Yet Another Reason to Get Healthy - NOW!

Each of us had our own reason for making the decision to lose weight and get healthy.  For some, it was realizing that a favorite pair of jeans would no longer zip.  For others, it was a sobering doctor's office visit.  Or perhaps it was not being able to fit on a ride at an amusement park . . . the moment that motivated us to finally get started is as individual as we are. 

Once we've started, the challenge shifts to STAYING motivated.  Anyone who's been on any weight loss program knows what I'm talking about :-).  That's why it's so important to shift our focus from the problem we want to fix and looking ahead to what we want to create.  (In Chapter 3 of his fabulous book, "Dr. A's Habits of Health," Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen discusses this in depth.)

In addition to getting into a fun, small size and getting healthy, would you be motivated by knowing that getting healthy is the best thing you can do for your finances?

In her latest book, “Money Rules,” personal finance coach Jean Chatzky writes, “ The big­gest threat to your financial se­curity is your health. Medical debt is the leading cause of per­sonal bankruptcy in the U.S.”

In “How To Retire The Cheapskate Way” (due out in December), Jeff Yeager says the single most-important piece of financial advice you’ll ever hear is, “If you aren’t healthy, work to get healthier. And if you are healthy, work to stay that way.”

Did you get that? The biggest risk to your finances and future retirement is not stock market volatility, but health care costs.

We can either invest a little bit of time and money now to get healthy and learn the habits of health needed to stay healthy, or we can spend all of our time and money later trying to manage disease.  The choice is ours . . . choose wisely :-)

How to Finish Strong

 How is your weight loss journey progressing?  Are you making steady progress?  Perhaps you're struggling to get on plan and stay on plan, questioning whether this is the right program for you and wondering if the success that others have had will somehow elude you.  If this last sentence describes where you are right now, take heart.

It doesn't matter where you are or how the program has gone thus far.  What does matter is how you finish.  One quote I like says "The measure of a person is not how well they start, but how well they finish."  You haven't finished yet, unless you've decided to quit.

Struggling isn't any fun and in the midst of the struggle we can sometimes wonder if the end result will be worth the effort.  We are geared to want and expect fast results, immediate gratification, so when the positive feedback we're looking for isn't immediately forthcoming, it's tempting to throw in the towel. 

I'm encouraging you today to keep going.  You don't have to believe that this program works, but if you continue to work the program, you WILL reach your goal.  If you embrace this as a lifestyle change, you WILL be able to maintain a healthy weight.  Even if you're struggling, even if you are getting back on plan for the umpteenth time, you aren't finished yet!

When we're struggling, it's easy to believe that the outcome will ultimately be failure, but that's not true.  I've seen too many people who've had several "practice" attempts on this program before things finally clicked for them and they made it to goal.

Success on this program is directly tied to the daily choices we make.  Even if we don't feel like making those choices, and even if we don't believe those choices will ultimately make any difference, if we make them anyway, we will finish well.  You may have gotten off to a rocky start, or you may have started strong and now find yourself struggling, but where you are or have been doesn't determine the finish.  The choices you make today will.  Choose wisely :-)

Getting What We Expect

According to author John Maxwell, "sooner or later we get just what we expect."  In his book, "Failing Forward," Maxwell follows that statement by wondering if the reader views this statement as optimistic or pessimistic, stating that our attitude determines our outlook.   If we're an optimist, we expect things to turn out OK and they usually do.  If we're a pessimist, we expect things to fall apart and assume that if anything bad can happen, it will. 

So what does this have to do with losing weight and getting healthy?  Simply this:  do we expect to be successful or do we expect to ultimately fail?  That may sound like a foolish question, but I think it's worth asking.  In your heart of hearts, being totally honest with yourself, do you expect to reach your goal?  Do you envision yourself at a healthy weight, looking and feeling wonderful?  Or are you convinced, deep down, that this program will work for everyone BUT you?

Now the good news is that you don't have to believe the program works, because it works whether you believe it or not :-).  If you stay on plan and make the daily choice to follow the protocols of this program, you WILL lose weight and you WILL reach your goal.  That's a fact.

The challenge is that if we don't believe deep down that the program will work, if we don't believe that we'll ever really reach goal, the expectation of eventual failure can wreak havoc with our determination to stay on plan.  If the vision of ourselves reaching goal is clouded or perhaps missing entirely, we will be more vulnerable to the temptations that surround us.

Our attitude can not only impact our outcome in the long run, but it also affects our outlook in the the mean time.  If we're optimistic that we will reach out goal, then we are much more likely to take in stride the maddening fluctuations that we see on the scale.  We know we're in this for the long haul and we're optimistic that we'll eventually get there.  If we're pessimistic, those scale fluctuations may rattle us and we will allow them to reinforce our belief that we won't reach our goal.

But what happens if we're not optimistic by nature?  Whether it's through nature or nurture, some of us just naturally see the glass as half-empty.  Maxwell says that we can cultivate optimism in our lives by learning the secret of contentment.  Contentment doesn't mean that we've settled for where we're at, but Maxwell says it comes from choosing a positive attitude that:
   - expects the best in everything, not the worst
   - remains upbeat, even when we get beat up
   -  sees solutions in every problem, not problems in every solution
   - believes we can do it, even when others think we've failed
   - holds on to hope

Hmmm . . . it sounds like we can choose our attitude, perhaps even choose to be optimistic.  If that's true (and I believe it is, as does John Maxwell in his book), and if our attitude really does impact the outcome - if sooner or later we really do get just what we expect - then we have some choices to make today.  These choices go far beyond which Medifast meals we're going to eat or what we're going to have for our lean and green.  We also get to choose the attitude we're going to carry with us through this day. 

Have a great day, and choose wisely :-)

Avoiding Ditches

Here's an interesting fact:  for every mile of road, there are two miles of ditches.  That's not necessarily a comforting thought, to be honest.  Because I have repeatedly referred to my own weight loss experience and beyond as a journey, any metaphor that relates to a journey - like a road - catches my attention.  Being aware that there are twice as many miles of ditches as there is road, the question is, how do we stay on the road and not end up in the ditch?

Some roads are broad and smooth and we can easily put ourselves on cruise control and travel a good distance without giving it much thought.  When traveling down these roads, we're almost oblivious to the ditches because there's a good margin on both sides and we never veer near the edge.  There are times when staying on plan is easy - you feel great, the scale is moving nicely, and you may feel like you're on cruise control because you're making great progress and don't have to think about what you're doing.  You just aren't tempted to stray and you feel like you could do 5&1 indefinitely.  It's a good place to be!

It's those other roads that are scary to navigate - narrow, bumpy roads that keep us gripping the steering wheel and fighting to stay away from the ditches that loom on either side.  Those bumpy roads often show up unexpectedly and can stretch on for what seems like endless miles.  Perhaps it's a busy schedule or stress that makes the road bumpy, or maybe it's something else.  Maybe the scale gets stuck at the same time that life throws us a curve or two.  Regardless of what finds us on a bumpy, narrow road, our challenge is to keep moving forward.

How do we do that?  Simply, it's by keeping our focus straight ahead and gripping the steering wheel.  (I said it's simple, not easy!)  When things are difficult, that's when it's most difficult to keep focused on where we're going and not allow other things to distract us.  That's also when we're most prone to veer straight for a ditch.  Knowing where we want to go and keeping our eyes fixed on our destination is key to staying out of ditches.  Gripping both hands on the steering wheel is also critical, and this requires full attention and determination.  Sometimes it's just plain hard and the effort required to stay focused is exhausting.  What I know is that as exhausting as it is to keep going when it's hard, that is far easier than trying to get ourselves out of a ditch.  It is ALWAYS easier to stay on plan than it is to restart again - and again - after spending time in a ditch.

Staying on course when the road is bumpy comes down to the choices we make.  It's not easy, but it's worth it.  Keep your eyes on the road, keep gripping the steering wheel, and choose wisely :-).

Today's Forecast

One of the first things I do every morning is check the weather forecast. Especially this time of year, when temperatures can wildly fluctuate from the 70's one day to below freezing, I don't know what to wear until I know what the forecast is.  Today is starting out in the low 40's, but temps are predicted to get into the mid 60's by later today, so I'll dress in layers and be ready for whatever the day holds.

I have another forecast for you this morning, and it doesn't matter if you live in Alaska or Florida, California or New York.  It's the same forecast.  It's the forecast for your chance of success on this program.

Regardless of where you live, regardless of how long you've been on the program or how much you currently weigh, no matter how much weight you have to lose or how long you've been overweight, I have the forecast for your success on this program.  Ready?

Your chance of success on this program is 100% . . . if you decide to be successful.  I know your chance of success is 100% because Take Shape for Life/Medifast works.  It's been around for over 30 years and Medifast's products and programs have been recommended by more than 20,000 doctors since 1980.  People who follow the protocols of this program lose weight and reach their goal.  You are on a program that has been proven safe and effective and the are innumerable success stories from people who never thought they could lose weight, including myself.  You can have full confidence that as long as you follow the program, you will reach your goal.

The caveat for this forecast, of course, is that you have to decide. Ultimately, the success of this program depends on whether or not you've made the fundamental choice to be successful.  Once we've made the fundamental choice to be successful and get to a healthy weight, we figure out what we need to do to make it happen.  I'm not saying that it's always easy, because it's not, but it's possible.  If we haven't made the fundamental choice to get to a healthy weight, we will allow circumstances to determine whether or not we're going to stay on plan. Traveling, stress, celebrations and social events - there are always events that can and will get us off plan if we haven't made the fundamental choice to get healthy.  If we haven't made that choice, then the forecast for success is 50/50 at best, because life is always happening and there are always things that threaten to interfere with our program.

The forecast for success is 100% dependent on the choices we make.  Choose wisely :-)

Moving Beyond Survival Mode

With three new grandbabies (bringing us to eight grandchildren), plus being self-employed, the past couple of months have been beyond busy for me.  All three of our adult children and their families live close by, which is a huge blessing for both myself and them, allowing me to be available to help.  At times, the juggling needed to make sure that everything that needs to be done is taken care of has left me a bit stressed and more than a little tired.  I'm so thankful that healthy habits have become part of my lifestyle, because in my obese past, a busy schedule would be a lost day/week/month for me in terms of doing anything healthy.  In my obese past, a busy week (or even a busy day!) would be one where I went into what I called my "survival mode," which meant "don't even think about trying to make any changes, just get through it" mindset.   "Survival mode" for me meant eating whatever I wanted, because so-called comfort food was an integral part of my survival.  Any week that included a lot of extra activity automatically triggered my "survival mode" mentality.

The funny thing is that I spent an awful lot of my time in a "survival mode", but I was barely surviving - and actually THRIVING was not even on my radar.  What was happening was that I kept gaining weight and getting into a less and less healthy state, ending up diabetic and on medication for several different things.  I kept thinking that when things slowed down, I'd try to make some lifestyle changes.  When things weren't so busy, I just knew that I'd finally have time to focus on losing weight and getting healthy.  The problem was, of course, that things never really slowed down and every week was filled with things that, in my thinking, mandated yet another "survival mode" week.

What a difference Take Shape for Life has made in my life!  I have not only gone from surviving to really, truly thriving, but this healthy lifestyle now fits perfectly into even the busiest of days or weeks.  In fact, when I'm really busy I tend to eat more Medifast meals just because they are SO convenient and inexpensive.  I just grab and go and don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat or when - I don't even think about it.  Instead of going into a "survival mode" and eating a lot of high-sugar, high-fat empty carbs that used to drain me of all energy, I now have high-nutrition mini-meals that provide the energy I need to keep going.

One of the things I've learned is that there will always be 101 excuses to not make healthy choices.  Life is busy and life has a lot of built-in stresses, so if we are looking for excuses, we don't have to look far.  However, if we really WANT to get healthy, if our eyes are fixed on what we really want, it's amazing how quickly those excuses evaporate. 

Once we're focused on what we really want, we figure out how to make it happen.  I heard someone recently say that if your dream is big enough, the facts don't matter.  If your dream is to get to a healthy weight and live a life that truly exemplifies optimal health, then the "facts" don't matter:  the fact that things are stressful, the fact that life is incredibly busy, the fact that you have twenty social events this month and all of them will involve food, the fact that your kids are making you crazy and your dog threw up and your boss makes Mr. Scrooge look like boss of the year, etc. etc. 

I'm really not trying to sound insensitive to all of the issues that many of you are facing, and I really do understand that life can be incredibly difficult.  What I have come to understand is that NOT taking care of ourselves won't make any of those things better or easier, and eating the wrong kind of food won't help, either.  There may be a lot of things in your life that you can't control right now- but whether or not you stay on plan is something that you CAN control. 

I hope that today is a wonderful, stress-free day and that you are having a wonderful, stress-free week, but even if it's going to be a crazy day and it's been a crazy week, the choice is yours as to how you will respond.  Choose wisely :-)

Another Perspective

One of things I really, REALLY hate is feeling deprived.  I enjoy life and want to savor things, and feeling deprived just doesn't fit in with my joie de vivre :-).  That could have easily been a problem for me when I was on Take Shape for Life's 5&1 program  if I had chosen to dwell on all of the things that I couldn't eat, so I adopted a different mindset. 

I told myself repeatedly that I could have WHATEVER I wanted, but I was CHOOSING to eat a Medifast meal or a lean & green.  While I was on 5&1, people would say things like, "Oh, you probably can't eat this or that" and I would always respond, "I can eat anything I want, but I'm choosing to eat something healthy instead."

That might sound like a silly thing, but it made a huge difference for me in how I viewed the time I spent losing weight.  Instead of feeling deprived and sorry for myself, and instead of having a "poor me, diet victim" mindset, I found it very empowering to view this as a positive choice I was making.  I didn't allow myself to think in terms of "I can't have this or that," because human nature ALWAYS wants what it can't have.  There is something rebellious in this human nature of ours that rears it's ugly head the moment someone says we can't have something.  So I told myself all the time that I could have anything I wanted, and that it was my choice to eat the things I did.  Saying that not only felt very positive and empowering for me, but it kept me from having people feel sorry for me, which I did NOT want.  It left me feeling in charge of the choices I was making, and it was a reminder to me that it really WAS my choice.

It was my choice to go on this plan.  Nobody made me do it.  I didn't HAVE to go on - I could have chosen to remain 260 pounds (or more) and diabetic.  It was my choice to STAY on plan - nobody made me do that, either.  Every day, every meal, it was my choice to do it or not.

For me, I knew it would be deadly to continually focus on what I couldn't have; I did NOT want to spend the better part of a year looking longingly at plate after plate of "forbidden" food.  Instead I focused on what I was gaining and celebrated each and every good choice that I made.  Sometimes it was a real struggle, I promise you, and sometimes I came perilously close to caving in - but I didn't.  Once each decision was made to stay on plan, I knew it was because I chose to do the right thing and it felt SO good to know I'd walked away from a potential slip.

Today I want to encourage you to focus on staying positive, even in the way you think about off-plan food.  You already know that that food really isn't your friend (it probably helped you get where you are, and no real friend would do that!), so I'm encouraging you to think positively today.  Embrace the choice that you've made to get healthy, because it really is, and always will be, your choice.  Choose wisely :-)