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Given that I have 138 pounds of lean body mass under this
71.6 pounds of fat, and assuming that 7 percent body fat
is competitive, I am going to need to weigh 148 pounds when
this is over if I expect to have any chance to win. The
bottom line is, I have 62 pounds of fat to lose; that's
5 pounds a week.
In his book, Bill Phillips says, "I have been researching
this for years, and I believe most people can lose up to
25 pounds of fat in 12 weeks." (See page 119) In
other words, whereas he says most people can lose 2 pounds
of fat a week, I need to lose 5. Some might find the math
discouraging - to me, it just means I am going to have to
work a lot harder than most people.
My children and I have a meeting every evening where we
talk about things. We talked about this and we were realistic
- that's a good lesson too. Three of my children are too
young to follow the math, but they know the difference between
2 and 5. We all understood going into this that we were
facing an enormous challenge and the odds were stacked against
us. That's important; it's altogether too easy to get "blind-sided"
by realities we choose not to see.
There is a world of difference between being realistic
and being discouraged. It is not possible to make viable
plans, and plot reasonable strategies, in the absence of
realistic assessment. That would be akin to making battle
plans while choosing to ignore the opposition's troop strength
and the logistics involved. To quote Bill Phillips, "Failing
to plan is planning to fail."
We weren't planning to fail - or planning to lose either;
I don't teach my children trash like that. I took advantage
of this exercise (no pun intended), to teach my kids to
take on problems by looking at them, from all angles, and
seeing the facts for what they are, whether you want to
see them or not. My youngest are 4, 5 & 6 but the underlying
method is simple enough that they can understand it. It's
the formula for life - identify the problem, develop the
facts, set goals, make a plan and execute that plan. It's
how you lose weight, or go to the moon.
Tip for Parents: Meet with your children
every evening - schedule it, budget the time and make
it a part of your life.
At my house, we meet after dinner with no food on
the table, no TV or anything else to distract us. Everyone
gets a chance to talk and everyone pays attention to whomever
has the floor.
The general format is always the same here - "What
was good about today, what would you change, do you need
anything, are you looking forward to anything, got any
good ideas, what's on your mind?"
We also have specific items on our agenda - lately,
we have talked a lot about getting Dad in shape and the
scheduling of our extra curricular pursuits.
This is not the time for discipline, it's a time for
positive reenforcement, the perfect time to recognize
achievements. Every family should do this; assuming you
do it right, it's something your children will remind
you to do and really enjoy.
The kids and I talked about all of this - we needed a viable
plan. According to the program literature, the BfL staff
is there to assist you with problems as they arise, so we
decided that I would call April (Extension 4504), my assigned
representative, to see if she had any suggestions to make.
Thankfully, their operation is not set up like the after
sale service/support systems provided by certain computer
manufacturers - "Oh, I'm sorry, this is sales, let
me transfer you to service and support," followed
by two hours on hold listening to "Notes to Nod Off
By," only to find that their "expert" is
the only person on the planet less capable of handling your
problem than you are. First reverie and now rants - I guess
I'll never make it as an author!
Anyway, the BfL phone was answered by a real live human
being who connected me with April right away.
April, as it turns out, knows the program, the supplements,
and the various modifications/combinations that can be tailored
to suit your specific needs. We spent a long time on their
toll free line discussing all the things we could do to
modify this program for me. It's complicated, and I'll certainly
share it with you if it works, but there's no use going
into now. I will say that the only one who spent any money
was the one who pays her salary and their phone bill. Like
I said, it seems to be a "First Class" operation.
Once we had April's input, the kids and I got our heads
together, looked at our strengths and made a plan where
everyone has a part. Having the kids involved may ultimately
prove to have been my greatest advantage. Who could imagine
me skipping a workout where my 4 year-old was expecting
to count reps and my 5 year-old was responsible for putting
a "gold star" on the calendar each day that I
successfully stick to our plan?
Today, as I post this, it is September 30th, 2001 - the
end of my first week. The pain is starting to go away a
little and I can almost stand up straight. Don't laugh -
you do the first sit-ups and crunches you have done for
a lifetime and see what happens! The fact is, I am feeling
good about this.
This is something I have to do and I've got good help -
the object is to make sure I am here for my children one
day, but today they are here for me. Like I said before,
the propensity to get fat is a monkey on your back - a 900
Pound Gorilla that robs you of your life while you're living
it and humiliates you in the process.
Talk's cheap, especially since we are just getting started,
but my money says we are going to show King Kong that he
got the wrong part in our little "Rocky" movie.
Since I first started talking to people about their
efforts to lose weight and their experiences with various
programs, and announced my intention to try this on various
news groups and single-parent forums, I have received
a lot of e-mail. I really appreciate the words of support
and encouragement.
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