Write It Down

Have you ever noticed when maybe you haven't heard of something or had a thought before and then all of a sudden it's showing up all over your life? I've had a week like that and it has really got me thinking... and I want to share and encourage you with these thoughts. 

So, last week at our Small Group Bible Study the guy on the video was talking about the Bible and the value of being committed to reading it. It was the same thing I have heard for 35+ years... and then he stopped, looked at the camera and asked "Do you want to be spiritual or not?" This question got me thinking and in my mind I jumped over to health. I had asked myself nearly a year ago "Do you want to be healthy or not?" and once I decided that my answer was yes, I began the search for a plan to be healthy... which lead me to my health coach and Take Shape for Life. Throughout the night I thought about his questions and decided that "yes, I want to be spiritual, so I need a plan if I want to actually achieve my goal". 

On Monday morning I went to the local coffee shop and snuggled up in a chair with my Bible, a devotional book and a Beth Moore study book I had never finished from earlier this year. As I started into this 1st day of study (again) a local pastor walked by and we chatted for a few minutes. He brought up (without my prompting) how important it is to write down our goals so that we don't forget where we are headed as we create habits to reach our destination. 

The next day, the devotional I was reading was entitled 'Write It Down' with the scripture reference of Habakkuk 2:2 "Write down the revelation." The main idea was that we have a natural tendency to remember what we should forget and forget what we should remember. 

So.... here's where I'm going with this. Whether you are religious or not it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that if you write down your goals you are more likely to reach them. Habits start with the decision to make something a habit... and sometimes that means starting again. These situations have caused me to  pull out some paper and a pen and actually write down my current goals so that I can begin the journey to the destination of success. I'm still working on defining my goals and writing my personal "mission statement", but this is what my first attempt of getting my thoughts out looked like. It's a cluster drawing similar to what my 9 year old makes in his writing class... but hey, it works. Currently my goal is to find a better balance of life.... mental, physical, spiritual and with my family. This (similar to weight loss and maintenance) is going to be something that I need to constantly tweak, evaluate and keep working at as being a balanced human will forever be a work in progress. 

I know being balanced means more moments of peace and happiness and an improved quality of life. Because I know these truths - working toward balance is worth it.

As we journey together toward a new life with a heathy body and health mind... won't you join me in writing down your goals? I know some of you have taken time to actually write down what you want out of this process/program and some of us have just thought about it. 
What is your goal? 
What healthy weight are you working towards?
What non-scale victory are you looking forward to?
What is something we can celebrate today in this journey?
What is your WHY? (What motivates you to work toward our goals?)

The answers to these questions will be different to every one of us.... but we each have our own answers.  Over the next several days you can expect a phone call from me and (if you are willing) I'd love to discuss your answers to these questions with you. 
If you are on track toward your goals, awesome. 
If we need to start again... no problem, let's start again. 

As we continue this journey toward health, these written-out, concrete goals are going to help us succeed. Let's work together so that we can celebrate success together too!

Wishing you all a fun and memorable weekend!
-Kelly

Bread is Life

Hello friends, 
A couple weeks ago I had lunch with two girlfriends and we got onto the topic of weight loss.  I was sharing a little about this program and one of the gals asked if the program includes bread... or pasta... or rice... or crackers, etc. I knew deep down she wanted me to say "oh yes, it's a miracle plan... you get to eat a bagel for breakfast, ravioli for lunch and pizza for dinner and all you do is sprinkle magic carb-zapping powder on it." Wouldn't it be awesome if it was that easy??? But instead I had to disappoint her with the reality that we cut out carbs... just like practically every other weight loss plan out there. We laughed - but inside there were silent tears for the mere idea of being banned from interacting with french bread and all that is tempting at the bakery. 

Later that day one of the gals sent me this funny little meme:

I laughed at her text remembering our conversation... but also got to thinking about bread. 

How sad it is to feel like you have been told that you can never enjoy something that you "love" again. Like you have been warned that your best friend is bad for you and is tainting your character. That when you associate with "that" thing you run the risk of failing in everything you do in your entire life. That your friend Mr. Carb is actually an enemy out to destroy you. These are horrible and depressing thoughts. 

And these thoughts are NOT true. 

Truth is, once you hit your goal and transition into a state of maintenance you will get to reunite with your friend. Your relationship will be different, but you will be able to hang out again someday. See, while on program we need to realize that we're not saying "goodbye forever" - but we are saying "see you later." 

I've been in maintenance for 5 months now and I'll happily admit I  have had bread and tortillas and crackers and noodles. But I have not returned to eating them the way I used to - we have a new relationship. During the months of losing weight and striving toward health the most important thing I learned were the "healthy habits" that this program is based upon. Drinking lots of water, eating 5-6 meals throughout the day so that I wasn't starving and making wise healthy choices with my regular meals. 

We are all looking and seeking forever change. 

We all desire that being healthy would be our new normal. 

We all share the desire for optimal health. 

AND we can all do this!

I want to encourage you to stay strong and focused while you work this plan. Know that whatever is your weakness will be there waiting for you after you have reached your goal. And at that time you can re-defne your relationship. 

Today you are fighting to cross that finish line. 

Keep going! Stay strong! 

I believe in you - I hope that you believe in you too!

Hugs, 

Kelly

P.S. Here's a fun little video with some ideas of alternative Halloween treats that your kids and co-workers are sure to love... 

Skip the sugar this Halloween and try these tasty treats

http://wtvr.com/2015/10/30/skip-the-sugar-this-halloween-and-try-these-tasty-treats/

SaveSave

October14, 2016 - Today my little lady Leah and I got to spend some quality time together shopping in "the city" (Oklahoma City). We went to 6 different stores and she spent her own money on a pair of boots that she just "had to have". We had a great time - BUT MAN CAN A 6 YEAR OLD TALK NONSTOP! I'm exhausted!  One of the exciting stops we made was to Sam's Club - yahoo! This was my 1st time since the Team Fullmore October Facebook challenge was issued that I have been in a store with 50 lb bags of sugar - so I had to get my "Sugar Shot". The October Challenge was to embrace the cruel reality that this is the season for candy and treats and sugar by taking a pic with the weight of sugar that represents your loss. So here I am... with two 25 lb bags of sugar. It's so much heavier than I expected... I can't believe I had been carrying that on my joints/back/legs. It's really rather crazy when you are holding the weight in your arms.  Have any of you had a chance to do this yet? Next time you are in the grocery store take a minute to lift a bag of sugar that is comparable to your weight loss. If it is a 5lb bag - awesome. If it's 25 lbs - that's amazing. If it's 1 lb celebrate it... if it's 50 lbs - through a party! Wherever you are in your weigh loss journey, use your exciting weekly grocery shopping trip to get pumped up and reminded of how far you have come in this transformation. (And you don't have to take a picture.... but we all would love to see your progress and celebrate with you!) Wishing you a week of steady progress toward a healthier you! Hugs,  Kelly

September 30, 2016

Happy Friday!!!

I hope you are all enjoying the change of the seasons as fall ushers out the heat of summer and brings in crisp air and changing colors. This time of year is my favorite. 

I wanted to share a video (conference call)  with you all called: The Death of Diets -- A Response to "The Biggest Loser"

This is a video call that Dr. Anderson (the founder of Take Shape for Life) put on last May after the release of a New York Times article that discussed how many of the contestants from the TV show "The Biggest Loser" gained their weight back due to a lack of change of healthy habits. In this video you will hear an encouraging testimonial from a TSFL client who has lost 200+ lbs and learn about how healthy habits have made the lasting change in her life. Dr. Anderson goes over the basics of the TSFL program and discusses the elements of success with "health" rather than a "diet". Here's the link to the video: https://youtu.be/Mav-q8UUzyM

Also I was wondering if each of you could shoot me back a quick email and share how much you have lost so far on the program and also what your biggest non-scale victory to date. Each of you are at a different place in this journey and have been working toward health for different amounts of time... but I think it's time to start celebrating our success on the TSFL Team Fullmore Facebook page 

I'm excited for this new season on the calendar as well as this "new season of life" that each of you are embarking on!

Keep on keeping on!

Kelly 

September 23, 2016  

While I often find myself looking forward to Monday (this is usually around 5pm on Sunday night when the kids are at each others throats), today I am saying YAY IT'S FRIDAY! I am excited because... outside of a soccer game in the morning, we have nothing planned tonight nor tomorrow. Nothing! When school started I was looking forward to getting back into a routine, however instead it just feels like my time has become more chopped up and every kid, organization, sport, etc. wants a little piece of me. Of course I am grateful to have a life where my problem is too much fun/involvement... but it can be challenging to find balance when you are going in multiple directions throughout the course of the day. 

Earlier this week I realized that while I have shared with all of you the importance of planning out your fuelings/food at the beginning of the day - this is something that I have become inconsistent with. Being in the maintenance phase of the program, I have more freedom in my meal choices, however having a plan is always the 1st step toward success and staying focused on our goals. 

I wanted to share a great website with you all that has helped me when it comes to planning lean-green meals and even my regular fuelings. The website is: http://www.sandyskitchenadventures.com/    

Sandy has a candid form of writing and I appreciate how she shares her honest health journey with the reader. When  you look at the home page you will see several recipe pull down options... go all the way over to the tab "Medifast Recipe Box". On this page you will find a TON of lean-green meal ideas and recipes AND a list of ways that you can creatively alter the Medifast meals into new fueling by adding allowed condiments or preparing the food in a different way. I'm thinking tonight I just might to turn my Vanilla Pudding into Pumpkin Pie Custard .

If you have extra time, I want to encourage you to check out Sandy's Kitchen Adventure website and see if there are any recipes that look interesting. If you find something you like it would be great if you share it on our TSFL Team Fullmore - we all love learning new ways to add adventure to this health journey. 

Wishing you all a fantastic and relaxing weekend, 

Kelly 

September 9, 2016

Hello Ladies, 

Have you ever had a week where you feel like it will never end? Since Sunday morning I haven't felt great... not really sick, but defiantly not 100%. I've still done my work from home and gone to the gym and coached Leah's soccer team and done all the other things moms do to keep life rolling and people fed - after all, as a woman I've been programed to believe that the world will stop if I dare take a day off. On top of feeling yucky, I've had several strange/annoying things happen that have taken my focus off joyfulness. Earlier this week I showed up for a 6am meeting... that was last week (so not only did I waste getting up early but also missed something important). I missed a class because I didn't see the time change on Facebook (seriously... how about a text direct to my phone rather than some random post that I don't even have set to be at the top of my Home page). And then today I went to Leah's school so that she could do FaceTime with my mom for Grandparents Day and when we left early, I went out to find that someone parked behind my car blocking me into the space between their car and a fence. Seriously? I was so irritated. 

I sat frustrated on the grass, thinking about how my van is totally recognizable with my silly stickers on it and with my husband as a pastor in a small town I best not ruin our life by saying what I wanted to say to whomever this person was.  Instead I said to myself - "Kelly - get a grip. Look back in your life at all the real problems that have been thrown at you - this is nothing. Count your blessings... you're life is great."

So I did. As I thought about the many, many ways my family has been blessed... HEALTH quickly came to the top of my list of things I am thankful for.  This week I celebrated my 5 year cancerversary. 5 years. I was given a 40% chance of surviving 5 years. It is not hard for me to remember being told those stats and deciding that I HAD to focus on the 40% survive rate and not the 60% chance of cancer coming back and getting me. And now, 5 years later, not only can cancer be put on a shelf in my memories... but I can celebrate that I feel healthier than I really ever have. But health is not happening by accident - the mental, emotional and physical work has paid off... and it feels great. 

Ladies, I am thankful for Take Shape for Life and that there is a real, virtual community that I can be a part of for support. I know you all have active FaceBook pages, so if you haven't had a chance yet to look at the TSFL Team Fullmore page yet, please be sure to take a few minutes to visit and read through the posts. ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1673702179577104/ )

This is a page where you can celebrate your victories. 

Where you can celebrate with others and be encouraged by their success. 

You will find posts about how people make new creations out of the TSFL food. 

There are people sharing problems that you may identify with.

Its possible you might even get to encourage or help someone else with their problem. 

And if you have a problem you can seek out advise/encouragement.

This page is a place where you can "Face Brag" and post photos of your success without feeling weird. 

It is a way to help you stay connected to your goals and your "why". 

This is our community... and community is vital to success! Remember.... that was one of the main Habits of Health - to be engaged in a support system. You are not alone - there is a huge tribe of friends ready to cheer you on!  

On September 3rd, the Team Challenge was posted... please take a minute to check it out and consider participating. I hope that you all use this community as a way to strengthen your journey and celebrate your victories so that we can celebrate with you!

Wishing you all a weekend where you focus on blessings and dwell on the goodness that this life offers!

Kelly

September 2, 2016

Hello Friends, 

I am excited and happy for each of you that you are on this journey toward health. Something crazy happened this morning.... I went to Boot Camp at the gym, gave it 110% the entire time and didn't die. Seriously though, when I started going to this class 3 weeks ago it was sooooo painful and I was aching for days. I had never done anything like this before and it was totally outside of my comfort zone. While my kids keep me busy and I would say we have a active life, working out is not something I have ever really enjoyed or felt good doing. But a friend encouraged me to go and I found that sweating in a community is much more fun than sweating alone. Today was the first day I felt like I had really made it past the pain and now my body is wanting to exercise. A year ago I couldn't have done this... or if I had I would have probably injured myself. I can hardly believe that this much change has happened in my body and mind since starting the program in January. 

Friends, I want to encourage you to be strong and believe in yourself. You each have your own "why" - your own reason why you signed up for this program. Your own goal and your own desire to find health. As this weekend approaches be sure to take time and plan how you are going to care for you. Take a few minutes to pull out the food you plan to eat each day so that you are ready to make the best choice for you when temptations arise. If you are planning to go or have a Labor Day party planned be prepared. Weekends are hard for me... being out of my routine requires extra effort and planning. Do you ever regret making wise choices and staying focused on success??? So far I haven't. 

WE CAN DO THIS!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Kelly