A New Pair of Pants!

"Just out of curiosity...." I hesitantly pulled out my designer jeans from the closet, where they had been resting for the past 4 months. The last time I dared pull them up onto my body, they wouldn't make it past my thunder thighs! Lack of discipline in eating sure takes its toll on a 30-something female body.

But, Sunday afternoon, after spending TWO WEEKS (thus far) on the Take Shape For Life program, I wondered if maybe....just MAYBE.... these jeans would fit again? One foot in, and then the other...then I slowly start pulling them on. What's this? They cleared the thighs!! OK, now for the real test - to cover the junk in the trunk. Hmm... not too bad, with a few small jumps up and down everything seemed to fit perfectly. But will the button clasp? WILL IT CLASP?!

Look at that! Zipped, buttoned, and feeling good!

Not bad for dieting for two weeks. I feel like I've lost a size in clothing already!

I'm an Elephant

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss characters is Horton (from "Horton Hears a Who"). Aside from his personality being a little dense and absent-minded, he is faithful - 100%. I've taken on the same commitment with this weight loss program! I've seen its success before and I know I'll see it with me. I've been way too lenient with my eating habits (aka addictions) since I got married and it's time I learned some discipline and changed my regiment. I'm happier when my clothes fit and I have more energy when I don't feel weighed down.

I'm starting this program and I'm going to be faithful.... 100 percent!!

Week 1 - weight LOST!

One week has passed since I've started this program. My days have been pretty routine - to help me remember to eat every 2-3 hours! I start my day with pancakes (spiced or chocolate chips) and sugar-free syrup, then 2 hrs later I mix up a dutch chocolate shake to drink. (This seriously is one of my favorites!) Three hours from there, I munch on honey mustard pretzels, then open a peanut butter crunch bar later on (another one of my favorites!).

By this time of the day, it's dinner time and time for my green meal. It consists of a plate of lettuce and chopped tomatoes. We've been getting creative with the proteins: grilled chicken, ground turkey burgers, and grilled halibut with garlic. Oh, it melts in your mouth! Of course, we're allotted seasonings, and fat-free salad dressing as well, so I don't feel like I've missing out on flavor at all!

After 1 week of faithfully following the program, I've lost........FIVE POUNDS!!! My pants already are starting to feel like there's some give and I'm starting to see some definition back in my abs like there was before.

And my favorite part of the day is finishing it with a brownie while relaxing with my husband on the couch.

The "Why" Behind the Blog

During the summer of 2011, my husband (fiancee at the time) looked in the mirror at himself and had an epiphany, or a realization, that he wanted to lose some weight. He just wasn't pleased with how he looked and contacted a friend who was already on a weight loss program. After she explained to him the Take Shape For Life system, and learned that not only would he be ingesting all the necessary vitamins and nutrients his body needed for overall health improvement, he would be losing weight as well!

And so it began - giving up the regular stops to Cocoa Bean for the gigantic (and delicious I might add) gourmet cupcakes, random lunch trips for Chinese food, and snacking on whatever was close by - and sticking only to the MediFast food program.

I was on the feedback end of his experience, learning how delicious the food tasted, the regularity in food excreting, and the clarity of his mind. But my favorite updates were the weigh-ins. Every Friday I would receive a call from Jason excitedly reporting that he had lost 4 lbs! Or 6 lbs! Or 10 lbs! It varied every week depending on how consistent he stayed with the program, and of course how much weight he had left to lose!

In over 3 months time, Jason lost over 60 lbs!!

That's when I decided, I gotta try this!!

And for the month before my wedding, I did. I ordered the food, and started the program. And did my best to follow it religiously, despite positions I was placed with get-togethers to celebrate the upcoming nuptials. Regardless of those intermittent "cheating moments", I lost 12 lbs in one month's time and dropped two sized in my clothes.

But then the wedding happened, and then the 10 day honeymoon in Puerto Rico! Free, exotic, and "chance-of-a-lifetime" food opportunities got the best of me and I threw to the curb any and all eating habits I had learned on the Take Shape For Life program! I gained all my weight back and just kept eating when we returned home.

It's time I took this seriously and I'm on it again!!!!

Jason and I have been so amazed by the success of this program that we became Health Coaches, promoting Take Shape For Life to anyone that feels they have a a few (or a lot) of pounds to shed, or want to improve their overall health.