HAPPY HEALTHY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

You may think I'm over doing this 'birthday" thing right now, but let me tell you. I am so excited and emotional about this day. October 21, 2008 I cracked open my very first packet of Cappuccino. I was reminiscing about that this morning, as I was going through my cappuccino routine. Breakfast every day within 30-60 minutes of waking up. The cappuccino is loaded with vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein and fills me up, gets me started on the right foot. I do it every morning. 


I'm not going to 'blibbity blah' with a whole post today, I think my post from October 4th says it all. "Meet Charity."  My life has changed so much in the last two years. From being kicked off a roller coaster because I was too fat to climbing Mt. Hood..... 

On the anniversary of my new life, my 'healthy birthday'  I want everyone to know, you may look at me now and think that its no big deal, I'm not that hot or not that thin, but look where I came from! Look how far I've come! I'm so proud of what I've done and so thankful to Take Shape For Life, my health coach Chemae Prime Stevens, God-for bringing this amazing program (and many amazing people!) into my life and for giving the horrible times in my life purpose and allowing me to use those to inspire others and help them make changes. What a GREAT day!

Meet Charity, 2008

I would like to introduce you to someone I'm very close to. I didn't use to care about her too much then I realized how much her family loved her and how much Jesus loved her. I decided to give her another chance and now I love her too.

My friend, Charity weighed close to 300 lbs. Every single night (sometimes during the day as well) she had the worst heartburn you could imagine. Water gave her heartburn. She had GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease) so bad she could hardly swallow because of the built up scar tissue in her esophagus. She was borderline diabetic. Her dad is diabetic so she knew it was coming, but BOY did she love sugar. Who cared about her health. The sugar and carbs made the hurts of life go away.....temporarily. She supplemented the sugar with high doses of antidepressants and isolation.

The only thing she liked about the mall was Panda Express.  Size 22-24 was a hard range to find anything trendy to wear. She had to shop alone too because none of her friends needed specialty shops. When she did shop with her friends and they went to all the surf shops and petite stores, she'd look at earrings to pass the time.

Travel was miserable for her. She had to have an extension belt on airplanes, she didn't fit on rides at amusement parks, seats in the car could not have the arm rest down and the steering wheel of the car fit miserably up against her stomach.

Sometimes, Charity would sit around and remember how much fun she used to have hiking and climbing but a simple trip to the mailbox was excuse enough for a nap now. She never visited her kids rooms upstairs because it took her breath away to climb up there.

Another thing she would remember and miss terribly was intimacy with her husband.

Charity wasn't very nice either. Maybe she thought being a bossy bully earned her respect that she'd otherwise lost being obese? She was loud because otherwise she was sure nobody listened to her. Charity was in pain. Not just physically but emotionally as well. It was a crazy cycle. Being obese made her depressed so she'd eat. Eating made her obese. This made her depressed and she'd eat some more. But when the pain of staying the same became greater than the pain of change, she began to pray. 

I'd like you to meet Charity now. She's lost over 100 lbs. She feels AMAZING. Sure, she has days where she feels 'fat' and has to kick into high gear again, but she's tasted freedom and she will never go back. She is no longer on any acid reflux medication, she takes the lowest dose of antidepressants possible-mostly to combat dreary Oregon days I think. She visits the mall frequently, but NEVER Panda Express. Hiking and climbing are her life now. Last week her kids -each individually and separately-gasped and said "Um! Did you just RUN up those stairs?"  Why, YES. She DID. She loves running up the stairs now! Gets her legs in shape for climbing! 

Her husband is quite pleased with her progress. Their alone time has been amazing. He always loved her and supported her no matter what. There is something physically liberating about not having to maneuver around 100 extra pounds though and their marriage has never been better. 

Loving herself has become easy and has enabled her to love others more. Now she has a burning passion to help others -everyone whether they have 5 pounds to drop or 300 - but especially the ones with 50+ lbs to lose. She has been there. She has figured out how to overcome obesity. The vicious cycle that doesn't seem to have an end can indeed have an end. If you'd like her to reach out to you, and help you or someone you know or love, please contact her today. She's waiting to help. 

Racing For The Cure.... Optimal Health..... And Me!

Tomorrow morning I am headed out for my third Race For The Cure event. This year it holds more meaning to me than ever. The first time I raced, I had the recent passing of my wonderful Grandma Willa Piersall in my heart. She died of breast cancer. If she would've had it now she could've survived it. They've come so far in the way they treat breast cancer and how soon they detect it. Of course, she was modest, didn't want to see a doctor so maybe it wouldn't have mattered. This past July my Mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 Aggressive Ductal Carcinoma. (Forgive me Mom if I got that wrong.) But the more and more I see women I love, the more I realize the importance of regular mammograms and raising awareness. Many  people cannot afford these and that is why I am so happy to join with the Susan G. Komen foundation for my third time this year. Imagine how much farther a long we could be when my daughter gets to the age of risk! 

Strong Link Between Obesity and Breast Cancer There is a growing connection between breast cancer and obesity - especially abdominal and upper-body obesity. For example, almost half of all breast cancer cases occur in obese women. Also, cancerous breast tumors are notoriously hard to find in young women with more than 15-20 percent excess body fat. Exactly how severe overeight leads to breast cancers is not yet known. The link between body mass index and breast cancer is mostly statistical. We can see it, but we don't understand exactly why it exists. I propose, until we know more, we err on the side of health.Do you have more than 15-20 percent excess body fat? I think you can imagine why that would be harder to detect if you did. We know that people that are within a healthy BMI range tend to live longer, have less health care expenses, sleep better, look better, look younger longer, ECT! Lets talk about how obesity affects our pocket book.  In total, the yearly cost of obesity in the United States is $147 billion, or 9% of all medical expenses. And, it figures to get worse now that the average American is 23 pounds overweight. That's right. The average American is over weight. Did you know that obesity tends to run a person an extra $1500 a year? That doesn't include the extra cost of the food you need to consume to maintain that higher weight (eating out, sugary/fatty candy coffee's, movie popcorn....you get the picture.)  So what does it cost to lose 30 pounds? Not as much as you might thing, and not as much as it costs to hold on to it. Take a look at this graph.  What I'd like to do is encourage you to get healthy. The plan I am on, the plan I have helped over 200 people with, teaches you healthy habits, includes personalized one on one support and an individual plan that best suits your needs. Nursing mothers, diabetics, arthritics, thyroid patients, vegetarian, soy allergy? I've got a plan for you. A plan that is proven to work.   Contact me and let's talk. If you live in NW Oregon, we can get together in person if you'd like. If you don't, I'm hooked up to SKYPE if you have a webcam we can hook that up. Phones, texting, instant chatting... all works for me. You can find me on facebook following the link on this page.  UPDATES  Ulcer had healed and I have to "OK" to get back on plan. Today I am on day 6 and feel great. I started Yoga yesterday. That's been an adventure in pain! I had no idea that it really heated up your muscles and that after all that sleepy time stretching and breathing, I'd actually feel like I just had a workout afterward! Whoa Nelly!  Mom begins radiation on Wednesday, please keep her in your prayers for the next 7 weeks.  We are almost totally unpacked in our new house. Feels good to start to settle in. Still haven't hung pictures but, it will get done. Allison and Jarod are attending public school this year. It was a last minute decision. We scrambled to get supplies and new clothes for the first time in years. If you are a homeschooler that is wondering why I'd do such a thing, feel free to email me personally. I love homeschooling and do not plan to abandon it all together. We will be back.

Commitment 2: About The Last 17 Years.... And Here's To The Next 17.....

Commitment 2: About The Last 17 Years.... And Here's To The Next 17.....

About The Last 17 Years.... And Here's To The Next 17.....

I can't believe I've been married almost half my life now. Time has flown by. Roy and I have gone through quite a few adventures together the last 19 years or so. (Married 17 years..... we didn't really know Jesus back then so don't bother doing the math.)

Right after we got married back in 1993, we bought our first house. It was only 740 square feet and we only had one child. I remember when Cody was born, we didn't really know where to put him. For two years he slept in our room. I even ran a daycare out of that house!

In 1996 we moved out here to Fairview. This house was more beautiful than we ever thought would be possible for us. This was before there was an 207th street exit, bypass to Glisan, a Target, Carlino's, Scrubby's, Bumpers...... Halsey street was a small one lane road with a wetland on the south side. Here we brought home two more newborns, taught 3 kids how to read, make hundreds of dozens of cookies on stormy days, hunkered down for many ice storms and held many garage sales. We have about eight cats buried in the back yard, each with a tiny headstone.

Today is our last day in our Fairview home. The Uhaul truck will be here early tomorrow morning to haul off the last of our belongings to our new home in Gresham and we'll start another leg of our journey together.

About my husband: Roy is everything I ever could've asked for in a husband. He loves me unconditionally. He loved me fat, he loved me thin, he loved me everywhere between. He's kind, gentle, attentive (when he wants to be LOL)  loyal, hard working and a super dad who leads by example. He follows Jesus whole heartedly and gives of himself relentlessly. Before 10 am this morning he already told me "Happy Anniversary!" and "I love you!" more times than I can count on my fingers.

Thank you Jesus, so much, for everything you have given me. Thank You for providing a house better than our wildest dreams, thank You for my wonderful children (all 4 of them!) Thank You for Roy-whom i did not deserve. Thank You for my friends. I love you ladies. I couldn't get through all this baloney without you.

Now, as for Take Shape For Life. Check out my new website! www.charityhusk.com I'm excited to gear up for the last quarter of the year and kick some buns. I want to get about 20 more people on the road to optimal health before the end of the year so if you know someone who needs some help with their health, send them to my sight and encourage them to contact me.

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We're Moving

I can't tell you all how thankful I am that August is almost over. There is something new and fresh feeling about September.

First of all, Mom's surgery went well. She opted for a lumpectomy rather than a full mastectomy per the doctors recommendations. 48 hours after surgery she was headed to the movies with Amy. So, that's a good sign. We'll find out sometime this week what pathology had to say about everything removed. Friday is her appointment with the radiation oncologist and we'll discuss the next step. Next week post op with her surgeon.

Monday the 30th, Kerry (step dad) goes in for surgery.

Now, here's the 'new' news. This past year and a half, Roy and I have been trying very hard to work with our mortgage company. Before I started with Take Shape For Life, the economy was rough for our automotive repair shop and we had a rough winter. We got behind on many bills including the IRS and our house. For 6 months we paid a payment and a half ($2500!) a month to get caught up, then right when we got caught up, we had another slow month at the shop and couldn't make the next payment. When finances got better, we called to set up a payment plan again, this time I had an income of my own to help out. Take Shape For Life has supplied me with a greater income than I'd ever had before on my own and we were certain we could catch up and stay current. The bank had a different plan though. We started to work on a load modification. Found out we now made too much money. We wanted to send them a payment, they said nothing short of $5000 would be satisfactory. I'd heard from others that when they just sent in a single months payment, the bank returned it, so we just took the bank for their word and didn't send a payment. Eventually it turned into nothing short of $15,000 would be satisfactory. Again, tried loan modification, tried calling all those Obama plan mortgage help lines, and we got nothing. So, we opted to quit 'fighting' and do a short sale. We received an offer on the house, earnest money and we had a fabulous Realtor on our side. Would the bank except it? NO. They said due to FHA guidelines we could've been making our house payment for the last 6 months so they don't have to work with us. Remember, they  wouldn't accept a payment. Furthermore, they were working off our shop income as our personal income. They said that we'd made $130,000 in the last 6 months so there was no reason we couldn't make the $15,000 payment. Of course we did not make $130,000 in the last 6 months. The shop did, but not us. Over 50% of that money was cost of goods sold as well, not to mention labor, taxes, rent, payroll....... Anyway, very not fair. Roy and I have worked hard, gave it an honest effort and at last gave up the fight.

This Tuesday, August 24 our house will be auctioned off. I'd be embarrassed about it but the fact is, so many people are going through the same thing right now. I find sympathetic ears everywhere I go. Roy and I tried our best to make it real and honest and right and well, the fact of the matter is, this house isn't that great anyway.

The great news is we found a place to live. Its ten times better than the house we're in. It's definitely an upgrade. Same house payment as this house, but now I have my Take Shape For Life income to pay for it. Tuesday night we get the keys and we'll start the move Wednesday.

So. That's the news. Please be praying for us as we make this huge adjustment. The kids are struggling the most with it but I'm sure once they see their new bedrooms, the creek in the back yard, the kids riding bikes in the new neighborhood, they'll be fine. The rough part is just dealing with all this at the same time as mom and Kerry go through their surgeries and various doctors appointments. Prayers are appreciated.

The Road Not Taken

I took this photo myself on our little mountain adventure this past Wednesday. It's taken at the Barlow Road Tollgate on Hwy 26. Every time I come to a fork in a trail like this I think of the poem by Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken."  In the event that you don't know this one, I'll share it below here.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
in leaves no feet had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference -- Robert Frost

Robert Frost has a great poetic interpretation of many people's thoughts when they come to a fork in the road, I'd like to offer my thoughts on the road less traveled. 

Many times we go through life just trudging along. Its fairly easy. We have our hills and staircases-metaphorically speaking but sometimes we come to a place in our life where we have to stop. Its too hard to move on and we have to make a choice.  One path looks incredibly hard and you don't think you can do it or even if its something you want bad enough to try. It's the high road.  Its hard to imagine ever getting too far up that path. The other road is the low road. I believe it would be the trampled on road. It looks easier, it doesn't require a whole lot of preparation or effort. I'm certain it is the one most often picked. 

The difference between mediocrity and greatness, good and great, sufficient and exemplary depends on you making the right choice at that fork.  In order to be great, you have to be willing to do what others most often aren't willing to do. Perhaps you have to pick a tad bit of discomfort or inconvenience. It's worth it to choose the road less traveled. The path less trampled. 

When you are faced with a bag of chips or a special birthday cake I want you to think about the path you are choosing. When you are discouraged and want to quit, that is a pivotal fork in the road. Quitting will lead you down the same road that many others have chosen and many others have decided to forgo a life of activity and health for the easy path. Choose health and life. Go from just surviving, the thriving. It's worth it. This is one path I'd love to see worn down and trampled. 

Personal updates:  I have now been back on plan for almost 2 weeks straight. I've had some rough days with worry and anxiety but I turned to walking and friends and Jesus rather than food. The next two weeks are going to be more of the same nuttiness but I think I'm getting a handle on things. 

Mom: Her birthday is on the 18th. She'll be 60. We're going to have a party. Not sure how rowdy it'll be, but I will be working on it. Surgery still scheduled for the 19th. Still not 100% sure what kind of surgery she's opting for, a lot of that depends on her appointment today with the geneticist. 

Step-Dad: Surgery to repair the other worn out retina scheduled for the 30th. Mom will probably not be in any position to take care of him, or him her so...

Me: In addition to my duties as the nanny of the parents, I am moving this month. Looks like we'll be moving the week after my mom's surgery and before step dad's. We've had a long battle with our mortgage company. The details aren't important, but we're all going to be ok. Just another layer of craziness.  Our new home is in East Gresham and a long way from Target. How will I ever endure? LOL  I am absolutely determined to find other solutions to my anxiety that are not food related. I am absolutely determined to stay on program learning the habits of health and teaching them as well.

Take Shape For Life: I have some vacancies. Lots of people reached their goals and I want to help more do what they did! If you're one of them, can I bribe you into giving me some before and after pictures??  If you would like to talk about Take Shape For Life, the NO Fail, completely safe, pill free, drug free, diet free approach to life long health, please feel free to call, email, text, ect. Don't be afraid to just ask questions, I'm open to whatever you throw at me and better yet, I look forward to it! 

The people that were at Wednesday nights FIT meeting got to meet my daughter, Katie. She will be assisting me with outgoing calls this month. Incoming, please, send them all to me. 

As for the FIT meetings, I will not be there next Wednesday because it is my Mom's birthday before her surgery. I encourage you to attend however. See below for times and directions! We are going through the Habits of Health DVD series! Its amazing and I learn a ton, I know you will too! 

503-936-9728

What I've Been Going Through This Month....

Crazy is the new normal. But then, even the state of crazy can be a porthole to another level of insanity. I really want to take some time to explain where I’ve been, what I’ve been up to, why I haven’t been the best role model or support out there recently.  My level of personal growth has been through the roof this month and facing the month of August, I really want to head into it with a new level of maturity and grace.  So here’s my story.

The Background Information: As many of you know, July was busy with my trip to Texas. The days prior and the days after were about getting ready or getting settled. It’s not easy leaving 4 kids and a husband behind for a week. Also prior to my leaving my mom had an abnormal mammogram.  She had a biopsy scheduled for July 14^th, and we were going to try not to worry about it until then so Mom went to Kentucky to see my sister and I went to Texas. Mom had her biopsy and then we had to wait for a little bit for those results. They said they’d call Friday or Monday. Friday came and went leaving us to speculate all weekend. Monday came and right at the end of the day the doctor called. He said he didn’t have enough information yet but it was cancer. July 21^st Mom had an appointment with the surgeon. This is when we found out that it was an invasive form of breast cancer, somewhere between a stage 1 and stage 2. She was given 4 treatment options. As of today, we’ve narrowed it down to two. One option was not treat it at all and die within 4-5 years. Gladly she discarded that option quickly. Right now we’re (I say ‘we’ like I’m going through this too!) proceeding with the plan to either do a lumpectomy with radiation or double mastectomy. The thought for that is that we believe this is a genetic problem and if we just perform the lumpectomy she’ll be dodged with the threat of breast cancer the rest of her life. We have until the morning of the surgery to make that decision so prayers are appreciated on this matter.

Last Thursday, my mom’s husband worked all day in the yard (they live on 20 acres) and he came in saying something was wrong with his eye. He couldn’t see. Friday morning Kaiser called and asked Mom to come in for a nuclear MRI. Kerry (mom’s husband) decided to get his eye checked out. Friday just spiraled out of control really fast. My husband Roy and my boys had all taken off for their annual boys weekend and I was trying to spend the weekend with my girls. It was in the early afternoon that I got the frantic call from my mom saying that Kerry needed to have surgery to reattach his retina. The surgery needed to be performed at OHSU Casey Eye Institute. With mom dealing with her breast cancer and a big plate of uncertainties, this was a little much for everyone. The newest uncertainty was, will Kerry be able to see out of his right eye ever again.

Saturday morning, Kerry had a reaction to the anesthesia. He had some seizures, quit breathing, and scared my mom half to death. Later I heard that the doctor was completely calm during the ordeal and just tapped him on the chest to wake him up. The call I got from my mom was mumbled up with hysteria and tears. All she told me was that “I almost lost him, Chair” (mom calls me ‘chair’ sometimes)  The doctor sent them home but the drive is long and mom was afraid so she just kept driving. She got home, all the way out in Molalla and realized she forgot all Kerry’s prescriptions. So Allison and I went and picked up the prescriptions and drove them out to their house.

Prognosis on Kerry: We won’t know if he’ll have his vision restored on that right eye for 4 or 5 weeks. We know that the left eye is also about to fall apart, so he will need to have that retina patch welded here soon as well.

Plan and prognosis for Mom: Right now surgery is scheduled for August 19^th. The day after her 60^th birthday. How extensive that surgery will be, remains to be seen as of yet because Mom hasn’t officially declared her treatment of choice.   Either way it will either involve chemo or radiation for some time after the surgery.

What is the plan for me this month: I really hope you’ve hung in there long enough to read to this part. Let me start with the technical first off. Kerry (step dad) is in no position to take care of mom right now, get her to her pre-op appointments, surgery or whatever. My sister is in Kentucky and can’t likely get here in time to help. Likewise, Mom is in no position to take care of Kerry right now. She’s too emotional and scared. My mom’s doctor has declared Kerry unfit for driving her or for after surgery care so I’ve been declared the caretaker/chauffeur.

How is my own health? Let me be upfront and tell you, waiting at hospitals with closed cafeterias and nothing but vending machines around, it’s pretty impossible to be on plan. Both times I was called to the hospital, I didn’t have time to go home and pack a day’s worth of food before I left. (this is a good reminder, clients, always have a lot of food with you when you go out! I had food, just not enough for me and allison for a whole day... but it would've been helpful to have a whole box of bars in the car... like there is now!) The stress has been incredible. I don’t remember a time in my life where I’ve been faced with every single eating trigger all at once. Lonely (Roy was gone), scared, nervous, hopeless, uncertain, bored,  guilty,  depressed…you name it.  So, I fell off the proverbial wagon again. I don’t even remember what I ate or how much. I remember thinking that the crunching made me feel like I was doing something and I thought that was weird. I had been battling with my depression- feeling like I can’t do much of anything and am good at pretty much nothing.

The good news is that just since last Saturday, I feel like I’ve grown emotionally by leaps and bounds! I am looking at how I handled the last week and although, I’m disappointed in myself, I can say plainly that it isn’t good enough. I know who I am, I know what my strengths are, I know who is counting on me to be stable emotionally and physically.

I’ve been watching Dr. Anderson’s DVD series “The Thin Healthy Mind” and learning about how these habits form and what happened is when all that stress was taking place, my brain switched to auto-pilot. I just started doing again, what I’ve always done when faced with stress. I realize that the month of August and perhaps September are going to be hard and I cannot afford to deal with my stress the same old way.  I need to switch to manual drive for a while, be very aware of what I’m eating, what I’m saying, what I’m doing and be prayerful about it all as well.

So here’s my formal apology:  Although most of the stress has taken place this past week, it all started before I left for Texas. I have moments of strength, but more often than not, I have felt weak and drained.  I want to apologize for not being the best coach ever during this time. I signed up several new clients this month and I’m afraid they haven’t gotten to see the best side of me yet. I’m sorry that I haven’t taken responsibility for my own health or for my own schedule. I’ve learned so much in the quiet times, waiting and praying.

The month of August, will, without a doubt be a challenge but I am up for it. I am not losing sight of my hope, my Jesus, my future or my goals or YOURS. I feel like, as I begin this journey through the battle field of breast cancer and blindness that I am ready and I am fully armored and prepared as I can be to face all this insanity.

Take shape for life:  I’m excited for how TSFL is changing people’s lives right now. Every day I hear stories that inspire me, remind me of my purpose statement and what wonderful clients I have. I am still growing my business, I am still taking care of my clients and I am still taking on new ones. One of the neat things right now is that a lot of the people that started in January are reaching their goals and transitioning into a maintenance plan! I should count how many there are. You’d be surprised I think. That leaves me with room for more. I will have a lot of time to take calls, to respond to emails and instant chat this month, so please do not hesitate to contact me for whatever you need. Trust me, hearing you lost another 4 lbs this week will only encourage and support ME!

This weekend, I’m taking my kids camping. We’re going to get away as a family for just a few days while we can. Then Monday, I will be hitting my own health with the TSFL hammer, hard core. I really would like you all to feel free to hold me accountable as well.

If you’d like to join me, learn some Habits of Health or give TSFL a try, please feel free to call me! I really am here for you as often as you need and we can meet at Starbucks and talk or we can skype, email back and forth or whatever is most comfortable for you.

I got my head in the game now. Watch out world. 

Featuring Leigh....

I have become acquainted and befriended by one of my dad's clients and she had been struggling a lot with her feelings and dealing with her food issues (we all have them.) I just encouraged her over and over again to get it down on paper, write it out. I am sure if you are one of my clients you've heard me say this before, but journaling and blogging are really key to mastering our emotional connections to our weight and conqueroring  our frustrations! Well, she finally did it! She sent me a copy of her first journal entry and I asked permission to feature it here on my blog this week. She was more than happy to share.

Feel free to leave any encouraging words behind to my friend! I'm so incredibly proud of her and her journey this far. She blesses my sox off and I'm sure she'll bless yours as well..... 

July 15, 2010

I did my measurements for the first time…wow, I am huge!!!  I was bigger though, because I have lost 38 pounds in 10 weeks on TSFL.  This week I have passed up popcorn at the theater, homemade blueberry pie and homemade truffles…that’s really good and I don’t know why I am not excited about those small victories.  Charity and Robin were both telling me how I should celebrate that….but I don’t ‘feel’ victorious…I feel the pain and frustration of the struggles and why is it so hard for me anyway.  How did I get this fat.  Almost 8 years ago, exactly, I was 413 pounds!  I had done every weight loss program, and fad diet that I had ever heard of. I even had anorexia for a short time and then bulimia for over 13 years.  So, 8 years ago on July 10, 2002,   I finally was going under the knife…I had an open RNY Long limb gastric bypass surgery.  I knew I could die on the table…but I was so desperate to get the weight off after a lifetime of obesity that I was willing to go to this extreme.  The surgery was a success and I lost 213 pounds the first year….I was still overweight, but I was down to a size 16 from a 5x and I felt pretty good.  Over the next 8 years, I gained 81 pounds pack.  I wasn’t 413, but I was huge and back into a 2x.  My life was miserable.  The weight sapped my energy and I had/have severe depression.  Although the surgery was a huge help, I still never changed my lifestyle, other than staying away from sugar because it makes me ill. Also, resulting from the surgery,  I suffer anemia and deficiencies in vit D, and B-12, which my body no longer absorbs.  Why hasn’t my weight stayed off and progressed to a healthy weight?  I know it is because of not eating the right foods and exercising.  I still was eating a lot of breads and other carbs.  In fact I worked at a bread store/bakery for 3 years and then back in the school kitchens as a cook…always around food and always eating.  Even though my stomach ‘pouch’ is about 8 to 10 oz. now, I can eat the wrong foods in small increments all day long and gain weight…which is what I have done.  Even the extremity of having a gastric bypass did not ‘fix’ my weight and health problems.  I was gaining weight, having poor health, knee problems, energy problems and major depression.  I felt so hopeless.

At church I noticed a friend, Steve, who all of a sudden to me looked very thin.  I found out he was on TSFL.  I envied him, but thought no way was that for me…it’s just another fad diet.  Plus, what would my husband and family say about me trying yet another attempt at losing weight…I mean, I have been on EVERY diet I ever heard of, spent thousands of dollars and was still fat.  I dwelled in my hopelessness for a few more weeks and then brought it up to my husband.  I said, ‘I know what I want for my birthday”…my 44^th birthday was just a month away.  When I told him that I wanted 1 month on the diet that Steve was on…he said, “that’s really expensive…but okay, let’s check into it.”  I was really surprised that he was considering it.  We are the family that struggles month to month, payday to payday etc.  We had no savings or credit cards …nothing.  We talked to Steve and he explained the program and just prior to my birthday I ordered the first month supply of food.  I was skeptical but praying so hard to God that I would lose some weight.  My first week on program was hard.  For the first five days I was hungry, nauseous…had headaches, exhaustion etc….pretty much felt like poop…but Steve said that was normal for a few days and that it would get better.  By the 6^th day I didn’t have those symptoms and I was looking forward to weighing in on Sunday.  My first week’s weight loss was 11 pounds!  I was very proud and hopeful at that point.  I believed this could work and that I could lose some of this weight.  I needed to lose at least 101 pounds to put me around 180, a high-end healthy weight for my height etc.  This huge amount to lose was overwhelming, but I was encouraged enough by my first week’s loss to keep going. I heard there were many people who had lost over a hundred pounds on TSFL.   I made it through my first month with no cheating and a loss of 21 pounds.  I ordered the next month of supplies and kept going….it’s been 10 weeks now and I have lost 38 pounds!  I still suffer depression and that prevents me from the ‘feel good’ part of losing and getting healthy, but I am sticking to the program, going to meetings and communicating with Steve, Robin and Charity.  I feel like I have 3 health coaches who are all willing to help me and support me and I am blessed to be so fortunate.  I don’t feel alone anymore in my struggles with obesity.  My husband and children also encourage me to stay on program and they ask about my loss every Sunday and compliment me on doing a good job, or looking good.  They don’t complain about me making lean and green dinners and they don’t mock me for not tasting the fresh blueberries from our garden or the chocolate truffles Heidi made…they say, “good job, mom’.

I am hoping that as I get healthier, my family will get healthier too.  I want there to be a turning point to where I become more active and do some active activities with the kids as they too struggle with obesity.  I want to change our future and not be the fat family on the block who stay home and never do anything.  We’ve started swimming together this month, yes, I put on a swimsuit, so that is a start to being more active for me.  I will continue on program and continue working with my psychiatrist on my depression and am hoping for a ‘fully healthy me’ someday.  I give God praise for orchestrating these changes in my life; and gratitude to my family and coaches who are my encouragement.

If you are interested in having a coach, being a coach,  learning more about Take Shape For Life, learning about the role of a health coach, nutrition, weight loss or have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me anytime! 503-936-9728  or husk7736@comcast.net  Tonight in Hillsboro, OR and tomorrow night in Gresham, OR (see below for locations and times) you can come and meet with me in person and learn more as well! Don't wait another day! Experience HOPE now!

Take Aways And 'Ah Hah!' Moments

Take Shape For Life National Convention 2010 was life altering. It built on things I already knew. It added height to training I received in Orlando back in April. It has the potential to change America. 

Thursday morning we heard from speaker Brian Biro who taught us about 'break through moments.' To take that lesson to the extreme, we broke 1" boards with our hands. Yeah. It was nuts a little bit. We were supposed to write down things that were holding us back on the side with the 'X' on it. And on the back side, we put what our life would be like if we broke through that barrier. In case you want to know about mine, read on.

The side with the 'X' on it had "Good Enough" written on it.  I've lost 120 lbs. I've kept it off for a year. I've climbed a MOUNTAIN! I've found a calling that fulfills my need to be purposeful. I've achieved the rank of Executive Director (top 9% of health coaches) But I stopped there. Somewhere deep down inside I didn't feel the need to improve on all that and it was holding me back. Good is the enemy of great. What would my life be like if I decided to not settle for good enough? I imagine it would look like I had confidence, health, integrity, a healthy weight. It would include more mountains, possibly some sky diving. I would be 100% present with the people I am with. I would expand my business so that I could help more people. We got the privilege of dedicating our boards and I chose to dedicate mine to my Jesus and my kids and my husband. 

I was sure I would be one of the people who couldn't break the board. But it meant so much to me that I was determined. Even as I gave Eric my board for him to hold I grabbed it back and looked at it again. I wanted "Good Enough" to know that it wasn't "good enough" anymore. See the video clip here:

Click here:  Charity's Break Through Moment 

Now the trainings and the rest of the classes were informative and inspiring but the next most powerful thing didn't happen at a real TSFL event. Some of the leaders decided to hold a church service at the Gaylord Texan Resort on Sunday morning. I was up till 2 am the night before, woke up at 8:57 am (service started at 9 am!) and for some reason, just felt like I HAD to be there. So, I tossed on some wrinkled clothes, put my hair up, tossed some make up on and SKIPPED COFFEE and breakfast (gasp) to get there. Ran in a couple minutes late but it was still good. We heard scriptures, sang some songs and listened to people share. Many people had very moving stories to share. We didn't want it to be a Take Shape For Life event but you know, we were all so thankful. At one point in our lives (I think its safe to say its the same for all of us that were there) we had prayed to God for help with our health. We all felt like God had sent us a health coach and  an answer. One gentleman was telling about how he was getting so much attention for his weight loss. He called his wife to tell her and she said "Honey, did you give Jesus the glory?" and his answer was a sheepish 'no.' This gentleman stood up and made up for that giving Jesus the glory for his health and it was so precious. Am I pointing to Jesus every time someone compliments me or tells me how I've changed their lives? Well, I want to. I was thinking about how Jesus always healed people. He would heal blindness, heal leprosy, heal blood disorders, ect - this helped form the relationship so that from there, Jesus could give them what they really need. I think that when I am coaching people about their health, that maybe that relationship could open doors to share the giver of health and life and peace and joy. 

So my Kevin McCarthy purpose is "I exist to instill bravery." Making big changes in our lives takes courage and sticking with something or someone even when it is hard takes bravery. I have found this out and want to inspire others to do the same.  My Jesus purpose is to point people to Him, all the time. In order to do this I need to always be filling up my cup, every day, full of Jesus, so that by the end of the day I have something left to give still. My TSFL purpose is to be a part of Generation-H. A generation for health and to bring health to all of America and make a difference. This will take commitment on my part because I love Texas toast and peanut M&M's as much as the rest of you but I want to be part of this great movement and I want my kids to grow up in a healthy environment so they can be fit enough to do what God has called them to do. 

So that's it in a nutshell. My notes from the weekend are type written and 25 pages long but I am ready to tackle hopelessness, fear, obesity and poor health with God's help. 

Now I've been interrupted 100 times while trying to write this so I hope it all makes sense! Have a healthy week and I'll write y'all (a little thing I picked up in Texas) again next Tuesday! 

About the photo on top: This is my friend Crystal and my friend Amanda! Between the 3 of us, we've lost 410 lbs with Take Shape For Life! 

Short and Sweet

I really having nothing HUGE, or any life altering bits of genius to write about this week. As many of you know, I am heading out to Texas for the week. Leaving in about 11 hours. I'm pretty much all packed and ready to go. For those of you who are 'would be' creepers and thieves, I'm going alone. My house shall remain fully occupied during my absence so don't get any crazy ideas. :) 

Saturday I went to Oaks Park to celebrate my littlest sister's 14th birthday! Something monumental did happen there. I rode the roller coaster. It had one of those bars that comes down over your head. Not the same kind I got kicked off of at Six Flags, but It did have to securely lock in place. It was the first time I'd been on a roller coaster since June 2008! 

Let me just tell you how it felt. Really good. Really really good. Not "Mt. Hood" good, but it did have sentimental value to it and I cannot wait to go back to Six Flags and do it right! 

(So, if you don't remember the story, read my last post. I describe the horror of being kicked off the roller coaster in short detail there. I am sure you can find the story in older posts as well.) 

Think about what it is that holds meaning to you. What is it that you'd like to do? What is it that you can't do now that'd you like to reach for? Reach for the stars, my friends. With the proper support, you can do it. Call me. We'll write it out on paper and make your dreams a reality (God willing, of course.!) Best wishes to you all!

Transformations

TRANSFORMATIONS

Last week was certainly interesting. But in a good way! I've been pulled or pushed out of my comfort zone quite a bit and I always feel amazing once I come through to the other side. It started with my westside FIT meeting in Beaverton last week. Followed by a presentation on my Mt. Hood adventure and lessons learned. Then I signed up a new health coach (Welcome, Emily! She's going to do great, don't you think?!) Then on Saturday I gave the Take Shape For Life Presentation at Mt. Hood Community College in the Auditorium. Check out the size of that screen! But I digress. Let me tell you about what's on my mind this week.

THEN

Weighed WAY too much. A good day for me consisted of 7 items from Taco Bell, the kids playing quietly so I could take a nap after I was full and then avoiding people until I absolutely had to be with them. I think that, being a stay at home mom, perhaps I was feeling isolated and depressed. There was a cycle that I couldn't stop. Feel bad because I'm gross, eat because I feel bad, get gross because I couldn't stop eating. This was paired with a sedentary lifestyle.  

I've told people before about my breaking point, so if you've heard it, then skip this paragraph. Let me retell it here really quick.

MY BREAKING POINT

Obese as I was, I still enjoyed a thrill where ever I could find it. For my daughters graduation we flew down to Southern California to hop some roller coasters. I got to that Super Man ride at Six Flags and was pretty excited. The other coasters I had been on were fun. I was nervous each time, however, about whether or not I'd fit. This ride, I did not fit. With the whole roller coaster full of people staring at me, I had 5 park attendants jumping on me to try to close the gate. That didn't work. I had to get off that coaster, my daughter with me, and walk the plank of shame. Everyone knew that I was getting off because I was too fat. That moment ruined the rest of the trip for me. I was scared to get on any rides. I was depressed. I was embarrassed.

NOW

So, now, despite a few bumps in the road, I am down 120 lbs and feel better than ever. My immune system is strong. I am hardly ever sick anymore. I have learned the importance of healthy eating and movement. I've learned that it isn't about just one thing or one pound here or there, but its about changing your whole belief system about eating, weight loss and health. I've learned proper portion sizes, proper nutrition and proper activity. I've learned I love people. I love to help people, listen to people and talk to people. I have learned that Taco Bell is not good. Naps during the day aren't always necessary and you don't have to be full to get to sleep. 

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Take Shape For Life, my health coach Chemae and the support of my friends and family-that is the difference. You start with Dr. Anderson and his Habits of Health, you add the highest quality portion controlled meal replacements and you add a Health Coach. Magic begins to happen. You start to feel good, because you start to feel good you start to move more. Because you move more, you lose more. Because you lose more, you gain more confidence and you move more! Its a whole new cycle! Its a great cycle! This is the one you want! 

INVITATION

In conclusion, I'd love to invite you to just privately contact me if you'd like to know more about Take Shape For Life or my role as a health coach. I'm straight up. I tell it like it is and I will not pressure you. Even if right now is not a good time for you, get some info so you'll know where to go when it is time. Call, email, facebook, text... I'm available. You'll never know unless you ask. And by the way, this is not a program for obese people. I bet you know someone who could use health in their lives, has 10 lbs of vanity weight to take off, or needs help managing their hypoglycemia? ect, ect ect.

IN CONCLUSION

Check me out last Saturday telling my story at Mt. Hood Community College. Was the presentation perfect? NOPE. Learned a few things, kind of feel bad about one or two of them. And HELLO, check out my poor posture. I'll be adding that to the 'things to fix' list. But the thing is, I wasn't afraid to get in front of some of the people I admire most, a crowd and a big screen and talk! I wasn't afraid to fail! woah. Let me say that again. I wasn't afraid to fail. I just wanted to try, see if I am good enough to continue down that path and be invited back. 6 months ago, I got hives when I talked about calling someone on the phone. Now I'm here speaking on a big stage because I have the confidence to do so.

I really love helping others achieve their goals and dreams. Its my favorite. Don't be shy. Contact me today.

503-936-9728  husk7736@comcast.net

Being Inspired by Emily

Last December my friend Emily approached me and wanted to know more about how I'd lost all my weight. She'd seen on facebook what I was doing, she just wanted to hear more. We met at Starbucks, which is pretty routine for my local friends, and I just sat and listened to her. We talked about where she was in life, where she wanted to be. We talked about what things she struggled with when trying to get healthy and we began to create an individual plan for Emily. (by the way, I totally do this over the phone with long distance friends as well, in person is simply a 'perk' not a requirement by any means.) In January, Emily began her journey and a few weeks later, her husband Kory joined in as well. Kory, being a dude, reached his goal before Emily did. Emily assisted Kory through the transition program and into maintenance. Emily made healthy snacks for Kory, added fruit and grains into his diet and continued to plug along on her own journey. Yesterday, June 20, my sweet friend reached her goal. What an inspiration! Emily has done everything that I've told her to do. She's been 100% coachable. She's called me or emailed me whenever she was discouraged or had a question. For a while there she had a LOT of questions! LOL  But what joy is mine. I love talking to her, hearing how she's doing, encouraging her and when people reach their goals it propels me to continue to reach out to others and offer my help.

Emily has inspired me over and over again to just keep going. We're in this for the long haul. We are in this to make total life transformations. Emily now looks forward to adding food back into her plan, teaching her kids healthy habits for life and of course, shopping will be a total ball for her as well. I am going to publish the email she sent me yesterday here. Let me know if you would like to meet for coffee or on chat or something. I also have several opportunities this week where you can learn both about the healthy habits program, Take Shape for Life and the opportunity to become a health coach. Contact me if you'd like to know more! 503-936-9728  husk7736@comcast.net

Hey Charity,

I did it!!!  I reached my goal weight today!  I am at 120lbs!  I can't believe it's happened!  I am out of town right now, and our camera battery died, but I will take pictures when we get home.  I am so excited!!!  I lost 48lbs, and 41 inches total!!!  12 of the inches were from my waist.  I can't believe the transformation.  It truly is amazing.  A scary thought I had a couple of weeks ago, was that my starting weight was more than Kory weighs now!  That's crazy!  He's like, 9 inches taller than I am.  Anyway,  I'm so excited.  I haven't seen my parents or Kory's since the very beginning of this, like week 1 or 2, so it will be really fun to see them in July. 

Thank you so much for your encouragement and listening ear through all this.  Losing the weight was easy.  Now comes the tricky part.  The real test of lifestyle change.  I told my mom yesterday though, that one of the things I really like about the meal replacements, even more than the convenience (sp?) of them, is that they totally broke my addiction to all those foods that aren't healthy.  And as I transition, just like I did with Kory, the foods that we eat, are good for us and actually fuel our bodies. 

Okay, I need to get going.  I have little people telling me they are hungry.  :)

Talk soon,

Emily

Mission Impossible

Finally. June 13, 2010 at aprox. 6:30 a.m. I reached the summit of Mt. Hood. For the last 8 weeks I have set aside and forsaken many things to prepare myself for this adventure. I set my mind of accomplishing this big task and refused to stop until I met my goal. I had no idea that I had that in me. To be completely honest, I don't think I had any business up there. I was not ready. My heart and my mind were in the right spot, however, I don't think my body was ready for that sort of a challenge. I found myself in a 'do or die' sort of situation and had to push beyond normal human capabilities to survive. The extreme.

I have been thinking for 2 days how I could fit everything that I seen, heard and learned into one small blog entry. What are the highlights that I could share? I really don't even know where to begin. So, for now, I'll just share the facts of the climb.

We began at about 10:30 PM at Timberline Lodge. We were scheduled to meet our CAT driver at 10:45-11:00 PM. The snowcat was pretty cool. Huge, warm, lit, FAST...... it dropped us off at the top of the Palmer Ski lift which is at about 8500 feet. My research on altitude sickness shows that people are susceptible to altitude sickness above 8000 feet. So going up to that elevation within 30 minutes probably had its draw backs. I don't know though, I'm assuming. We were in no hurry at that point. We didn't want to be on the steep parts too much before day break and we did not want to be the first ones on the summit. We were hoping that the next load of climbers would lead the way so we walked slowly. By the time we reached the Hogsback, we were surrounded by good company and professional climbers.

The Class 1 climb "The South Side" as I knew it followed the Hogsback ridge up and through the Pearly Gates. The Hogsback apparently has been moving left so its not a straight shot up through the Pearly Gates anymore. Furthermore, there is a bergschrund (glacial crevasse) across the Hogsback, big enough for a semi-truck to fall in. Can't go around that huge beast. People died falling into it in 2002 (see http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/News_HeliCrash.htm for that story and a picture) I wish I would've gotten a picture of it. Hopefully dad did. So climbers had to resort to what we refer to as "The Old Chute" This can be approached a few different ways but we followed the professional guides before us. Up and over the Hogsback, down below the fumerol pits then up the chute. The final push for the summit was terrifying to me. The wall was too steep, I didn't trust my crampons (metal teeth you strap to your shoes to grab the ice) I was tired, sore, I had a migraine that was making me want to throw up and frankly, I felt like I was at the end of my rope. But I was so close to the top it would've been embarassing and lonely to sit there and wait for the rest of my party to summit while I sat crying like a baby. So with my dad yelling at me, I put one foot in front of the other, one hand in front of the other, allowed the tears to freeze like little icicles from my nose and pushed on. Several times I got hit in the head with some ice chunks. Thank God my dad forced me to wear a dumb helmet. I think what added additional fear for me was seeing how the other groups were belaying and setting hooks and tying themselves to the mountain.... and we were not. I was so unsure of myself and seeing that others more experienced then I, were also unsure of themselves, I really would've liked to have been strapped to a Picket: (A "T" shaped length of aluminum 2' to 3' long pounded or buried in the snow for protection.) for peace of mind, if nothing else! After taking way too long on that dumb chute (I'll have nicer words for it next week, I'm sure!) we reached the summit. I have to tell you though, the whole time I'm scrambling on all fours trying to get up there, I am dreading the trip down.

You'd have thought that after all that I would've been happy to be up on the summit. I had anticipated tears, wild emotions, kissing the snow.... I just wanted to be home. It was windy, it was steep, it was scary. you could not get too close to the edges at all because the snow was over hanging and it'd just collapse with you right on top of it. I couldn't really take a ton of pictures because you'd have to take your gloves off to work the camera. First I was afraid my gloves, or my camera would blow away. Second it was cold. I did not want to remove my gloves. I got a few though. Not the pics I had imagined. I had made a banner that said "Thank you Take Shape For Life" I was going to hold up. It would've acted like a kite and blown me off the summit right into the Columbia River behind me!

The return trip: Just as scary as I imagined. We were in a hurry now, had to get out from under the ice chunks that were over our heads before the sun got too warm. We had traffic to tend with getting down. We crawled backwards on all fours, on our tippy toes, jamming the points of our crampons into the wall, trying to have 3 points on the wall at all times. I totally busted my two big toenails right in half. Even when everyone else was relaxing, taking off their ropes and helmets I was still freaked out beyond repair. So, we moved slow. We had to trek this way and that to stay out from under the avalanche paths. We did witness a pretty big avalanche just above Illumination Saddle. Now, if I had been a tad more brave, we could've started glissading down the mountain on our backsides and gotten down quicker, but I was just still too scared. The fall line (the direction a ball would roll from the top) ends up over Mississippi Head (cliffs) and I just didn't trust my ability to go fast and stop myself so I opted to walk and I walked slowly. Once the degree of the slope calmed down I did slide down, maybe about a mile on my buns and really, that was fun. I wish I had been braver now to start that up a little higher.

My little brother, Larry and his mom (my step-mom???) Robin met us at Silcox hut on the way down. I cannot believe they walked up a mile in the snow with zero sunscreen or sunglasses. They had on jeans and regular shoes. And I will never forget this kindness. Larry took my dad's backpack and Robin took mine. They carried our packs down the last mile. When we got to the lodge, I RAN to the bathroom and Robin met me in the car there so I wouldn't have to walk over to my car. When we got back to their RV Robin let me sleep (I slept for 3.5 hours!) and I woke up to hot soup, coffee, chicken and a salad! Robin took such good care of me when I got back to the trailer and I get a little emotional when I think about how grateful I am for her.

The lessons learned are abundant. It may take me time to process each one into words. The trip was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I would've quit so many times if I didn't have someone yelling at me, pushing me forward and telling me I could when I thought I could not.

In closing, I really need to emphasize that first Philippians 4:13 played on through my head over and over again. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I wouldn't not have made it to the top with prayer, without the Lord willing it. There just is no way. I also would not have made it without my dad. When he signed up for Take Shape For Life with Chemae (my health coach) one of the reasons he listed that he wanted to lose weight was so he could climb Mt. Hood with me! I cannot believe he did it! I owed him that trip. But he yelled at me a lot. LOL I really was hating him on the summit of the mountain, but isn't that what a good coach would do? Empower you to accomplish what you thought was impossible? Dad, I think that you are a great coach and I love you. Thanks for yelling at me.

Thanks to Take Shape for Life. Thank you Dr. Wayne Anderson for your vision to get America healthy. How amazing is it when people get their health (and life) back? I have not summited Mt Hood in 25 years, and my dad has not done it in 30 years. It took more than one try, but today I've got the sunburn and aching muscles to prove I made it--along with my dad and my 15-year-old son Cody. What a life! What a transformation! Between the two of us, my dad and I have lost over 200 lbs and my kids get to grow up in a healthy family! If you are interested in learning how we did this, what Take Shape For Life is all about or about how you can be a great coach like my dad, then there are a few opportunities. Tonight in Hillsboro we are having a meeting at 7 pm. There is one on the eastside in Gresham tomorrow night at 7 pm and there is one happening in Bend, Oregon on Friday/Saturday this weekend (June 18-19, 2010). If none of those time slots are open for you just call me or my dad. We'd be happy to meet with you and share our stories with you one on one in person or over the phone. Distance is no object. You don't have to live in the same state! I look forward to helping you achieve your goals. 503-936-9728 husk7736@comcast.net