GAINING MY INDEPENDENCE

By Lisa Bonner

So much has changed in the last year, not only my body, but I have also changed emotionally and spiritually.  One year ago today, July 4, 2012, there were so many things that I never dreamed of doing let alone trying.  My food addiction brought me so far down that I didn’t even realize that I had lost control over everything good in my life.  You might think to yourself that my problem is different than yours or someone that you know, but if you use food to make yourself feel better or manage your emotions, this is you.  I was looking on the computer and ran across the Skinny Gene website.  Somewhere down in my soul, I heard a voice urging me to reach out for help, but I didn’t really think anyone would contact me.  But Marlayna Bollinger took that first step and did reach out to me.  During our conversation I found encouragement, compassion, and I began to believe that maybe I could change.   Nancy Juarez, whom I will call my Life-i-tician, contacted me and the challenge began.

Even though Nancy assured me that she would help me learn how to be a healthier person I was very skeptical that I could change.  It was much more comfortable just keeping my life the way that it had been.   Nancy told me that it would not always be easy, and sometimes it hasn’t been, but I can honestly tell you that with the Skinny Gene program I have never been hungry.  That was one of my biggest fears, that and admitting that I had a problem with food.  There were weeks that I broke down and ate things that I shouldn’t have, but Nancy and my Skinny Gene Family were always supportive and got me back on track.

 1 YEAR LATER

So, here I am today, 1 year later, 87 pounds lighter and feeling so good about myself.

My journey towards freedom! Left- The old me. Middle- After losing 68 lbs, I’m beginning to “take control of me”. Right- At my missions trip in AL, I’ve shed 87 lbs and I’m finally feeling “free”!

The weight was just a way to hide myself away from the feelings that I did not want to deal with.  I have gained the energy to play with my kids, sometimes even beat them in a bike race, jogged/walked in a 5K benefit race, go to Zumba class, and just 2 weeks ago started riding a bike at least 2 miles a day.  But most importantly, I am in control of what I eat!  There are occassions that I choose to eat pizza, or sweets, but the difference now is that I am making a conscious choice to do so.  Nancy has given me the tools that I need to control my life.  One of the most blessed parts of my journey is that I have joined my life again.  Before I was so tired when I came home from work, I didn’t really participate in life to the fullest; it was just passing me by.

I am excited to say that I went on a mission’s trip for a week with our church to Wilmer, Alabama.  While we were there, guess where my job duties were. You are right, I was asked to work in the kitchen.   But despite the many temptations, and the fact that I wasn’t in control of the food choices,  I managed  to only gain 3 pounds back.

I would never have gone if I had not changed my life, because obesity is not only about fat you are carrying, but a bigger burden is the shame that weighs you down.

PAYING IT FORWARD

I will forever celebrate Independence Day as my own personal independence, because now I am free!  I can accomplish anything that I set out to do.  The only limits I have are the ones I set for myself.  I plan on continuing to ride, walk, swim, and serve others until God reveals other plans for me.  He led me to Skinny Gene, Marlayna, and Nancy.  Granted if you decide to take the path I have gone down, it will not be easy, you will have to work at it, but I promise you will never be alone.  You will have God( if you choose) and 3 guardian angels, Marlayna, Nancy , and myself( if you would like to talk to me).  I believe in paying it forward and would be so humbled to provide inspiration, friendship or whatever to someone that needs encouragement.

If you are someone that has their life under control, but has the monetary means to help someone else, I am pleading with you to do so.  You have the ability to literally save someone elses life.  If I had not found the Skinny Gene Project, I would never have been motivated to change my life.  I have not finished my journey. I still have some pounds to go, but I know that I will make it, because I believe in myself.  My Skinny Gene Family will continue to be part of my life even after I reach my goal. Hopefully I can have some part in helping someone else.  My family has also been a very important part of my journey.  If I had not had the support of my Mama, husband and wonderful children, it would have been much more difficult.  But they have also reaped the rewards of my efforts, because they exercise more, eat better, and enjoy a much happier home life.

I have many dreams for the future, and things I want to accomplish, and have no doubt that I can.   Find someone or something that inspires you and never give up.  I found inspiration in the words to a song by Miley Cyrus.  Somehow I just connected to the song and I would like to share some of the words with you, because it continues to keep me focused…..

The struggles I am facing 

The chances I am taking

Sometimes might knock me down but

No I ‘m not breaking

I may not know it but

These are the moments that

I’m gonna remember most

Just gotta keep going

And I gotta be strong

Just keep pushing on

There’s always gonna be another mountain

I am always gonna want to make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I am going to have to lose

Aint about how fast I get there

Aint about what’s waiting on the other side

It’s The Climb

Thanks again Marlayna, Nancy, and the Skinny Gene Family for all your love and support.  Thanks for making The Climb with me.

MY GOAL

My next goal is to participate in a timed 5K, and that is what I am working towards.  I am hoping to participate in the 5K  portion of the San Diego Half Marathon & 5k on March 9, 2014.  This race gives 100% of its net proceeds to chosen charities. The Skinny Gene Project is one of these charities, so I am hoping to be there myself, running beside them.  That is my most important goal for the next year, to know that I am capable of finishing something that big.

My cup runneth over!

…….

We, the Skinny Gene Family, are so incredibly proud of what Lisa has achieved.  Her hard work and determination are an inspiration to us all!  Please join us in congratulating Lisa  by leaving her an encouraging comment below.

Lisa’s Skinny Gene program is made possible by health-minded people like YOU!  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to continue supporting Lisa’s program, as well as other very deserving members of our community who need our help “gaining their independence” and living a healthier life.

Disclaimer: The weight loss testimonial presented is applicable to the individual depicted and are not a guarantee of your weight loss nor are they typical.

Image from Guys in Good Health

With bathing suit season just around the corner, it is becoming more and more tempting to avoid the warnings and turn to quick weight loss, yo-yo dieting as a last ditch attempt to lose the extra weight before summer.

The problem is yo-yo,  fad diets that promise quick results can create short-term weight loss, followed by long-term weight gain.  In other words, you could be trading a few slimmer days for months or years of added weight.  So, before you choose a fad diet to “quickly” take off  those pesky pounds, ask yourself  one question. Is the goal to lose  weight and get reacquainted with a healthier, slimmer you, or do you really want to “fake it” for a day or two?  If the ultimate goal is to lose weight,  please don’t do something that can cause you to gain more than you bargained for.

Say NO to the Yo-Yo!

Instead of dieting, starting living a healthier lifestyle.  Choose living over dieting.  Living a healthy lifestyle is the best way to get long-term results that’ll stick!  We’re here to help if you need a little guidance or a step-by-step action plan.  Just click here to sign up for a free nutrition appointment. Seriously, it’s free, complements of our donors and supporters!

We aren’t the only ones that think you should ditch the yo-yo!  Click here for a few other articles that voice their opinion about riding the yo-yo.

 By Emily Barr, MS,RD,CNSC –

Life is too short to waste time and money on fad dieting!

The truth hurts.  The honest truth is, as a whole, we (Americans) have weight to lose, and losing weight is time intensive, hard work.  That’s where the fad diets come sweeping to our rescue, like a knight in shining armor, giving us hope to drop 7-11 pounds in one  week!

They proceed to sweet talk us with some trendy words to convince us that we need to detox our body, or melt our belly fat, to help us drop those stubborn pounds.  Then they give us hope, telling us why this is the solution that is going to be the one diet that works for us.

It sounds like a sneaky business ploy, but let’s face it…we seem to fall for it every time!

Fad diets get a bunch of things majorly wrong!

They promising rapid weight loss over the course of a few days or weeks.  It is a well known fact that rapid weight loss of this kind is not true weight loss, but actually more of the dehydrating kind.  We also know that rapid weight loss is not sustainable; the weight is often regained as quickly as it is lost.

Another blunder of fad diets is the elimination of entire food groups.  Again, it is also well known that different types of foods provide us with a variety of key nutrients that our body needs to keep our metabolism functioning properly.   A third common problem with fad diets is that they are often so strict that we are unable to follow them for more than a few days or weeks.

Fad diets are often so strict that we are unable to follow them for more than a few days or weeks.

The consensus among the experts on how to achieve successful weight loss is to make lifestyle modifications that you can follow for the long term.

Surprisingly, fad diets occasionally get a few things right!

We can use a few of the fad diet strategies to set our lifestyle modification into action.

1.) COMMITMENT

Fad diets require extreme, dramatic changes to your usual food routine.  By signing up to do each of these regimens, you are affirming your commitment to change.  The idea of rapid weight loss is motivating and may push you to do things you had never done before, like go an entire day eating only chicken and vegetables.  At the end of the day, you realize that when you put your mind to something, you can accomplish things you never thought possible.

Action Plan:  Assert your commitment to success by writing down your specific goals and motivation for weight loss.  For example, you may be motivated to lose weight in order to keep up with your busy toddler.  Now that you have your motivation, try setting an easily obtainable, specific goal that you can expand upon.  Maybe you start off with the goal to avoid snacking on your child’s leftovers when cleaning their plate. Then once you’ve accomplished that goal, you expand it to stop mindless snacking throughout the day when bored, working, or doing household chores.

2.) PREPARATION

  Fad diets usually give you a list of “allowable” foods, and then you proceed to the grocery store to stock up on these items.  Why can’t we do the same thing when not following a fad diet?

Action Plan:  Set some goals for the week, and then outline how you are going to achieve them.  For example if your goal is to boost your metabolism by eating breakfast every morning,  you should first plan out what your healthiest breakfast options are, then place them on your shopping  list. Finally, try scheduling breakfast time into the day, so you have time to eat it.

3.)  FOCUSING ON FOOD CHOICES

By starting a strict fad diet regimen, the  not so healthy stuff you are eating goes straight out the window and is quickly replaced by x, y, z, which is specifically designed by the fad diet to reduce your calorie intake (usually so many servings of fruits and vegetables,  go figure).

Eliminating our favorite cravings, cold turkey, can often times backfire on us, ending in a splurge, and then guilt.  Another approach would be to focus on your fruits and vegetables, and by default, you replace your not so healthy stuff with nutritious stuff! Doing this gives you opportunity (calorie wise) to indulge in the occasional splurge.  Plan your splurges carefully (i.e. once a week or once a month), that way you don’t completely abandon your healthy lifestyle.

Action Plan:  Make a list of all of your favorite fruits and vegetables, and then stock up!  But don’t stock up on foods that tempt you.  Focus on filling your home with healthy foods. In other words, make your home your “safety zone”.  Save those willpower smashing foods for special outings where the serving size is controlled and there aren’t any leftovers (e.g. going out for a scoop of ice cream vs. buying ice cream for the house)!

4.) SET MEALS AND SNACKS

  Fad diets would prefer you to eat smaller portions frequently throughout the day.  Well, they may not get the food choices correct, but the grazing type meals and snacks are right on the money.

Action Plan:  Make a daily meal plan including 3 meals and 1-2 snacks to ensure you eat every 3 hours during the daytime hours.  If you don’t plan ahead, you may find that you have gone hours without eating, which slows down your metabolism!

5.) WATER

Fad diets usually will emphasize water, requiring you to drink a certain amount of water every day.  Again, genius!  Most of us do not drink nearly enough water; therefore increasing our water intake will allow us to enjoy a sense of fullness, thereby reducing our calorie intake.

Action Plan:  Set your daily water goal and stick to it!  One suggestion is to divide your water up into 3 portions – drink 1/3 before noon, 1/3 before 4 PM, and the remainder before 8 PM.  Whether you prefer to count ounces or actual glasses of water, just make sure you drink enough water each day to stay hydrated. Drink. Refill. Repeat.

Considering trying a fad diet to achieve weight loss? We urge you to reconsider it! Fad diets may begin with initial weight loss, but they generally end with added weight gain and frustration. Whether you are interested in weight loss to improve your health or self esteem, please know that learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is the best way.

Need a little guidance? We are here to help!  We offer FREE nutrition advice and guidance. Please click here to learn more!

RUN IT OFF

Diabetes Forecast, April 2009

Exercise isn’t just a good way to take your mind off eating; it may curb your appetite, too.

In a study of 11 male college students, researchers found that during a 60-minute run on a treadmill, and for up to two hours afterward, production of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin dropped, while production of the appetite-suppressing hormone peptide YY increased. But when the students lifted weights for 90 minutes, ghrelin levels declined as peptide YY levels remained the same.

The results suggest that when a craving hits, weight watchers are better off going for a jog than pumping iron.

*People with diabetes should check with their doctor before beginning a new exercise plan.

Source: American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, January 2009