My Mom

Thought I would share this, since it is the holidays!

THE RIGHT CHOICE: MY MOM

In the last week of January of 2010, I was in the second month of my journey and feeling much better.  I had planned a big family trip to the mall, because I had received my income tax return and wanted to let my kids buy some stuff that they had been wanting for a while.  I took my Mom with me and was surprised at how out of shape she had become.  

My mom had always been very active.  She walked sometimes with a group of ladies and stayed in shape.  She worked over 27 years in the same job and missed maybe less than a dozen days her whole tenure.  She always had a “get up and go” attitude.

She had been retired for over 4 years and it seemed to have taken its toll on her.  She was experiencing some high blood pressure and she had gained some weight.  Since retirement, she had sat, watched lots of TV, and eaten junk food. She also had a part time job, but she didn’t do much physical work. 

Well, during the walk in the mall, I noticed that she was not keeping up with us like she usually did.  She and my middle daughter, Karly, were stopping and resting a lot.  I have talked about Karly’s journey [Day 65] and she continues to have problems with her appetite.  My mom, though…she had NEVER had to stop while walking in the mall.  So, I said, “Why don’t you get on the program?”, which is one of my favorite things to say to my family and friends about trying the 599DIETMAN plan. 

She did and she continues on it today.  My mom has lost over 30 lbs.  She can walk 2 to 3 miles at a time.  She even has a 20 minute workout that she does every morning.  The dosage on her blood pressure medication has been cut in half.  She is much healthier and cooks much healthier.  She continues to be able to go on these little family trips and enjoy her grandchildren first hand.   She recently completed my 100 Miles In 60 Days Challenge. 

As I have said, as you are sweating and pushing hard, remind yourself you are not only doing this for you – but everyone around you!  Your reward will not be simply a thinner body, but also a healthier one that will allow you to enjoy your life!

Holidays!!

I want to apologize for the format of this post.  It was in my first book and I have not been able to copy & paste it without it looking like this. 

HOLIDAYS


Diet blogger tbarbrick3643 has a good suggestion for planning a party or gathering

without food, but that is not always going to be easy around the holidays. So what do

you do??

Stay away from all the sweets!! Stay away from stuff that is bad for you.

You know what you can and cannot eat. If you have time to plan, then take something

healthy to the party for yourself. Make sure to take enough to share and you might be

surprised at how many people like it! I took a fat-free sugar free pie to the 4th of July

party this year and it was a huge hit!

How do you typically celebrate birthdays, graduations, and other occasions with your

family and friends? Let me guess — by going out to eat or throwing a party, right?

Turns out, people usually eat a lot more when they're in a group and surrounded by

delicious food! Think about the last big gathering you had — with all the laughter

and chatter and good-natured teasing, did anyone pay any attention to how fast the

nachos or garlic bread disappeared? The longer you sit around the table, the more

you eat, and the more the people around you are eating, the more you eat, too! So the

truth is, the more often you socialize at restaurants and parties, the harder it may be

to maintain a healthy weight.

Starting right now, plan social events that are fun, active, and do not involve food.

You might find you really enjoy these outings — maybe even more than going for

dinner or drinks! So how about inviting the gang out to play miniature golf or take a

weekend hike in a pretty area nearby? Doesn't that sound like fun? You can all sign

up for a dance class or a sports team together to make it a regular event, like your

weekend dinners. If you don't want to do something super active, that's okay, but you

should still try to think of ideas that don't involve food — like playing cards together,

for example! It's relaxing and fun, and because your hands are occupied, you can't

keep throwing chips in your mouth!

4TH OF JULY


I have covered eating at Holidays in another section of the book, but the 4th of

July is a special holiday for me. I consider it something I have to plan for,

much like eating out anywhere else.


I have shared the 4th of July with my friend Ronnie Forbus for as long as I can

remember. When we were kids, I would go over to eat at his parents’ house.

As we got older, Ron decided to make it a yearly tradition at his home with his

wife and family. It always brings us together with our friends and family from

high school – Richie and Loyd – and we all EAT. I do not drink, but there is

usually enough beer and food to feed an army.


I was the usual person, stuffing my face and belly so full I could barely walk. I

remember my first 4th of July after I had started my journey. Ronnie and his

wife, Lee Ann, were receptive and made sure that they helped make healthy

choices for me and my family who were following the plan. So, what can you

or your hosts do to prepare for something like this??


-Someone supply a big vegetable plate. This will keep you from snacking on

chips.

-Eat chicken and pork [lean cuts] from the grill.

-Bring a pack of turkey hot dogs along with some Healthy Life buns and ask

your host to throw them on the grill.

-Eat small portions of stuff like baked beans, potato salad, and macaroni salad.

-Bring along a huge dish of green beans or asparagus!

-Bring one of the sugar-free fat-free pies! [Day 31]

And finally, if you want to eat more than usual, you can always use this as a

DOUBLE DAY for that 90-day period.