Healthy You Challenge

I love to read a good success story especially when I see a success story where someone has lost a significant amount of weight and did it naturally. Why? My reasons are purely selfish. Weight loss surgery isn't an option for me so seeing someone walk the path that I need to walk and be a success gives me faith and hope that it can happen for me too.

This link will take you to msn health where you can read the story of the amazing Angela T. who lost a whopping 239 pounds through good old fashioned diet and exercise. What an inspiration!

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired – Jules Renard

The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, others willing to let them – Robert Frost

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift – Steve Roland Prefontaine

Those who believe they can do something are probably right – and so are those who believe they can’t – Unknown

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily – Zig Ziglar

Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. – Charles Richards

There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you only do it when its convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuse, only results. – Kenneth Blanchard

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness…never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. – Lord Chesterfield

A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn’t will find an excuse. – Stephan Dolley Jr.

Please share your favorite motivational quotes in the comments!

You know that when I see a headline like that it stops me in my tracks and I have to read all about it and answer the questions we all ask: how did they do it, how long did it take.

This article from MSN Health and Fitness features Katie Ciarcia who was refused bariatric surgery by her doctor and told she could do it on her own. With the guidance of her doctor and the Weight Watchers program, she was able to shed more than 100 pounds in just over a year.

Isn't that just amazing!!

Here is a link to the article, I'm Half My Former Size on MSN so you can read all of the details!!

Success stories are a great motivator. Sometimes finding someone we can relate to, someone who has been in our shoes gives us hope that we can do it too.

Chubby Chick found a site that has success stories broken down by amount lost. Its called Shape Fit and honestly I haven't had time to look at the site yet but I will hopefully have some time this weekend but I wanted to share it with all of you today!

If you check it out, leave a comment and let me know what you think.

When I see headlines like that I can't wait to open them up and see two things.

How did they do it?

How long did it take?

The common theme among almost every weight loss success story I've ever read has including eating right and exercise and doing it gradually over time. This story is no exception.

Check out the article on CNN about the woman who lost 180 pounds and went on to become a fitness instructor herself!

Jennifer Marnell Loses 180 pounds, gains celebrity status

Jennifer, you are a true inspiration to me! Thank you for sharing your story with the world.

I can't tell you how many blogs I've read on a Monday morning that talk about over indulgence on the weekend. People beat themselves up because they've followed their plan, counted every calorie, exercised faithfully Monday - Friday but then the weekend came along and those plans went out the window. It might not be as bad as you think.

Spark People emails tips to my mail box and this past week and I thought this would be a good one to share under the Motivation heading because lets face it, if you lose your motivation over the weekend, where does that leave you on Monday morning?

The article is called Tips for a Healthy Weekend and once you are on the sight, under the Related Content header there are some other great articles.

Wishing you a happy and healthy day!

Chubby Chick emailed this article from CNN Health and when I read it I was blown away by this story. This is an example of what following a plan and exercise can do.

• He followed South Beach Phase 1 for two weeks, then graduated to Phase 2
• Started Exercising and kept exercising!
  
• Sought counseling to get at the mental and emotional reasons for eating.

Thank you Matt McKenna for sharing your story with CNN and the world. You are truly an inspiration for the rest of us.

If you want to read the story of how Matt lost 200 pounds in 9 months and reached his goal in just 14 months. Click on the link below!

From 500 Pounds to a New and Rewarding Life

When I found out that Felicia from Life Happens had lost 240 pounds, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops because I was just so happy for her. She is now up to the 246 pounds lost mark and will be celebrating her 250 pounds lost very soon! I know you all know who Felicia is, she has left comments on all of your blogs and always has a kind word of support and a *huggles* for all of us.

She has graciously agreed to share her story with all of us here today. You can read it below or head over to Life Happens and check it out for yourself: Thank you Felicia for all of your support and for being a wonderful motivation and for inspiring us all.

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I always thought I was a chubby kid. I spent my High School years looking at the popular girls and wishing I was a slim as they were. My weight never really stopped me from doing anything though as I lettered in several sports and showed horses professionally for years. But in my mind I was never as thin as “those girls” therefore I was always “one of the guys”. I look back now and see how stupid that was. I graduated from High School a slim 145lbs. I was no where near chubby or even over weight. I found that as I sit today and try and figure out why I thought that I see that because my Mom was over weight and had issues with HER self about it that they flowed over to me. Don’t get me wrong my Mom never made me feel fat. At least when I was in those younger years of High School. It was more the influence on how she treated herself while being over weight then how she treated me. I really believe our lives are shaped on how our parents behaved towards themselves and not really even towards us that shape how we turn out. I do not “blame” my Mom for my weight gain. But I do hold her responsible for teaching me that food was comfort as that is where I learned it. If stressed, eat, you will feel better… Anyways thats something for another day.

After graduating from High School I went on to college for Equine Studies. I LOVED IT! College was one of the best times of my life. But that of course meant lots of fast food and beer *grin*. By the time I left college I had put on 30-40lbs. Not a huge weight gain but nothing good either. I went from college to living in California with my Grandparents. My Gram is( was) an AWESOME cook! OMG her food was amazing and there was always food to be eaten. Needless to say lol I put on more weight and by the time I headed back to Montana I was 190lbs or so. Mind you this is AFTER spending months before heading back doing diet after diet even signed up for Jenny Craig. After all I was only going home because of a “guy” ( insert STUPID move here). So I did manage to get back down to 190 lbs after I am sure making it well over 200lbs. Get home, guy thing fell apart, luckily landed new awesome guy and began my journey towards weighing 427lbs. Ok so it didn’t happen just that fast there was more collage in there for an automotive course and a few years of life but lol it seemed that fast.

After meeting Dale we started out early with what would be our entertainment. Not the movies, not long walks, nope… eating out. Between meeting Dale in 1995 and having Joshua in 2000 I had put on well over 100lbs. Sad part is I was one of those people that never saw the weight coming on. I had no full length mirror to look in. I had no scale to step on. And with out even knowing it we had slowly replaced furniture and vehicles that were to small with larger versions so there was never much of a moment of “ummm hellooo your getting HUGE”. I had Joshua in 2000. He was not planned but once here an amazing gift. He was born at 30 weeks at 2lbs 6oz. He was amazing. But of course once he was delivered there was no time to cook or start focusing on myself as I had a baby in NICU to think of ( really stupid thinking though as if I had stopped my gaining then I would not have ended up here). I am now 284lbs ( I had gained up to 342lbs while pregnant). I lost MOST of that the week after I delivered as that was how much I was retaining water. Being fat and pregnant does not get you the best of care at most hospitals. LOTS of things get brushed off as “shes just fat”. ALWAYS know when your gut tells you something’s wrong and insist on proper treatment. Anyways Joshua did great, we headed home and I managed to lose in the next 6 months down to 253lbs with the help of a VERY expensive Weight loss Doctor.

Then my Gram moved in with us. Life changed, badly. My Gram had sever Dementia. I still remember taking her to a doctors appointment before she moved in and telling her doctor of our plans. The Doctor begged us not to do this and I remember saying to her.. We know what we were doing. I had always had a special relationship with her and I was just sure I could take care of her. I was wrong and paid a high price for it. She was very violent both physically and emotionally. Over the next 3 years of trying to care for her and a baby, I fell basically apart. I had very little help from family caring for her and could rarely leave my house because you could not leave her alone. We went out basically for Dr. Appointment’s and that was it. Of course I learned later there are entire caregiver group things but I didn’t learn this in time to help us out any. By the time I had found a wonderful place for her to go to spend her remaining days I had gone from 253lbs to 400lbs. I had put on 147lbs in less than 3 years. I was also physically, emotionally and mentally ruined but I didn’t see this till much later.

I am leaving out a LARGE section of life here in regards my parents. Its just not something I can type about right now. Lets just say that years and years of ,not sure of the word that should go here, also attributed to my weight gain. There was a tremendous amount of stress in my life and pressure to say the least.

You can read more about my history here : Weight Loss History

After Gram moved out, Dale (who had put on a tremendous amount of weight also ) and I just knew we could do it now because we didn’t have the stress and pressure of caring for Gram weighing us down anymore. I had several moments after that, that were turning points besides her leaving. You can read more about the moments that turned me by reading here : Turning Points

I just knew I had to lose the weight. I couldn’t live like this anymore and so I went back to dieting. I can do it. Look at the motivation I had now. But alas it was not to be. I was no longer physically able to move well and by February 2006 I was unable to walk. I was crawling from room to room and having my poor little one have to wait on me and care for me instead of the other way around. I was giving it one last “college try” though and has lost down from 427lbs to the 390’s by April of that year. But then as always happens I fell off the wagon once again ( and again and again ) and I just knew I couldn’t lose the weight alone. I had resigned myself to being fat and eventually being one of those people who you see on TV dying of a obesity related problems and having to be cut out of their house. I had no more fight left in me. I had mentally given up and my body had physically had given up.

You can read more about how I looked at my fat : Me and My Fat

Then one day I saw a commercial on TV advertising the Weight Loss Clinic here in town and it was like someone smacked me with a DUH stick. For years I had said I would NEVER have WLS. “Who does that to themselves”. And here I was today looking at that commercial and seeing for the first time in so many years I couldn’t count, a way out of my hell.

The Day ( taken from my journal )
“May 23, 2006
Its official I have completely fallen off my weight loss program once again. Today I decided that I just can not do this alone. I promised myself on the first of the year that if this time failed I would do the weight loss surgery route. I have to much to lose. I put in a call to the Weight Loss Management Clinic to find out how I go about having Gastric Bypass Surgery. Its my last chance at being a healthy functioning Mom and Wife. I am going to die if I do not do something permanent about this weight loss. I can not just keep losing and gaining. Its worse then gaining it in the first place. I knew it was “the right time” for this decision when I was no longer scared of facing the ins and outs of this type of surgery. When I could sit down and compare the pros and cons of having surgery vs. the pros and cons of the life I am living today. Needless to say the surgery stood out loud and clear compared to the slow death I was living with out it. “

I believed when I made the decision to have WLS that I was such a failure. Still today I have issues with that thinking but for the most part I am mainly proud of myself. But it does come with failure issues. Why couldn’t I do it “on my own”. I knew when I made the call that I had to admit that I was never going to “do it myself”. That I had failed myself and this was the price. But the truth was that I realize now is that I DIDN’T fail myself by having WLS. I had finally stopped failing myself and did something FOR myself for the first time ever. That the diet roller coaster WAS the failing part and the decision that enough was enough and to go through with the WLS was the moment that I said “Felicia YOU are worth it”. I had one main reason for having WLS though and you can read more about that here : My Reason Why

There is so much more to this story that would take books worth of typing to write. You can read more about my weight loss surgery journey here : Pre-Surgery Journey but the long and short of it is that…

After that day I never looked back. Its been a whirl wind adventure since.Life After WLS has been wonderful. Many Goals/Milestones have come and gone. Basically over night I went from someone physically and emotionally stuck in her house to a normal every day person. On June 20, 2006 I had my first weight loss surgery appointment. I weighed 382lbs. Today, 20 months later, February 2008, I weigh 200lbs less at 181lbs. Over all my Weight Chart states I have lost 246lbs since my highest weight of 427lbs. (or at least it will once I update it lol) I can buy clothes ANYWHERE. I can fit ANYWHERE. I can go ANYWHERE. I am IN Photos now instead of just taking them. I am not longer the 400lbs elephant in the corner that everyone knows is there but pretends is not. I laugh now. I play now. I live now. My husband ( who has also lost over 70lbs and is still losing!!) has a wife again and my son has a Mom for the first time in his whole life. What I didn’t know then that I do know now is it was the key I needed to help unlock the door to the rest of my whole life. I do not know what is to come in the future. But I do know something. I have a future now and it is so bright “I gotta wear shades” LOLOL

Thank you for reading my story.

I got so excited when I saw that headline on CNN. I wonder how many of you saw it too? When I clicked on the story I immediately recognized the photos from the weight loss success show that aired in the fall on Oprah.

Lynn Bering was one of the guests. Maybe because she started off as a size 30/32, maybe because she dropped to a size 4/6, maybe because she lost over 167 or maybe because she did this in her 40's but I immediately felt a connection to this woman and her story.

I was thrilled to see her story featured on CNN today and learn more about her journey. It turns out, she is a blogger!!


This quote from Lynn's Weight Loss Tips on CNN really hit home...

I still write down everything I eat. I still ask myself, "How will I feel five minutes after I eat this?" If the answer is anything other than, "I will feel good having made this food choice," then I don't eat it. Or at least most of the time I don't. Sometimes that whiny voice wins. But the point is, I think about it. Am I eating because I want to or because I need to? Am I feeding some emotion I'm afraid to examine?

You can read the article and check out her blog...

Writer Drops 168 pounds, blogs to inspire others

She has a lot of great practical advice and her story is so inspiring.

Thank you Lynn for sharing your story with the world, you are motivating so many other people, including me!

Little changes make a big difference. When I started tracking calories in Sparkpeople, I realized I had been under estimating my calorie count. A few things here and there really add up. However just because you are cutting calories, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything. Small changes and portion size changes go a long way towards reaching our goals!

This article from Prevention lists 100 Ways To Cut 100 Calories, have a look and see where you can adjust your life to cut a few extra calories.

That was the headline on CNN that caught my eye. Maybe I identified with this man because walking is my main form of exercise or maybe it was his starting weight...not so far from my current weight but after reading this mans story I knew I had to share it with you.

Read Phill Novak's story, the man who walked off half his weight on CNN

I've always known that walking was the best option for me at my size but reading his story renewed my faith in my walking regime.

I was blown away by the before and after photos of Heather Davis when I recently saw an article about her astounding weight loss on CNN. She made an amazing transformation by adapting a healthy lifestyle...just like we are all doing! Her story is SO worth reading from her struggling to barely complete 15 minutes on the treadmill to training for a half marathon and running up to 6 miles!

110 pounds GONE!! What an inspiration!

You can read all about Heather Davis's Journey from size 22 to a size 4 on CNN, Health and Fitness by clicking on this headline

They listed some of her tips and it really made me smile because its the same things we are all doing and have blogged about!!


From the CNN article........

The entire article and before and after photos are a MUST READ!! So head over and check them out soon!! I hope you find her transformation as motivating and inspiring as I did!!

In the past when I've dieted and failed, it was always because I went on a strict plan that eliminated a certain food...you know the type, no fruit, no pizza, no ice cream OH MY!!

I think thats why I found this success story on the Prevention site so motivational. If you haven't checked out the Prevention site, they are filled with great information about diet, fitness and many other topics dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle.

I was 29 when my husband left me. It was such a shock that I became depressed and stopped eating. I went from 110 pounds to 90. I was so preoccupied with the divorce and caring for my 2-year-old son, Truitt, that I didn't pay attention to what was happening to me.....

read the rest of this story on Prevention.com and check out her fabulous before and after photos too!!

There are many great tools and success stories on this site. Hopefully you'll find a success story that gives you that little extra motivation!!

Don't forget to email success stories to me so I have something to put on this page next week!!

I found a collection of stories on the Good Housekeeping magazine site of success stories What an accomplishment!! As a person who needs to lose more than half of her size, I really identified with some of these women who had lost half of their body weight.


I really related to this woman because she talks about carrying a laminated photo of herself in her purse. I keep a motivational photo of myself in my wallet so that when I pay for things it really makes me think if there is something I shouldn't buy. When I'm really feeling weak, I look at that photo before I go into a store and just knowing its in there and that I'll have to look at it when I pay keeps me from buying things I don't need to eat.

Here is one story for you to read, you can check out the others at Good Housekeeping

Stats: Karen Ebbesmeyer, 42
Heaviest Weight: 270
Current Weight: 144
Time It Took: 2 years

My Story: When I was in nursing school, I started gaining weight because I'd be up late at night studying — and snacking. Later, with four kids in the house, eating takeout became the norm. Vegetables were practically nonexistent. My husband would say, "We need some veggies on this table," and I'd say, "Go open a can!"

Worst Moment: I walked into a nice clothing store to buy my friend a gift card — but before I could say anything, the salesperson looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, but we don't carry your size here." It was so hurtful. To this day, I still can't bring myself to go into that store.

Turning Point: When I turned 40 two years ago, I decided to get a physical because I have a family history of diabetes. The tests showed that my cholesterol was dangerously high and I was borderline diabetic. My doctor put me on blood pressure medication and said, "Karen, if you don't lose weight, you'll never see your youngest graduate from high school." My little girl was 8 at the time. That was a real eye-opener.

How I Lost It: There was a Weight Watchers meeting near my home in O'Fallon, MO. The team leader made everything seem so doable that I knew I could win this battle. That first weekend, I got rid of all the junk food in our house and told my husband he'd better not bring any Valentine's Day chocolate home! I started to keep a journal of everything I ate, and that's when I realized how quickly those bites, licks, and tastes add up. At the grocery store, my family now buys only healthy, low-cal food. Our taste buds have gotten so used to the lighter versions that my daughter once thought something was wrong with the sour cream until she learned we'd accidentally bought the full-fat kind.

Favorite Tricks: When I'm dining out, I always ask the waiter for a "to go" box before I start eating. That way I can split my portion in half immediately, so I'm not tempted to overindulge. As a bonus, there are tasty leftovers the next day!

What Keeps Me Going: I carry a laminated "before" picture in my purse. Whenever I get a craving for, say, french fries, I look at that photo and think, I can't go back to that. If I just can't resist buying the food, I'll take one bite and trash the rest.

Biggest Payoff: I recently went back to the doctor — and he took me off the blood pressure medication!

I don’t know about you but I’m an emotional eater. I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m bored. Emotional eating can zap your motivation quickly so learning to cope with it and recognize emotional eating is a essential step for our success.

One of my favorite places to watch success stories is on the Today Show Joy Fit Club segments with Joy Bauer.

In December I found a great article on the Joy Fit Club site written by Joy Bauer and I wanted to share it with you today. Most of them are just common sense but they are worth revisiting. If you haven’t checked out the success stories over at The Joy Fit Club, you should check them out, there are some amazing people over there that have each lost over 100 pounds.

After the article I posted some motivational quotes to help inspire you. Remember if you know of a great weight loss success or weight loss motivational article; be sure to email it to me so I can share it with the group.

6 strategies to overcome emotional eating

When you eat with your head, not with your stomach, the pounds pour on

By Joy Bauer TODAYShow.com contributor

Emotional eating is when you eat in response to feelings rather than hunger, usually as a way to suppress or relieve negative emotions. Stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, loneliness, relationship problems and poor self-esteem can all trigger emotional eating. When emotions determine your eating habits rather than your stomach, it can quickly lead to overeating, weight gain and guilt.

If you find yourself regularly eating in response to emotions, try to break the habit with some of my strategies below.

Learn to recognize your hunger
Before you automatically pop something into your mouth. Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being ravenous and 5 being full. Make every effort to avoid eating when you’re a 4 or a 5.

Find alternatives to eating
Prepare a list of activities that are personally appealing and handy. Perhaps go for a walk, call a friend, listen to nostalgic music (anything that brings you back to a happy time), take a hot shower or bath, clean your house, polish your nails, surf the Internet, schedule outstanding appointments, watch something on TiVo, clean your purse, organize your closet, look through a photo album, etc.

Keep a food journal
Logging your food will help to identify your toughest timeframes. It will also make you accountable, so perhaps you’ll be less apt to reach for unnecessary food.

Three-food interference
Make the commitment to first eat three specific healthy foods before starting on comfort foods (i.e., an apple, handful of baby carrots and a nonfat yogurt). If after that, you still want to continue with your comfort foods, give yourself permission. However, most of the time, the three foods are enough to stop you from moving on.

Exercise regularly
Daily exercise relieves stress and puts you in a positive mindset, which provides greater strength to pass on the unhealthy fare.

Get enough sleep
Research shows that sleep deprivation can increase hunger by decreasing leptin levels, the appetite-regulating hormone that signals fullness. Furthermore, with adequate sleep, you’ll be less tired and have more resolve to fight off the urge to grab foods for comfort.

Motivational Quotes:

Unknown Author:
Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.

Vince Lombardi:
It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.

Winston Churchill:
Never, never, never, never give up.

Eleanor Roosevelt.:
No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:
Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.

Horace: Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Benjamin Franklin
You may delay, but time will not.

David Viscott
You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

Eleanor Roosevelt
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Lee Iacocca
You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance.

Unknown Author
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Unknown Author
You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment.