"Winging It", "Off The Cuff" and "From The Heart"

Welcome to the "Charity Husk Cliche Festival!" 

Last night we kicked off our Lose Big Competiton in Gresham. Over 50 people showed up to compete for a grand prize of $300 Cash! The enthusiasm was high and the comradery was moving. We didn't know how many would show up, we didn't know if it would be a competition between 3 people or 300. We were hoping for 20. Because we were uncertain who'd come, the only plan we had for the evening (besides weighing and measuring people) was to wing it. If we had a lot of new people, we'd spend time talking about the program, if we had a lot of salty dawgs, we'd try a different approach. There was a good mix so we squeazed in the new program information, many thanks to my good friends and fellow health coaches, Amy and John Hardesty. Amanda Himes, another fellow Health Coach and Registered Nurse, weighed clients in a private room, ensuring 100% confidentiality. The evening was MC'd by my personal hero, Chemae Stevens.

I'm going to 'sidebar' here and just say a few words about Chemae. I know I've said this before, but I love that lady and am so thankful God brought her into my life. The special thing about her: she loves people. She genuinly cares about your feelings - thus she chooses her words carefully. She cares about your success - so she never gives up on you. She cares about your relationships, so she'll only repeat edifying things and always keep your secrets close. I wish to be more like a lot of people. Jesus, for instance. But Chemae has moved up to my 'top 5' 'I wish I could be like her' list.

The reason I'm sharing about the meeting and kick off 'party', as it were, is because I learned something quite profound last night. Or rather, I was reminded of something I'd forgotten in my quest and eagerness to help more people. Going back to who was doing what and the 'winging it' plan, Chemae asked me, last night, to do the 'testimonies' portion of the evening. The purpose of sharing testimonies is always to encourage and create excitement, provoke you to dream. I was glad to do it. I love sharing my story. I tell how I used to weigh close to 300 lbs (carried it mostly in my legs, seriously) and how my life changed and how I got to summit Mt. Hood last year. But then I had asked a few people to share their stories. They were caught off guard, had no idea I would ask this of them and had nothing prepared. They had to speak off the cuff. The testimonies were so moving. I was caught with a lump in my throat more than once.

There is Donna and her inability to get health insurance and how she's lost 100 lbs in 6 months and is now insured!

There was Patrick, who was depressed because the old 'get to the gym and workout more' routine was no longer working for him-but he found TSFL and the 60 lbs melted off him!

Trudy. Precious girl, had a lot on her plate last year, including a death in the family. Talked about her 90 lb weight loss and how her daughter can wrap her arms around her now and how she is COACHING baseball! Great things are in store for Trudy!

David. He lost 8 lbs. Didn't need to lose a lot, but was suffering from chronic heartburn. He feels amazing now. His wife, Amanda lost 40 lbs and she loves boasting about how you don't have to have a HUGE weight loss to a 'story' or to inspire others! Her life has changed so much and her story is as big as her heart!

Jana. She was nervous about sharing. Mainly because she hadn't before and I sprung it on her. She hadn't 'prepared' anything. Her story was very moving and she just spoke from her heart. She told about how she lost 38 lbs and her 16 yr old daughter wears her jeans. There was some funnies in there. She said the biggest thing people noticed about her was that 'her smile' was back. She's happy and in control of her food, eating and her weight, where she had previously felt out of control. Her smile is back. That put a smile on everybody's face.

Here is the lesson I learned. I've been working overtime, trying to bribe and beg people to try Take Shape For Life. I have had so many 'specials' floating around that sometimes I lose track. Free food, free shipping, $50 off, free set of Habits of Health books..... $300 cash prize for the biggest loser. I've forsaken why I really do this. What is it about Take Shape For Life that draws people in? Is it the freebies??  OR is it the heartfelt stories, the true life transformations and the hope for a better future?

Nobody paid me to try Take Shape For LIfe. I started because I seen other lives changed and that is the business I'm in now. Life change, transformations, dreaming, health, not settling for good when you can have great. For me, this is what Take Shape For Life is about. Now. I'm not withdrawing offers on the table. I do have quite a few and will honor them, gladly! But there is much more to this program then food and I encourage you, if you haven't yet.... give it a try.

There is still time to join our Lose Big competition. You'll have a little bit of a disadvantage, but who knows, you could still win  the $$. Everyone wins with this competition though. The motivation, the encouragement and the lessons are well worth your time.

Next week, January 19th, we'll be starting a series called "The Habits of Health" and we'll learn a lot about how we got where we are and how to get where we want to be. This is free and anybody is welcome to come.

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.