Monday, June 14, 2010 - Day 1
Today is the the first day of a new journey. I have decided to lose 15 pounds in 24 days. And you, my friends are invited to join me on this journey. Why the self-imposed deadline and unusual time frame?
My husband and I have become Health Coaches with Take Shape for Life, a revolutionary, life-changing program that helps you lose weight while teaching you how to make wise food choices. (Forgive me - that is the one and only plug during this entire article!) After coaching several clients, I realized that I would not be effective unless I had also experienced the program personally and could say that I had lost weight as a result.
Problem is, did I need to lose weight? I have always been on the thin side, able to eat whatever I wanted to without gaining any pounds. (I know, you can hate me later). But I realized that that was then -- now I am 51 years old and my body had changed without sending me an announcement. Or had it?
When I look in the mirror (past the wrinkles and laugh lines) I see my thin self. My arms are taunt, my skin is vibrant and healthy and my legs should never been hidden behind a towel wrapped around my waist. But why do my shorts feel tight around my waist? Why am I constantly bloated, like someone could prick me and hot air would gush out of my stomach, like a balloon? And how to explain the lack of energy and vitality in my everyday life?
What was going on with my body? It almost seemed as if aliens taken over and I was the last one to know.
You are probably shaking your head in amazement - how could she be so dense? The clue to this conundrum is simple. Look at my age and that should explain it all. When I think about it, the changed did begin when I turned 50. I noticed subtle changes in my energy levels, my weight seemed to creep up and I somehow lost my waist to the dreaded "abdominal fat" that everyone is talking about.
I was also buying up one size - I have always been a size 8. Now I was buying size 10, and sometimes that did not even fit! At first, I blamed the clothing manufacturers. (What did the tiny women in Viet Nam and Taiwan know about the dimensions of an American woman?) But after almost two years of deluding myself, I realized that I was the one who had changed, not the people who made the clothes.
But is age the only thing I can blame? And do I have to accept my physical changes because I cannot stop the ravages of time on my body?
Fortunately, the answer is no.
I just have to allow my body time to adjust to hormonal changes, while still giving it the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to function efficiently and effectively. Sounds easy but is it? That is what I am about to discover by going on the 5-and-1 plan. I will have 5 Medifast meals a day (about every 2-3 hours) and one "lean and green" meal at night. A Medifast meal can be either a shake (I use the one designed for menopausal women, because it contains natural herbs that help smooth out hormonal changes), soup, brownie or pudding. The "lean and green" meal is a piece of lean chicken, fish or pork with one of the approved vegetables.
For the next 24 days, my blog will be devoted to recording my daily experience on this program. Hopefully, while I gain insight and lose weight, you will also learn something from my experience. I promise to share the good, the bad and the ugly (but not my start weight - that is just too embarrassing!)
Why 24 days to accomplish this feat? On July 8-10, 2010, Take Shape for Life will
hold its National Convention right here in the North Texas area - at the Gaylord Texan. There is nothing like the company you represent holding its NATIONAL convention in your own backyard to motivate you to succeed!
Instead of the metaphorical first step, my weight loss journey began with a first sip. When I first woke up this morning, I mixed a Medifast shake with cold water in the handy shaker cup and that was breakfast. It took less than one minute and I still feel full one and a half hours later!
So there you have it - my goal (lose 15 pounds in 24 days), my motivation (look great at the National Convention) and my vision (a slimmer body that will fit easily into a size 8). This blog will help keep my focused so I can regain my slimmer, vital, more energetic body. I know its in there somewhere!
Blessings!
Kathryn Eriksen
www.davideriksen.tsfl.com
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