Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 07:30 AM |
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Good morning all! I just wanted to report that after 2 months in the Zone I have lost 30 lbs and 7 inches from my stomach. I've done this while I've been away from home (out of state actually) helping my dad through some health problems and spending a good deal of my day in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities. It was seeing both my dad and my mom battling significant health challenges that impelled me to research and start Zone living. While I am significantly overweight my goal is improving my health and understanding that losing weight is the side benefit. I just want to encourage all newbies or anyone that needs a boost - this is so worth it. Yes, it takes time and thought. Yes, you may miss some things from your old eating habits. But the satisfaction you will get with seeing the results and knowing that you are making a conscious choice to be healthy makes it all worthwhile. I have some regularly scheduled bloodwork coming up next week and I will be anxious to post my results. Remember you are investing in your future and the future of your family and children my paying attention to your health. If you need a boost or a pick me up post to the forum - there is a great community hear to help and support you. |
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 07:34 AM |
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Pardon my typos - I've been up since 3 am since my dad is having surgery today. I'm actually in the waiting room right now. I meant "BY paying attention" and the community is HERE not hear. Good grief! |
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John
Veteran Member
Posts:2201
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| 16 Nov 2010 07:35 AM |
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Congrats! Keep at it! |
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~john --> Happily married 26 years --> 07 Feb 1986
<>< <>< <>< <>< PTL Col 3:23-24 ><> ><> ><> ><>
Live the healthiest life you can enjoy, not the healthiest life you can tolerate. |
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Laurie
Advanced Member
Posts:771
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| 16 Nov 2010 07:36 AM |
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Awesome Christie! Thanks so much for your post :-) ... you're doing so well, and are definitely an inspiration to us all!
I hope your Mom and Dad are doing better!
Laurie
P.S. -- just read your update -- best wishes to your Dad today! |
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130 pounds lost/maintaining since July 2009
body fat % (start/goal/current) 49.8/22/23 |
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Sue
Posts:14662
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| 16 Nov 2010 08:04 AM |
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That's great progress Christie! Your post will help many readers here. It's very inspiring and is a testament to the fact that the Zone works, and has the flexibility to be practiced in just about any location and situation. I agree that a healthy lifestyle is indeed an investment in the future, both your future and this country's future economy. My turning point from obesity to where I am now happened when my dad was in the final stages of Alzheimer's and colon cancer. While I was not cognitive it was a turning point at the time, after the fact I knew it had been a defining time in my life. I wish your dad all the best for a good result with his surgery today and a full recovery. My best wishes to you and your family too. 
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sue
Consultant of Zone Labs
Certified Zone Affiliate
Lost 100 lbs 15 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil. ZoneFast 1-2-3 is the best!
View my Zone Fast 1-2-3 meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...3%20Meals/
View my classic Zone meal photos here:
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/...4/?start=0 |
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Sue Knorr
Lost 100 lbs 18 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.
Consultant of Zone Labs
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Tech Support
Advanced Member
Posts:735
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| 16 Nov 2010 08:11 AM |
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Keep up the awesome work Christie, and keep us posted on your progress. |
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cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
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| 16 Nov 2010 11:24 AM |
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Very inspiring post, Christie! Thanks for sharing, and congrats on the positive changes that you are making. It is definitely worth it!
Hope your dad does well in surgery today. |
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Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 11:25 AM |
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Dad is out of surgery and doing well - should be out of PCU in 4-5 days - thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Laurie - you all are the inspiration for me. When I look at your before and after pictures I know that you "get it" - what it's like to be really heavy. It's so much easier for those of us that are new to know that others have been there and done what needed to be done. It's truly an inspiration!
Sue - it's funny sometimes what flips the switch and turns the key. Such cliches but so true. I'm sure that your Dad would be so proud of your accomplishments and be grateful that even though it was through his adversity that he could pass on such a gift to you, your children and now your grandchildren.
Tech Support - THANK YOU! I will keep you all posted on my progress as well as my test results.
Just a postscript to my earlier post (since I'm apparently chatty Christie today!)
I want to share some of what really struck me through this process with my parents. I came out to Indiana from Pennsylvania in June to stay with my Dad for a week following surgery for esophageal cancer. I've been here ever since. He's had multiple complications but is now doing much better. During the time that I was here my mom was admitted to the hospital with an abdominal abcess that measured 23 cm complicated from weakness from triple bypass surgery last year. My parents are divorced and were in hospitals in two different towns about 30 minutes apart.
Some of what struck me was how I would feel if it was MY children needing to sacrifice so much time with their own family coupled with the stress of so much uncertainty and fear. I knew that if I didn't make changes that could be ME in just a few years. My parents are young - 66 & 67. I was feeding my mom "baby" food while she was wearing a diaper in the hospital. When I'm 67 I still want to be chasing my husband naked around the bedroom - NOT having him feed me while I'm in diapers.
For anyone out there who is new or contemplating the program or maybe just hitting a temporary wall - please remember that your health is a gift, not a right. I'll be forever grateful to Dr. Sears for his program and forever grateful to this forum for helping with the questions and offering support. I want to LIVE my life not just exist in it. If that means changing my idea of what good food is, then it's a small price to pay for living my life to it's fullest. |
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 11:26 AM |
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Thanks Cranberrycat - you are one of the people I most appreciate here! |
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cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
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| 16 Nov 2010 11:30 AM |
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You're welcome!
Christie, your message reminds me of a bracelet that I am wearing today, it says "totally positive". It is meant to inspire me to look for the good in all things, to let go of the anger and those things that are destructive, etc. In any case, your posts have reminded me that my zone lifestyle choices are positive influences in my life. Thanks again! |
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Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 11:33 AM |
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Amen! |
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Laurie
Advanced Member
Posts:771
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| 16 Nov 2010 01:43 PM |
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Wow Christie, thanks for a very powerful and moving post! I was in a similar situation a few months ago, when a trip home to visit my Mom & Dad turned into me caring for both of them at the same time. It was a wake-up call then, but even more so now that you shared your perspective. At the time, the experience reinforced that I want to take care of my health now, so that I have the best possible quality of life when I'm older. But taking it a step further, you've also made me realize that I want to be there to enjoy and support my children and their familiies, and to be as independent as I can be for as long as possible . Laurie |
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130 pounds lost/maintaining since July 2009
body fat % (start/goal/current) 49.8/22/23 |
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 16 Nov 2010 01:50 PM |
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Laurie - I hope that your parents are doing well now. It certainly helps to keep things in perspective, does it not? |
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cranberrycat
Senior Member
Posts:9137
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| 16 Nov 2010 02:03 PM |
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Last winter, my dad went through a tough phase where he had blockage in several cardiac arteries. He weighed in at 370. I was there with him through all of that, and happy to say that it all worked out for him. He was lucky.
In retrospect, if it had not, I am sure that he would not have been able to return home. He would have ended up in a nursing home, because he was just too heavy for anyone to manage. Even the hospital staff had a hard time managing him, with extra wide beds, difficulty getting the cart on the elevator to take him to the cath lab (really--there was a funny incident that occurred while loading him on the elevator).
So, looking back at it all, I would not ever want to be in that situation where I put my children in the middle of having to decide how to care for me. Making decisions now on how to improve and maintain my good health is definitely a driving force. Sure, there are no guarantees, but at least I know that I have done what I need to do to make my future--and my family's future--bright! |
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Cranberrycat
We don't own the earth; we borrow it from our children.
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Sue
Posts:14662
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| 16 Nov 2010 03:28 PM |
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Christie, glad to hear your dad came through it well today. Also thanks for your kind thoughts. I've never quite thought of that, and I'm pretty sure he would be very proud. |
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Sue Knorr
Lost 100 lbs 18 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil.
Consultant of Zone Labs
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claire
New Member
Posts:52
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| 17 Nov 2010 11:25 AM |
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That's so fantastic Christie! Well done! |
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Jen
New Member
Posts:29
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| 18 Nov 2010 08:13 PM |
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Thank you for your post Christie! I am new to the Zone (3 weeks in) and it's been a bit discouraging for me in certain aspects. However, I was super excited when I weighed myself a couple of days ago and found that I have indeed begun to lose weight! It was so encouraging to me and the motivation I needed to keep going. I'm not as strict as I should be at times, but it's a process and I'm getting myself on the right track. |
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 19 Nov 2010 04:45 PM |
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Good for you, Jen! You really hit the nail on the head - it's a process. When I took my focus off the weight loss and how I might look to others and really understood that this was a lifestyle change that was going to make a huge impact on my health, it really helpd me out. But I won't pretend that I'm not vain enough to feel good when people notice or when I see a difference in how my clothes look. Just keep plugging away and stay involved in the forum. The people here are wonderful and have been such a blessing to me! |
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Christie
Basic Member
Posts:103
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| 19 Nov 2010 04:47 PM |
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Amen to that, Cranberrycat! |
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