Amy's Goals for April

I promised to show you mine, so here you go! 

Amy's Goals and Objectives for Healthy Living: 

April

Target Heart Rate: 120-130 bpm (my goal, actual target range is much larger)
Calories per day to lose 15 pounds by June 1st: 1600
Exercise: Burn 300 calories/4 X week for 40 min with 30min of it at target heart rate.

Long-Term Goals -
Goal number One:  Lose 15 pounds by June 1st
Goal number Two:  Lose 25 pounds by August 23rd (Happy Birthday to ME!).
Goal number Three: Develop a sturdier core
Goal Number Four: Strengthen Back muscles
Goal Number Five:  Eat Healthier

Short-Term Goals - April
* Goal Number One: Lose 8 pounds this month (be 156 by May 1st)

•  Objectives for Goal Number One:
• 1. Work out 3 times on MACHINE 40 minutes
• 2.  Do different workout (video/walking) 1 time for 40 minutes
• 3.  Record everything that goes in my mouth to keep up with calories. 

*Goal Number Two:  Strengthen back and core muscles

• Objectives for Goal Number Two:
• 1.  Work on holding plank (which works all core and back muscles at once)

*Goal Number Three: Drink 8 glasses water a day.

• Objectives for Goal number three:
• 1.  Use refrigerator numbers to keep up with count

NOW, you show me YOURS!!!!  Email them to me at amyschaffner@cox.net and we can keep each other accountable to our specific goals!

And the March Winner is......

And March's Winner is......drum roll please........

Matt Sandifer!!!!

Seriously kids, Matt is kicking all of our booties.  We all need to step it up if we're going to give him a run for OUR money!! hahaha, get it...

And in second place for March is our one and only

Maegan Herman!!!!

way to go Maegan!!!  Maegan, unfortunately, wins nothing but our admiration.  And I DO admire you....sigh.

So, how's April going for you so far?  Do you need a boost?  Read the last post again and GET ON IT.  

And for a special incentive for April to be a great restart for most of us (because everybody seems to be struggling), we're going to give the winner for April a one pound advantage in May!!!  So, if you lose 10 pounds in April and WIN, you will actually have lost 11 (get it??)!

Our PHAT challenge of the week is going to stay the same this week, because for some reason I just don't think we've all done this, and it is SO important!  How will you know if you've gotten where you want to be, if you never DECIDE where you want to be?  

In order to keep you more accountable to your goals, why don't you do the weekly PHAT challenge and email it to me?  That way I can help you more specifically in YOUR goals and objectives.  I'm going to post mine here for the whole world to see (because, of course the whole world read our blog...) and you can keep me accountable as well!

April is here, guys and gals.  If we don't kick it up a notch we'll be going through another bathing suit season HATING to take our kids swimming.  We can do this.

Failure Manifesto

Epic Fail

This is how I have felt lately in the area of weight loss and fitness.  After a few months of up and down and on and off I am back to square one.  That's right, one of your leaders has FAILED and is restarting.  I've been walking around for weeks kicking myself and mentally beating myself up and feeling like a big fat loser.  

Yesterday I had a breakthrough of sorts.  I realized that this STUPID pattern is what has kept me from life change for YEARS.  This pattern of jumping in with both feet, letting life get in the way, and then feeling like a failure and berating myself.  Where does that lead?  My life says - no where.  The pattern has to stop somewhere.  

And then today I was writing a blog post on my personal blog about grace and I realized that in the area of weight loss I have been giving myself NO GRACE at all.  There are reasons that I have not been able to lose weight, valid medical reasons and yet I have still put myself down constantly.  A total weight-loss Pharisee.  

I told a friend yesterday that I was back to square one and she said "Are you declaring war?"  My reply?

 "Why yes, yes I am."

I am declaring war on this pattern of mine.  War on all of our tendencies to start big and then taper off to nothing.  War on those dumb Easter peanut butter eggs that John brought home.  War on my own thought patterns.  AND I'm refusing to call myself a failure again.  I am not failing.

- I am Maximus declaring his intent to have his vengeance, in this life or the next.

- I am Jerry McGuire making hundreds of copies of his Mission statement while the football dude yells "Show me the money!"

- I am William Wallace screaming "FREEDOM" as they rip me limb from limb

- I am Danny on top of the hill yelling "Wolverines!"

- If the PHAT Year had an office I would be Martin Luther nailing this blog post to the door.

Um, I guess you probably get it.

I am declaring yesterday restart day for myself.  I will not wait for a Monday.  I will not wait for April 1st.  Heck, I won't even wait for dinner.  I WILL NOT GO ANOTHER SUMMER HATING TO PUT ON A DANG SWIMSUIT.  I just won't.

Now, I know lots of you out there are exactly where i am.  I know this because most of you have stopped sending me your weights, stopped talking on Facebook, slowly faded out of the picture and I want you to know that I HAVE NOTICED.  I am watching you, like a stalker.  Well, maybe not like a stalker....

So, let's not be a statistic.  Let's not be "the norm".  Let's do this thing, and do it together.

Who's with me?  WHO'S WITH ME??????

February Winner and Grand Total...

Congratulations to Matt Sandifer!  February's winner has been working his tail off - literally!!!!!

Matt has been such an encouragement to me, and I know to all of you.  I love how he jumps in to the facebook Phattys page and pushes us all to be our best!  Keep it up, Matt!  

I know I need the encouragement!!  

Our runners up have been working pretty hard, too.  I have to give a shout out to my co-leader who is AMAZING me with her determination and hard work.  She has let me in on a little PHAT Faith that she's working up to post soon, so watch for it!

So, are you ready for our grand total for two months of hard work?

February grand total: 57.3

2012 Grand Total to Date: 219.7

Amazed.  Seriously amazed.  Thank you all for working so hard.  I am so encouraged by you and can't wait to see what March holds!

PHAT FAITH WITH FRIENDS:                                                         The Courageous Choice Lysa TerKeurst

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 (NIV)

I had the most interesting conversation with a friend who lives in Hollywood. Although her family lives in the midst of glitz, glamour and extreme excess, she said they are determined to teach their kids something rare… the courageous choice.

You see, there are two kinds of courage. There’s the courageous act that makes our heart beat fast when the knight fights the dragon or the firefighter rushes into the burning building. These are extreme events most of us won’t ever face. And because most of us aren’t put in positions to participate in a courageous act, we don’t necessarily think of ourselves as courageous.

But there’s a second kind of courage that, dare I might say, is widely available but not widely embraced. It’s the courageous choice. This is the decision to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular, uncelebrated and probably even unnoticed.

Have you been faced with one of these kinds lately? Probably one of my toughest courageous choices has been in the area of my food choices. It was my hidden struggle. The one I didn’t want to deal with or talk about. Not with my friends and certainly not with God.

But then I started coming across verse after verse in the Bible that spoke directly to my issue. Though I didn’t want to talk to God about it, God certainly seemed to want to speak to me. Verses like Philippians 1:20 as well as many more:

Deuteronomy 2:3, “You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north…” (NASB)

Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (NIV)

2 Corinthians 7:1, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (NIV 1984)

God assured me He loved me exactly how I was, but He loved me too much to leave me in a state of defeat.

I made a courageous choice to read the Bible looking for God to speak to me about my struggle. I made the courageous choice to walk willingly on the path of discipline. I made the courageous choice to pick something healthy even in the quietness of my pantry when no one else was looking.

I made the courageous choice to put a stake in the ground and say, I’m more than the sum total of my screaming taste buds. My heart doesn’t want that junk food. My arms don’t want that junk food. My legs don’t want that junk food. And my soul certainly doesn’t want that junk food.

It is possible to layer one courageous choice upon another and find victory in your area of struggle. No matter what your struggle is, are you willing to make one courageous choice today?

Make that choice.

And then make it again.

And then make it again.

You are courageous. Now, go out and prove it to yourself.

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I need Your divine help with each choice I make every day. I don’t ever want to step outside Your will and direction for my life. I am courageous only with You, in You and through You. Please help me embrace Your courageous choices for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Little PHAT Idea

How do you keep up with how much water you've had in a day?  Do you try to keep count in your head, or do you have some tricks?  I HAVE to have tricks.  I do not have enough brain cells to keep up with things in my head anymore.  It's sad, if it's all downhill from here then I won't know who I am in three years... anyway.

Just thought I'd share with you how I do it.  I use fridge magnets.  I have 8 magnets with water glasses and numbers on them that I keep on the front of my fridge.  Every time I drink a glass of water I move one down.  That's it.  Super simple.

Right now I can glance at the refrigerator and see that I've only had four glasses today and I need to get on it.

They don't have to be cutsey.  For the longest time I just had 8 random magnets that I kept in a row, but when you have a six-year-old crafty daughter who likes things "pretty", then you come up with "pretty".

Feel free to grab my image below and use it.  I printed it out on card stock and super glued them to kid 1-2-3 magnets I already had.  Like I said, simple.

Do you have any tricks?  Leave a comment!  Keep at it, Phattys!  

The Dreaded Word....

Ah, February.  The month of love.  The month of chocolate and king cake.  Stay focused, people.  If your husband brings you chocolate for Valentine's Day, you have my permission to bite him (just kidding, sort of...)

So, how's it going?  Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day?  Did you set manageable goals that you are reaching to attain?  What about laser-focus on your diet, did you think of a few things you could start doing right away that could make a huge difference in your health?  I would love to hear about it!  We need some encouraging stories, so get on our Facebook Phattys page and tell us all about it!

This week we're going to talk about a touchy subject.  Some people consider this a dirty word.  Some people do all they can to avoid this thing.....

Yep, I said it.  If I just caused you physical pain, I'm sorry.

The fact is, if you don't move your body you will shrivel and die.  Yep, I said that too.  Muscles atrophy, organs get sluggish, extra weight hurts joints and causes disease.  God made our bodies to MOVE.  And I don't mean move your hand up and down as you change channels.

You cannot be healthy without exercise.  You can get skinny without it (by drastically reducing calories which is NOT good for you either....), but you cannot be HEALTHY.  All the good eats, vitamins and water in the world cannot make up for a lack of physical movement.  One thing cannot work without the other.  It's healthy eating PLUS exercise that puts us in a place of balance and HEALTH.

Now, no need to weep right now over your lack of desire to power lift.  I don't want to power lift either.

Although, a little muscle tone would be nice, muscle does burn more calories than fat....but I digress.

BUT, can you walk?  Well, then, you can exercise.  There are SO many different ways of working exercise into your day that there is NO reason not to.  People generally think if they can't join a gym and go to a class, then there's no point.  If they can't buy a machine and spend 45 minutes a day on it, then there's no point.  This is all a LIE, and it will get you no where.  Everything counts.  Find something you enjoy doing, and do it.

 If you hate aerobics, then steer clear of Jane Fonda.  If the treadmill makes you want to punch someone in the face, then give the dang thing away and stop hanging clothes on it and feeling guilty.  BUT, you like walking?  Go for it!  You used to love to ride a bike?  Go for it!  Team sports is your thing?  Then join a team already!  Just do something!!!!

The general rule for maintaining health is 30-45 minutes, 3 times a week.  BUT, we're here on this team because we want to lose weight, so we have to step it up a little.  Let's go for 30-45 minutes, AT LEAST 4 days a week.

Weight loss really is simple math, people.  One pound is 3500 calories.  If you want to lose one pound a week then you need to find a way to cut out 500 calories a day.  45 minutes of steady-heart rate raising- exercise will generally burn 250-300 calories.  This morning I burned 300 calories on my machine, if I find a way to cut out 200 calories from my diet today and keep doing this all week I will lose one pound.  This is how it works.  Burn calories with exercise, create a calorie deficit with diet, LOSE WEIGHT.  Not rocket science.

But, it sure feels like rocket science when our bodies would rather take a nap....

Learn to take your heart rate, and find your target heart rate zone HERE.  Aim to hit that target heart rate, 30-45 minutes, 4-5 days a week.  You can do this.  We can do this.

Now, get off your butt and MOVE.

Even if you feel like this....

Month One Total Weight Loss.....

162 POUNDS!!!!!!

My hysterical sis-in-law has made us a PERFECT picture of our first month weight loss.  We lost an entire person.....so...... this picture is titled:

"I think we lost Jackie Chan!!!!"

I am still laughing.  Hysterically.

Month One SUCCESS!!!!

There are certain simple things in life that bring me joy.  Not just happiness, but absolute joy.  Quiet mornings with my Bible, a long walk, a good cup of coffee, the way my kids look when they first wake up in the morning, the way my dog flops back in my arms and wants to be held like a baby, a great book.  I have added to this list this month, YOU.  Honestly, the way you guys have stepped up and committed to living a healthy lifestyle and making changes has brought me real joy.  A friend the other day referred to me "mothering Team PHAT" and I laughed, because that is how I feel!

Congratulations on Month One!  You stayed the course!  Ups and downs, highs and lows, you are still here.  You lost tons of weight and are feeling great?  So proud.  You are still the same (or even up?), but are still committed and here?  So proud.  Honestly, I'm proud of you no matter what, because you made a commitment, you're still here, you are staying the course.  Monumental changes don't happen in one month, it's a baby-stepping sort of adventure.  Baby-step one - check!

You know, most people who make New Year's resolutions to lose weight have already quit.  This can't be a resolution, this has to be a REVOLUTION.  A total life-change.  I feel like we're walking that change together, one step at a time.

We've committed to drinking more water because hydration is key to health.  We've committed to making regular exercise a part of our life, not just something that happens every now and then.  Now let's commit together to really put a microscope on our diet.  Now, I didn't say "let's go on a diet", I said let's dig into the diet we currently have.  We all have a diet - it only refers to the way you eat.

Are we eating more processed food than REAL food?
Are we choosing fried over grilled or baked?
Are all the starches we consume WHITE, or have we leaned a little more towards brown?
Are vegetables something we make sure our kids get, but forget to eat ourselves?

I've always loved the "Change One" approach to weight loss.  It simply means you change one thing at a time.  Not GIANT diet changes that will eventually burn you out and make you give up.  What is something you already know needs to change?  Do you drink a lot of soda?  Do you add tons of sugar and sugary creamer to your coffee?  Does everything you eat come out of a package or machine?  Is fast food a way of life?  I'll bet that everyone reading this has already thought of ONE thing they could start changing TODAY that could make a huge difference down the road.

The one think I thought of?  Stop eating leftovers off my kids plates.  I have no idea why I do this, I even think it's kind of gross.  But, those leftover bites add up to an extra 100 or so calories a day that could make the difference between me losing or gaining weight.

What's your "one thing"?  Think it through, write it down, put it somewhere you see all the time and start to MAKE THAT CHANGE.  Change one thing today, add something else to it a few days from now, and so on and so on.  You'll look up a few months from now and realize your whole diet is different, and it won't feel like you've deprived yourself because you did it SLOWLY....

So proud of my team!  Praying that the Preparation for Health And Transformation continues!

Steak Knife or Butter Knife...?

PHAT Faith with Friends~

And so the question remains...who is keeping you in check? 
I am telling you, guys - we need each other. 

  Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Can you imagine how effective a dull sword would be?  Not very.  We are meant to live abundant lives of purpose and meaning, sharp and effective, making a difference in each others lives.  A sharp sword makes a difference, a dull one...not so much.  It is like a butter knife or a steak knife.  You get to choose which one you want to be.  It is easy to give in, give up, stick your knife in the butter and lay out this round, but don't!  You are worth the fight.  In this fight, I would rather have a steak knife by my side (I do enjoy a good filet mignon...but that is beside the point).  I imagine that some people don't care about their health because they don't feel they have any worth.  But be assured, You are worth so much more than you could ever imagine.  "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."  
1 Corinthians 2:9  
Every morning when you wake up, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I am worth it!  I am worth the fight."  Then look up to heaven and tell God, "Let's do this!"  
Remembering that with God all things are possible...all things.


So, get up off the couch, drop the twinky, pick up your steak knife and
let's get sharpened!

SHARPENING TOOL #1:  A GOOD FRIEND (or two)


<< Ecclesiastes 4 >>

If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up! 

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, 

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: 

                                                                                      “Bad company corrupts good character.”

 

You can choose friends who push you off the cliff or 

friends who catch you as you go~

 

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Choose friends who love God first.  For you see, "God is love." (1John 4:8)  So, without God (who is Love) they wouldn't even know how to begin to love.

I have already told some of you guys on our Facebook page that my brother, Joe, and I are reading 1 Corinthians together.  He asked me last night if I had started reading it yet.  I had to answer truthfully that I had not...(ouch, getting sharpened here!)  But what did I do that night?  Yes!  I dug into 1Corinthians with a renewed passion.   You need a brother, sister, friend who will hold you to the fire, and love you enough to sharpen you.  And so I ask, "Have you been in God's Word  today? this week? this month?  Even those of us with the bestest of intentions still fall, and how sad it would be if there were no one there to catch us...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~thanks for catching me this time little brother!





 C.S. Lewis Friendship Quotes

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”

“Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”

“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”

 

 

 

 

...stay tuned for more sharpening tools....

Don't Give Up!

"Six out of ten of us will give up and revert to our usual eating habits after just six days of trying to eat healthily." webmd.


Well, we've surpassed that stat, but the biggest statistic is that people give up after two weeks of trying to change their lifestyle.  DON'T BE THAT PERSON!  Stick with it, guys!  You're doing GREAT.  You will be so glad in June that you didn't quit two weeks in, that you didn't give up when it got hard.

PHAT FAITH....with FRIENDS!
Some of you might say, 
"What's faith got to do, got to do with it
What's faith but a second hand emotion"  
(sorry for the lyrical change up, Tina)
Faith is the foundation. Without a firm foundation whatever it is you are building will fall.  (Mt. 7:24)

Hey Friends, just jane here...
I used to get to teach abstinence in public schools.  I would go in there with great intentions, great lessons, great passion, and I still left feeling like I had given them false hope for they were powerless.  It was like I was giving them a flashlight without the batteries.   I couldn't pray or mention my faith in God.  I felt like I was saying, "Hey!  Here's this great tool to help you see in the dark, batteries not included"...the only problem is that it doesn't really work without the power source, does it?  The power source for those students and the power source for us is simple....just God.  “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” Lk. 18:27  Just God.  Nothing needs to be added, no extra parts, potions, or batteries needed.  Don't make it complicated...just God.  He loves us so much that He gives us a book ~the Bible~ to help us along the way, not just for this journey, but for the journey of life!  So, grab your bible and buckle up tight guys this is going to be like adding a Vita-mix shake of joy and strength to your already fun diet!  (Daymond can tell you that in our past attempts at "the year of fitness," I have encouraged him to drink some of my healthy shakes.  I think his favorite so far was the one that smelled like grass and looked like something you may have seen in changing a diaper.)  Well hopefully our little visits will be a little more appetizing than that!  That is what PHAT FAITH will be about - precious times of digging in God's Word to find help and encouragement as we  
Prepare for Health And Transformation.

 

The first Phat Faith with Friends will be coming soon....
you gotta have 
faith a faith a faith...

 

Try to print this verse out, write it on your mirror or maybe better.....on your fridge.  Read it over and over and over until you have it written on your heart. Just remember the price, what a price.  "You are not your own; you were bought with a price.  Therefore honor God with your body."  

Keep on keepin' on Friend, for you are not alone.  This may be the fight of your life or for some of us, the fight for our life.  But believe me when I say, "You are worth the fight!"
May you find strength in Christ, in Christ alone.

Amy's Big PHAT Idea #1

Any time you go on a trip, you plan first. Well, you SHOULD plan first.  Sane people do.  Trips go so much smoother when you have mapped out a route to your destination, packed appropriately and planned your days.   I know, because I've been on 10,000 trips, some well planned and others not-so-much.  The not-so-much ones tend to make me want to go home and cry for a few days....

But that's me....anyway...

This "trip" is no different.  Let's say we jump in the VW, and get 10 miles down the road before someone says "hey, where are we going?", to which the driver replies "Well, I was thinking we'd just start and see where we get to...".  Next comes "I'm hungry, did anyone pack snacks?"..."of course not, we assumed there would be snacks along the way."  And then there is a snarky "Well, you know what 'assuming' does..."  "HEY!  He's running around in his underwear!", "Well, that's because my clothes are dirty and I forgot to pack!"  You see where I'm going with this.

We need a plan.  We need a destination.  Your plan will not be my plan.  Our destinations will look different.  Yours may be to lose 50 pounds, someone else's may be lowering their cholesterol, and another to firm up the "bingo flaps" (as one of my friends calls them) on the back of your arms.  Different destinations, different routes, but all in need of a PLAN.

What are your goals for The PHAT Year?  I would say the majority of us are here to lose weight (with hopes of those health benefits coming in somewhere along the way).  You need goals and objectives. Written ones.  Posted where you can see them EVERY DAY.   If you have no goals, then how will you know when you have arrived?  Write a mission statement, put it where you can see it, live it, RULE it, and then get on with it!

What is your goal weight?  Is it realistic?  Is it where you were before you had kids?  Where you were in high school (I hope not!)  Have you set a goal weight?  Have you made plans for how you're going to get there?  We can't just get in the van and start driving, hoping somehow we will get there with no idea how.

And, if we go with the GPS way of life - not knowing the next turn until it's RIGHT THERE, then we're sure to fail.  We need the big picture.

So, number one - decide a goal weight.  A realistic, healthy one.  Here's a good way to start - your BMI.  BMI stands for Body Mass Index and  
"is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI is a fairly reliable indicator of body fatness for most people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat" (copied from CDC website) 


Here's how to calculate it - find your height on the left side and then move over to your weight.  This will give you your BMI number.

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So, find your BMI, then find a normal BMI for your height,  subtract your current weight from the normal BMI weight and this should give you a good number to shoot for.  Example:

I have realized the hypocrisy of the fact that everyone had to send me their weight, but I haven't told anyone mine yet....ICK - here I go.  

I am 5'6", 163 pounds.    BMI - 26.5 - clearly overweight.

To get into the normal category I would need to be 148.  

163-148 = 15 pounds to "normal"

So, normal for me could be anywhere from 118 to 148, but I can assure you - 118 would be anorexic for me.  I want to set REALISTIC, HEALTHY goals.  Remember that!  

A realistic, healthy goal for me is a 20 pound weight loss.  This is what I'm shooting for.  One day, maybe a little more, but in a six month period 20 pounds is a good goal.  That's about 3.3 pounds a month which is VERY doable.  

So, with my goal weight in mind I have put a calendar on my fridge with objectives to meet my goal clearly set.  

I hope this helps.  I would love to know your goals and objectives for The PHAT Year.  

Get our your maps, ladies and gentleman, and mark out your route!  This is the journey of a lifetime and you want to be ready for every twist and turn!

"Made to Crave" Webcast recap

7:00 PM, cup of coffee in hand, kids planted firmly in front of a movie, pajamas already on, notebook at the ready - I tuned in to the Made to Crave webcast.  SO glad I did!  I really like Lysa Terkeurst, she tells is like it is from the vantage point of someone who has BEEN there.  It makes such a difference to know someone is giving advice from a place of "been-there, done-that, still struggling with you, ".

In case you didn't get to tune in to the webcast last night, I thought I would recap it for everyone.  Lysa gave a great devotional in the beginning about stopping to think when you reach for food - is it a hunger-craving or a soul-craving?  Are you actually hungry, or is there some other thing your soul is craving that you are trying to fill with Ho Hos? (well, she didn't put it exactly that way....)  Good question, eh?  Most of the time I overeat out of boredom or just total lack of THINKING through it.  How about you?

Then she had Dr. Ski Chilton tell us about the 5 principles that could transform our health this year.  Seriously, five little things.  Who CAN'T do 5 things?  I know when I think about the mountain of healthy living I need to climb I generally visualize hundreds of things that need to happen, so someone saying only 5 can really help made me relax a little.

1. Reduce Calories
1. okay, this seems like "duh".  Dr. Chilton pointed out that we need to understand how our bodies work, how calories work.  Calories are little pieces of energy that our body uses to function.  Too many will be stored instead of used.  Honestly, it's not that hard to cut a few calories here and there.  I'm not talking monumental change, I'm talking less sugar in your coffee, 3 Ritz crackers instead of 10, unsweet tea instead of soda.  Several of those little decisions add up to pounds lost
2. Fiber
1. He called this the secret weapon!  If your body has the right amount of fiber, our satiety tells us that we are full.  To STOP eating.  28 grams of fiber a day is what you're shooting for.  I proved this theory last night with the beans I ate for supper and then felt so full I was going to pop for an hour.
3. Eat Fish or take fish oil
1. BUT, the right kind of fish.  Oily fish is the best - like wild caught salmon.  We eat a lot of Tilapia and they called that junk fish! (boo)  Apparently eating whatever fish you can is not good enough (boo again).  If you can't eat fish, then take fish oil supplements.  Good for your heart!
4. Polyphenols
1. I'm sure you're heard of these at some point.  One of those words that sounds vaguely familiar.  “They’re present in things that are usually good for you—fruits, berries, and green leafy vegetables,” Parks says. “Polyphenols have been proposed to exhibit health benefits in atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis and have been linked to increased longevity. There actually may be some truth to the statement that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’” (copied from blog)
5. Exercise
1. Dr. Chilton recommended hard exercise for a short amount of time.  We're going to delve more into the exercise subject in another blog post soon, but for now - just MOVE, do SOMETHING.  

And there you have it!  5 things you could start TODAY that would revolutionize your health by the end of The PHAT Year!  I'm jumping in with both feet.  Today I'm starting to take fish oil supplements (I've been meaning to forever) and I'll be dipping into my hubby's sacred bag of frozen wild blueberries alot more often!  

Jane and I both have a copy of the book "Made to Crave" and have decided to start a lending library!  As soon as we're both done with our books we would like to mail them to you!  We can start a chain - whoever has it mails it on to whoever wants it next.  First two who claim them on the facebook page gets them next!

Happy PHATing.  

Packed and Ready to Go!

Well, hello there.  Nice to meet you.  Pull up a chair, sit back and sip on some coffee while I tell you about this adventure we're embarking on.

26 people.  Packed tightly into a VW van.  On our way to a destination that we've been anxious to get to for a long time.  Maybe months, maybe years, maybe a lifetime.  We've been meaning to get in this van for a while.  So many excuses have kept us from jumping in.

- I'm just too busy right now.  Maybe when life slows down.
- I don't want to do this alone, and I have no one around me for support.
- I'll start Monday.  One more nacho won't hurt anything.
- I think I'm allergic to exercise.

BUT, no more excuses.  So, you're too busy?  One day when you're sitting in the doctor's office with diabetes or cancer you will wonder why you didn't make time.  One day when your kids want to go out to play, but you are too winded to keep up, you'll wonder why you didn't make time.  We all have exactly the same amount of time in a day, and we all SOMEHOW make time to watch TV, play on facebook or some other such diversion.

Need accountability?  Well, here you go!  That's why we are here!  We are sitting next to you on this journey, moving in the same direction you are, wondering if the ride will be bumpy or smooth, if we'll get snacks along the way, and when we're going to stop for a pee break.  All in this together.

What is our destination?  Good health.  That's it, that's the big one! (for you Christmas Vacation fans out there....)  Yes we want to lose weight, yes we'd like a shot at the monthly prizes and the grand prize (for that new wardrobe in smaller sizes....), but the ultimate goal in this journey is health.  Life style change, not quick-fix diets.  Eating and exercise habits that will follow you until you are 80 (but looking 60 because you're so dang healthy).

Here's where Jane and I come in.  We offer ourselves to you as a cheerleader, coach, teacher, encourager, and fellow passenger.  We'll be following all of your progress closely in our facebook group, but we'll also be jumping in on the blog with some practical how-to's and encouragement.

PHAT Challenge of the Week:  a weekly specific challenge to help you step in the right direction
Amy's Big PHAT Ideas:  a monthly (or more) idea (what's a better word for lesson?...) to give us some  practical ways of making this a lifelong adventure.
Jane's PHAT faith: a monthly (or more) reminder that this journey is not only about weight, but is a faith adventure as well.

There will be work.  There will be highs and lows.  Cheers and tears.  Big prizes and small ones.  But one thing is for sure - I can GUARANTEE that anyone getting in the van with us will NOT regret that they did when we reach our destination.

Buckle your seatbelt, your body will thank you.