It's never easy to give bad news, but I found myself in the position of having to do so again last night. A friend of mine called, someone I haven't talked to in a long time, and we had a good time catching up. Then she started asking questions about how I'd lost weight. She is in her mid-50's and is one of those individuals who's been blessed with a killer metabolism. Up until now, she's never really had to lose weight - ever. She has spent her entire life pretty much eating whatever she wanted and if the scale went up a couple of pounds, she just kicked up her exercise a notch and the weight came right off. She's had the metabolism that many of us can only dream about.
The operative word here is "had", because she now finds herself heavier than she's ever been in her entire life and in need of losing 20-25 pounds. She still looks pretty good, and I don't think most people would look at her and think that she needs to lose weight. But her BMI is definitely in the "overweight" category and she's motivated to get back to her ideal weight.
Her question for me last night, and what prompted the need for me to deliver bad news, was "Am I going to be able to go back to all of my favorite foods once the weight is off?" Her favorite foods include all things fried, including Outback's infamous "Bloomin' Onion", Starbucks' 500 calorie beverages, and sweets. She does not naturally gravitate to healthy options, so the thought of temporarily changing her food choices is one thing, but changing those choices permanently is a different matter.
So I gave her the bad news. The reality is that she cannot return to those old eating habits, at least not if she wants to keep the weight off. She sighed deeply as the reality set in. I told her that it was time to not only get back to a healthy weight, but to develop healthy habits that would better serve her as she moves forward.
Being thin and being healthy aren't always synonymous. I don't know her medical history and don't know if she's on any medications, but I do know that the foods she's been eating contribute to inflammation in the body. In Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen devotes an entire chapter to inflammation in our bodies and discusses not only the risks but also the things that contribute to inflammation. High on the list are processed foods, and Dr. Andersen wrote that "the high level of chemicals in processed foods stimulates the immune system, which senses those chemicals as foreign intruders and attacks."
Take Shape for Life/Medifast is not a diet. We simply can't reach our goal and return to our old habits, at least not if we want to keep the weight off. More importantly, we can't return to those old habits if we want to live a long and healthy life. That's the bad news, and it's also the truth. That doesn't mean that we can't ever eat any of those old favorites again, but if we choose to do so, we'll eat them on rare occasions and in small quantities. The good news is that we can embrace new, healthy habits that will not only enable us to keep the weight off, but also add years to our lives.
The choice is ours, so choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
That Miserable Yo-Yo
It happened again. Even though I've seen it happen before, I'm always saddened when it happens, and this morning was no exception.
I picked up an e-mail from a friend of mine who lives out of state. It's been a while since we'd talked or e-mailed, so I was really happy to hear from her again. What made me sad was reading that she had gained almost all of her weight back. She'd lost about 30 pounds on the program and was less than 10 pounds from her goal the last time I saw her and she looked and felt great. I didn't have to wonder what happened, because she told me that "when you lose all the weight & look good, you tend to cheat, never thinking you will gain it all back." She's back to a place she never thought she'd be, and I could almost hear the sadness and frustration in her voice.
Why does this happen? Everyone on plan today wants to reach their goal, and I imagine that the vast majority of you are vowing that you will never, EVER gain the weight back. Have I guessed right?
The challenge is to keep looking ahead to what we want to create in our lives. In the book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen addresses the issue in Chapter 3, "Motivation for Change." In this chapter, he described in detail the sequence of events that my friend has experienced. When we approach weight loss from a problem-solving perspective (which is honestly how most of us approach it, and that was my perspective as well), Dr. Andersen says that this type of motivation almost never leads to lasting change. He says that when we feel emotional conflict:
1. We're motivated to act.
2. Once we've taken action, we begin to feel better, even if the situation hasn't changed much.
3. When we feel better, we feel less pressure to change, which lessens the emotional conflict.
4. When we feel less emotional conflict, there's less reason to continue making the changes.
5. When we feel better, we don't feel the pressing need to follow through with our actions.
6. We return to our old habits.
This is the miserable yo-yo pattern that many of us have been stuck in for years.
Not ever gaining the weight back was both my vow and my fear. I had never successfully lost all of the weight I needed to lose before, and any weight that I lost quickly came back. I hadn't had any success whatsoever is losing weight and keeping it off, so my vow was filled with faith and hope and my fear was well-justified.
What made the difference for me this time is what Dr. Andersen spends most of his book discussing: shifting from solving a problem (obesity) to creating health in our lives. Changing our focus from what we're against (obesity) to what we're for (health and vitality) is the key. When we shift our focus to creating health in our lives, reaching our goal weight isn't the end of the journey. Instead, it's the first important step on what will be a life-long journey towards optimal health.
I don't have the time or space to fully explain all of this, and since Dr. Andersen has already done it much better than I ever could, I really encourage you to get a copy of his book and read it for yourself. I'm not saying this because I'll make any money from this, because I won't. I just know that if you want to successfully lose your weight and keep it off, and if you want reaching your goal to be the first step of the rest of your healthy life, you owe it to yourself to get a tool that will help you create the life you want.
In the meantime, I really encourage you to stay focused on taking the steps that you need to take today. If you're just starting your weight loss journey, keep up the great work! Don't allow the length of the journey ahead to discourage you because you WILL get there, one day and one Medifast meal at a time. If you're nearing your goal, stay focused on reaching your goal and moving beyond it. Don't settle for anything less than the healthiest you that you can be.
Today will come down, once again, to the choices that we make. Choose wisely :-)
I picked up an e-mail from a friend of mine who lives out of state. It's been a while since we'd talked or e-mailed, so I was really happy to hear from her again. What made me sad was reading that she had gained almost all of her weight back. She'd lost about 30 pounds on the program and was less than 10 pounds from her goal the last time I saw her and she looked and felt great. I didn't have to wonder what happened, because she told me that "when you lose all the weight & look good, you tend to cheat, never thinking you will gain it all back." She's back to a place she never thought she'd be, and I could almost hear the sadness and frustration in her voice.
Why does this happen? Everyone on plan today wants to reach their goal, and I imagine that the vast majority of you are vowing that you will never, EVER gain the weight back. Have I guessed right?
The challenge is to keep looking ahead to what we want to create in our lives. In the book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen addresses the issue in Chapter 3, "Motivation for Change." In this chapter, he described in detail the sequence of events that my friend has experienced. When we approach weight loss from a problem-solving perspective (which is honestly how most of us approach it, and that was my perspective as well), Dr. Andersen says that this type of motivation almost never leads to lasting change. He says that when we feel emotional conflict:
1. We're motivated to act.
2. Once we've taken action, we begin to feel better, even if the situation hasn't changed much.
3. When we feel better, we feel less pressure to change, which lessens the emotional conflict.
4. When we feel less emotional conflict, there's less reason to continue making the changes.
5. When we feel better, we don't feel the pressing need to follow through with our actions.
6. We return to our old habits.
This is the miserable yo-yo pattern that many of us have been stuck in for years.
Not ever gaining the weight back was both my vow and my fear. I had never successfully lost all of the weight I needed to lose before, and any weight that I lost quickly came back. I hadn't had any success whatsoever is losing weight and keeping it off, so my vow was filled with faith and hope and my fear was well-justified.
What made the difference for me this time is what Dr. Andersen spends most of his book discussing: shifting from solving a problem (obesity) to creating health in our lives. Changing our focus from what we're against (obesity) to what we're for (health and vitality) is the key. When we shift our focus to creating health in our lives, reaching our goal weight isn't the end of the journey. Instead, it's the first important step on what will be a life-long journey towards optimal health.
I don't have the time or space to fully explain all of this, and since Dr. Andersen has already done it much better than I ever could, I really encourage you to get a copy of his book and read it for yourself. I'm not saying this because I'll make any money from this, because I won't. I just know that if you want to successfully lose your weight and keep it off, and if you want reaching your goal to be the first step of the rest of your healthy life, you owe it to yourself to get a tool that will help you create the life you want.
In the meantime, I really encourage you to stay focused on taking the steps that you need to take today. If you're just starting your weight loss journey, keep up the great work! Don't allow the length of the journey ahead to discourage you because you WILL get there, one day and one Medifast meal at a time. If you're nearing your goal, stay focused on reaching your goal and moving beyond it. Don't settle for anything less than the healthiest you that you can be.
Today will come down, once again, to the choices that we make. Choose wisely :-)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Happy 100th Birthday!
Happy Monday! The title of the February issue of U.S. News and World Report caught my eye - "How to Live to 100", and it's been an interesting read. I am one of those people who would love to have Willard Scott's successor on the "Today Show" someday wish me a happy 100th birthday, so I'm always interested to read article on how to live long - and well. I have also been re-reading "Dr. A's Habits of Health" and the last section of the book addresses what Dr. Andersen calls "ultra health" to potentially extend our lifespan by a couple of decades.
Living long is only appealing to me if I have a decent measure of health, and as long as I have my wits about me :-). I used to think that whether or not I live long and lived healthy (body and mind) was pretty much determined by my genetics, but I don't think that any longer. The U.S. News and World Report issue and Dr. Andersen's book both make the point that while genetics factor in, they take a back seat to the choices we make.
One of the biggest factors in determining how long - and how healthy - we live is our weight. Excess weight puts us at a higher risk for a host of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, which can rob us of both quality of life and years of living. Excess fat and an unhealthy diet creates inflammation in our bodies that not only contributes to the aging process, but it damages blood vessels, joints, and even our brain (researchers are exploring the relationship between inflammation and Alzheimer's disease).
Perhaps you're in your 20's or 30's (or even 40's) and think that aging is something you don't have to think about for decades, and your motivation for losing weight right now is just to look good. Please consider that your health is also an issue, both your current health and most certainly your future health. Perhaps you're in your 50's, 60's or beyond and think it's too late to make changes in your health, believing that the die has been cast. The reality is that it's never too late to make changes that will improve your health for both today and tomorrow! I've shared before, but my own mom (age 80) lost 40 pounds on this program a little over a year ago and has seen a significant improvement in her own diabetes and energy level. On page 283 of "Dr. A's Habits of Health," he tells the story of a woman approaching her 90th birthday who lost 67 pounds, got off most of her medications, and is now able to do volunteer work and enjoy time with her family and friends.
My pastor has been preaching a series of sermons on "Wising Up." Yesterday morning's sermon was entitled "Wise Up About Aging." One of the things he said was that someday we're going to meet an old person, and it will be us. We determine who that person will be by the choices we make today. Choose wisely :-)
Living long is only appealing to me if I have a decent measure of health, and as long as I have my wits about me :-). I used to think that whether or not I live long and lived healthy (body and mind) was pretty much determined by my genetics, but I don't think that any longer. The U.S. News and World Report issue and Dr. Andersen's book both make the point that while genetics factor in, they take a back seat to the choices we make.
One of the biggest factors in determining how long - and how healthy - we live is our weight. Excess weight puts us at a higher risk for a host of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, which can rob us of both quality of life and years of living. Excess fat and an unhealthy diet creates inflammation in our bodies that not only contributes to the aging process, but it damages blood vessels, joints, and even our brain (researchers are exploring the relationship between inflammation and Alzheimer's disease).
Perhaps you're in your 20's or 30's (or even 40's) and think that aging is something you don't have to think about for decades, and your motivation for losing weight right now is just to look good. Please consider that your health is also an issue, both your current health and most certainly your future health. Perhaps you're in your 50's, 60's or beyond and think it's too late to make changes in your health, believing that the die has been cast. The reality is that it's never too late to make changes that will improve your health for both today and tomorrow! I've shared before, but my own mom (age 80) lost 40 pounds on this program a little over a year ago and has seen a significant improvement in her own diabetes and energy level. On page 283 of "Dr. A's Habits of Health," he tells the story of a woman approaching her 90th birthday who lost 67 pounds, got off most of her medications, and is now able to do volunteer work and enjoy time with her family and friends.
My pastor has been preaching a series of sermons on "Wising Up." Yesterday morning's sermon was entitled "Wise Up About Aging." One of the things he said was that someday we're going to meet an old person, and it will be us. We determine who that person will be by the choices we make today. Choose wisely :-)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Grab Your Shovel
Happy Sunday! With most of the Northeast buried under a blizzard today, I thought I'd repost a blog I wrote almost a year ago - it seemed appropriate for a snowy Sunday :-)
***
I recently read a story about a little boy with a small shovel, which he was using to try and clear a pathway through deep, new-fallen snow in front of his house. A man stopped to watch the little boy for a couple of minutes and then asked the boy how on earth he expected to finish such a big task with such a small shovel. "Little by little, that's how!" was the response, and the boy kept shoveling.
The story didn't reveal whether or not the boy finished shoveling the pathway, but I'd like to believe he did :-).
Some of us may feel like we have tackled an enormous task with the smallest of shovels, and it can feel overwhelming sometimes. I know that the prospect of losing 120 pounds seemed impossible to me, which is one of the reasons I was researching weight loss surgery options when I found an on-line ad about Medifast. I mistakenly thought that having surgery would be the "easy way" to lose weight, and also the only way. It was only because the surgery wasn't a covered benefit under my insurance plan that I even decided to give Medifast a try.
I approached my first day much like the boy with the small shovel. I faced an enormous challenge and my resources were puny at best. I couldn't tackle the entire pile in a single shovel, but every Medifast meal that I ate was taking one more small shovelful and tossing it aside. Each meal on its own seemed pretty insignificant, and each day seemed pretty inconsequential as well, but those meals and those days added up, until that enormous pile was finally gone.
There are days when it gets tiring, and there are days when staying on plan isn't much fun. I tell people all the time that I did NOT wake up every single morning joyful that I faced another on-plan day :-). But the thought of not reaching my goal, and my desire to put over two decades of morbid obesity behind me once and for all kept me at it, one Medifast meal at a time.
The other part of the story that interested me was the man who stopped to question the boy and tried to raise doubts in the child's mind. We all have those people in our lives, and some of us even live with them - people who raise questions, who have their doubts about whether or not we will really do it this time, people who have seen us try and fail over the years and fully expect us to fail once again. There are naysayers everywhere and they can quickly discourage us - if we allow them to. I think the little boy's attitude is exactly what ours needs to be - he just kept on shoveling!
When it all boils down, we have to do this for ourselves. Different people will have different opinions about what we're doing and I can promise you that not everyone will be supportive. It can be hard to ignore the naysayers and keep on keeping on, but that's exactly how we'll reach our goal!
***
Choose wisely :-)
***
I recently read a story about a little boy with a small shovel, which he was using to try and clear a pathway through deep, new-fallen snow in front of his house. A man stopped to watch the little boy for a couple of minutes and then asked the boy how on earth he expected to finish such a big task with such a small shovel. "Little by little, that's how!" was the response, and the boy kept shoveling.
The story didn't reveal whether or not the boy finished shoveling the pathway, but I'd like to believe he did :-).
Some of us may feel like we have tackled an enormous task with the smallest of shovels, and it can feel overwhelming sometimes. I know that the prospect of losing 120 pounds seemed impossible to me, which is one of the reasons I was researching weight loss surgery options when I found an on-line ad about Medifast. I mistakenly thought that having surgery would be the "easy way" to lose weight, and also the only way. It was only because the surgery wasn't a covered benefit under my insurance plan that I even decided to give Medifast a try.
I approached my first day much like the boy with the small shovel. I faced an enormous challenge and my resources were puny at best. I couldn't tackle the entire pile in a single shovel, but every Medifast meal that I ate was taking one more small shovelful and tossing it aside. Each meal on its own seemed pretty insignificant, and each day seemed pretty inconsequential as well, but those meals and those days added up, until that enormous pile was finally gone.
There are days when it gets tiring, and there are days when staying on plan isn't much fun. I tell people all the time that I did NOT wake up every single morning joyful that I faced another on-plan day :-). But the thought of not reaching my goal, and my desire to put over two decades of morbid obesity behind me once and for all kept me at it, one Medifast meal at a time.
The other part of the story that interested me was the man who stopped to question the boy and tried to raise doubts in the child's mind. We all have those people in our lives, and some of us even live with them - people who raise questions, who have their doubts about whether or not we will really do it this time, people who have seen us try and fail over the years and fully expect us to fail once again. There are naysayers everywhere and they can quickly discourage us - if we allow them to. I think the little boy's attitude is exactly what ours needs to be - he just kept on shoveling!
When it all boils down, we have to do this for ourselves. Different people will have different opinions about what we're doing and I can promise you that not everyone will be supportive. It can be hard to ignore the naysayers and keep on keeping on, but that's exactly how we'll reach our goal!
***
Choose wisely :-)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Weekend Game Plan
Happy Saturday! Do you have your game plan in place for this weekend?
For me, careful planning made all of the difference for me when it came to weekends. I'm a fairly social person (in case you haven't figured that out yet!), so weekends usually include spending time with family, friends, or both. For better or worse, almost all get-togethers involve food. Getting together for Saturday brunch or dinner out on Saturday night, out for dinner after church on Sunday, our small group Bible study on Sunday night - regardless of the occasion or who we're with, sooner or later we eat.
I made two decisions when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. First, I made the decision to stay on plan. Second, I decided to live my life while I stayed on plan. Staying on plan and maintaining an active social life are NOT mutually exclusive :-), but successfully doing both requires planning.
For one thing, I didn't go out to eat twice in day. If I met a friend for brunch on Saturday, we didn't go out for dinner that night because I would have had my lean (Eggbeater veggie omelet) for brunch. Sundays were less problematic because the food served at our small group was (and still is) dessert. While everyone else enjoyed their dessert, I'd have a bar - simple! What was a pleasant surprise was that people really didn't care what I ate or didn't eat. Any concern I had that a hostess might be offended if I didn't eat her dessert was quickly dissipated. For me, the key was to assure her that it looked delicious, but then say (with a smile!) that I was trying to make healthier choices. Sometimes we'd have our own lean & green just prior to our get-together, so I could easily, and honestly, say that I'd just eaten and wasn't hungry. Because I stayed positive and didn't make a big deal about not eating something, everybody quickly forgot about what I was or wasn't eating - they honestly didn't care :-).
If you're getting together with friends tomorrow to watch the Super Bowl, offer to bring some raw veggies to share and have some MF pretzels, puffs or a crunch bar with you. Everyone will be so busy watching the game (or the commercials) to care about what you're eating.
All too often we allow our concerns about what we THINK other people will think to sway us, and we end up not sticking with our plan. Today I'm encouraging you to plan your eating for this weekend and then stick with your plan. Plan carefully, then choose wisely :-)
For me, careful planning made all of the difference for me when it came to weekends. I'm a fairly social person (in case you haven't figured that out yet!), so weekends usually include spending time with family, friends, or both. For better or worse, almost all get-togethers involve food. Getting together for Saturday brunch or dinner out on Saturday night, out for dinner after church on Sunday, our small group Bible study on Sunday night - regardless of the occasion or who we're with, sooner or later we eat.
I made two decisions when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. First, I made the decision to stay on plan. Second, I decided to live my life while I stayed on plan. Staying on plan and maintaining an active social life are NOT mutually exclusive :-), but successfully doing both requires planning.
For one thing, I didn't go out to eat twice in day. If I met a friend for brunch on Saturday, we didn't go out for dinner that night because I would have had my lean (Eggbeater veggie omelet) for brunch. Sundays were less problematic because the food served at our small group was (and still is) dessert. While everyone else enjoyed their dessert, I'd have a bar - simple! What was a pleasant surprise was that people really didn't care what I ate or didn't eat. Any concern I had that a hostess might be offended if I didn't eat her dessert was quickly dissipated. For me, the key was to assure her that it looked delicious, but then say (with a smile!) that I was trying to make healthier choices. Sometimes we'd have our own lean & green just prior to our get-together, so I could easily, and honestly, say that I'd just eaten and wasn't hungry. Because I stayed positive and didn't make a big deal about not eating something, everybody quickly forgot about what I was or wasn't eating - they honestly didn't care :-).
If you're getting together with friends tomorrow to watch the Super Bowl, offer to bring some raw veggies to share and have some MF pretzels, puffs or a crunch bar with you. Everyone will be so busy watching the game (or the commercials) to care about what you're eating.
All too often we allow our concerns about what we THINK other people will think to sway us, and we end up not sticking with our plan. Today I'm encouraging you to plan your eating for this weekend and then stick with your plan. Plan carefully, then choose wisely :-)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Making Adjustments
Happy Friday! I hope this has been a good week for you and that you're ready for a great, and on-plan, weekend!
Making permanent changes is hard work and it's not always easy or fun. Most of us ended up here because we had well-established unhealthy habits, and unlearning those habits and creating a host of new, healthy ones doesn't come easily. However, our long-term success is dependent on developing a healthier set of habits. I'm not talking about success in losing the weight, because as long as we stay on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, reaching our goal is a given. I'm talking about long-term success in not only keeping the weight off, but also being able to continue our own journey towards optimal health.
In my work with individuals on their own weight loss journey, I often hear comments like "I don't like (or worse, don't eat) vegetables;" "I don't like/don't drink water," and other comments that don't mesh well with developing new, healthy habits. Others tell me that they don't eat fruit and will just "skip that week" when it's time to transition off the weight loss portion of this program.
When I hear these types of statements, I am challenged to find a way to be empathetic while, at the same time, gently suggesting that it might be time to change. If we really, truly embrace the vision of a healthier lifestyle that will keep us moving in the direction of optimal health, then a palate adjustment may be in order.
The good news is that this program does a great job of readjusting our palates. Once we detox from the sugar, salt, and high-fat foods that got many of us in the mess we found ourselves, it's amazing to find that our taste buds get refined. It's even scary to find that some of the Medifast food that was definitely NOT my favorite my first month now, 2-1/2 years later, actually tastes GOOD to me :-). As our palates readjust, it can be a good time to revisit some of the veggies we turned our noses up to when we were kids.
For me, I have come to love cooked spinach. I hadn't touched it in years, but decided to give it a try again. Sauteed in a tiny amount of olive oil with fresh garlic, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, it's delicious - who knew? As I continue my own healthy lifestyle journey, I decided it was important to expand my list of veggies (which was already fairly extensive) and gave my childhood nemesis, beets, another try. Guess what? I like roasted beets! Kohlrabi, spaghetti squash and a variety of other vegetables have been added to my veggie repertoire, and I only wish I'd been a bit more adventurous years ago!
As you continue on 5&1, look at the list of "green" options and try something different, maybe even something you haven't tried since you were a kid. You might be pleasantly surprised!
And if you don't like water? Well, time to refashion those taste buds, too :-)
Being willing to make these kind of changes begins with making the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be. Once you make that choice, other choices become easier (not easy, but easier!). Have you made the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be? If so, you're half-way there. Then choose wisely :-)
Making permanent changes is hard work and it's not always easy or fun. Most of us ended up here because we had well-established unhealthy habits, and unlearning those habits and creating a host of new, healthy ones doesn't come easily. However, our long-term success is dependent on developing a healthier set of habits. I'm not talking about success in losing the weight, because as long as we stay on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, reaching our goal is a given. I'm talking about long-term success in not only keeping the weight off, but also being able to continue our own journey towards optimal health.
In my work with individuals on their own weight loss journey, I often hear comments like "I don't like (or worse, don't eat) vegetables;" "I don't like/don't drink water," and other comments that don't mesh well with developing new, healthy habits. Others tell me that they don't eat fruit and will just "skip that week" when it's time to transition off the weight loss portion of this program.
When I hear these types of statements, I am challenged to find a way to be empathetic while, at the same time, gently suggesting that it might be time to change. If we really, truly embrace the vision of a healthier lifestyle that will keep us moving in the direction of optimal health, then a palate adjustment may be in order.
The good news is that this program does a great job of readjusting our palates. Once we detox from the sugar, salt, and high-fat foods that got many of us in the mess we found ourselves, it's amazing to find that our taste buds get refined. It's even scary to find that some of the Medifast food that was definitely NOT my favorite my first month now, 2-1/2 years later, actually tastes GOOD to me :-). As our palates readjust, it can be a good time to revisit some of the veggies we turned our noses up to when we were kids.
For me, I have come to love cooked spinach. I hadn't touched it in years, but decided to give it a try again. Sauteed in a tiny amount of olive oil with fresh garlic, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, it's delicious - who knew? As I continue my own healthy lifestyle journey, I decided it was important to expand my list of veggies (which was already fairly extensive) and gave my childhood nemesis, beets, another try. Guess what? I like roasted beets! Kohlrabi, spaghetti squash and a variety of other vegetables have been added to my veggie repertoire, and I only wish I'd been a bit more adventurous years ago!
As you continue on 5&1, look at the list of "green" options and try something different, maybe even something you haven't tried since you were a kid. You might be pleasantly surprised!
And if you don't like water? Well, time to refashion those taste buds, too :-)
Being willing to make these kind of changes begins with making the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be. Once you make that choice, other choices become easier (not easy, but easier!). Have you made the fundamental choice to be as healthy as you can possibly be? If so, you're half-way there. Then choose wisely :-)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
How Fast Do You Want To Get There?
I'm back home and unpacked after a great 5-day Florida get-away. We had a good time and tried to soak up as much sun and warm weather as we could before returning to our Michigan winter. As we always do when we travel, we packed a lot of Medifast meals (sure do love the crunch bars, pretzels & puffs for traveling!), which saved us a lot of time and money. Flying is a breeze with meals in my carry-on, and having our meals with us for our day trip to the Everglades meant we could focus on having fun instead of figuring out what and where to eat. We ate four Medifast meals every day and enjoyed a great dinner each evening. Between carefully managing our calories and doing a lot of walking every day, our vacation away from the winter cold wasn't a vacation away from healthy habits.
While we were in Florida, we had an opportunity to meet up with a group of people who are on the program right now. It was fun meeting them and hearing some great weight loss stories! One story that particularly interested me was the story of a couple who both went on the program at the same time. The wife made the decision to stay on plan 100% of the time and she lost 50 pounds. Her husband also made the decision to follow the program, with one exception: he did the 5&1 plan plus had a glass of wine every evening with dinner. In the same amount of time that his wife lost 50 pounds, he lost 20. Yep - his wife lost over twice as much weight in the same amount of time!
So often we may think that it's OK to modify the plan just a little . . . after all, we reason, it's only a LITTLE bit off plan, so how much could it hurt? I guess the question each person has to ask is, "how quickly do I want to reach my goal?" If you aren't in a hurry, then perhaps having a glass of wine or eating something off plan might be OK for you.
When I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and began to realize that I had finally found a program that actually worked, something that really WOULD help me to reach my goal, I wanted to get there as quickly as I possibly could. I fought obesity for over twenty years and I didn't want to be obese for one day longer than I had to. I knew I didn't have any control over how fast my body released the weight, but I COULD control whether or not I stayed on plan. I knew that staying on plan would get me to my goal the fastest. It's not that I didn't miss a lot of things while I was on plan, but I figured that nothing was worth keeping me obese a day longer than necessary. As I approach the two-year anniversary of reaching my goal, I certainly don't regret the decision I made to stay on plan :-).
Almost every day presents a challenge to stay on plan. If it's not stress, it's an occasion of one kind or another (Super Bowl this week, Valentine's Day next week, for instance). If it's not an occasion, perhaps it's a friend or loved one who's less than supportive. Regardless of the challenge, the choice is ultimately ours. As we consider the choices we face, it might help to ask ourselves how fast we want to reach our goal. After we honestly ask - and answer - that question, we'll make the choices that support what we want. Think carefully about what you really want, then choose wisely :-)
While we were in Florida, we had an opportunity to meet up with a group of people who are on the program right now. It was fun meeting them and hearing some great weight loss stories! One story that particularly interested me was the story of a couple who both went on the program at the same time. The wife made the decision to stay on plan 100% of the time and she lost 50 pounds. Her husband also made the decision to follow the program, with one exception: he did the 5&1 plan plus had a glass of wine every evening with dinner. In the same amount of time that his wife lost 50 pounds, he lost 20. Yep - his wife lost over twice as much weight in the same amount of time!
So often we may think that it's OK to modify the plan just a little . . . after all, we reason, it's only a LITTLE bit off plan, so how much could it hurt? I guess the question each person has to ask is, "how quickly do I want to reach my goal?" If you aren't in a hurry, then perhaps having a glass of wine or eating something off plan might be OK for you.
When I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast and began to realize that I had finally found a program that actually worked, something that really WOULD help me to reach my goal, I wanted to get there as quickly as I possibly could. I fought obesity for over twenty years and I didn't want to be obese for one day longer than I had to. I knew I didn't have any control over how fast my body released the weight, but I COULD control whether or not I stayed on plan. I knew that staying on plan would get me to my goal the fastest. It's not that I didn't miss a lot of things while I was on plan, but I figured that nothing was worth keeping me obese a day longer than necessary. As I approach the two-year anniversary of reaching my goal, I certainly don't regret the decision I made to stay on plan :-).
Almost every day presents a challenge to stay on plan. If it's not stress, it's an occasion of one kind or another (Super Bowl this week, Valentine's Day next week, for instance). If it's not an occasion, perhaps it's a friend or loved one who's less than supportive. Regardless of the challenge, the choice is ultimately ours. As we consider the choices we face, it might help to ask ourselves how fast we want to reach our goal. After we honestly ask - and answer - that question, we'll make the choices that support what we want. Think carefully about what you really want, then choose wisely :-)
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