Open Arms To Fabulous 40!

Several weeks ago I turned 40. 

4-0. 

“Over the hill.” (Whatever.)

For most of folks this has been a birthday that they have dreaded and mourned. My husband spent a week in contemplation when he wrestled with this milestone and I’ve spoken to a number of friends that are spending this year evaluating life, goals and reflection of the past. 

But not me. 

I am thrilled and excited and I guess you could say I am proud to be turning 40. 

I remember the moment like it was yesterday, sitting in my oncologists office in August of 2011 when he explained that I had a 40% chance of surviving 5 yrs. In my head what I heard was that I had a 60% chance of dying before I reached 40… and that my life would be over before it had the chance to really begin. It took a while to adjust my thinking and focus on being in the 40% of survivors… and then it became a challenge to be beat the odds. 

So - I win!

Who knows what the future holds - but for now I will wear the trophy of greying hair (under my highlights) and new wrinkles and aging spots like a medal. 

To celebrate I was able to easily convince a group of family members to meet up with me in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It’s funny how when you mention “all-inclusive resort” and “no children”, 6 of the worlds most precious women will jump at the chance to “escape” and take a few days to simply enjoy life! 

And enjoy it we did. 

So… since what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico, I will shift this blogpost to how I did handling the food/drink portion of the trip. 

I am thankful to say that besides way too many chips that I had the 1st night, overall it wan’t hard to make wise choices. I mainly chose meat and veggie options with fruit as a treat. We did have desserts with dinner, but we chose to order several small desserts to share and each of us had a small bites so it really was in moderation. One of my older, wiser cousins taught me how to make good choices when it came to mixed drinks… so while we enjoyed ourselves, I didn’t feel knocked totally out of control and out of striving for a healthy lifestyle. 

And I need to give credit and thanks to another one of my cousins (who found awesome success on this program) and helped keep me accountable to living a life of health and good choices. When she slapped my hand reaching for chips (and told me to just put a few on my plate) I was instantly grateful for her companionship in this quest to maintain the health we had worked for. Having others support you really does mean so much in success. 

When I got home I found that I had gained 1 lb. 

Just 1 cute little pound. 

I love that learning to maintain and stay focused on health goals means that when given a chance to totally jump ship I have discovered how to enjoy life and food in a healthy balanced way. In my past, on other programs, it was this kind of environment that sent me spiraling back to frustration with myself and into the bad the habit of blaming food or the resort or even my social group for my choices. 

Friends, the process of learning to maintain our weight loss is instrumental to long term success. Each of you are working so hard toward your your “physical goals” - this is also the time to work on your “mental goals”. 

We all need to work toward:

Remembering the importance of water. 

Looking at food as fuel rather than a reward. 

Seeking support from encouragers. 

Making wise choices daily. 

Oh - and enjoying life to the fullest because it is certainly a beautiful gift!

How Are Your Taste Buds Doing???

Hi friends! 

How are your taste buds doing??? Are you needing some ideas for healthy and new recipes to prepare for that Lean and Green meal that you look forward to everyday? I found that taking time to prepare a variety of Lean and Green meals not only added a little spice to my pallet... but also helped me learn more about what foods would become a part of my regular shopping list and have carried into the way that my family now eats on a nightly basis. 

While I've used cauliflower in the past,
last week I made up a tasty Spaghetti Squash crust pizza. 

Here are a few links to some great recipe websites that offer Lean/Green ideas that work with our program:

Sandy's Kitchen Adventure

Not only does this site have a TON of great lean/green recipe ideas, but at the bottom of the "Medifast Recipe Box" you will also find a section that gives a ton of suggestions for recipes altering the Medifast foods that we use. 

TSFL Client Health Tips 

You can look up these recipes by name, by the ingredients in the recipe or by categories (which are Game Day Ideas, Greens, Holiday Recipes, Lean, Maintenance, Soups, TSFL Meal Recipes). Lots of choices.

Lean and Green Recipes Facebook Group

This is a closed Facebook group where people post program compliant Lean and Green recipes. If you would like to be added let me know and I can easily add you. 

And my personal favorite way to search for Lean/Green recipes is to simply jump on Pinterest and go crazy. There are a gazillion recipes on there... at least hundreds anyways. Use the following terms to search and you will come up with lots of  options: TSFL, Take Shape for Life, Medifast, Lean and Green, etc. 

Food is going to be a part of our daily lives forever - this is a great time to learn to adjust how we cook and set ourselves up for a lifetime of optimal health!

The Importance of Transition

Are you getting close to your goal weight??? In the past 2 weeks I have spoken to multiple clients about the Transition Phase. One person has lost all her "baby weight" (20 lbs in about 6 weeks) and the other reached her goal of 40 lbs over several months of working hard to get to her healthy weight. It is exciting to journey alongside folks as they work the program and watch their bodies transform. When you have reached your goal weight, please reach out to me (or your health coach) and we can share a Transition Guide and helpful instructional video with you. 

As I have often shared, my favorite thing about TSFL is that our purpose isn't to be dependent upon the their food/fuelings forever as you find with most weight loss programs. I love that once you have reached your healthy weight/goal there is a Transition and a Maintenance plan ready to help you live a long happy and healthy life. And I appreciate that in reality we are never "done" with this journey. Our commitment to being healthy is a lifelong desire requiring a true lifelong change. Basically that means we will be making our health a priority until the day we die... isn't that what we want???

While the transitioning tools will help you in understanding how to make a healthy transition back to regular food, I wanted to share 2 of the main reasons why I found the Transition Phase to be instrumental to learning how to maintain long term weight loss. 

1. Transition Phase helps your body adjust back to regular food
This 1st reason is pretty obvious. In the transition phase you slowly remove the TSFL meals and replace them with different food groups over the course of several weeks.  Trust me... this transition phase is important. Possibly as important as the process of losing weight. As we slowly add back in additional vegetables, fruit, dairy, whole grains, etc., we also increase our calorie intake in systematic incremental increases. If you have been following the program strictly and suddenly jump back to regular food your body will go into a sort of freak-out shock. Lets just say your tummy will not be happy with you... transitioning is the healthy way to get into maintenance. 

2. The Transition Phase helps you learn HOW to eat in a healthy way and be sure you don't return to the habits that you have said good-bye to. 
If you remember back to your 1st conversation with your coach, or read Dr. A's book, you will remember that this program is largely based upon healthy habits used by the 15% of people in the focus group that kept 20+lbs off for 5+ years. So... if the key to keeping the weight off is to "fuel your body" and eat several small throughout the day, then it is vital that you learn how to continue this element of your new lifestyle. 

For me, during this time I learned what I could eat and what I wanted to eat in order to keep myself fueled throughout the day. Here's what a general day during transition looked like for me:
7am - Apple
10am - Lowfat String Cheese Stick
12:30 - Lunch that was based on greens and lean meat
3pm - TSFL Medifast bar (I eat this while I go get my daughter at the pick-up line. This is an easy fueling for me to forget, so making it part of my daily routine has helped. Plus, bars are easy and I like the taste.)
6pm - Dinner with my family - Lean and Green style meal
9pm - Either a Greek yogurt (look for low carb count), or TSFL Medifast Brownie (I just love those things) or a slice of meat and a little cheese, or a small bowl of popcorn

It was during this time of transition that I learned how to really read labels and not bring stuff into our house that was high in carbs or fat. I have also found more exciting ways to cook healthy - not necessarily just by the TSFL lean/green requirements - but healthy, fresh whole food meals. While re-introducing new foods I used the "My Fitness Pal" app on my phone almost daily to not only help me keep myself in check with calories, but also help me learn to understand what foods are high (or low) in carbohydrates, fat and protein. 

This time also helped me build the confidence in myself that I COULD actually keep the weight off. It is so much easier to give yourself back freedom in little doses rather than just jumping ship and hope you don't drown. Learning how to change up your order at a restaurant is exciting... but winning is when you learn to stay within a healthy guideline and eat the appropriate size portion. 

Maybe the most important thing I learned during the Transition Phase is that my old habits are still there BUT I have control and DO NOT have to be destroyed by them. Sure they miss me - we had fun together (sometimes too much fun together). But they were a bad influence  on this "good girl" and I need to keep strong boundaries from those old naughty habits. 

I have kept 55 lbs off for 9 months & if I can do it you can too!
I Believe it you!!!

If We Can Do It - You Can Do It!

YOU GUYS!! It’s my two year Healthiversary!! 

Hello friends! My name is Kristen Fullmore, and I have the privilege and honor of being Kelly’s Health Coach. You know a bit about Kelly’s journey, and you have watched her transform her health over the past year. Now, I’d love to share a little bit of my journey with you and how this path ultimately changed my life and led me to freedom! 

In 2015, I started the year in a pretty dark space in my mind. I had truly given up on myself as far as my health went, because for over 20 years, I had tried and failed and tried and failed over and over and over again to get “healthy”. Basically, I was a professional dieter. Riding that yo-yo up and down and up and down. 

Well, mid-January, a small spark of hope was lit in me, as a friend of mine started to share stories of hope and health on her Facebook page. They caught my attention, but I watched from afar, wondering if I could have a story like their’s.  After many conversations with myself, and with one last hope (and a lot of fear and skepticism), I reached out to my friend, and now health coach, having no idea what she could offer me or how she could assist me. All I knew was that I needed help, and I couldn’t do it on my own anymore. 

I decided that this was going to be it. I was tired of the yo-yo - done with trying and failing, losing and gaining. The thought of needing to lose over 100lbs was overwhelming, scary, and made me nervous, but for some reason, I was willing to run after it with everything I had in me. Why? Because this journey was different. I had a health coach to support me and teach me how to change my patterns from habits of disease to habits of health. She helped me to see that if I was going to truly make a long term change, I had to get out of the "diet"/"quick fix" mentality and move into the healthy lifestyle mentality. In doing so, I dropped my fixed mindset about myself and developed a growth mindset that helped me to see that health, for me, could truly be possible, as long as I kept working for it. Well, work for it I did, and success I found! Over the next 10 months, I managed to become 105lbs healthier and learned how to live a healthier life!  

Little did I know, this simple conversation with a friend two years ago would be the first step into a whole new lease on life. Yes, through this journey, I lost over 100lbs (something I never thought possible for myself), but what I gained surpasses that a million times over! 

Through this journey with my health coach, I gained... 

* a healthy mindset toward food and toward myself.

* the freedom to live and enjoy life outside the prison of obesity.

* healthy habits and patterns that have not only kept me living on the healthy side for a year, but will keep me here for life. 

* the confidence to say YES to adventure and living the life I've always dreamed of.

* a community of people who support, encourage, and challenge me in ways that spur me forward into greater things. 

* a new passion to help others find their own freedom in health too. Still boggles my mind that God groomed me all those years for THIS! 

* financial freedom. 

* the ability to work part time and be more available for my family. 

I think I could keep typing out my gains for pages and pages, but I think you get the picture. 

If you are interested in exploring if what Kelly and I coach could be a good fit for you and your health goals, please reach out to her. We've got nothing to sell you. No pills, creams, diets, wraps, or other short term band-aids. We’re here to help you develop a healthy mind and a healthy body. And if you're interested in taking it a bit further, we can assist you with creating healthy finances too. Optimal Well-being is our passion. It's what we do.

The Power of the Mind - STOP, CHALLENGE, CHOOSE

Something that I used to say when I would try diets and fall off the wagon was, “I have no willpower”. I thought this was great excuse. I was okay with blaming my lack of control on the invisible impulse in my brain that forced my hand to reach for “another” cookie. It wasn’t me choosing a bigger portion… it was my lack of control making decisions. I felt powerless against the unbelievable strength of this abstract force. How could I ever win against this concealed villain???

One of the main things that I have learned through this program (which has been different than the other attempts I have made to lose weight and failed to keep off), is how to get control of my willpower/mind. Early in my health journey I was watching a Habits of Heath video call and the speaker was sharing how he had trained his mind to resist temptation. He shared that he had found that he would see the temptation, STOP and literally breathe (like 3-4 deep breaths), CHALLENGE himself to remember (or even visualize) his health goal and then CHOOSE the option that would take him closer to his goal. 

BUT - the part of this that most resonated with me was when he said he had to practice that process about 20 times before it became an actual habit. WHAT??? The way my mind had worked for nearly 40 years wouldn’t be changed after 1 try? I would have to do this over and over again to see mental change? Boo. 

So the next Sunday after church when I walked past the spread of sin on the refreshment table I tried this tool. I STOPPED and stared at the platters of cookies and delicious no-bake peanut butter balls that I love so much. I took 3 deep breaths. 

During those breaths: 

I remembered my health goal. 

I remember how I had lost 25 lbs and that this program works. 

I remembered that all week I had been on program and my body was working efficiently in fat burn. 

I remembered that I had a growing pile of clothes to donate  that were now too big. 

I remembered that I can now paint my toenails without losing my breath. 

I remembered that I could now sit in our recliner with both mine and my sons rears fitting in the seat… rather than him “on” me.

I remembered that…. 1 peanut butter ball was not worth losing my focus on my goal and I CHOSE to walk away.

I’ll admit, I was kinda lame to not partake in the sugary indulgence.

But I was STILL IN FAT BURN. 

So that was a huge win!!! And I went along feeling like a champion and believe it or not, passing on that peanut-butter ball didn’t ruin my day or life. 

The next week, as I passed the sin table at church I did this process again. 

And the next week I did it again… and again… and again.

We went to parties and I did this process in my mind. 

We went to restaurants and when ordering I used this tool. 

My evil husband brought chips into the house (my favorite) and I walked my brain through this process. 

Learning to think like this was was not an instant change and honestly now 7 months into maintaining my weight loss, I still use this system when faced with temptation. (And sometimes, I chose that yes, I will have a glass of wine or whatever it is… but in moderation and in accordance to maintenance mentality). 

I learned during these past holidays that if I throw out this mind tool, my old habits are more than excited to take control and try to convince me that 2 pieces of cake are better than one. 

That old mindset is a jerk and a liar. 

My old mindset doesn’t like that I feel good and can run and play with my kids without losing my breath. 

My old mindset doesn’t like that a generational cycle is changing and my kids are learning to eat healthy. 

My old mindset doesn’t like the confidence I now feel when I look in a mirror. 

That old mindset is not my friend. 

We broke up and I never want to hang out with it again. 

I want to encourage you to try to use this tool when faced with temptation. When you get to the 20th time of trying it I betcha you have a new habit of health!

For more information to the practice of STOP, CHALLENGE, CHOOSE you can learn more on pg 241 of Dr. A’s Habit of Health or you can check out his website at this link: http://www.drwayneandersen.com/2012/11/17/exercise-stop-challenge-choose/

A Taste of Inspiration

Today I am excite to share a testimony of a husband/wife team that have been working together the last couple of months on getting healthy. I am so proud of these two! Madi and Spencer are supporting and encourage each other toward health and are both focused on their goals - WHILE GOING TO COLLEGE FULL TIME AND WORKING FUL TIME JOBS! It has been such a pleasure to share this journey on them and celebrate their victories.  

Here's a few words from Madi:

"My husband Spencer and I decided we needed to make a health change in our lives, we wanted to do this before we started having children of our own. When we were talking about making a change we knew we wanted to create a healthy mind before we bring kids into this. I want to be able to feed my children healthy foods and create a healthy mind for our children while they are young. I work in a daycare and I see how easy it is to just take the easy route and go through the drive through with the kids for dinner. I just know that is not what I want to teach my children, I want them to have healthy habits. My husband and I were seeing people around us getting sick or complain about back problems or other pains and I knew this would be us if we didn’t make a change. 

We have been doing TSFL since October 2016 and we have come a long way but we still have some work to do. So far I have lost 22 pounds and my husband has lost 42 pounds; that is in 3 months of work and through the holidays. After I started doing TSFL I realized I would like to help other people find this wonderful health program so I became a health coach myself. I love seeing other people reach their goals and feel good about theirselves. 

When we first started TSFL we had to learn how we would work it for our busy life (we both work full-time and are full-time students in college). We took meals that were easy to eat on the road or in the classroom at school. We figured out how to plan out our food for our day by laying out the TSFL meals we would be eating so we would be prepared for the day and also plan in advance when we would eat our regular meal. We also had to train our bodies to drink more water. The easiest way I found was to use my 30oz cup (you are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces) and I would get three of those in a day.

Learning what works for you and how you will change your mind to be healthy is the way to go. I am so happy I chose this healthy journey and I can’t wait to see our end results."

------------------------------------------

I always enjoy hearing what habits of health people find help them in their journey. Like Madi and Spenser, I too have found that having a plan for all meals for the day is such a helpful tool in finding success. And really, this is one of the more important habits that we will carry into transition and will use to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.

Congrats Madi & Spencer! You are an inspiration - keep working toward health!

Eat, Drink and Enjoy Life!

Happy New Year! 

We just returned home from a whirlwind trip to California to see our family and friends. While we ran at a crazy pace and did a ton, 10 days still wasn't enough time to see everyone and do everything I had hoped to accomplish.  I guess I need to start planning our next trip!

My Health Coach Team

While in California, I was able to attend a gathering with other TSFL health coaches on my team. It was a great time of visiting and sharing and encouragement. Our topic of discussion was "dreaming". Personal dreams, family dreams, business dreams. There were dreams shared for financial health, physical health, strengthened marriages, career advancement and fun bucket-list items. While people shared, it occurred to me how I tend to not give myself much permission to dream. I'm talking about the next level up from setting goals... dreams for an abundant future. As I started thinking further ahead than next month and bigger than what is right in front of me I started to catch the excitement and insight of the things that I would like to accomplish in this life. Last year at this time I had a dream of going to Hawaii and feeling confident that should a camera catch a picture of my body I would be comfortable with what I saw. That dream/goal was accomplished... but what now? What's the dream for this year? How about the next 5 years? In 15 years my kids will be out of the house... where do we want to be then?

As I sat listening to the ladies sharing, it dawned on my that only when I finally reached the 5-year cancer free mark last September have I started dreaming of a future again. Cancer has a crazy way of paralyzing the mind and stealing hope. Before that appointment I only felt I could dream a few months out at the max.... like if I dreamed too far out maybe I would jinx my future. Anyways, there has been a new freedom born in being "statistically safe" and able to hope and dream again. 

This year the word I want to chase is "Abundant". To live a life abundant in God's grace and enjoying all of the gifts of this lifetime. This verse caught my attention last year and I decided it would be a pretty perfect life verse for me... I mean after all, it's instruction to eat, drink and enjoy life!!!  

So I have a couple trips planned with family and friends this year to be sure I "enjoy life". My dreams for this year include continuing the quest for "balance" in mind, body and spirit that I sought in 2016 and I want to maintain the gift of health so that I can live life to the fullest.

My husband and I are working on defining our personal and family short term and long term dreams and will be having a "family meeting" soon to hear each others desires so that together we can move toward a future.  I know we will have different dreams but if we work together we can eventually get where we are going. 

Do you dream?

Have you thought about what you want out of this year?

How about where you want to be in 5, 10 or 15 years?

What will you do to get there?

What do you need to change to reach those goals?

How much do you need to save up?

Whatever it is that you are searching for in life, whether it is health, relationships, fun or financial - go for it! Identify what is is that you want and start dreaming. 

May 2017 be a year full of blessings and FUN!