I did it! Be Sure to Read to the End...

Day 18 - June 30, 2010

We arrived home late yesterday afternoon and discovered that the Texas heat was only in the 90's.  Maybe we brought some of Colorado back with us!

For me, vacation usually means a suspension of my normal eating habits, and indulging in foods that I normally would not eat (dessert at dinner, for example).  But I made a great discovery on this trip - I did not want those high calorie food items!  My cravings for carbohydrates and sugar are gone, because I have shifted from fat storage to fat burning.  Because I no longer crave those items, it was easy to tell the waitress that "we did not have room for dessert"!

I have had time to assess my choices while on vacation and I realized several things.  When you are on the Take Shape for Life program, please feel free to refer back to this list for guidance and support:

1. It is essential to plan for the time spent traveling.  I tend to eat mindlessly while I am sitting in the car or on an airplane, mostly because I am bored.  The food choices at a gas station, convenience store or even in the airport are not conducive to healthy eating! (I challenge you to find a protein snack at a gas station, that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.)  Before you leave on your trip, make sure you have enough Medifast snacks (cheese puffs, pretzels, etc.)  That way, even if you overeat on those snacks, you are not taking in high carbohydrates or high fructose corn syrup... you are only consuming about 100 calories per bag!
2. Make snacks that you can take with you.  We discovered that our usual snack of a brownie in the afternoon is difficult to enjoy when you are miles from a microwave!  If I had thought about it ahead of time, I would have made several brownies for the trip to snack on while the miles flew under the tires.  Other snacks I could have made would have been cookies made out of oatmeal, and pudding chilled and stored in a small cooler.
3. Bring a microwavable bowl with you.  The hotels we stayed in had microwaves in the room, but there were no microwavable bowls available to make soup or oatmeal.  It would have been so much easier to make a quick Medifast meal, but I forgot the bowl!
4. Eating out was easier than I expected.  Usually, we ate our "lean and green meal" at dinner time.  I had to be creative in my food selection, because several of the restaurants did not offer much in the way of low calorie, high protein meals.  But if you know what to look for, you can find it!  For example, we went to a steak place in Dumas, Texas. They offered fried catfish, but they were happy to grill it.  Simple, and very delicious!  
5. You can still do your exercise program.  We set a goal of hiking every day. Of course, that was easy to accomplish because we were in Colorado! But even when we spent the night in Dumas (definitely NOT Colorado), we still walked.  It is just a matter of your intention.

Hopefully, these tips are helpful to you in maintaining a healthy diet while away from home. Now that I know what I need while traveling, I will be much more prepared next time.

I saved the best part of this post for the last...

I braved the scale this morning, just to see what the damage was.  GUESS WHAT!!!  I have lost 8 pounds!!!  But the best part is that I have lost inches - I can now wear clothes that I thought I would never wear again.  I feel great in a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, because I have lost a significant amount of skin (i.e., fat) in my arms and legs! I was on the verge of getting "Granny arms" but now that is history. WHOOOHOOOO!  I feel like I am 40 years old again - how is that for a fringe benefit?

If  you are feeling tired, sluggish and think you are getting old, there is a solution.  Get on the Take Shape for Life Program, learn the Habits of Health, and turn your  body into a fat burning machine.  You will feel like you have found the Fountain of Youth!

To get started, please visit EmpoweredWay.com or send me an email.

Living well, beautifully!

This one will be short!

We have been enjoying Colorado, seeing L and having a great time on vacation. The burning question of the hour is how did I do integrating Medifast into our trip?

When you are traveling in the car, be sure you have the snacks, such as the Cheese Puffs or pretzels. It is hard to make brownies when you don't have access microwave!

Try to stay in a room with a microwave. It makes it so much easier to enjoy the oatmeal or soup...

Eating out can be challenging but fun. Since I rediscoveredy taste buds on thus program, regular food is delicious! But I also notice the salt, salt, salt! Did I tell you about the salt??? It is unbelievable how much restaurants use this one simple seasoning.

Hope these few tips are helpful to you on your travels. Please forgive any typos in this entry...my iPhone is tricky to type in the spelling correctly!

Living well, beautifully!

Remember-go to www. Davideriksen.tsfl.com to get started!

Can A Diet Stay Alive on Vacation?

Day 12 - June 24, 2010

We are packing the car and heading to Colorado -- ROAD TRIP! 

Those two words bring back lots of memories of being stuck in the back seat with my brother, pinching and poking each other because we were bored.  The license plate game had worn out about 200 miles ago, and the car windows no longer looked out on a magical world.  Everything just seemed to be colored in the same shade of gray. 

Boredom must be that color...

Fast forward to my adult life, and the words "road trip" carry an entirely different meaning.  "Freedom," "fun," and "adventure" are just a few of the words that come to my mind when I plan a road trip. 

Freedom from everyday responsibilities.  Fun to explore and see new people and places.  Adventure, because you never know what might be around the next corner!

I do have to admit, however, that this road trip is slightly different.  I have never gone on vacation before when I was on a "diet" or "watching my weight."  Will I be able to incorporate the five Medifast meals into our daily schedule and still eat healthy?

I promise I will continue this blog during the next five days, assuming I have access to a wi-fi connection. I also promise that I will report the good, the bad and the ugly while we are on this trip!

So stayed tuned, dear ones, for more stories from the wonderful world of Medifast!

Living well, beautifully!

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life Program and Medifast, please visit Empowered Weigh

Waist Not, Want Not

Day 10 - June 23, 2010

For the faithful readers of this blog series, you have probably wondered why I have not posted my daily weight.  I have never been one to wait with baited breath while the digital numbers flash and then appear on the scale.  Too much like a verdict, in my opinion!  Much better to wait and weigh in once a week.  (Take Shape for Life recommends following the same regimen you had before you started the program).

So, after ten days of eating healthy, I figured it was finally time to find out the results - how much weight have I lost?

Well, today I discovered something unusual.  The weight loss was not quite what I expected (4 pounds) but I can tell that I have lost inches.  My clothes fit better, I feel slimmer and more fit.  What I was most thrilled about is that the rolls of fat around my waist have all but disappeared!

How could this be?

Dr. A's Habits of Health explained what has happened to my body.  The Take Shape for Life program is designed to use food intake as a stable energy source, a process that taps into 2 core principles of how our body stores energy:

• Controlling your energy intake (i.e., food energy)
• Managing your insulin pump

The simple answer to why I have not lost pounds but I have lost inches is that my body on Medifast has turned into a fat burning machine! Because I am eating 6 small meals a day, my body does not go into starvation mode and horde calories.  Since I am only eating low-glycemic food (which is much closer to the ancient diet followed by our ancestors 10,000 years ago), my blood sugar is controlled and the insulin pump turned off.  The end result is that my body has begun to turn loose of the fat it had stored up.

Contrast the Medifast lifestyle with how I was eating before.  My diet was full of highly processed, high-glycemic foods (soft drinks, candy bars, etc.) that caused my blood sugar to dramatically rise.  The insulin level also rose, which caused the blood sugar to drop below normal.   An alarm would go off in my brain that caused cravings for anything sweet and full of calories.  This pattern continued through out the day as my blood sugar would spike, decline, then spike again.

The end result of maintaining elevated insulin levels is that my body was constantly using glucose for fuel, instead of both glucose and fat.  And when ingested fat is not used for fuel - guess where it goes? It gets laid down in fat cells and I became a fat storage factory!

What would you rather be - a fat storage warehouse or a fat burning machine? 

If your answer is that you want to become a fat burning machine, then join me!  For more information, go to Empowered Weigh.  And be sure to send me an email or call me if you are ready to get started.

Living well, beautifully!

 

The Playful Search for Beauty

Day 9 - June 22, 2010

I have always been fascinated by people who have lived more than a century - one hundred years of breathing, thinking and eating!  What choices did they make that kept them healthy, vibrant and alive? Can I duplicate those same decisions with any accuracy?  What is their secret - good genetics or something else?

I am not talking about the Fountain of Youth, that magical, mysterious spot on earth where only a privileged few can drink the elixer of eternity.  No, what I have always found compelling are those ordinary people who live extraordinary lives, moment after moment, and who wake up one day to realize, "I am 100 years old!"  Their age comes as a complete surprise because they have lived their lives for another purpose entirely.

One woman who just came to my attention that falls into this category is Eva Zeisel, the famous Hungarian designer and artist.  You can meet Eva in a short video on her website at EvaZeiselOriginals.com  When you hear her speak and watch her work at her design table, you would never guess that she was 93 years old in that video.  Eva is now 103 years old, and she is still designing her art pieces! 

Eva lived through 16 months of imprisonment by Stalin, just because she was an artist.  She was a vagabond, drawn to the artistic centers of the world like a moth to a flame.  But she never compromised on her passion for creating something that was beautiful to look at and to hold.  In each piece of art, she gave a piece of herself.  As one person described Eva's work, "She always had a playful search for beauty."

What does a 103 year old artist's playful search for beauty have to do with you?

Your life is a work of art and you are the sculptor.  The passions, interests and talents that God gave to you are unique and only you can bring them out into the physical world.  Do you know what those passions, interests and talents are?  If not, then begin your search immediately! (to find your passions is the content of an entirely different article).  If you do know, then what are you doing on a daily basis to bring them out for the world to share?

Take a moment and assess your life.  What is holding you back? Is it a dead-end job, an unhappy marriage, excess weight?  Whatever form the limitation has taken in your life, isn't it time to live from a well-spring of inspiration and wonder? What would it be like to devote every minute of your day to a "playful search of beauty?"

Eva's wisdom is worth noting. "The past has no cumulative effect," she says.  "It is there, it is gone. It left memories...but you live in the present moment."


Have you ever heard messages from your past that have influenced your current behavior?  For example, if a friend said something that hurt your feelings, did you immediately hear a distant voice from the past saying that you are "stupid," "an idiot," or "not worthy"?  If you are nodding right now, then you have some inner work to do!  Discovering the past messages that are driving your present behavior is the main key to changing your eating habits and living healthy.  And the start of living in the moment.


Eva Zeisel is a woman who has lived her life in the present moment.  She cautions that "One has to be careful that the present moment is not destroyed by disharmony or unkindness or ugliness.  The present moment is very important." 

The playful search for beauty is accomplished in the present moment.  With each breath, you create your life.  With each thought, you shape your life.  And with each bite of food, you shape your body.

To learn more about how you can lose weight safely, effectively and permanently, please visit EmpoweredWeigh.com

Living well, beautifully!

One Small Victory

Day 8 - June 21, 2010

I have discovered that as I clear up my mindless food habits, I now want to clear up other areas of my life. 

For example, there is a room in our house that is filled with stuff.  Mountains of boxes, toys, old clothes - you get the picture.  Every day I would walk by that room and think, "I really have to get in there and clean all that stuff up."  And of course, every day, I would keep walking right on by.

Well, today was different!

I decided to start on one small corner of the room, and managed to get it organized!  A small victory but one that made me feel good.  And I intend to continue this clean up, just as I am getting rid of my excess weight and limiting food habits.

You never know where you will end on your journey! But the important thing is to just start...

To learn more about the Take Shape for Life Program, please visit Empowered Weigh

I Walked Through the Minefields and Didn't Get Blown Up!

Day 7 - June 20, 2010

This post is going up in the evening instead of the morning, because we spent the weekend at the lake with family.  There was no internet service, just a lot of fun in the sun, visiting and great food.  And you know what?  I glided through the minefields, did not trip up once and I am still sailing on the Medifast sea of weight loss!

This program is easy to incorporate into your life.  You just have to prepare and plan ahead.  We brought our own meals, then made a request to the chef for a simple, grilled chicken breast with vegetables.  Everyone ate the same thing, and loved it!

Just goes to show that you don't have to wait for that "perfect" block of time to start eating healthy.  It can be started at any time and incorporated into anyone's schedule.  For example, if you travel, the shakes and Crunch Bars are perfect traveling companions (be sure to put them inside a plastic baggy so they won't get on your clothes!  The Puddings also work great for travelers - just add water, stir and enjoy!

What about for someone who has to eat out a lot for business?  When you know you have that dinner that day, you just make sure that you eat your 5 Medifast meals at regular intervals during the rest of the day.  At the restaurant, look for to see if they offer a Weight Watchers Menu.  If not, then choose as if you were making a Lean and Green meal - grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables, white fish with little or no sauce (especially not butter!), a lean cut of pork or turkey - again with no sauce. 

Here is another tip: ask for the sauce to be placed on the side, so your main entree is not covered with it.  Then you can dip your fork into the sauce, then take a small bit of food and you have all the flavor you need (without all the calories!). There are a lot more tips like this one that help you navigate the waters of temptation, still enjoy the social or business aspect of the meal and allow you to stay within your Medifast Universe of food choices.

As for my weekend, when I usually would be munching on chips and salsa that I really did not want, I went for another Medifast meal or fixed green tea with ice.  Since I was no longer involved in mindless eating, I discovered that I could actually look at it objectively.  My bigger goal of losing weight was much more compelling than a few seconds of salsa gratification!

And I must say, I looked great in my bathing suit!

To learn more about this life altering program, please visit Empowered Weigh. 

Living well, beautifully!

Your Body is Shaped By Your Beliefs

Day 6 - Saturday, June 19, 2010

"To change your body, you must first understand that which is shaping it.  Not fight it.  Not force it.  Not deprive it.  Not shame it."    ---Geneen Roth, Women, Food & God

I discovered this wonderful gem of a book because of Oprah.  I was curious about the connection the author makes between food and spirituality, so I ordered it off Amazon.  I happened to start reading it just as I started on this journey to lose 15 pounds in 24 days, so I thought it might be worthwhile commenting on the connections between the two processes.

The book's premise is that whatever shows up on your plate during the day speaks volumes about your beliefs, because those beliefs shape your body.  So you have to discover, look at and accept those limiting beliefs to finally be free of any food addictions or to stop using food for comfort.

When I first read that, I didn't believe it, at least not from my experience.  "My beliefs don't determine why I eat the way I do," I thought to myself.  "I make deliberate choices about food - and sometimes I deliberately make bad choices because that is what I want!" 

One of my choices was a mid-afternoon snack.  Sometimes yogurt, more often cookies, around 3:00 or 3:30 every afternoon, I am usually scrounging around the kitchen looking for something to eat.  I felt entitled to have that snack, even if it was laden with sugar and fat. Then I started on Medifast, and of course, unhealthy choices were put on the shelf.  But what happened next is the fascinating part.

I still wanted those cookies or brownies in mid-afternoon!

But why did I still want them?  Was it just a habit I had slid into without thinking, or was there something else?

It is those kinds of inquiries that Ms. Roth encourages to discover why you are eating the types and kinds of food you enjoy.   When you start digging around in your beliefs, you begin to discover some amazing truths about yourself.

I know I did!  After deliberately choosing to skip the cookies for a Crunch Bar, I sat down and thought about what feelings or associations I had attached to that particular food choice.  Why did I always want a snack in the mid-afternoon? And why was it usually something sweet? 

You may have already guessed the answer, but of course it was tied to coming home from grade school and sitting down with a snack.  The relief that school was over (I was not a popular kid), the knowledge that I could relax and not worry about someone picking on me had been transferred to that snack!

Of course, I no longer have bullies pick on me (at least, that I am aware of!) and I have become a completely different person.  But I am amazed that an ancient belief I held about myself when I was 10 years old (I need food to give me comfort) was still running in my sub-conscious and affecting my behavior!  It was not a destructive belief; it was not hurting anyone; it just was not true for me anymore.  And because I never took it out and looked at it to see if it was still true, that belief was triggering my physical action of eating 2 cookies or 1 brownie at 3:00 p.m. every day.

Now I am on a hunt to discover what else has been lurking in my belief system that propels me to make unhealthy food choices.  And the best time to discover those beliefs is while I am eating portion controlled meal replacements from Medifast.  These meals create a new universe of food choices, all of which are healthy.  As long as I choose within that universe, my old beliefs can be exposed. I am freed to look at the behavior that is run by old, outdated beliefs. The best part is that I can look behind that behavior and see what emotions are attached to it!

As Ms. Roth states in her book:

"[W]e all have a hunger that's hard to name.  A lot of the people who come to my retreats have never named it before, or else they've named it in church, but they can't actually see the connection between what they're doing with food and this yearning.  I call it "the flame" that they have: They yearn for big answers to live a big life.  But they have to start with the most basic fears."

I have started to look at my most basic fear (rejection) and accept it.  Acceptance causes it to dissolve into the illusion it always was. And now I am free of that fear and can move on to the next one. 

Don't believe me?  Why don't you try it and see what comes up for you?  I would love to hear about your journey as well (either spiritual, emotional or weight loss), so please add a comment to this blog.

Thank you for acting as my listening board so I can express these ideas, processes and discoveries!

Living well, beautifully!

Kathryn Eriksen

This is Your Body on Good Nutrition

Day 5 - Friday, June 18, 2010

In just five days, I have re-discovered what I knew all along, but had forgotten in the sea of processed food and fast food choices.  My body does not react well to foods that are not as close to their natural state as possible.  Let me explain...

I have always been able to maintain a constant weight, never really watching what I ate, just making sure I ate in moderation.  But I never felt totally at peace with my body - there always seemed to be a disharmony or disconnect.  I thought that was the way I was supposed to feel, but then I read something out of Dr. Andersen's book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, that changed my perspective.  (Dr. Andersen is the spokesman for Take Shape for Life and this book is the foundation of the entire program). 

What he discusses in Chapter 2 is the difference between "non-sick" and "healthy." Most medical doctors do not recognize anything other than "sick" or "healthy."  But there is a third category - "non-sick" which most people fall into.  I know I did! 

Non-sickness is like purgatory.  You are simply surviving, but not thriving.  It is caused by eating too much nutritionally barren food, which overworks the pancreas and encourages your body to store fat.  Low energy levels, weak and flabby muscles and poor sleep are the hallmarks of being non-sick.  Eventually, over years of existing on nutritionally poor food, your body finally develops a disease - such as diabetes. 

It boils down to the small, seemingly inconsequential choices you make every day.  Do I eat an apple or crackers?  Do I order water with lunch or sweet tea?  Do I choose the lean meat option under the Weight Watchers portion of the menu, or go for the juicy, greasy hamburger? 

The choice you make at that moment does not seem so huge - you may get indigestion, but there are pills for that.  You may put on a pound or two, but you can diet, right?  You worked hard all week and you deserve that steak, even when know your intestines will revolt tomorrow morning.

The problem is that these poor choices add up over time.  The body has an amazing ability to handle a few bad choices.  But over time, that heavy influx of saturated animal fat, high-fructose corn syrup and a lack of healthy vegetables, leads to a rise in insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides and inflammation.  Your body can only handle so much of bad food, before it has to react.

For many years (I am too embarrassed to even write how many!) I have lived on processed food.  Frozen meals that are easy to prepare, restaurant food that is over-salted, covered in butter and overcooked.  I would occasionally try the latest diet - Atkins or South Beach, for example, just to see if I felt better.  I would lose weight, but then go back to my old eating habits.  And I never felt as if I was in tune with my body.

Now I see that I was existing in a state of numbness - non-sickness - that I thought was normal!  After just five days on the Take Shape for Life program, I listen more to my body.  Yesterday, for example, I came home after having lunch with my dad, and discovered that I felt slightly drained.  Instead of pushing past that feeling, I laid down and took a nap!  (Just ask my husband, and he will tell you that I NEVER do that).  But rest was what my body needed at that moment.  When I woke up, I felt refreshed and energized.

I have never listened to my body before!  What a revelation - and a gift!  My body is a finely tuned instrument. I am giving it the nutrition is needs to perform at its best.  And it is responding (I have lost 4.5 lbs. since Monday).  But I feel better and I know that as the next several weeks progress, that condition will improve.  I do not ever want to go back to the way I was, just existing but not thriving.

Small lessons learned over time lead to better choices.  Better choices made over time lead to optimal health. 

To learn more about Take Shape for Life, please visit http://www.davideriksen.tsfl.com  Or call me - you have my cell number!

Your 10,000 Year Old Body

Day 4 - Thursday, June 17, 2010

Have you ever thought of your body as a machine or a finely tuned instrument? It is designed to work efficiently and fluently, all systems delicately balanced against each other.  When one system gets out of balance (your gastro-intestional tract, for example) it affects the other systems. 

Your body needs fuel in small quantities at regular intervals throughout the day.  The reason is that we all have 10,000 year old bodies, living in the 21st Century.  The two are in constant conflict with each other, because they operate from completely different needs.

Your body still has many of the same survival mechanisms that it had 10,000 years ago when humans first showed up on the planet. Food was scarce, difficult to find and took a lot of energy to acquire and consume.  Large meals were rare and people ate in small quantities as they discovered a new food source.  Men and women of 10,000 years ago did not a fat tire around their waist or cellulite on their thighs.  The word "diet" did not exist, because there were no fat people!  They only ate for nourishment and fuel, because starvation was always a demon riding on their shoulder.

Most people in our society today do not worry about starvation. Advertisers and big conglomerates have positioned food in our belief system to be a replacement or enhancement for a wide range of emotions.  We have accepted the message that a warm cookie brings happiness, a rich meal means romance and snacking mindlessly on chips will make us popular.  And none of these nutrition-starved calories were consumed because we were hungry!

Can you see why our 10,000 year old bodies have trouble processing the excessive amount of calories we eat - mindlessly?  It is up to you to say, "Enough!" and make a decision to learn how your body works, what it needs and how you can best feed it so it operates at maximum efficiency, capacity and energy. 

Fortunately, you don't have to go back to school to learn nutrition or take night classes to become healthy.  All you have to do is make Medifast part of your life, and you will learn the healthy habits of living that are in perfect alignment with your body.  The products and program are designed to work with your 10,000 year old body, helping you lose weight and regain the balance that is naturally yours.

I discovered this truth yesterday, on Day 3 of my Medifast Journey.  I had a lot of work to do at the computer, and I missed my 10:00 a.m. Medifast meal.  At 11:30 a.m., I realized that I was hungry and I felt light-headed.  I ate a Crunch Bar and laid down to rest.  As my blood sugar came back up, I realized two things:

1. Do not skip one of the 5 Medifast meals or I will not feel good; and
2. I am becoming more sensitive to my body and its needs.

That small glitch contained a big lesson.  Pay more attention to the nutritional needs of my body, and I will feel great.  Ignore those needs and my body responds by lowering all systems to compensate.

I also did something fun yesterday - I had lunch with my wonderful husband!  We planned what we were going to order before we got to the restaurant (most restaurants post their menus online), which took away any temptation to make a non-approved food choice.  Red Robin does not offer a Weight Watchers selection, so we chose the grilled chicken, mixed green salad.  I tried a small bite of chicken with some of the salad, and discovered that I did not need the low fat dressing I had ordered!  Another discovery that I made - thanks to Medifast!

You may wonder what I did for dinner.  Since I already had my "lean and green" meal at lunch, I was happy to fix a bowl of Chicken and Rice soup for dinner.  It tasted great, it was filling, and I was happy.

My body is getting thinner.  I have not weighed myself yet, but I will tomorrow and let you know the results.  The waist band on my pants is looser and I feel more vibrant and alive.  Just noticing these results solidifies my vision of becoming my healthy self - slender, muscular and full of energy.

Why not help your body regain its natural balance?  If you want to learn more about the Take Shape for Life program, that uses Medifast products, please visit http://www.davideriksen.tsfl.com or call me.  If you are a friend, you have my cell phone number!

Living well, beautifully!

Kathy  





 

I Found my Tastebuds!

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 16, 2010

When was the last time you tasted food? I mean, REALLY tasted all the flavors, savored every distinct burst of flavor, and enjoyed the sensation of fresh food?

For me personally, it has been quite a while. And the sad part is that I did not even realize that I was not tasting food the way my tongue was designed to savor the differences.

Your taste buds can detect 4 different types of tastes, sweet, salty, sour and bitter.  When you were a baby, you had taste buds on your tongue, as well as on the roof and sides of your mouth.  That meant that you were extremely sensitive to different foods.  But did you know that as you got older, the taste buds on the side and roof of your mouth disappear?  So as an adult, you have less receptors in your mouth to taste the food.  (I guess you can chalk that up to another casualty to living longer!)

Here are some interesting facts about your taste buds:

• We have almost 10,000 taste buds inside our mouths; even on the roofs of our mouths.

• Insects have the most highly developed sense of taste. They have taste organs on their feet, antennae, and mouth parts.

• Fish can taste with their fins and tail as well as their mouth.

• In general, girls have more taste buds than boys.

• Taste is the weakest of the five senses.

Taste is such an important part of our eating experience.  Some might say that it is the only reason why we eat - because it tastes good.  But others might say that there is more to enjoying your food than just taste. 

Think about baking cookies.  You smell them before you ever take a bite; you see the golden brown cookie before you ever savor the taste of chocolate chips.  You feel the texture of the cooked dough before you ever raise the warm cookie to your mouth.  In my house, I usually hear someone saying, "I want the first one!" before anyone ever enjoys the treat.  Finally, you taste it -- warm, gooey and delicious!

Even though taste may be at the last of the five senses to participate in the food experience, for me, last night, it became the star of my dinner! 

After enjoying four Medifast meals throughout the day, I was ready for my lean and green meal.  I decided to make the Shrimp Tomato Salad and stopped by the store for the ingredients.  Frozen, deveined and peeled shrimp, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes were selected.  I also had to find a special salad dressing that absolutely complimented the meal and joined all of the different flavors together - Paul Newman's Sun Dried Tomato Dressing (low fat, of course!)

The recipe was easy (it came from the Take Shape for Life cookbook - a must-have resource for anyone on this program!). Marinate the shrimp in 2 tsp of the salad dressing for 1-2 hours. Then cut up the vegetables; saute the shrimp, arrange on top of the salad and add another 2 tsp of dressing.  Simple, easy and delicious!

I expected to enjoy this salad, but I was totally blown away by the burst of flavor!  The combination of the marinated shrimp, bell pepper and tomatoes with the salad dressing was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.  I could not believe what I was experiencing, and then I realized why.

I had not eaten any processed food in two days!  No salt, no preservatives, no food that had been processed and all the vitamins removed.  And my taste buds were rejoicing!


Rediscovering my taste buds was certainly not one of the benefits of this program that I anticipated.  But there is no disputing what I experienced last night with a simple salad - Heaven!

Learn to Eat

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I made it through my first day of Medifast! It was not that hard, but it did take some concentration and attention to my food choices (which is actually the point of the overall program!). I am re-training myself to eat for fuel, not emotional support.

There were several interesting things I discoverd about myself and this process:

1. There were several times yesterday that I would have eaten something just because I was bored or slightly depressed. It would have been mindless eating, without any reason except emotional. When I stopped the urge to eat and walked away from the cabinet or refrigerator, I discovered that I felt freer (and certainly lighter - I had just refused to put extra calories in my body!). I will continue to notice these urges and identify the emotional triggers, to gain more insight into why I may have been eating for something other than nourishment.

2. This program is designed to have 6 meals, spread throughout the day in 2-3 hour increments. I am not used to eating that often, which quickly became apparent yesterday afternoon. I was out running errands and it was time for my 4th meal. But I did not have any Crunch Bars with me, so I had to wait until I got back home.

Not a good strategy, because then I was hungry. Medifast will not "satisfy your hunger" like the Snickers Bar advertisement. Instead, this program is designed to feed your body in small amounts throughout the day, so you never get hungry. Waiting until you are hungry to eat another Medifast meal is a big mistake and can lead to disappointing results.

What should I have done? Simple. Carry a Crunch Bar in my purse and when it was time to have my meal, I would have it with me. Lesson learned!

3. Drinking 64 ounces of water (8 glasses) was not as hard as I thought. Dansani makes water bottles in 20 oz. sizes. I drank one bottle in the morning, one in the afternoon and another after dinner. It's easy when you divide your day into increments...

Another thing I realized is that this program makes it easy to say "No." It clearly sets out what I can eat, the food is convenient and portable and it satisfied me. Instead of having a battle with myself over whether to stop by Chick-fil-a and pick up a sandwich and sweet tea, I just drive by, wave and smile. Those food choices will always be there, but I am not eating that right now.

People sometimes have the wrong impression about Medifast. "Isn't that the liquid diet?" they ask. That could not be farther from the truth. There are over 70 products available to support you on your weight loss journey! And as I discovered yesterday, you can even use the products to make something completely different.

I always like to have a dessert or something sweet after dinner. The brownie was an option, but I found some great recipes on the website and I decided to try the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies. You mix one packet of the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, water and Stevia. Plop dollops of cookie dough on the baking sheet, and after ten minutes in the oven, you have fresh, hot cookies that count as your 6th meal! There are lots of recipes just like this one, that add variety and give you a treat, while you still maintain the fat burning state and lose weight.

At the start of Day 2, I feel excited and proud of myself. I can handle this process and I can actually see myself weighing 15 pounds less. My clothes will fit better, I have more energy and I believe I can conquer the world (at least my world!)

A Journey of 15 Pounds Begins With One Sip

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

What Does It Feel Like to be a Spiritual Messenger?

I am a Round 2 Contestant in the Next Top Spiritual Author Contest (out of 2,800 people who entered, only 271 remain). The Contest has been fun, tiring, thrilling, and motivating, but I have also experienced several unanticipated benefits.

I now realize that I am a Spiritual Messenger.

The gravity of that statement is only lessened by the mere fact I had the audacity to type it, bold face it and share it with the world! As I read over those words, it strikes me that they may sound ego-centric, but that could not be farther from the truth.

You see, for most of my life, I never believed I had anything worthwhile to say. My "Voice" was silent (by my own choosing, of course) but still, it remained quiet and hidden. Like a precious jewel that lay sleeping beneath the waters of life, my Voice waited for me to discover her. The funny part is...now that I have discovered her, I can't get her to be quiet!

Not that I am complaining, but recognizing that I do have something to share with people, that it does come from a Source much higher than my own puny intellect, is rather disconcerting. It tends to throw life off balance, out of kilter and into another gyration completely!

When I wrote the book proposal for the contest, for example, it felt like the words were coming from somewhere outside of my own consciousness. I simply listened and typed. When I finished and I read back through the document, I was astounded that those thoughts and ideas had even been created by my own hands.

But that is the point, isn't it? When I think about it, it really is not "my Voice" at all...I am just the physical embodiment of something much greater and much more spiritual. And guess what - you are too!

My spiritual journey will continue whether or not I make it into Round 3 of the contest. I have walked through the door toward my new life. I am awake, alive and a perfect Voice for the Source.

How about your journey? Where is it taking you?

Blessings,

Kathryn Eriksen
http://www.NextTopAuthor.com
Author ID # 545
http://www.KathrynEriksen.com

I need your help (again)!

The Next Top Spiritual Author Contest continues to roll on -- we are now down to 271 authors (from 2,800!) and the voting is open again. My book, "Faces of God" is in the running, but for it to advance, you have to vote again.

Please visit www.NextTopAuthor.com and look for Author #545. Read the book proposal, detailed chapter outline and sample chapter. If you voted for me before, there is no need to register again. Just cast another vote -- and help propel me in to Round 3!

Blessings,

Kathryn Eriksen
www.KathrynEriksen.com