Today, I bring you a special post….very special to me.  See, my brother Greg has embarked on his own weight loss journey and asked if he could write something up for Shrinking Jeans (that’s us up above).  He wanted to write his story and be accountable to others, in addition to himself. I may have squealed with delight!  Our family is big on hugs and pats on the back, but we don’t get much into the deeper stuff.  I want to say right now to you, bro’, how incredibly proud I am of you for taking this very important step FORWARD.  We love you and want you to reclaim your health and to live the life you deserve.  Everyone, meet my brother Greg and make sure to give him some *love* in the comments below!

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Hello, my name is Greg and I am Lisa’s older brother. This is my first ever attempt at blogging so bear with me as I learn the ropes.

To start off I’ll tell you about who I am and the things I like to do.

I’m 43 years old and am presently a substitute teacher in Houston. As I mentioned,  I am Lisa’s older brother, and I adore my nephews and niece. I do wish I could spend more time with them, but I enjoy immensely the time I do get with them. Lisa, please hurry up and get your new house built!

I’m a casual sports fan in that I will follow the teams that I support. One team would be the Houston Texans. I have been a season ticket holder since day one, and let me tell you there were some mighty lean years!  Some years it was hard to make myself get up and go to the game but this year has been much better.  I am also a big fan of the University of Houston Cougars and hope that they continue their upward climb from the dark days of the dissolution of the Southwest Conference.

My main hobby is scuba diving. I love to travel to Mexico, and specifically to Cozumel to scuba dive, and visit the great people of la isla. I wish I could go more than once a year, and hopefully will soon get back to going at least twice a year. I’m also hoping to one day become certified to dive cavern, and who knows maybe even cave diving could be in my future.

Just a little about my problem and how I got to the point I am at now. I have been overweight to one degree or another most of my life.  I have been a diabetic since the late 1990’s. During this time I have not taken care of myself. Yes I have had short periods or bursts of watching what I eat and exercising followed by long periods of eating whatever I want and being lazy.

Well as they say, the chickens have come home to roost.

At my last doctors’ visit, my A1C, which is a 3 month average blood glucose reading, was 9.8. The goal is to be under 6. I’ve been taking oral medications for the diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol since I was diagnosed in the 1990’s. With this visit, the doctor wanted me to start taking insulin and was not happy when I said no. I told him that I wanted to try and manage my glucose with diet and exercise first, seriously this time.  He agreed to work with me- scheduling me to see a nutritionist, a pharmacologist and the diabetes management clinic.

Where am I going? Glad you asked! I’ve got my plan and I’m going to stick to it. The alternative is not where I want to go, and that is on insulin or worse. About a week before that doctor’s visit, I took a blood sugar reading and what I saw scared me into action.

That was 6 weeks ago..

I’ve started to eat better by cutting way back on the carbs and eating a lot less. The day I started I weighed 346, and lost almost 10lbs the first week. Since then I plateaued and fluctuated a few lbs. I’ve been walking nearly every day for 30 minutes. On February 12, 2012, I went to the gym to swim laps. This was the first time to swim laps in forever, and it felt good. I love swimming, and it will also give my shin bones a break. I’ve seen my daily sugar readings drop, and am looking forward to my next A1c test knowing that I will have dramatic improvement.

At the beginning of this journey, January 15, 2012, I weighed 346lbs.  I am 5’9″.

Today,  I weigh 326lbs.  I have lost 20lbs in 6 weeks.  I hope to lose a total of 30-40lbs by my next doctor visit on April 27th.

I’m looking forward to keeping everyone updated on my progress periodically- I could use all the support, motivation, and encouragement that you guys could spare.

We crowned the winner of our SHRINKVIVOR challenge last week, and we thought it was only right to get her thoughts on the whole losing weight/getting healthy journey! Here’s what Whitney had to say:

I wish I could say that my Weight Loss Journey began with a bang, that I woke up one morning with an “aha!” moment, and the energy to kick start my experience. Instead, my Weight Loss Journey began with a feeling of defeat. I had reached my limit. I set out to lose weight simply because I was tired. I was tired of being the fat friend. I was tired of buying new clothes for events because my current wardrobe didn’t fit. I realized I was hiding from social events or certain activities because I was insecure about my weight. I avoided physical activities because they hurt too much. There were times when I drove myself three blocks to school because I was too lazy, and the sciatica and back pain were too much for me to handle.  

Before

One night, I was lying on the couch watching TV when I saw a commercial for Weight Watchers. I called a friend and asked her to join, but I prepared myself for her to reject the idea. If she said no, I didn’t have to go through with joining, right? Without hesitation, she agreed to join Weight Watchers with me.

The next weekend, we entered the meeting center, which was full of post-holiday new members. I was overwhelmed with the overload of information. During the meeting, I kept asking myself, “Is this really what I want? Does this even work?” Even before I began the process of losing weight and getting healthy, I was doubting my ability to commit or succeed on this program. Over the course of the first month or so, I saw the weight drop. Propelled by my success, I stuck to the plan religiously, even allowing myself meals out and the occasional dessert.

While I learned how to change my relationship with food, I began to realize how badly I had been treating my body. In high school, I was an athlete: a girl who could sprint without breaking a sweat or taking a hit off her inhaler. Then, I was free from back pain and a numbing sensation in my legs. Now, I was unmotivated, out of shape, and frankly, I was lazy. As the weight slowly dropped, I found more energy and the drive to get myself into the gym.

Thankfully, as a graduate student, I had access to a free gym and dozens of classes. I joined a few and became a regular. Even if my posture was poor, or my crunches weren’t on the beat, I was proud of showing up to classes and being recognized by the class leaders. Over time, my asthma symptoms lessened; instead of going through inhalers every two weeks, I was stretching them over two months. My flexibility improved, and my back pain began to dwindle. If someone told me that my back and asthma problems would’ve improved by activity, I would’ve laughed! The idea of moving more in order to feel better did not make sense to me… until it turned out to be true.

I’m proud to report that my asthma is virtually nonexistent. My back pain rarely returns, and when it does, it’s usually because I haven’t been active in awhile. I’m by no means an expert on fitness or weight loss, but I’m happy with the knowledge I’ve learned along the way. I’m excited to see how my body works now that it’s in top condition again. Of course, pulling on the tightest, skinniest skinny jeans I could find is an excellent plus, too.

I didn’t do all of this on my own. Yes, the first step to beginning a Weight Loss Journey is admitting you need a change. That step you must do alone. The rest of the journey, though, doesn’t have to be lonely. With Twitter, The Sisterhood, and online forums, it’s impossible to be alone. Why would you want to be alone during such a challenging, exciting part of your life? Every day, I reach out to my Twitter friends and we share our triumphs, challenges, setbacks and excitement. Knowing I had a support system 24/7 really helped me stay accountable. Through this amazing group of friends, I learned about the Shrinkvivor challenge at The Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans.

Over seven weeks, I competed with the most incredible challengers. We all worked toward a common goal: to be better, to work harder, to lose more. My biggest success was breaking my plateau and hitting my goal weight. Joining the challenge inspired me to break through that mental wall and reach my goal.

Since the end of January in 2011, I have lost 47 pounds, and dropped four pant sizes. What I have gained is worth so much more: freedom from health issues, an incredible support group of men and women with similar goals, and the ability to see a glimmer of my former self, but in a new and improved package.

After

Before/After

Read more from Whitney on her blog, and follow her on Twitter!

Tiffany Zook will be doing a series of guest posts on racing for charity. She was a very important and passionate member of Team Shrinking Jeans when we raced with Team In Training and raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tiffany was a rockstar fundraiser and motivational team member!! She is passionate about charity racing for good reason – she’s a pediatric oncology nurse, and has seen the good the funds raised do for cancer patients.

I have fallen in love with charity racing. Period. End of story.

Actually, this is just the beginning of my story. Many of you have heard of Team in Training, Race for the Cure, The Breast Cancer Three Day; St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research… The list goes on and on. For years I had thought that Team in Training would be a great way to give back and to learn how to run, but never had the courage to actually take action until January of 2010 when Shrinking Jeans put out the call and announcement that they would be putting a team together to participate in the Virtual Team in Training. I didn’t even hesitate and sent the email to say that I was “in”. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks into training that I even questioned what on earth I had signed up for. At the time I weighed well over 200 pounds and couldn’t run a block. Yet, I was compelled to jump on board. You see, I had a tremendous external motivation that propelled my fingers to type the email asking to be included in the team that would become “Team Shrinking Jeans”.

That external motivation happens to be my life’s work. Many of you know that I work as a Pediatric Oncology Nurse taking care of children with cancer and their families. I see the work of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society on a daily basis and I see how vital their work is in a very practical, tangible manner. Because this was a cause that I believed in from the very core of my being, I didn’t think twice about the fundraising aspect of participating in Team in Training (TNT). Truth be told I was much more freaked out by the training and the fact that I would be run/walking 13.1 miles after several months of training. It was a darn good thing I did sign up and was committed, because the first several weeks are rough and I may have been tempted to quit. I know for sure that quitting would have been much easier had I not been committed to a cause larger than a race. And now here I am, training for my third half marathon and my second event with Team in Training.

Team Shrinking Jeans

So why am I sharing all of this with you? Plain and simple, I have fallen in love with endurance running, participating in races and very most importantly, I LOVE charity racing! I want to challenge every one of you who have considered doing an endurance event like a half marathon, marathon, or triathlon to use your passion for the cause that is closest to your heart to help you take the first step in doing something that will forever change your life.

We all have our “cause”. For me it is childhood cancer. For Melissa it is Charity Water. For many of you it is breast cancer. For some it is at risk kids. I am sure that if we made a list of all the charities that tug at our heartstrings or that speak to our soul in a way that brings us to tears, it would be endless. For every cause there is the ability to pair it with an endurance event. Organizations such as Susan G. Komen and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society have very organized and structured programs in which they provide coaching, fundraising help and a seamless process to guide you through your event. There are many other non-profits who have smaller programs and provide some of the similar services as the frontrunners in the charity racing world. Then there are causes that do not have a formal program, but who would never in a million years turn down anyone who wants to raise money for them, and most of them have fundraising websites that you can personalize and use in any fashion you choose to raise funds. There are plenty of resources available from Shrinking Jeans to help you find a good training plan and lead you to the necessary resources you need to compete in an endurance event and thrive. I have become convinced that a cause close to your heart can propel you to do things that you mind may not be able to fathom.

In the cancer world alone, charity racing has not only raised funds to help cancer patients, but it is contributing to ground breaking research and new drug development. The July issue of Runner’s World (insert link www.runnersworld.com) Magazine, was completely dedicated to the role that running has played in the world of cancer. They detailed “Where the Fundraising Dollars Go”, and provide a list of cancer charities with a running connection. In discussing the translation of dollars to research, they say this:

“Support from groups like the Komen Foundation lets us focus on out-of-the-box type research… For example, Komen is helping finance a study we’re doing on the plasticity of cancer cells… On its website, the organization claims to have ‘touched every major breast-cancer break-through of the last 29 years.’ The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society takes an equally bold marketing approach, pointing to the support it provided in the development of Gleevec, a breakthrough leukemia drug, and its championing of ‘translational research’ which drives a drug’s passage from lab to clinical use”

Pretty darn amazing!

Charity racing allows you to be a voice for your cause, and the greatest side benefit is the way it transforms your health and fitness. It is nearly impossible to train for and endurance event without releasing a barrage of positive effects on your body, mind and soul. In the past year and a half since I first signed up with Team Shrinking Jeans to do TNT, I have taken off nearly 50 pounds, totally changed my body composition decreasing my body fat from over 40% to 26%, learned the value of strength training, and for the first summer in the last four years, I have not had to increase the dose of my anti-anxiety medication. I am forever indebted to Kirsten for being the catalyst that got Team Shrinking Jeans going and thus gave me a team, making the decision to take the plunge a bit less daunting.

In the coming weeks I will continue to share with you about my journey and share some important topics that are key to the journey, such as “Demystifying fundraising” – thinking out of the box and getting creative with fundraising, “How to use your cause as your greatest training tool” – learning how to channel your cause to be the most important fuel in your training and lastly we will take some time to hear personal accounts from sisters here at the Hood and their personal journeys with charity racing. For now, I challenge you to close your eyes and think about your “cause”, then think about being able to really contribute to that cause, then picture yourself making that decision and taking that hardest, yet most important first step to

Just do it…

Sign up…

Make the commitment.

I promise you, you will not regret it!

Erin C. is a mother of two and teacher to many. I already knew she was made of awesome because, HELLO, she delivered one of her own kids. At home. On the stairs. I have watched on Facebook each week as her C25K workouts were posted and have been impressed by her dedication! Not only did she successfully graduate from the program, she rocked her first 5K on the fourth of July! Way to go, Erin!

Let’s talk about my running history, shall we? Don’t worry–it’s brief. For the first 25 years of my life, I lived by the philosophy that I would run only when chased. I was that girl who walked an easy 15 minute mile in gym class, pausing to pick daisies along the way. I just didn’t want to run and I never thought I would.

Until I had a baby and when that baby was old enough to be called a toddler, I was still carrying around ten extra pounds. I didn’t have the time or money to join a gym, so I laced up a pair of shoes and I ran. Or, more aptly, I plodded around the neighborhood, running when I could, walking when I couldn’t. To my surprise, I found that I kind of liked running and kept running even after quickly dropping the ten pounds. In fact, I kind of liked it enough that I kept running until I was 24 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and Braxton-Hicks got the best of me. Still, I never really felt like a runner, because I never followed any sort of program and mainly just ran in 15 minute intervals, but I vowed to keep trying after my second son was born.

Except that, whoa, this kid never slept and since I only gained ten pounds while pregnant, I had nothing to lose… and let’s be real here–sitting on the couch eating nachos is way more appealing than running. So, it took me almost two years after his birth to lace up my shoes and get started again and by that point, I was pretty sure I was way too out of shape to do it. Enter my savior: the Couch to 5k program. When I first started this program, I was certain there was no way I’d be able to run for thirty minutes without stopping. It seemed so daunting, especially when I could hardly make it through the sixty second run intervals in week 1. It was tough! I was gasping for air, soaked in sweat, and felt like I was going to collapse at any minute. I figured I was kidding myself even thinking I could complete week 1.

But I kept at it. I followed the program religiously and to my surprise, it started to work. I’ll never forget week 3, day 3 when I thought I’d skipped a run because I felt so good at the end of it. When I checked, I hadn’t skipped a run, so instead, I ran through the cool down. Seriously, three weeks ago, I could hardly run for sixty seconds and here I was adding in extra run time! Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. I struggled in week 4. The second 5 minute interval almost did me in, but I made it through–just barely. As the end of week 5 approached, I started to convince myself that there was no way I could run for twenty straight minutes. Maybe this program worked for other people, but it wasn’t going to work for me.

And yet, I did it! Somehow, some way, my feet kept moving for twenty straight minutes. The really awesome thing about this program is how it builds up your confidence along with your endurance. Sure, the first twenty minute run is daunting, but once you’ve overcome that hurdle, the rest seems minimal. Going up to 25 minutes is no big deal–only 5 more minutes. After that, the leap to 28 and then 30 minutes is hardly noticeable. When I went from week 8 to week 9, I don’t remember stressing at all about the increase, because what’s 2 more minutes? Amazingly, the girl who couldn’t imagine running for more than a 60 second interval was shrugging her shoulders at 30 straight minutes of running.

Not only that, but that same girl? Ran her first 5k. I couldn’t quite believe what I was doing, as I pinned on my bib number. As I started running and continued to run for 3 straight miles. There were times when I wanted to stop and walk just a little bit, but I didn’t. When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, I managed to reach deep down inside of myself, past the place where I thought I couldn’t run another step, and not just jog, but sprint across the finish line.

If you’re like me and find running to be scary, that’s okay. But don’t let it stop you from trying. I cannot say enough good things about the Couch to 5k program and would urge anyone to try it–whether you’ve never ran before or you’re trying to get started again. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but 9 weeks and a 5k later, I think I finally can call myself a runner.

You can find more from Erin at School teacher by day, Superhero by night.

Hello everyone, my name is Sean Willson and I’m a new writer here at the Sisterhood. While I have no formal journalistic training I have been blogging since 2000, before it was called blogging. It’s also important to mention that I’m not a sister … well, I’m an honorary sister but I’m actually a man. I know I know, you’re probably not sure how a male voice will feel around the Sisterhood among all of these other amazing women. The ladies here seem to like me, have read my blog, and feel like I can add an interesting new male perspective to the mix.

So what makes me tick and how will I fit in here? I thought I’d take a few minutes to tell you my backstory and let you decide. Ready? Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite protein shake and let’s get ready for a lengthy introduction.

The Early Years

I grew up in a small blue-collar town in Michigan, the son of an autoworker. In my family, all men (and boys) cleaned there plates and only after eating seconds. Back then home cooking meant lots crisco, deep frying, soda, and dessert with every meal. Needless to say I’ve been overweight my entire life, pretty much ever since elementary school.

My childhood was all over the place and my parents divorced early in my middle school. I certainly never learned healthy eating going back and forth between houses and I never was into working out. In high-school I was into golf, a bit of tennis, and I was also a caddie for around 6 years. You’d think that caddying would thin me up but it’s amazing what soda, pizza, fast food, and candy can do to a physique.

In college it was more of the same dietary sustenance. Add to the collegiate experience of a big ten school my sedentary degree choice of computers and you can see how by the time I ended college and started working I was over 400 pounds.

After college I found a great job in Chicago (land of deep dish pizza) that had breakfast and lunch as a perk to all employees. They didn’t want you leaving the office taking long lunches or coming in late and missing breakfast or anything silly like that.

You notice that I mentioned food in every paragraph above? I love food just like everyone else but I honestly wasn’t someone who ordered 5 hamburgers in the drive through or anything, I just ate a lot of food that was bad for me over many years. Add to that the fact that I had sedentary hobbies and a sedentary career and you have the making of a lifestyle disaster.

I remember being around 250 in middle school (1985 – 1986) and by 2000 I had peaked at 450 pounds.

“Not until we’re lost
do we begin to find ourselves”
— Henry David Thoreau

In January of 2000, at the heaviest I’d ever been, I was very unhappy with what my life had become and ready for something new. I had always wanted to see the world, get married, have kids, and live life more adventurously.

It was then that I decided to man up, face my fears, and start living life. In order for me to make that happen I had to start filling all of the gaps in my knowledge of healthy eating and figure out what those heavy weighty looking things were used for at that place called “the gym.”

After burying myself in a few books and armed with a new gym membership I lost a lot of weight quickly. As you’d guess, going from zero to anything meant my body was dropping some serious water weight and some fat to boot.

While my weight had taken years to put on I knew it wasn’t going to be coming off over night. I think the fact that I lost a lot or weight (112 lbs) so quickly (in 11 months) led to a bit of an ego problem. Add to that the fact that I wasn’t really mentally prepared for the challenges that the holidays would entail and afterward I was up 30 pounds.

From that point on I went up and down 13 times over the course of 9 years (my weight-loss timeline), yes I failed 13 times. The highest I got up to again was 405 lbs and the furthest I got down to was 338 lbs during attempt one. Along the journey I met the love of my life (Amy), started visiting the world, and slowly started figuring out (through massive trial and error) what worked and didn’t work for my body.

Of course there was one other small thing that happened in March of 2008, the birth of my daughter Abigail. During 2008, as my daughter started to get older it really started to hit me that I was 34 years old and I was still a physical disaster after trying to get fit the past 8 years. I really could die at any second and it was a medical miracle I hadn’t started to show signs of diabetes, blood pressure, or other health side effects typical of being overweight.

I wanted to live to see my daughter grow up, graduate, and have kids. I wanted to grow old with my wife, have more kids, see the world, and live life to it’s fullest. There was no way I was going to ensure I’d see or do any of those in my current state of health.

The Tipping Point

In January of 2009 that all changed … I started to really reinvent how I was going to get healthy. I’ve often likened it to a maturing of my approach to a healthy mind & body and that after years of trial and error I finally struck a balance.

So how am I doing it? Well, that is a lot of what I plan on sharing with you here at Shrinking Jeans. But I’ll give you a quick preview …

I added new and challenging exercises to my previously stale regiment. Gone were the simple weight, elliptical, and recumbent bike. In stepped a wider variety of cardio and strength training at the heart of which was a new found passion for circuit training, cycling, and running. I had never ran (in my life) until March of 2009 and I’m now planning half marathon distance runs.

Another key to my change was that my wife and I started cooking with a wider palette of foods. We not only planned our meals in advance but we actually acted on those plans, crazy ahe? We certainly have a core set of foods we regularly eat but we’re constantly trying to change things up to make them interesting.

One of the other big things, maybe one of the most important, was I stopped beating myself up when I’d “slip up” (in air quotes). The fact is, life happens and I needed to really make this a lifestyle change and not approach it like a diet. I had to allow for foods that I craved and at the same time not get consumption crazy.

I air quoted the “slip up” above because to me it wasn’t slipping up as much as it was just listening to my body. At the time I was “slipping up” I didn’t know what to call it other than that. I have however recently found a more appropriate phrase to associate with it, intuitive eating.

My body craves food and not all of the foods my body craves are the most healthy. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t eat them, it just means I shouldn’t eat them in excess. If I crave ice cream then I have some. Gone are the free days of old where I’d detox for days, in are the eat whatever I crave but in small portions.

So where am I now?

In March of 2010 we celebrated the birth of our second child, Bradley. This time around everything felt different and I was already well on my way mentally and physically when he arrived.

In the past I’d always been someone who externally seemed confident in everything I did but internally I was full of self doubt and honestly always felt fat. This was very self destructive and always led to an explosive endings after months and months of hard work.

After 9 years of learning things the hard way I finally realized that my self doubt and poor body image were at the heart of my failures. Add to that realization a hidden passion for activities like circuit training, running, and cycling and this latest leg of my journey has been very successful and rewarding.

I’m currently down over 200 pounds (as of 5/27/2011) and today I’m not really sure what my goals weight is. I know this may sound strange but I haven’t been this weight in over 20 years and honestly don’t know where my body will finally level out at.

In an effort to keep things active and myself accountable I’ve tried to set some aggressive fitness goals by signing up for 3 triathlons and some long challenging bike rides in 2011. While I’ve never done a triathlon in my life I’m jumping in with both feet (like most things I do) and signed up for Sprint, Olympic, and Half Ironman distances this year with aspirations for a Full Ironman in 2012.

None of this journey would have been possible without the support of my family and the love of my life, my wife Amy. She’s been with me through every single up and down and in the beginning accepted me as I was, for better or worse. She’s been there for my 5am workouts, my aggressive goal setting, and the long weekend bike rides. She’s amazing and without her love and support I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.

So there you have it, a brief look at what makes me tick. I know I can get a bit wordy at times but I’m passionate about my journey and sharing it with others. If there is anything I can say or do that can help someone else get their life on track then I want to do it. If there are things you’d like me to talk about then please drop me a line.

Thanks for reading, I hope you’ll find me a valuable and welcome addition to the Sisterhood.

Do you remember when we shared Lee’s story of loss? Hold on, let me give you a little more information. Lee is Bari’s dad. He suffered an incredible loss, and instead of losing himself in it, he FOUND himself and a new reason to live. Go read his story quick, and then come back here and read Lee’s amazing update! Oh, while you’re at it, you might also want to read his heartfelt thanks as well!

And now, here is Lee’s inspiring update.

Lee - March 8, 2011

Better yet, hand us some tissue, Lee! Wow. Your story is so amazing, and it’s not hard to see how you’ve inspired so many people, including all of us at the Sisterhood. Thank you so much, and we look forward to another update in the very near future!

What? Another diet!? Yes, the Feingold Diet.

I’ve had a few people ask me to post about my son’s diet.

BJ is hyper. Spirited. Energetic. Go-go-go. Insanely intelligent. Talk-talk-talk. Never sits still.

Sometimes, like any other child, he gets in trouble. At school. At home. Sometimes it’s more than any other child….

It’s exhausting. I have to drink several pots of coffee everyday just to keep up with him. Okay, not really….(really!)

Last Fall, I was so over the constant color changes at school, the clothes chewing, the fidgeting, the OMG-please-make-eye-contact-with-me-when-I’m-talking-to-you. There was more. Over the top crazy-ass behavior that wasn’t normal or cute or tolerable. It was emotionally exhausting.

There was discipline. There were consequences, praise, redirection, conferences. Yelling. Lots of yelling. Pulling of hair (my own). Nothing made a difference.

I knew what people were thinking and saying when I wasn’t in earshot. They were thinking MY GOD that woman does not discipline her child, and WOW give him some Ritalin.

Wrong. And wrong. I do discipline, and I don’t believe that Ritalin is the answer for every spirited child.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that medication is the devil. It’s certainly necessary in some situations, and if our situation had warranted it, or had it not improved (stay with me here) I would have investigated all means of fixin’. But I honestly don’t think our situation was to the point of needing medication.

Enter Dr. Benjamin Feingold. (he’s hot, okay not really….)

Who’s this Feingold guy? No, he’s not our pediatrician. He was a doctor who stumbled upon something so great. Back in the 60s & 70s, while working at a clinic in California trying to figure out a way to help people with skin allergies, he found a connection between the crap in our foods and children’s behavior. You see, some wild (as in behavior) kids who were following his elimination diet to help with their eczema were, lo and behold, acting better as well. As in not wild anymore. So he investigated, poked around and created the Feingold Diet.

How did I find out about this diet? I was on it when I was a child. Go figure….the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

What does this diet consist of? It’s funny you ask (okay, so I really asked for you) because for the majority of BJ’s 7 years, I thought that sugar was the culprit of his always-hyper-state. I was substituting sugar-free (read: splenda, equal, aspartame, etc.) for all the regularly sweetened things in my house. No you can’t have a piece of dark chocolate. Eat this sugar-free pudding instead. Funny thing is this never really seemed to work.

So I started reading up on Feingold, picking my mom’s brain, searching the internets, and talking with other bloggers about it. I read so, so many success stories, studies, and testimonials that I had to give it a try. My son was worth it, and it was all really starting to make scary-sense to me.

Like anything new, it was overwhelming and hard and scary for the first 2 weeks. We were not only changing our diet, but our thinking about food in general. I’ve been on the eliminate-as-many-processed-foods-as-possible kick for awhile, but this was even more than that.

We have eliminated all food dyes, all additives and preservatives, some naturally occurring things in foods known to cause reactions, and of course all artificial sweeteners. (And by we, I mean that our family has adopted the diet. BJ is on it almost 100% of the time, and me…..not so much. I still drink Diet Coke and eat things that aren’t approved, but only when he’s not around.)

What do we eat? We eat most everything, but most of the things we eat are either made from scratch or approved. We have a handy Feingold food guide that lists grocery and personal items that have been extensively researched by the Feingold Association and deemed to contain non of the above – hence being approved. It’s not as simple as just reading the food labels, because lots of the things we eliminate aren’t even required to be listed on the labels. Things like TBHQ, BHT, and BHA, which are anti-oxidant preservatives used in the packaging of products like cereals, cookies and crackers.

Eating out is a little trickier. Feingold provides a fast food list, which would be nice if we ate fast food. And I’ll have to be honest here, because we have hit the drive-thru more since we’ve been on this diet than ever before. When you know for a fact that something is safe, you’re more likely to choose it because HELLO, a reaction is hell. You really don’t know what’s in food at a restaurant, so we try to choose grilled chicken, steamed veggies, things that seem less done-up….

What’s a reaction? Basically reverting back to old behavior – out of control (and by out of control, I don’t mean flailing around on the floor, I mean jumping up and down, running around, erratic behavior, clothes chewing, fidgeting, noisy-ness, NOT LISTENING) And we’ve had a couple thankfully, because those reactions allowed me to see just how much this diet is working for us.

Has it helped with BJ’s issues? Absolutely! I cannot even begin to tell you how much easier it is to parent BJ these days. No, he’s not robotically perfect, but I am no longer emotionally and physically exhausted. He listens better. His goat-like clothes chewing isn’t an issue anymore. Mornings are (almost) a dream, and homework gets done with a lot less frustration. He is focused, and more pleasant to be around. He doesn’t constantly fidget and move and make random noises. His behavior at school has improved, which is so relieving for me.

He is a 7-year-old boy. He’s energetic, he still talks and talks and talks. He’s just a much better version of the boy I was dealing with a couple of months ago.

How has BJ handled being on the Feingold diet? He’s been amazing. From the beginning, I talked openly and honestly with him about what we were doing and why. We’ve always been label readers and healthy eaters, so it wasn’t too hard of a transition. He had hard time at a couple of birthday parties when he couldn’t eat cake, and hot lunch at school is a no-no. I’ve found creative ways to make sure he has the same or very similar to what’s being offered here and there. There are lots of online resources, natural candy stores, all-natural food dyes, and many other things we’ve switched to. Most importantly, he’s been honest, which is amazing for a 7-year-old. He does not eat things that people offer him, and as a family, we bypass things he cannot have when he is present.

What’s next? Well, once we see consistent success on Phase One, which consists of a LOT of elimination, we move on to Phase Two. Basically we’ll start adding things back in. Just like when you’re testing for allergies, because really, that’s what this is. An allergy to certain things in food. Once we are able to target what’s causing his reactions, we’ll just leave those out. Feingold material says that sometimes children ‘grow out’ of the sensitivities, but sometimes they don’t.

So that’s where we are right now! Do you have any questions? I’d be happy to answer them if I can, or find the answer for you! Just ask below in the comments section, or you can email me at christy @ shrinkingjeans.net

I encourage you to go read the overview of the Feingold diet. Even if you don’t have a necessity for it in your life, it’s very eye-opening.

Edited to add a link to an interesting press release: http://www.feingold.org/enews/FDA-Hearing.html

Nicki Caylor always wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps and be a physician. What Nicki didn’t know was, she would follow in his footsteps to heart disease.

To look at Nicki today, you would never guess that last year at the age of 29, she had a heart attack. She doesn’t exactly fit the profile. She was very active. Nicki says she was an avid runner and fitness nut.

Her father had a heart attack at 40, a triple then a quadruple bypass at 45 and a heart transplant at 55. When Nicki was 24, her dad died at the age of 65.

Nicki always looked up to her dad. He was her hero. After his death, she kept thinking about how she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a phyician. After four years of going back and forth, she decided to do something about it and enrolled in classes.

To quote Nicki “I enlisted in the army to help pay for school. I left December 28th with my eye on the prize. It was so hard to leave my husband Steve and son Luke, but I knew I would be back in a few months.”

The day Nicki had her heart attack, she was in Fort Leonard Wood Missouri at basic training. At first she wasn’t aware of what was going on, but the first signs came early that morning. She woke up feeling exhausted and nauseated. By 11:30 that morning, she felt like her heart was going to fly out of her chest. She asked her drill seargent for medical attention and was refused. That afternoon in the barricks she went into the bathroom and was extremely ill. Later that afternoon, she was in a class when she kept feeling worse and worse and her heart kept beating faster and faster. She stood up and said she was going to be sick and didn’t make it to the door before she collapsed.

Nicki says the next week was one of the scariest of her life. Several hours after her collapse, Nicki was told she had a heart attack. After being tossed back and forth between the army base hospital and a hospital in Springfield, she was finally taken to the University of Columbia hospital where she was diagnosed with Wolf Parkinson White which affects electro conductivity of the heart.

Nicki was discharged from the army on February 5. Steve and Luke drove to Missouri and were by her side every step of this crazy scary time. Nicki says that Steve never left her side. He took a month off work to be home with her. She says he was and always has been her best friend and number one cheerleader

On February 5, Nicki had a cardiac ablation where they found three accessory pathways and one split pathway. The doctors used her as a case study because there are very few cases they have operated on that had such an iteresting arrhythmia and split pathways are extremely rare.

Rehab was a little tough for Nicki. She is not a good sit at home and be still kind of girl. One week after the ablation, Nicki went skiing. She had a blast. Nicki was very fortunate to have a speedy and very easy recovery. The doctors attribute it to the fact that she was in such good shape to start with.

Nicki says the highlight of her recovery was running the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10 for the American Heart Assosciation and the Indianapolis Marathon on Novemeber 6, 2010. Yes, you read that right. Two marathons in less than a month.

A typical day for Nicki now would make most peoples heads spin. She gets up three days a week at 5:00 to run at 5:30. She works full time at an insurance office. Two days a week she swims for 30 minutes. She teaches boot camp classes two nights a week. She just became a certified zumba instructor and does that two nights a week. She has even gone back to school and is taking a nutrition class. Add to that, being a wife and mom and training her husband. Nicki is one busy lady and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nicki’s focus right now is the Party Hearty Zumbathon she is spearheading in my town for the American Heart Association. When she called the American Heart Association to list the Zumbathon with them, they got to talking. When they heard Nicki’s story, they asked her to be a part of their survivor calender. They will be sending a photographer to the Zumbathon. It is going to be an awesome night. I am happy to say that I am going to be a part of it.

Nicki says her focus now is to make woman aware that heart disease isn’t something that happens to our fathers and brothers and uncles and husbands. It happens to us as well and is the number one cause of death in women all over the world.

Nicki is an excellent instructor. She has made me want to come to class four days a week. So much so that I just bought a six month membership. She is going to whip me into shape yet and I couldn’t be happier to have her by my side in my fitness journey.

There is so much more to Nicki’s story, but time and space made me pick and choose. Even the things I told you are condensed. Let’s just say that she is even more amazing then this shows!

I think that if you are looking for someone to exemplify the Power of One, it might just be Nicki Caylor!

Are you lacking in motivation today? Are you feeling sorry for yourself, or are you kicking yourself for eating that donut this morning? Or that nacho last night? Are you here looking for some awesome motivation and support? Well, look no further, because we have a truly inspiring story for you this morning. Grab your cup of coffee (or your water bottle), and you might want to grab a few tissues as well. We’re sharing a story of loss and more loss. Profound loss, and positive loss. Today we’re sharing the story of the father of one of our Sisters. Let me introduce you to Lee, Bari’s dad.

Dieting- I hate that word.  Like most people who have extra pounds to lose, over the years I have tried some of the recognized diets and read many books about dieting.  I have been up and down the weight ladder all my life.  I hated being fat and the way I looked.  About six years ago, I tried one more time and lost 110 pounds and I was proud of myself.  I looked great.  But, I put it all back on, just like all the other times.

Lee - Before

Now, my story gets personal and I hope you have an open mind.  Cancer took the life of my lifetime partner last April.  We were together for fifteen years and were both morbidly obese.  I loved to cook, we both loved to eat.  I prepared double, triple portions.  Nothing was left on our plates or in the pans.  We didn’t need a garbage disposal.  We were it!  Drive-through restaurants were the norm.  Fried this, fried that.  Potatoes, gravy, French fries.  Pizza parlors and bakery shops loved us.

Now, what if that person who you depended on to help dress you by putting on your socks because you can’t reach your feet, and otherwise be there for you when you need help, is suddenly taken to the hospital?  What if you can’t walk the long distances from the parking lot, or walk the long hallways of the hospitals without being in pain from your bad knees and hips, and diabetic nerve neuropathy in your feet?  What if you were so fat you had difficulty breathing?  What if you learn from the doctor that the person you depend on does not have long to live and you should make plans for his death and funeral?

That was the situation I found myself in.  I realized I was going to be alone and fear set in.  How was I going to put my socks on?  I was so fat I couldn‘t bend over.  Who was going to be there for me when I needed extra help?  Yes, that was me.  My partner came home after a five week hospital stay then lived for another six days before he passed away.  I told him how much I loved him and how sorry I was this was happening to him.  While holding his hands, his daughter and I were there with him and saw him take his last breath of air.  When we met, I promised I would always take care of him and never let him go.  Now he is gone and suddenly, I found myself in survival mode.  I knew I had to change my lifestyle, and quick or I wouldn’t make it.

Lee - Still Shrinking

To date, I have lost about 113 pounds through changing my eating habits alone.  Because of my knee, hip and neuropathy problems, I was not able to exercise or walk much, but my weight has gone from an all time high of 359 pounds to 246 pounds while my waist size shrunk from 58 inches to 44 inches.  Realizing that I have reached a new level now and need help to strengthen and condition my body, I joined a health club and work with a physical fitness trainer.  My knees and hips still present problems, but my trainer knows my issues and says he will eventually have me flipping over on my back.  He’s kidding, right?

I know I have touched many lives over the last eight months as I tell the story about my partner and the love we had for each other, and how I have to cope everyday with his loss, while at the same time changing my lifestyle.  I have been told time after time what an inspiration I am.   I know my two daughters are proud of me and have watched me grow and become stronger every day.  I am equally proud of them too as I am my entire family for everything they have achieved.  If it wasn‘t for them and their support physically, emotionally, and financially, I hesitate to think where I would be today.   My family and my friends, they are the ones who inspire me and keep me going.

Several months ago, Hospice conducted a “Service of Remembrance” for our loved ones and we were allowed to pick a black granite stone with a word inscribed on it to take home with us.  Words to choose from were peace, love, hope, etc.  I picked up a stone, but later put it back and chose one instead that reads “Inspire”.  How ironic is that?  It sits on my desk, right next to my computer and is a constant reminder of the affect I have had on others and the affect they have had on me.

Do we need a life changing event or something that shocks or knocks us in the head to tell us we are playing a deadly game with our health?  To those who read this, has my story been  your wake up call?  Did I get your attention?  Have I inspired you?  Have I paid it forward?  If so,  I am pleased and blessed because it will come right back to me and inspire me even more.

I always look to see what positive things come out of tragedies and negative situations.  Sometimes we don’t always see that, and it may take a long time.  I am no better or different than any of you.  But, I have found something that perhaps you haven’t yet.  I am humbled and honored and feel privileged that I can share my story with you.   Let my tragedy be your incentive and inspiration.  Most important, everyday tell your loved ones and friends that you love them.  You never know when they will be taken away from you.

As tragic as the loss of my partner’s life was, his death has put new life into mine.  Now, about flipping over on my back my trainer told me about….he really was kidding, wasn’t he?  Please tell me he was, after all, I am 71 years old!

Lee - Now (WOW!)

Lee, thank you so much for sharing your amazing story with the Sisterhood. We are truly sorry for the loss of Bob, but we are so proud of you for turning that loss into something so positive: a HUGE life-changing weight-loss!

Today, Renee from CutieBootyCakes is sharing her Jenny Craig Success Story with us- enjoy!

I started my journey to healthy living last November. The week of Thanksgiving to be exact. Now, most people thought that I was insane to start a “diet” during the holidays but I am living life and will be faced with all sorts of situations where I need to make good food choices so why not during the holidays?

In addition to a healthy amount of exercise using my EA SPORTS Active More Workouts, I started my journey with Jenny Craig. It was my first foray into eating “healthy” by utilizing prepared foods but I decided to give it a shot because after years of eating horribly I was totally unclear about portion sizes and I knew that I wasn’t eating nearly enough to lose weight.

By utilizing Jenny Craig I had a system that not only helped me stay on track with my eating but I also had to log my feeling before and after I ate. Jenny Craig is more than just pre-packaged foods, the program also provided me with weekly meetings with a counselor and weekly weigh-ins. I had 24 hour support by utilizing the online tools and I soon became skilled at choosing the foods that I really enjoyed on a weekly basis.

One thing that struck me about the program was the variety of food available. Although I am not a meat eater, I did have several vegetarian choices and I also had a few fish meals – my favorite was the battered fish and chips. Yes, fries were a part of my menu. And did I mention the cakes? Dessert was included too.

Of course, everything in moderation. And I supplemented my meals with a serving or two of vegetables. During my weekly meetings I would discuss my meal plan with my counselor and initially we made decisions together but after a couple of weeks I’d come to my meeting with my meals already planned out.

With Jenny Craig centers all over the country even when I traveled to New York for the Christmas holiday I met with a wonderful counselor and she provided me with the same support that I received in Georgia. After three months on the program I lost approximately 30 pounds. My counselor would take my measurements monthly and provide me with a ribbon that signified the number of inches I lost over the month. I’d hang the ribbon on my refrigerator to remind me of my progress.

I recommend the program as a kick-start to the journey to healthy living. I think it is easier to do if you are single because otherwise you end up preparing another meal for your family and that can become cost prohibitive. This wasn’t a problem for me because both my son and husband are picky eaters who stick to a very basic diet and I am used to making separate meals for myself.

The meals are pricey but I think that the results are worth it if you can fit it in your budget.

Thank you Renee for sharing your story with us and can I just say that you look fabulous?!