Cheaters Never Prosper

I am super grateful that I was focused enough to not cheat when on my health program. I was able to reach my goal in my desired time but also win a competition. I decided that after I reached my goal weight I wanted to know what it felt like to cheat so I could help my clients who might have trouble. 

When you cheat you kick your body out of fat burn and it takes 1-3 days to get back into fat burn as shown in this diagram here. If you can keep your body in a constant state of fat burn then it will continue to use calories you input and your stored calories. 

I cheated three times for science. Cheat #1 I had a small slice of fruit pie and a scoop of ice cream. I was queezy for about an hour afterwards but jumped right back in without a second thought. Cheat #2 a week later. I had 1 donut and 3 donut holes. I was queezy, had a headache, and later a sore throat. I continued to eat my Medifast meals and eat every 3 hours, even though I didn't feel hunger. I was really tempted to eat more than I did but tried to focus on moderation. Cheat #3 I went completely off the plan for an entire weekend. I kept things mostly healthy but only ate 4 times a day and they were larger meals. End result: I was tired most of the weekend and felt sick a few times. The last cheat experiment really messed with my mind too. I was so nervous about how to go back on plan and for a second felt I was too far gone but calmly talked myself back into things.

Moral of the story. Cheating isn't worth it. I didn't really like how I felt afterwards, emotionally and physically. The more I cheated the harder it got to get back on track. Now I can have those junk food cravings out of the weight loss phase in moderation, if I want to that is. But as long as you are in the weight loss phase take advantage of being in fat burning mode by staying in fat burning mode and resisting temptation. You are better off and will keep your momentum and reach your goal faster. Don't cheat and if you do get back on track, we are all human, just get back in the swing of these right after. In the past when I was having an emotionally bad day I let myself go through food and would justify, "Well I already ate cake and pie so I might as well down both with some additional ice cream. I will start all over tomorrow." Don't do that, just begin again in the immediate second after cheating rather than waiting a day. That day could turn into two or three or more. Get and be healthy now rather than pushing it back for something that most often isn't as good as it looks.

When faced with temptation you can resist by:
1) Smelling the food. When donuts or cake were brought into work I smelled it for a few seconds and that satisfied me enough.

2) Focus on your goals and why you want to be healthy. 

3) I found that I am the weakest to temptation when I am tried or emotional. Recognize when you are in those states and ask yourself if you really really want that item or do you just need a break from the kids or work. 

4) Stop Challenge Choose Technique

The “STOP—CHALLENGE—CHOOSE” technique can break the link between a trigger (such as a temptation or an unpleasant emotion) and behavior that you want to avoid. Here’s an example of how it can work if you’re suddenly confronted with an opportunity to make an unhealthy choice:

1. STOP: Suspend action, take a deep breath, and center yourself.

2. CHALLENGE: Ask yourself:

•What’s the reality of the situation?

•What is my emotional state right now? Am I really hungry?

• On a scale from 1 – 10, what level of hunger or anxiety am I experiencing right now?

• Is my emotional state appropriate in intensity for what’s going on?

•Would a less intense response increase the likelihood of a desirable emotional outcome?

• If I let this emotional state take over, will I be closer to my goal, or further away?

3. CHOOSE: Make a choice based on the long-term outcome you want.

Whatever your choice, accept it, then continue on your healthy path.

• Observe how you feel as you make your choice.

• Determine the effectiveness of your choice. Would you choose to feel this way again?

• If not, reform your plan, and remember how you would choose to respond if a similar situation arises in the future.

Practicing all of the above has really helped me stay healthy now that I have transitioned and am eating regular food again. It could have been really easy for me to just lose the weight and then go back to eating how I used too. But what would be the point of all the effort I made to lose the weight and reboot my habits. That is why I love this program so much because it teaches people how to create healthy life long habits rather than just dieting. It is a life style change for the better for sure. 

That is my take away on cheating while on program. I recommend practicing healthy habits and not cheating, but as we are all human and those things do happen just pick yourself right back up and get back to the swing of healthy living. :)

Fat Chance

GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?

The only thing the same in this picture is my phone :)

Take Shape For Life 90 Day Summer Slim Down Competition

$1000 Women's Grand Prize Winner: 

Stephanie Barlow 

lost 48 lbs and 25.05% body fat

I joined this program in May and our region was having a 90 day summer slim down competition that over 400 people entered. I honestly thought, "fat chance I would win but what the hey" (no pun intended). Monday my super awesome coach and friend, Thia, called me and told me that so far I was in the lead. I was excited but tried to shrugged it off because results were still coming in. The next day we had a conference call with our group and they announced the winners. They read my name for the grand prize. :) I was over the moon!!! My coworkers in the office were jumping up and down with me. I emailed Lars and told him and he was just as excited. 

Not only did I reach my goal and create new life long healthy habits, which is the greatest take away, but I won a competition. The money literally pays for the 90 days on program so it is like I lost all this weight and got healthy for free. :) I cannot express my gratitude enough for all the love and support. I would be lying if I said I didn't celebrate the good news with some good food. I kept it healthy with a lettuce wrap smashburger and sweet potato fries along with other low carb veggies. Today I brought in Salt Lakes City's finest Banbury Cross donuts to share with my coworkers. :)

 Here is to continued healthy living. :) 

Superstar Goal Achieved!!!!

 I am super pleased with the progress I have made health wise. I look and feel great and I love the new habits I have formed and the food I have discovered that has always been there but I have never cared to try. I was a little nervous to transition off the program but I was nervous to start too. I think that after the first few weeks I will get the swing of it and be fine incorporating real food back into my diet. I really can live healthy and make good healthy choices and love it. I can still treat myself here and there and maintain control and just enjoy life and eating, some of two favorite things.  

Here are my specs of my before and after...

Start Weight: 191.6 lbs

Start BMI: 28

End Weight 143.6 lbs
End BMI: 21

Total loss:
48 lbs
10 inches from my waist
5 inches from my hips
3 inches off my upper arms
4 inches from my upper thighs

My start pant size was 14/16
Now it is 6/8

I haven't been this small since I was 18.

Goal to loose 45 lbs achieved & then some :)

Now that I have this healthy body what am I going to do with it.

First, I want to tone it up more. I really need to lift more weights, or do carido for longer periods of time, and do more strengthening exercises. At work I have to lift stuff all the time and I still have trouble lifting things.

I want to take up dancing of some sorts again. I am looking at local dance classes. I really want to start doing Zumba more frequently. Maybe even be in an exercise video (seriously one of my secret dreams)

I want to roller blade again. The last time I did this I broke my hand. I had bad skates and I was way out of shape. I used to roller blade all the time.

I want to wear one of these. I love this era and the clothes they wore. I have a few dresses that are similar but never thought I looked good in them. Now I really think I can pull them off. I think I might just buy myself a new dress. And a new bra or two. Dudes I totally lost two bra sizes up top. Sorry if that is TMI. But dang I am excited to get a few new bras. Victoria Secret are my fav. 

Down the road I want to expand my family and have a healthy pregnancy. Not that the last one was, but this next one will hopeful be super. 

I am a health coach for the program I used, Take Shape for Life. I hope to be successful in that en-devour to help others reach any of their health goals.

Anyway. So that is my big happy fun exhilarating news. Goals really can come true, especially when you have hard work and support. My health coach Thia is amazing!!!! I couldn't have done it without her. At times it was not easy. But I kicked butt and stayed 100% on plan because I knew I was worth it and 

SO ARE YOU. I am still in awe over how this worked. :)

If you would like to know more specifics about the program I used please feel free to give me a call. 

StephanieJoy Health Coach

I became a health coach for the program, Take Shape For Life, that helped me clean up my habits and get healthy. I joined so I could help others get healthy. I have a strong desire to help people. There is more than one way to get healthy and my only goal is to promote healthiness all around. If you are looking for a change and would like to learn more about the program I used as an option for you please contact me. And if you want to join I would be more than happy to be YOUR health coach. :)

You can also check out my website  or 
learn more here

And now for an update on my progress

Results vary. Lose 2-5 pounds per week for the first two weeks and 1-2 pounds per week thereafter. 

Here I am 8 weeks into the program:

Start Weight: 191.6 lbs
Start BMI: 28

8 weeks weight into program: 157.6  lbs
8 weeks BMI into program: 23

So far I have lost:
34 pounds
8.5 inches off my waist
4 inches off my hips
2 inches of my upper arms
3 inches off my upper thighs.

12.6 pounds away from my goal of 145 lbs. But best of all I feel amazing and I know that what I am doing works and has done wonders for me in more than just weight loss. My energy is up, I am dealing with issues head on rather than turning to food, and I am enjoying new vegetables that I never thought I would ever eat. Now matter where you live or where you think you are in your life their is a first step towards a positive change. Give me a call to learn more. Maybe this is what you have been looking for. :)

Taking Shape For Life

I read this in January. At this time I was plotting a big change in my life but I didn't want to really tell anyone because I was unsure of the outcome. I, like most everyone else, am vulnerable, and sharing something big can be rough. Especially when it is something most everyone has an opinion about. This was something I put a lot of thought, research, and prayer into. I am so glad I took the chance on myself and I am going to share it with you now.

As many of you know I had a baby and all most of that baby weight did not come off, even with breastfeeding. I really had a strong desire to get back in shape for many reasons. My family history has some various health problems I would like to avoid, I would love to be able to keep up with my kids and grand kids, I want to feel better about myself, help fight depression, and get my body ready for more kids. Those are just a few reasons to name. I decided to take up running. At first I was loosing a little weight but then I got hurt and everything came right back. Honestly, even though I was loosing some weight I still had horrible eating habits. I would eat junk food like no tomorrow. I could never stop at three donuts. My relationship with food was tied to my emotions too much. I felt like getting in shape was always going to be a battle with lost cause. I needed a change that was going to be positive and long lasting. But I hate diets, I hate them more than pyramid schemes. I didn't want a diet. I wanted a change and not just a one time event. I knew something like that would be a process but I was ready to commit and make it happen. I wanted something that was going to really help me reboot my thinking on food and get me to where I wanted to be, not just for a while but forever. The questions was where I would I find something like that.

 I ran into my cousin a while later and she looked really good. She told me how she did it and also got me in touch with her health couch. She was nice but the program seemed way too good to be true. So I shrugged it off as a fad diet that will not last. A while later my friend in Mississippi posted a before and after picture of herself on FB and she looked AMAZING. She also used the same program. I got together with her and she answered more of my questions. I thought about the program for weeks, talked to Lars, talked to her again, and read about it over and over again about the long term success. Finally, I prayed about it and decided I should take a leap and just do it. I really had nothing to lose and why shouldn't I gamble on myself.

The program is called Take Shape For Life. What appealed to me the most was that it is more of a lifestyle change than a diet. I needed something with the structure and support to help me reboot my eating, exercise, sleeping, and daily habits that effect my goal to be healthy.

Here is how it works. I set a weight goal. Until I reach that goal I will eat 5 of their high protein, low carb meals and then a meal I make that consists of 1 lean protein and 1.5 cups of low carb vegetables.  I can have a certain amount of condiments, snacks, and healthy fats in addition to that. While doing this I am reading Dr A's Habits of Heath and utilizing a workbook, this part feels like High School but the information is really cool and I am learning so much. I am losing weight and reaching a healthier BMI (body mass index) but most importantly I am figuring out what my triggers are and creating better habits for my health all around so going forward the weight will stay off. After I reach my goal weight I will begin a transition phase and slowly stop eating their food and replace it with other healthy foods. After starting the program I didn't exercise, but now I have incorporated light exercises, weights, and cardio. It is an amazing feeling to do physically things that I couldn't do before.I have a free health coach and an amazing support group on facebook that consist of other people who have/may join the program. Some of them are local some of them are across the country. We have free access to weekly calls, doctors, nurses and nutritionist.  Plus this is not just a one size fits all program. They have alterations for nursing women, diabetics, vegetarians, gluten free, and if you don't have a large budget you can do a modified version where you eat 4 of their meals and 2 lean and green meals you make. 

I bought the books and I buy their food monthly but the rest is free. Buying their food sounded so scary at first. I was worried it would be super expensive but honestly we are not spending anymore than we were before on our monthly grocery bill. In fact, we are saving money. We aren't buying junk food and we aren't going out to eat as often. I can still go out to eat but it is funnier and easier to just plan and cook at home. Making time to make lean and green meals is way easier than I thought. Sure, I have busy days and don't feel like cooking but with some slight planning I am able to get a healthy meal made up in 15 minutes.When I do go out to eat I get my meal protein style. Lars is not on this program and I still plan and cook his (and Roan's) other meals. I usually eat my lean and green meal for dinner and he eats what I cook. So far he has loved almost everything and has even been loosing some weight himself by association. ;) The program food really isn't too bad either. I don't have to just eat it plain, I can dress it up with various recipes I have found (I have two pinterest boards, Lean and Green and Medifast Meals).   I have learned some really cool and delicious lean and green recipes too. Did you know you can make just about anything with cauliflower? I have made, rice, breadsticks, Alfredo sauce, and pizza crust to name a few. Plus you can use vegetables as noodles like this, and this. Can't eat bread, try revolution rolls. All this stuff is good for you and taste great.

The first few days were tough because I was so hungry, but I was more determined to make this work and didn't give up. I didn't exercise much the first few weeks. Now I do 15-20 minute strength exercises 5 days a week. I usually rotate between upper, lower body, and core with my Skimble Workout Trainer ap that is free. I also try to walk 20+ minutes on my lunch break. On the weekends Roan and I try to walk to the park at least once. That is it. So easy. I could work out more, if I do I need to adjust my meal plan and eat more protein. I still have temptations and there are days when I am stressed or sad and want to drown my sorrows in junk food. But I ask myself, "Is this going to get me to my ultimate goal? No, then it is not worth it." I thought the program was too good to be true and I keep waiting for it to get hard. But it is the best and I know that it is easy because all I am doing is making better habits. No starving yourself or eating food that taste like saw dust. Just new instilling new habits. Don't get me wrong sometimes it is not a walk in the park, but it is way easier than everything else I have seen out there. 

Only Lars and a few other people I associate with daily knew about this. Eventually people started to notice. A few of my coworkers noticed my clothes were starting to hang on me and asked me what I was up to. I didn't go into as much detail as in this blog, unless they really ask, but I give a little run down. I love and appreciate the compliments. I love that when I moved into my house I tried on all my clothes and threw out a lot of clothes that were too big for me and was able to fit, like a glove, into my pre-preggo clothes that I had kept for so long.

For me, this program has been amazing. Not just because it made me look like this (see below), it makes me feel great. I used to get exhausted by 2 pm, now I have consistent energy throughout the entire day.  It simplified things as I go until I really learned what foods are better than others. I will still be able to eat chocolate if I want to, I just know how to balance it better because of what I learned from this process.  It gave me the structure and support I needed and honestly it worked. Now could I have gotten the same results counting calories or doing something...maybe. But this is what worked for ME. It gave me the reboot I needed so I can move forward being focused on moderation rather than do's or don'ts. It was hard at first but I made up my mind I wanted a positive change and I really don't miss the stuff I ate before. I will have some of those things again, like a beef n' cheddar, and moose tracks, but not right now. I am having too much fun looking and feel great!!!

I am not bringing it up here so you can join and I can make money off of you. I am not becoming a health coach (not yet anyway) or selling a product. I was just really shy about sharing this. I don't like to be singled out too often and in this case I can still live my life normal, just healthier I guess, but in the beginning it was hard to explain.  I know no matter how I look I am awesome. Everyone has a way of doing things and this worked for me and that is okay. It might not work for you and that is okay too. But I have a good thing here and it is hard not to share it. SO my vulnerable feelings aside this program is wonderful and I am so so glad that I am apart of it. This is a great option if you are looking for a change. If you are not looking for change then good for you. Just admire my change and congratulate me or give me a virtual high five! Because I feel amazing and healthy, my energy is consistently up, I love what I am putting into my body, I love my new fitness performance level, I just love what this has done for me all around. I haven't been this fit and slim for many many many years. I didn't think it could ever happen but it did and I am going to keep it up  :) Everybody is different and this worked for ME. If you would like to know more call me or check out their website.

Now that I told you all about it, let me show you all about it.

Start Weight: 191.6 lbs

Start BMI: 28

6 weeks weight into program: 165 lbs

6 weeks BMI into program: 24

I lost
26.6 pounds
7 inches off my waist

3 inches off my hips

2 inches of my upper arms

3 inches off my upper thighs.

By week 3 I had to wear a belt with all my current clothes and all my work shirts hung on me. I got to my pre-preggo weight by week 5.

Here are photos of the progress. I love that the weight loss is healthy and not happening all at once in the wrong places. It is melting off of me at the right times and in the right places.

Goal Weight: 145 lbs
(my 10 year anniversary is in August, I would love to get to my pre-wedding weight by then)

Goal BMI: 21
I still want to get more toned which is why I am lifting weights. I have a little ways to go to reach my goal but I am so happy and proud of the progress I have made so far.
Special thanks for the love and support from my health coach Thia and the TSFL groups on FB!!!!

UPDATE: I am becoming a health coach. My website is this. https://stephaniejoy.tsfl.com/   or    http://stephaniejoy.tsfl.com/explore Please call me if you would like to know more. :)