Teach Your Kids Nutrition NOW

Kids WILL NOT learn about nutrition and exercise and how food is your body and mind's fuel anywhere else if not from you. It's NEVER too early to teach them and they need to know because print magazines are telling young women that skeletal, emaciated bodies with no muscle tone or physical strength is what is NORMAL and HEALTHY. Don't let this happen, here's an example of why:

Last night on Inside Edition, they did a piece on a girl who first became anorexic at the age of 9!!!!!!!!!!!! The little girl later developed Bulemia as well and was SO frightening to see because not only was she emaciated, but she was SO young. She said things like, "I won’t eat cheese because it has too much fat. I feel like I’ve gained a million pounds today. I look HUGE in the mirror."

I BEG YOU — PLEASE educate your children starting at an early age about nutrition and eating right and exercising. The victims are getting younger and younger and speaking from experience (I started dieting in 6th grade), if they are not taught about proper nutrition and exercise and that in magazines, the waif-life models with hip and rib bones showing are NOT in ANY way healthy, it will save them from years and years, possibly a lifetime of the vicious cycle of eating disorders, etc.

PLEASE help them now and give them the gift of educating them. My home and schools did NOT teach this at all. I did not know anything about nutrition until 2003 when I stumbled across BFL ... THANK GOD! It’s set me free and helped me undo the years of damage of dieting and crash-dieting. That’s my two cents — please take it to heart!

Get off the Titanic!

A post on the tracker site today has spurred me to post a quick analogy that I think many of you may find familiar. Let me start by saying that in my lifetime, I want to be a good role model for young women (and young men if applicable) and make a difference in their life by leading by good example. Over the recent years, I have paid close attention to how women, including myself, really are. How they relate to those they know and more importantly, how they relate to other women they do not know. I have found that when you really pay attention, you find that a MOST women are self-conscious in some way or another and in different concentrations. Here I was growing up being VERY self-conscious and thinking I was all alone and abnormal for not being totally comfortable interacting with others only to find out that we ARE all in the SAME boat!

In fact, there are so many of us on the self-conscious Titanic, that it's sinking! What we MUST do, is realize we are all in this together and plan our escape!! Those lifeboats (confidence, self-confidence, self-assuredness, and empowerment) are out there waiting to rescue us!! We MUST stop wasting time every day being self-conscious and close-minded to each other and reach out! If we don't, we are all part of a sinking ship that is going under further each day!

I PROMISE you, if you reach out to someone you don't know or you THINK will not be a good friend, you will be SURPRISED! Most of time time, that person feels EXACTLY the same way about you and is nothing like you thought. In doing this, your self-confidence and self-worth grows and you grow as a person. I hate to see women passing each other "rudely" or like it's some kind of bitch competition. That's the cold hard truth — we need to change things and change how most of us act. I have been guilty of this, too, but have been working to better myself for a while! I had to realize that other women are not my enemy, I was just self-conscious and I had to realize the problem was me, in order to grow. So, today, when you pass that woman you don't know but always try to avoid eye contact with, feel that self-confidence rising and tell her to have a WONDERFUL day!! You'll see what I mean!

Bumps in the Road--Keep Going!

Well, this current "unofficial" challenge has not been perfect by any means--a week and a half vacation, a week off, family get-togethers, etc. I've definitely eaten a few unauthorized meals and had to skip some workouts. In the past, I would have gone into a "boo-hoo! Look-what-I-did" mood and felt like I had thrown all my hard work out the window. In reality, slip-ups now and then don't hurt you at all, as long as they're not happening every day! Even if you have a few slip-ups in a row, FORGET about them and move on!! It only take a few days to be back to your old self and feeling like nothing outside your program happened at all!

The past is past and don't let any skipped workouts or eating slip-ups get you down! Life happens and things will happen to force you to change your plans--learn to accept it and move on! It really is not as damaging as it feels at first. The important thing is that you get right back up and continue doing your program--you won't be sorry! I think we all do this and sometimes even have an "All or Nothing" philosophy, but no one can put that much pressure on himself. Things come up, so expect to not have a perfect program. It's totally awesome if you DO have a perfect program, but most of us do not.

Be as prepared as you can, do your best and when things come up, move on and pick right back up where you were!!

Holidays - Old and New

It is almost that time! The holidays of overeating and the year's best foods are fast approaching! I celebrate Christmas, and this year will be the first year in quite a few that I am not dreading gaining a ton of weight from overeating goodies, sweets and food enough for an army. No sir, not this year! Sure, I will enjoy the holiday meals and the specialty sweets, but now I am preparing healthier versions using healthier ingredients. I am definitely not making as many goodies either. Just a few to sample mine and my husband's favorites of the season. After it's over, it's time to move on and get rid of any leftovers!

It is a WONDERFUL feeling having control over my appetite and my eating habits now. Before, as shameful as it is, the holidays would find me eating and eating and eating some more--cookies, treats, fudge, candy, and WAY TOO MUCH Christmas dinner consisting of portions enough for a family of 6! Nope this year, I have turned over a new leaf in getting back to BFL for good this time. I do not fear losing control as I would in the past because I have now taken back control over my appetite. That's a really nice feeling and even more so a reason to be thankful this time of year!

Two Pigs in a Puddle

I swear, my husband and I are like two peas in a pod. Actually, we are more like two pigs in a puddle since we are so much alike and are still so happily married after 6 years. The reason I say that is that he balances me out in every way possible. When I'm down, he's up and there to lift my spirits. When I am being too serious, he is there to irresistibly bring a smile to my face. When I am sailing smoothly along with my BFL lifestyle and not having ANY problems eating clean, he is there to offer me Burger King on a platter...

Ha! HOLD on there! We are BOTH so guilty of this, I admit. That's the whole reason we got so unhealthy and both gained so much weight--we really WERE too pigs in a puddle except there was no puddle. It seems like this is the biggest hurdle as a couple that we've had to overcome and still are working to overcome. For years now until recently, whenever one of us was on track and focused on practicing healthy habits, the other was always there at dinnertime to say "KFC?", "Pizza Hut?", or to suggest one of our favorite restaurants. Ahhh...the root of our undoing and the definition of how we were not working together to get healthy. It really does take a team...

During my 1st program in 2003, I was doing BFL all by myself while he continued our regular poor eating habits (fast food, pizza, more pizza, oh yeah, and pizza--our FAVORITE!). For the entire 12 weeks I ate clean and THAT was a tremendous accomplishment given all the temptations I was presented with on a daily basis. I am really proud that I was in control the whole time and never had cravings or the temptation to partake in his juicy eats. When I started my 2nd program this past June, he began doing the modified BFL program, meaning he skips workouts and is not eating completely clean, but is still seeing some nice yet slow changes. He's dropped about 30 lbs and has developed some nice chest, arms, and shoulder definition! His modified approach is what would get me in trouble if I let it since he is okay with eating "bad" several times a week. Well, I am once again on the right road and I'm not ever looking back. It really is up to me to keep us on track since the poor thing will eat whatever I put in front of him. So, we will eat healthy when I can help it! And every day, the practice of eating junk food or fatty foods every night is becoming a distant memory that we do NOT want to revisit ever again!

That's what BFL helps people like us to do--once that bad stuff is out of your body, you stop craving it. It's just not good for you and your body doesn't want it anymore! So, my task at hand is to get him from modified to full BFL so we can BOTH be in the position of not wanting the bad foods anymore at all and only eating them on free day IF we do want them. Afterall, the most important thing is that both pigs are still in the puddle years and years from now and the route we were going down was NOT one that was going to have us around for a long time. I am SO happy to have found BFL. It has probably saved BOTH our lives.

Future Goals

Today, I woke up thinking about what direction I'd like to take my fitness goals. Rather, I revisited a deep desire that I have had for the longest time--fitness modeling. Now, shhh! I've never told a SOUL this, but it is something that has been rooted in my mind as long as I can remember. If I even want to have a remote CHANCE to ever do anything like that, I've got a LOT of work ahead of me and a definite commitment to achieving my dreams!

But, that's fun, isn't it? To define a goal for yourself and aim for the stars! I remember reading something Pam Brown had written about how after she finished her first challenge, she realized that she needed something way beyond that 12-week goal to challenge her and set her sights on. Well, my friend, if you haven't seen what she decided to set her sights on, check out Pam's site and read about her history in BFL: http://www.pam-brown.com/.

I feel like that is TOTALLY where I am at now in my BFL journey. I want to do WAY more and see how far I can take my fitness transformation. The more you do BFL, the happier and healthier and more energetic and more self-confident you are! For me, this will be a really great thing to do to keep myself challenged! Sure, I may never end up doing any fitness modeling at all, but hey--I will have a BFL body and mind and THAT is priceless!

2nd Challenge Results

I finished my 2nd official challenge on August 29, 2005. Although it was non-consecutive to my first challenge (two years earlier), I am keeping count of the challenges as I complete them. So, now that I am doing this for LIFE--for real this time--I will be counting for a long time!

Challenge #2 Results:
Weight Loss: 18.8 lbs
Bodyfat Lost: 10.6%
Total Inches Lost: 23 inches
Size: Went from a 12+ to an 8 and some 6's!

Failure? Not in MY Dictionary!

I am now in the stages of maintaining my BFL program until my official 2006 challenge begins. I am READY!! Now I am around week 7 of my 3rd unofficial challenge. Every day, I remind myself that no matter what comes up, no matter how tired I THINK I am, I am NEVER going back to that place I was at rock-bottom. Sure, you should "never say never", but in this case, it's okay!

Failing? NOT an option at all. That's the trick of completing a 12-week program. If you go into it fearing that you might not finish, you are already accepting it as an option and setting yourself up for failure. You WILL finish. Period. The End. Slip-ups will happen. Life happens and you'll have to miss a workout. When that happens, pick right up and keep going like nothing ever happened! WORK HARD and STAY STRONG!

A Quick Note on Adversity

In reference to my earlier post about how a string of adversity took the wind out of my BFL sails, I want to say that it does happen to us all, but "this, too, shall pass". Things always work out. They may seem desperate or hopeless at the time, but keep taking care of yourself and they will get better. Actually, the MOST important time for you to take care of yourself IS when you don't feel like working out or you feel like you can't do it OR when adversity hits. Then, above all other times, IS the best time to take care of yourself. Then, you can take care of the others in your life, your job, your responsibilities. You cannot properly take care of things if you are giving up those things which keep you mentally and physically healthy.

DON'T do what I did and learn that lesson the hard way. Keep doing BFL and maintaining the lifestyle (nutrition and exercise) throughout the adversity and you will be able to take on anything! You'll make it through and not have any regrets!

Blogging some BFL: Part II

Continued from my last post...

Let's see, where was I? After completing my first BFL challenge in April of 2003, my husband and I experienced a string of adversity, including deaths in the family and loss of our jobs AND the new jobs we got after that due to bankruptcy and cutbacks. WOW--yeah, it was a tough time and all the while I could hear Bill Phillip's voice in the back of my head from where I had read the Body-for-LIFE book saying that adversity is inevitable and strikes at anytime, anywhere and to everyone. I KNEW that! BUT--I did not keep myself together and continue doing BFL...

Over the next two years I gained 20lbs and barely got any exercise. I was drowing myself in our "hardships" with comfort food, the way I always had. Junk food and sweets were my favorite poison and at the end of the two years, my body DEFINITELY showed the neglect and abuse I gave it by overeating, binging and not exercising. Let me tell you, that is a VERY scary place to find yourself in. But, there I was having been in the best shape of my life, now completely worse off and unhealthier than ever!! I was back in the vicious cycle: overeat, guilt, diet, overeat and binge, more guilt, etc. I felt intensely helpless, hopeless, depressed, worthless, disgusting and most of all SO MAD at myself that I had PLUMMETED off the wagon so bad, I felt that I was too far gone to ever catch up again. But...I had done BFL before and had a secret weapon!

One day I looked in the mirror and addressed that anger at myself for what I had become again. I turned it into the fuel and passion I needed to once again transform my mental and physical fitness. I KNEW I could do it, because I'd done it before. I HAD finished the 12 weeks and I could certainly do it again, except THIS time, it was for LIFE, not for just 12 weeks! I wrote down my goals, why I was unhappy, how and why I wanted to change and most of all why I was NEVER going back there!! I printed this out on a piece of paper that I still keep with me and revisit when I need to. 12 weeks later and once again amazingly fast, I was in the best shape of my life and feeling like I was ready to take on the WHOLE world! The energy and confidence is almost indescribable! It's TRULY an amazing transformation and NO where else will you get it so fast, focused on BOTH mental and physical fitness, AND where it's actually HEALTHY for you and has you eating food--real food!

I and many others are truly blessed to have found BFL-it was a lifesaver for me.

Blogging some BFL: Part I

This is my first post to my BFL blog. I want to share daily thoughts and inspirations to those who are doing BFL for the first OR fifty-first time! Sure, there may be lots of ramblings, but I am hoping to reach out and share what I can from my BFL experience in order to motivate and inspire other BFLers!

I finished my first BFL challenge in 2003 and achieved amazingly fast results that I was extremely pleased with! Visually, I didn't look completely different, but I had lost 3 sizes, a ton of inches, a ton of fat, and had gained countless energy and confidence. I had muscle strength and the beginnings of toned legs and arms for the FIRST time in my entire life! It was incredible and proved to be the turning point in my fitness history in that I NEVER WOULD HAVE TO LOOK ELSEWHERE AGAIN to find a nutrition and exercise program that worked. Believe me, I've tried them ALL!

I first started dieting, sadly, in the 6th grade after I stopped growing tall and started growing wide! I no longer was able to eat whatever I wanted, and with a family history of binging and eating junk food, I was in for a rude awakening! The next 14 years or so, I was on every diet and bought every exercise fad there was. I was stuck in that vicious cycle until I found BFL by some miracle at the end of 2002. By January, I had gotten the books and armed myself with knowledge I had NEVER been exposed to before! No where in school or at home had I been exposed to nutrition and a healthy body and how they are related. I didn't know about sugar being bad for you and protein being needed to build muscles! All I knew was that I "worked out" 6 days a week and NEVER saw any results.

That losing streak ended in April 2003 when I finished my first BFL challenge. It was 12 weeks later, and I felt like a totally a different person and had drastically improved my fitness level!

To be continued...