Jeff Blogs

It’s hard to believe but just two short months ago I began this weight loss journey. I weighed more than I had in my entire life and I was ripe for change. After extensive research I decided the Take Shape For Life program best met my needs while feeding my desire to see measurable results both long-term and short-term.

What attracted me to this system were not just the results from other customers but the program as a whole. You are given a personal health coach who is there every step of the way. They are there to answer questions, provide encouragement, and help you through the rough spots.

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I never realized how self-conscious I was about gaining weight until I started looking back over the photographs that we had taken over the past few years. I realized that I was in very few of the pictures. I wanted to say that was because I was always the one taking the pictures but the truth was I just was not comfortable having my picture taken.

Each one of those photos was a constant reminder of how I had let my life get out of control and how it was causing me to become less and less healthy. It was not until our trip to Disneyland last October that I came to the conclusion that I needed to stop the spiral of bad eating and health choices I was making or this very well could be the last family vacation I would ever take with my children.

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Holidays have to be a dieter’s worst nightmare. In our family it would seem that we are always looking for a reason to have a party; one that includes as many favorite foods as you can possibly include. Holidays are one of the biggest reasons why I chose to begin my diet when I did.

There was no way I wanted to be on a structured eating plan during Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. There are just too many comfort foods that I could never see myself doing without. Since being on this diet, some of that has changed but I still would have a hard time not partaking of oven-roasted turkey with grandma’s stuffing and what would Thanksgiving be without a slice of Trina’s hot apple pie? Even the thoughts of those tastes and smells bring back fond memories.

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Let me start off by saying I am not Catholic, I’ve never been Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, as well as some Baptist and Mennonite. And I’ll likely never be Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, as well as some Baptist and Mennonite so whatever I may write below this is purely from an observation perspective and has no religious bearing whatsoever. If this post somehow offends you I apologize; that was not my intent.

Today marks the beginning of Lent. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what Lent even was. For the longest time I thought people were saying lint and I had no idea why people were so fascinated with the stuff stuck to the dryer screening that you have to empty before every load.

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An important part of any lifestyle change is having a good support structure. Whether you are trying to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise, or any other change you need to have people who can support and encourage you during the difficult times that come along. I have been very lucky and have an awesome support group who is cheering me on during this weight loss journey.

My kids have been great giving me encouragement and noticing the changes even when others fail to notice. They are there to help me overcome any temptations that might creep up along the journey. When Valentine’s Day came around and everyone else was receiving boxes of chocolates and other sweet treats, my daughter Mallorie gave me a small container of radishes along with a note telling me how great I was looking and how proud she was. It was touching and really meant a lot at the time.

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