time to start the program wouldn't be until January 2, 2008 - more than six months away.  I realized that I absolutely could not go that much longer at the weight I was at (260), and I feared that if I waited six more months, my weight would be much higher. 

Was it the ideal time for me to start?  That's hard to say.  All I know was that it was the right time to start.  I started the program two weeks before my birthday and one month before our two-week vacation at a lake cottage we rented. I started this program at the beginning of a summer filled with cookouts and get-togethers with family and friends.  It wasn't ideal and there were certainly obstacles to address, but it was the right time for me - and I couldn't have imagined how much my life would change in the process.

Some of you are just getting started on this program and the holidays are staring you in the face.  This isn't an ideal time for you to start, either, but it's the right time because you're ready to change your life.  Good for you for not waiting until things are perfect . . . you won't regret the choices you're making!  Think about how much better you're going to feel on January 2 when you're 10 or 20 pounds lighter than you are today :-).

You've made a great choice in beginning this program, and each choice you make today, tomorrow and the day after that will bring you closer to a healthier future.  Choose wisely :-)

A Safe Investment

In this time of economic uncertainty, most of us want to make sure that we get the best return possible on our investments.  Whether it's our 401K or IRA or some other type of investment we've made to ensure our financial future, we want to see growth over time.  We review our quarterly reports and look for an increase from the previous quarter and we watch for trends that indicate future growth.

Would you be willing to invest $100 if you could be guaranteed a million dollar return?  (Who wouldn't, right?)

That's what you're doing right now.  The investment you're making in your health is a small investment when it's compared to your future return - a longer, healthier life.  The potential return on your health is worth far more than a million dollars, too!

Yes, there is the financial investment you're making to purchase the products needed to do this program, and there is also the mental and emotional investment.  There is hard work involved in ridding ourselves of old habits that didn't serve us well and embracing new, healthier habits.  It's not always easy and it's not always fun, but incorporating these healthy habits will pay long-term, priceless dividends.

When we have our health - when we feel as good as we can possibly feel - we're able to enjoy our lives to the fullest.  It doesn't matter how much money we have or how much stuff we've collected, if we're struggling with health issues and living in a state of unhealth or even disease, the money and the stuff don't matter.  We may be wise with our financial investments, but if we aren't being wise in our health investments, we won't be able to fully enjoy the benefits of our 401Ks and IRAs.  If we aren't wise in the choices we make for our health now, those financial investments may end up being drained for medication and other medical expenses.  I don't know about you, but that's not how I want to spend my money!

The return on financial investments is a bit uncertain right now, but the investment in our health has a solid track record on its return.  This is a long-term investment, and while many of us see almost immediate results and have been able to reduce or eliminate medications, the real returns will be evident in the years ahead.

The choices we make today determine the future return we will receive.  Choose wisely :-)

Making Decisions

Sometimes we think that what has been will always be, or we think that where we are is "it" and we're convinced that things will never change.  If we've had a long history of failed attempts at losing weight, it's easy to believe that our dieting history determines our future.  Here's a quote that challenges this kind of thinking:

"It's not what is happening to you now or what has happened in the past that determines who you become.  Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do with them that will determine your ultimate destiny." ~ Anthony Robbins

The decisions we made in the past had a significant impact on where we are today, and many of those decisions became habits over time.  But habits are still decisions, even if we aren't acutely aware that we're deciding each and every time.  The reason I know these are really decisions is because we have the ability to change them if we choose to do so.  We can get rid of unhealthy habits that don't serve us and we can develop an entirely new set of habits that put us on a new path - if we want to.

Going back to Robbins' quote, "your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do with them" - infused in each of these statements is choice.  We choose what we're going to focus on, whether it be past failures or current frustrations or future hopes and dreams that include being at a healthy weight.  If we look up and focus on the sky, we can't focus on the ground.  If we fix our gaze on the ground, we can't see the sky.  Where we choose to focus is critical, and it is a decision we have to make every day.

Robbins says that we decide "what things mean" to us - we attach a value and that value determines what we do with things.  Because the focus of this blog is about making healthy choices, let me apply this to the food choices we make.  If we value being healthy - if we've made a fundamental choice to get to a healthy weight - then that value will determine the food choices that we make.  If we value immediate gratification more than being healthy, that value will lead us to make different choices.

The choices of what we're going to focus on, what things mean to us and what we're going to do with them WILL, in large part, determine the future of our health.  That future may seem a long way away, but we're getting there one day and one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)

Focusing Ahead

I once read a story about a man who got on a tractor for the first time.  He described the thrill of starting up the engine, dropping the plow, and heading out across the field.  As he drove the tractor, he marveled at all of the gauges and gadgets on the tractor and enjoyed the feel of the steering wheel.  Everything was perfect until he looked back to admire his results.  Instead of seeing the straight lines he expected, he described what he saw as resembling a slithering snake, "with more bends and curves than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."  In his excitement to plow a field for the very first time, he forgot the cardinal rule of plowing:  plow with your eye on the fence post ahead.  On the return trip he did just that and his line was straight.  He realized that the first row was messed up because he didn't have a focus point.

Do you have a focus point?  Are you keeping your eyes on where you're going, or are you finding yourself being distracted by the details?  When we're focused on where we're heading, that not only keeps us moving forward, but it keeps us moving in a straight line to our goal.  If we're looking around at all of the things we "can't have" right now, if we're looking at all of the potential obstacles that might come our way, our path to goal may look a lot like the man's first plow line - filled with twists and turns.

By focusing on our goal, we are more likely to get there in a straight line.  We are continually reminded of where we're going and what we want, and that reminder will keep all of the distractions and obstacles on the sidelines.  We may be aware of them because we see them with our peripheral vision, but they are a blur as we go past them because our eyes are fixed on our goal.

Keeping our focus is critically important as we enter into the holiday season, starting with tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner.  Focusing on what we REALLY want, and focusing on those across the table instead of what's on (or not on . . . ) our plate will make all the difference!

Where are you choosing to focus today?  Your choice will determine your path to goal . . . choose wisely and have a wonderful - and healthy - Thanksgiving -:)

No Shortcuts

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

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

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

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

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

What I didn't fully understand at the time, but I see more clearly now, is that those 11 months were a time of sowing seeds of new actions and responses.  I was seeing results right along, which kept me motivated, but the process of learning to eat a different way planted seeds that are now bearing fruit.  Those seeds planted while I was on 5&1 are now becoming a crop of lifestyle changes and healthy habits that have enabled me to stay healthy for almost 4-1/2 years.  Had I had the magic wand and reached my goal in an instant, I would not have done the work I needed to do to maintain my weight loss and ensure a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life.

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

Avoiding the Energy Drain

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

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

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

This was certainly true for me.  I cheated miserably on every other program I'd ever been on until I started on 5&1, and the energy I spent cheating really was exhausting and demoralizing.  The internal struggle pre and post cheat went something like this:  "That really looks good and I want it.  I know I'm not supposed to have it, but it really looks good and I'm hungry/tired/stressed and I deserve it.  I shouldn't have it . . . I really shouldn't have it.  OK, I'll just have a bite.  Well, maybe half won't be too bad . . . Ugh, I ate the whole thing.  Since I ate one, I'll eat the other one so I won't be tempted anymore . . . Well, I really blew it.  How could I be so stupid and weak?  I don't even feel good - I ate way too much.  I'm never going to lose weight.  Why do I even try?  I wish I hadn't eaten the stupid thing - it wasn't worth it."

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

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

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

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

Decisions . . . Decisions . . .

"The craving you had for an hour or the body you've wanted for a lifetime - you get to choose."

It really does come down to what we choose, and we will make that choices, and the choices that support that choice, based on what it is that we really want.

Many of us want BOTH the craving we had for an hour AND the body (and the health!) we've wanted for a lifetime.  We don't want to choose - we want them both, at the same time.  But that's not possible.  There may be a few people blessed with a killer metabolism that allows them to eat anything they want and still be thin, but the fact that you're reading this blog is probably an indication that you don't have one of those killer metabolisms - and neither do I.  And the reality is that if those rare individuals with killer metabolisms are eating junk all day, they may be thin but still not healthy and may well be on a path to disease.

Every day we have to make choices that will either bring us to a healthy weight and a healthier body or make choices that will lead us down a very different path.  That other path is the one that many of us have been on for years, perhaps decades.  It is a well-worn path that's been made smooth by the number of times we've been down it.  It's an easy path to walk because it's so familiar . . . the problem is that it's taken us to a place we didn't want to be and leads to an even less desirable place if we continue.

Being on a journey to a healthier body isn't easy.  The path is a new one for many, and for others it's a path we haven't been on in years.  It's a bumpy path with pitfalls and temptations threatening us at every turn.  Sometimes it feels too hard and we can question whether it's going to be worth it, especially when the next temptation is staring us in the face. 

It's at those times that it's important to take a step back, take a deep breath and ask - for the hundredth time if necessary - what is it that you REALLY want?  You will make the choices that support what you want. 

You get to choose . . . choose wisely :-)

Changing Priorities

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


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

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

However, June 24, 2007 was the beginning of what has truly been a life-changing journey, and, with God's help, I have made permanent changes in my life.  I know I can never return to that old life, so I've been forced to adopt some new priorities.  Many of these priorities flow out of my primary choice/ secondary choice philosophy (are you tired of hearing about this yet?).

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

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

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

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

Staying in the Game

In my last blog I wrote about not quitting half-way through the game.  I know that's easier said than done!  How do you keep going when you just want to be done?

First of all, I understand completely that feeling.  I got tired of eating the food and I got tired of not eating so many other things.  It took me two days short of 11 months to reach my goal and while the months went fast, especially as I look back, there were some mighty long days!  It wasn't always fun.

I remember that about four months into the program I started questioning how long I would be on plan.  It was just before Thanksgiving and I had 26 people coming to my house for dinner that year, so I knew that I'd be doing a lot of cooking and baking.  I'd made really good progress with my weight loss and had dropped several sizes, so I was in a much better place than I'd been when I started the plan that June.  I toyed with taking a small break to really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and I also considered taking a break between Thanksgiving and New Years and then starting in again on January 2. 

I considered this, but I didn't do it.  In fact, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.  When I reached New Year's Day, I didn't know that it would be over 5-1/2 more months until I reached my goal, but I was really happy that I'd continued to make progress through what is admittedly the toughest time of the year.

So how and why did I do that?  Again, it wasn't easy, but I stayed on plan because I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight and get on with the rest of my life, and I wanted it more than I wanted the food.  I really, really wanted the food - don't get me wrong - but I wanted something else even more.

Chapter 3 of Dr. A's Habits of Health is entitled, "Motivation for Change."  He describes a typical and very predictable pattern that most of us will recognize from our past dieting experiences, a pattern based on wanting to change to fix a problem.  Here's the pattern:

1. Emotional conflict leads you to act
2. Because you've acted, you feel better - even if the situation hasn't changed much
3. Feeling better takes the pressure off, lessening the emotional conflict
4. Less emotional conflict means there's less reason to continue doing the things that reduced the conflict in the first place
5. Since you feel better, you no longer feel a pressing need to follow through on your actions.
6.  And the original behavior returns.

That is how we've ended up in a yo-yo dieting pattern, losing and gaining, losing and gaining over the years.  If we are focused on fixing a problem (being overweight and/or unhealthy), the upcoming holiday season is a dangerous one.  If you've been on plan for any length of time, you DO look and feel better, no doubt about it.  That's why it's important to take a deep breath and focus - focus hard - on what it is that you really want. 

I've been talking about the holidays, but this is true regardless of what time of year it is.  Life continues to happen and anytime life happens, there is always food . . . always.  If we're focused on what we want, and if we're honest with ourselves about what it is that we most want, we will make the secondary choices that support that fundamental choice.

Five years ago, I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight.  I made some hard choices, but those choices supported what I most wanted.  There are no regrets!

What do you really want today?  Identify what it is that you want, focus on it, then choose wisely :-)

Getting in the Game

"Health is not a spectator sport."  Is your first instinct to nod in agreement, or are you thinking, "rats!!" :-)  It's true . . . if we want to be optimally healthy, being as active and vibrant as we can possibly be for as long as possible, we have to get in the game.

This quote is from "Dr. A's Habits of Health," a book written by Take Shape for Life's co-founder, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen.  My husband and I have worked our way through this book a couple of times, and I do mean worked our way.  It's a fabulous book and the companion guide, "Living a Longer, Healthier Life" is designed to not only expand on his "Habits of Health" book, but also is a workbook so that the reader can apply the Habits of Health principles to his/her own life.  I highly recommend both books!

I'm really good at studying and learning.  I'm an avid reader and enjoy the whole learning process, and I believe in being a lifelong learner.   However, reading, studying and learning in and of itself, as good as those things are, won't do a thing to get me healthy or keep me healthy. 

Prior to starting on Take Shape for Life, I had done a lot of reading and studying.  I had a good grasp of nutrition and understood the health risks of obesity.  I had an entire shelf of books on different diets (you name it, if somebody published a book about it, the book was probably on my shelf). I would often pull one of the books down to read, hoping a chapter or two would somehow spark enough motivation to get me moving down the scale again.  Unfortunately, I did a lot of my reading while eating cookies or chips . . . I kid you not.  I used to say that my obesity (my all-time high weight was 268 on my 5'5" frame) wasn't due to not knowing what to do or a failure to grasp the health risks. 

Knowing and doing are two entirely different things.  If we want to reach a healthy weight, if we want to be as healthy as we can possibly be, we have to stop being a spectator and get in the game.  It simply won't happen by osmosis.  I'm certainly not advocating that anyone stop reading about health - in fact, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Andersen's book to anyone who wants to create long-term health in their lives.  I just know that reading alone, even Dr. A's book, won't do it for us.  We can know all of the ins and outs of why it's important to eat every 3 hours and we can have the low-glycemic list memorized, but if we aren't doing it, the information is useless.

Once we're in the game (and since you're reading this, I'm guessing that you're in the game!), the next challenge is to stay in the game.  I've never seen a team decide half-way or 3/4 of the way through a game that, since they're ahead and doing well, that they can quit early.  Even when a team has a comfortable margin and their win is a foregone conclusion, they stay in the game until it's over.  We have to do the same!  For us, the game isn't over when we reach our goal . . . it's never really over as long as we're on this earth.  Every day between now and goal is a day where you have to make choices to move forward.  That doesn't change when you reach your goal - some of the options will change, but you will still have choices to make and those choices will either move you forward or take you back.  The game continues!

If you're inclined to sit on the bleachers, it's time to get off.  If you're currently in the game, keep going!  You'll do that with the choices you'll make today.  Choose wisely :-)

Don't Get Spooked!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Toxic Perfectionism

I heard it said that "perfection is the enemy of excellence."  What this means is that we can get so focused on wanting to do things perfectly that we become paralyzed, not willing to take the first step out of fear of failure.  Excellence is often born out of failure and the things we learn from failing, then trying again.  Generally I am an "all or nothing" kind of person.  If I can't give something 100%, I don't even want to try, and if I try to give 100% and fall short, I focus on where I slipped up rather than celebrating the success I had.  Can anybody identify with this?

This is really a toxic form of perfectionism and it can absolutely paralyze us and keep us from even starting.  We look at all of the potential obstacles and unless we know ahead of time exactly how we're going to overcome each one, we give up because the fear of failure overwhelms us.

While I stayed on plan and stayed in the fat-burning state the entire 11 months it took me to lose 120 pounds, my path thus far in maintenance (4-1/2 years) has been less straightforward.  I've shared with you that, to quote a friend of mine, "maintenance isn't for sissies." :-)  For a recovering perfectionist like myself, doing maintenance less than 100% "right" could trigger a serious backslide - you know, the old "if I'm not going to be good then I might as well be really, really bad" mentality.  However, please note that I am now a RECOVERING perfectionist!

What this means is that I am learning that the most important thing is to keep moving forward.  When I fall down (notice I didn't say "if"), I no longer waste time beating myself up.  I try to figure out what happened, because I want to learn from my mistake, but then I just refocus on what I want and keep on going.  When I've found myself hovering dangerously close to the top of my goal range and my jeans get tight,  I've had to figure out what happened and then take steps to reign things in. 

For those of you who are still on your weight loss journey, I want to encourage you to do two things.  First of all, I really encourage you to stay on plan, because that is by far the fastest and surest way to reach your goal.  Secondly, if you do find that you've gotten off plan, don't waste any time beating yourself up - just pick yourself up and keep moving forward!  Do spend some time (but not TOO much!) and try to determine what happened and why, but then move on.  Even if you don't do this perfectly, as long as you don't allow missteps to keep you from moving forward, you'll reach your goal - one day, one meal, and one choice at a time . . . choose wisely :-)

Motivation for Permanent Change

In Dr. A's Habits of Health (a fabulous book written by Take Shape for Life's co-founder and Medifast's medical director, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen), Dr. Andersen writes "Change motivated by conflict will always be temporary; change motivated by desired outcomes can lead to permanent change."  His point is that to make change permanent, we need to move from solving a problem to creating something in our lives.

When I started my weight loss plan, I was trying to solve a couple of problems - my obesity and my diabetes.  My blood sugar returned to normal within one week of starting the program, so that "problem" began to improve almost immediately.  Week by week, as I saw the pounds melt off and I dropped size after size, the pain of obesity began to ease.  Had my focus remained on solving my problems, I'm not sure I would have ever reached my goal.  By the time I'd lost 60 pounds and was 200 pounds, I looked and felt a LOT better.  I was out of women's sizes and my blood sugar remained normal.  I was pretty tired of being on plan and I remember toying with the idea of quitting.  I remember walking through the grocery store, loading my cart with lean protein and my greens while smelling great things from the bakery.  I took note of all of the people pushing carts loaded with very Medifast-unfriendly food, and many of these people were quite a bit heavier than I was.  I remember being mad that I was still on such a restrictive plan while other people were eating all of the "fun stuff," and I began to rationalize.  I was 55, I had 4 grandchildren, I was wearing size 16, and I momentarily thought that where I was at was good enough.

Thankfully, I came out of that thinking pretty quickly, before I allowed it to take me down a road I didn't want to take.  What brought me back and kept me moving forward was a vision I had in my mind of being at a healthy weight and wearing a small size.  I imagined the joy at finally reaching my goal, and I knew if I stopped short of my goal I would feel like I had settled for less than what I really wanted.

What I didn't realize at the time was that I had done exactly what Dr. A wrote about - I moved from solving a problem to creating something in my life.  My focus was on moving forward towards something I wanted rather than moving away from something I didn't want.  Ultimately, that made all of the difference for me.

It still makes a difference.  My focus now is on continuing on the path to optimal health.  Optimal health looks different for each of us, but I have a clear vision in my mind of what optimal health is for me.  As long as I stay focused on what I want to create in my life, I am motivated to make the choices necessary to continue moving forward.

Today we each have to choose if we're going to look back at what brought us to this program, or if we're going to look forward at what we want to create in our lives.  I'd rather create than problem solve - how about you?  Creating something new and wonderful in your life will happen one day, one meal and one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)

Why I Didn't Cheat

One question I get asked a lot is, "How did you manage to stay on plan without cheating for almost a year?" 

The answer really isn't easy, and sometimes I'm almost hesitant to admit that I didn't cheat, especially when I can just tell that the person asking me is hoping to hear that yes, I got off plan numerous times, then got back on and got to my goal. 

There are many, many people on program who did exactly that - found themselves off plan from time to time, but eventually they reached their goal.  They have nothing but my deep admiration and respect, and I applaud them for their gritty tenacity and never-give-up spirit.

But that wasn't me. 

First of all, I was scared to death to get off plan.  I'd finally found something that WORKED - I was losing weight and I felt GOOD, unheard of on every other diet I'd ever gone on.  I was faithfully logging my meals, involved with the on-line community here, and just plain had my head in the game.  Because I had failed miserably on every other weight loss plan I'd ever gone on (and I'd been on just about every plan, sane and crazy, that was out there), it seemed incredible to find something that actually worked.  I was afraid that if I got off plan and shifted my focus, I might never be able to get it going again.  I was researching weight loss surgery options on line (including lap band in Mexico because it was cheaper . . . ) when I found information about Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  I was pretty desperate and felt that if this plan didn't work, I didn't know what I'd do.

So fear kept me motivated :-).  I was also sick to death of dieting, having done so for the majority of two solid decades.  I was tired of always either being on a diet or feeling guilty because I wasn't on a diet and needed to be, or researching the NEXT sure thing diet.  This time, I was ready to just get it done.  I took the mindset that this wasn't going to be for the rest of my life, that this was a season in my life I'd set aside to get healthy.  I told myself that all the things I wasn't eating while on 5&1 would eventually come back and I'd be able to enjoy them at a healthy weight.

I was tired of feeling guilty about what I ate.  Almost every time I ate something "bad", I'd feel guilty, knowing that I "shouldn't" be eating it.  That guilt was magnified many times over when I'd eat the forbidden food while on a diet.  When I started on 5&1, I decided that I wanted to really enjoy what I was eating, and I wanted to be able to eat it without feeling guilty about it.  The wonderful thing is that now I CAN eat pretty much what I want, in moderation, and I don't feel guilty anymore.  That is an amazing feeling of freedom!  Also, because I no longer feel guilty, I don't have guilt that ends up fueling a binge.

So that's WHY I stayed on plan.  Now let me share with you how I did it.

I planned, planned, planned - every meal every day.  I faithfully logged my meals and my water intake every day so I kept myself accountable.  I would generally sit down in the evening and log everything I planned for the next day, right down to the lean & green (if I knew ahead of time what we were going to have).  I'd get my shake ready, mix up my soup, and put my oatmeal packet and a bar in my purse, ready for work the next morning.  Because I logged everything ahead of time, I knew every day how many calories and carbs I had allotted myself, which made it easier to turn down tempting treats.  And I mean I logged everything - weighed my meat, measured my veggies, and made sure that if it went in my mouth, it was logged on my meal plan for the day.  If I had a day when I was going to be on the go all day, I made oatmeal muffins and cream soup bread and made sure that I had packets of shakes or cappuccino with me (I lost my weight before the crunch bars, pretzels, cheese puffs and bites which make on-the-go days SO much easier now!).  I had extra meals in my purse, at my desk, and in my car, and I kept an extra shaker bottle in my desk drawer.  I left no room for failure, and I wanted to make sure that I never was in a position where I needed to eat and didn't have anything with me.  That said, I also came to realize that I would NOT die if I didn't eat immediately, that I really COULD wait to eat, if need be :-).

Lastly, I finally admitted that I was incapable of losing weight on my own.  I asked God every day to give me the strength I needed for that day, and I found Him to be faithful to my very earnest prayer.  Because I couldn't run to food for comfort, I realized all over again that He really IS my true Source of comfort! 

So that's pretty much why I stayed on plan and how I did it.  It certainly wasn't easy, and there were many days I didn't wake up joyful that I was facing another day of 5&1 :-).  But I did, and I don't have any regrets.  I reached my goal over 3 years ago and am still maintaining a healthy weight.  It was definitely worth it!

So that's my story - how about you?  It doesn't matter if you're just starting the plan, or if you're restarting for the umpteenth time.  Today can be the first in a series of on-plan days that will ultimately lead you to your goal.  And you'll reach your goal one day, one meal, and one choice at a time . . . choose wisely :-)

Oh Really??????

On our way home from Chicago last Wednesday night, we passed a billboard for a bariatric surgeon.  The billboard has been up for a couple of years but it still riles me every time I see it.  The billboard's message: "Obesity is a Disease, Not a Decision."  Every time I see that sign, all I can think is, "Oh really????"

The billboard really frustrates me (actually makes me angry, if the truth be told).  It gives the impression that obesity is something that can't be helped - it's a disease that apparently you "catch."  The billboard gives the distinct impression that an individual's decisions have nothing to do with their obesity. Again, I can only ask, "Oh really????"

As long as people think that they are somehow helpless victims of this epidemic, somehow caught in the throes of a disease called "obesity," they will view themselves as powerless to escape.  Disease is viewed as something to be treated externally by someone else, whether the treatment is in the form of medication or, in the case of the physician on this billboard, through surgery.  Disease somehow implies that there is little to no personal responsibility involved.  After all, it's not a decision.

Ugh! 

The truth is that while we may not have decided to become obese (in that sense, it's not a decision because most rational people don't one day decide that they want to be obese), the hundreds and thousands of decisions we made along the way brought us to the point of obesity.  If obesity is a disease, it is one that we inflicted on ourselves one decision at a time.

Owning up to that is an important step in reversing our obesity.  When I saw "268" on the scale, I knew I'd done it to myself, one forkful at a time.  Because I was able to accept responsibility for what I'd done to my body and acknowledged that the Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol I had was a direct result of my obesity and the choices I'd made, I was eventually able to make the decision to get healthy.  Just as I got obese one decision at a time, I got to a healthy weight that same way - one choice and one decision at a time.

It's not easy to turn things around, but it IS possible.  That's not just my own story, but it's the story of so many others I know who finally made the same decision I did.  We aren't helpless, and we aren't victims.  We have the ability to choose a different path that can lead us to being healthier than we ever thought possible.   With all due respect to the surgeon who posted that billboard, obesity IS a decision.  And we know it can be reversed in a matter of weeks or months, one choice at a time.  Choose wisely :-)

Waving My Magic Wand

I am the weight loss fairy and I am waving my magic wand, sprinkling fairy dust all around.  If you are blessed enough to catch the breeze of my wand or have a few bits of dust land on you - poof!  You will be at your goal!  Anybody interested?

Wouldn't it be GREAT if it was that simple?  How I wish I could wave a magic wand or sprinkle dust around and know that everyone touched would immediately be at their goal. 

Of course, it's not that easy, is it?  It's almost that simple, however.  Eat 5 Medifast meals a day and fix a lean and green (or order one at a restaurant).  Not much thinking required, and the program really DOES work like magic . . . it's just that the magic on this program takes a bit longer :-)

So are you ready to change your life today?  Even in the absence of a weight loss fairy, you CAN make all of your dreams come true, if you decide that's what you want to do.  Best of all, unlike magic that has an annoying way of disappearing, the changes you'll make on this program can last a lifetime.

The changes begin with the choices you'll make today, so choose wisely :-)

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I am leaving today for Chicago and will be flying to Salt Lake City tomorrow morning for a leadership conference at Sundance, Utah.  I'll be back on October 18 and will get to blogging when I get home.  In the meantime, you know what to do . . . keep making those wise choices!

Mood or Mindset?

                     
I've got a question for you today:  are your responses based on your mind-set or on your mood?

Up until I started on Take Shape for Life, my weight loss efforts were pretty much dictated by my mood.  When I was feeling motivated, I tried to lose weight.  When I didn't feel like it, I'd tell myself that it wasn't going to be a "good diet day" and I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted.  Needless to say, a mood-driven weight loss program got me absolutely no where!

It wasn't until I embraced a mind-set of getting healthy that I finally began my final weight loss journey.  Having the right tools - this program! - certainly made the difference, but what was also different this time was that I had a different mind-set.

When I started on this program, I wasn't trying to lose weight for a specific event, and I didn't set a date to reach my goal.  This time, my goal was to get healthy and stay healthy, and I didn't care how long it took (but naturally I hoped it would be fast!).  Once I embraced a mind-set of getting healthy, it was amazing to see the difference in my resolve.  

If you're in the habit of responding out of your mood, this journey is going to be a long and rocky one, because there will be times when I can guarantee that you won't be in the mood to stay on plan.  There are days when this isn't fun at all, and unless you have a mind-set that is fixed on getting to a healthy weight and continuing your pursuit of health, you're likely to succumb to the myriad of temptations that surround you.

Part of moving from mood to mind-set is taking the time to identify what it is that you really want.  If you want to be at a healthy weight, write it down.  Picture in your mind what your life will look like when you reach your goal - what kind of clothes will you wear?  How will you feel?  What will you be able to do?  If you can get a picture in your mind of what you want, that can help you keep moving forward on those days when this isn't fun.  Instead of moving away from what you don't want (being overweight, on medication, etc.), think about what you want to create in your life.  That's much more fun and will be a big step forward in giving you the mind-set you need to get to your goal.

The choice is yours - mood or mind-set?  Choose wisely :-)

Do You REALLY Want To?

                            
Do you want to get to a healthy weight?  Do you want to stay at a healthy weight for the rest of your life?

This seems like an obvious question, doesn't it?  And I hate it when people ask obvious questions (makes me wonder if they think I'm stupid or something . . . ).  But I'm asking this question today because I think it's an important question to ask.

One book I really like is, "At His Feet" by Chris Tiegreen.  One of the devotional readings in this book is based on the story of Jesus healing a man who had been an invalid for 38 years.  When Jesus approached the man, He asked the man, "Do you want to get well?"  Interestingly, the man didn't respond, "Well, of course!"  Instead, he offered an excuse (the entire story can be found in John 5:1-15 if you want to read the entire account).

The writer of the devotion noted that as much as we think we want to change, we're comfortable with the status quo.  The man may have been tired of being an invalid, but he also may have feared the changes in his life that being healed would bring.  So Jesus asked what seems to be an obvious question, "Do you want to get well?"

Our problem is that all too often we want change, but we don't want TO change.  At least that's true for me :-).  I want to keep doing what I've always done, but get better results!  Unfortunately, that happens to be the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results . . . ).

We know we SHOULD lose weight, and perhaps we even want to lose weight, sort of.  But things come up that are more important to us that getting to a healthy weight and we cheat.  Or perhaps losing weight makes people begin to notice us, and that makes us uncomfortable, so we start sabotaging ourselves.  Status quo can be a pretty comfortable and safe place to be sometimes, even if we know it's not healthy in the long run.

So the question needs to be asked, and I ask it respectfully:  Do you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there?  If you do, you are on the right program to get you there.  You have a lot of wonderful tools to help you each step of the way and there is an amazing amount of support available.  The program is a proven program - the only variable is you.  If you work the program, it works!  If you don't work the program, it doesn't work.

As I've shared before, for me the food part of this program was the easy part.  The really, really hard part was the head and the heart part, because I had to change in pretty fundamental ways how I thought and felt about food.  I had to end a long relationship with food, and that was not an easy task.  What made this time different than all of the other bazillion times I'd tried in the past was that this time I finally, really wanted to change.

I hope your answer to my question today is a resounding "YES!!!"  But be honest with yourself, and if it's not, spend some time figuring out why.  If you figure out what's holding you back and then take steps to deal with it, you'll eventually be able to answer "YES!", too.  And when you do, you'll reach your goal and stay there!  And you'll reach your goal one day, one meal, and one choice at a time . . . choose wisely :-)

Dispelling Another Myth

                          
There is a common misconception that somehow the individuals who stay on plan and reach their goal are stronger or more self-disciplined than everybody else.  Every time I hear that, I just have to smile, because I know how much I struggled, and still struggle, to have discipline in my life.  When individuals decide that they just don't have the discipline that others have and attribute the lack of discipline to the reason they aren't staying on plan, they've really set themselves up for failure. 

If you're telling yourself that you just aren't disciplined, that you aren't as strong as someone else, you've given yourself permission to fail, and you probably will.  If you are waiting for some day in the future when you will somehow get the discipline you need to stay on program, you'll be waiting a long, long time.

A quote I really like says, "Discipline is making the choice between what you want now and what you want most!"  Discipline isn't a matter of being stronger, it's a matter of deciding what it is that you want.

There are always things competing for our attention and if we aren't focused on what we want, we will grab whatever is closest, opting for immediate gratification.  The problem with that strategy is that there is often a difference between what we want now, in this instant, and what we want most.  If we are choosing what we want in this instant, that choice may be pushing us farther away from what we want most.

So what DO you want most today?  Fix your eyes on it, then choose wisely :-)