Salute to Success~ December 2013
Here we are in the last month of 2013. For my Salute to Success this month, I "Summer, 1998, at age 48, was my time of enlightenment, my mid-life crisis. The scale and lab work from my annual checkup showed the results of a lifetime of unsuccessfully battling oppressive overweight and obesity. Additional medications were prescribed, and I referred to myself as a walking pharmacy. As usual, my response to the disappointing news was to go on a strict diet, and I managed to lose a few pounds before going back to work from vacation, when a co-worker talked me into rejoining Weight Watchers with her, for my tenth time. My weight was 251 in July, 1998, and I remain an active, Lifetime Weight Watcher member. I am a slow loser, but had decided that at age 48, it was time to be patient with a sensible weight-loss program designed to be managed over a lifetime. It took over three years of dedication to their program to reach a 75 pound weight-loss. I maintained that loss for seven years, without any yo-yo weight fluctuations. Steady. Stuck. I decided over and over again to continue on course - that my accumulated loss was probably as reasonable as any middle-aged woman should expect. Then, I met Richard Simmons! Searching for a replacement of my missing VHS tape, STTO2, I stumbled into his web site and found much more than his DVD collections! Soon, I wanted to join Richard’s clubhouse.
With a handsome husband, three wonderful, beautiful children, and my strong faith in God who tells us to take care of our bodies, you would think that health would have been my first priority. It was not, until I saw health slipping away. There have been a multitude of surprise bonuses discovered during the past 15 years. Health and vitality improved, developed, and strengthened during the years as I diligently purified my methods of cooking, eating, and exercising - even when I wasn’t losing weight. I really never knew the benefits of being in excellent health…until it happened. The blessings of continuous improvement still seem to be happening, even through my last four years of maintenance. A sense of peace has come over me, and I now fully embrace my new lifestyle, wondering how on earth I was so completely duped into thinking that poor Richard taught me that it was FUN to exercise! He taught me that it was FUN to get creative in the kitchen. Fun was the ingredient I needed to finish the job of getting to goal and staying there. Richard proved to me, through challenges, that eating pure and clean tasted better and was more satisfying than lightening old unhealthy favorite recipes for the sake of saving a few calories. The best appetite suppressants in the world are enjoying our experiences and FEELING GOOD! I reached my Weight Watcher goal, with a weight my doctor set for me, in June, 2009. My HTN weight (Hungry Thirsty Naked) is always under 150. I lost right at 100 pounds and have not exceeded my goal weight in over four years. By the time I had reached my goal, I was totally convinced that the healthy lifestyle I had adopted was the ONLY lifestyle I was interested in to continue throughout the remainder of my life. I continue to use the same methods in maintenance that brought me to goal: journaling, drinking water, weighing and measuring portions (especially the more delicious looking portions – LOL), and exercising daily. It is no longer a “program”, but the way I prefer to live. My family does not fully embrace all of my choices; however, most times they do respect my choices. I am quite selfish when it comes to this, because I have converted. I don’t feel as exuberant when I stray from a wellness-centered plan, and I love feeling exuberant!
In my 60s now, my favorite retirement hobby is making soup and healthful dishes…with personality. What better way to make someone want to eat a vitamin-rich, life-supporting, healthy soup, than by giving it a little flair? I have recorded my hobby into a book, which is in the process of publication, to be released by Dorrance Publishing, in May, 2014: An Exodus from Obesity: Enjoying the Ride. I write about the importance of support, and the importance of making healthy changes, even when others in your own household do not wish to make all of the changes with you. It is about making peace with food, and my new Souper Living ways.
Thank you, Richard, once again, for this web site and your amazing insight, courage, and energy. You have brought together like-minded friends, all over the world, Marsha, I am so proud of you. Thank you for sharing your story with my readers. Keep going strong! I know you will. Love,
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