2015-05-26T01:28:46-04:00

Here I am with my hedge shears ready to do some gardening. It's great to know that working around the house also helps me stay in shape!

Household Chores Can Be a Great Workout!

May 26, 2015May 26, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/Leave a comment

Not all exercise has to be done in the gym! In fact, many people all over the world rely on doing everyday tasks by hand as a method of both getting things done and staying in shape. Actually, for most of human history nothing ever got done unless somebody did it by hand! This was a particularly good deal for people whose jobs required physical labor, because not only did they get health benefits and a sense of accomplishment from their hard work, they also got a paycheck!

Now, I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with exercising at the gym, playing sports or doing all the other things people do to stay in shape today. Nor do I think those of us who are lucky enough to live in countries with computers, running water, dishwashers and all manner of other modern conveniences should stop using them. However, it’s good to point out that even if you can’t afford a gym membership or a personal trainer you can burn a great many calories all around the house!

This picture was taken a few months prior to the start of my weight-loss program. I weighed 281 pounds at that time.

When I recently lost 159 pounds in 14 months, I supplemented my daily fitness walking with weekly lawn mowing, as well as other yard work, and I am glad that I did! It added variety to my fitness routine and also saved our family the expense of hiring a lawn service. (You can read all about my successful weight-loss program in my upcoming book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! You will be able to order this book from Amazon.com and other stores in either late summer or early fall of 2015.)

During the last couple days, I have been working on a few home maintenance projects. Some were pretty simple like climbing a ladder and changing light bulbs, but others took a bit more effort. The one that was both the most rewarding and exhausting was redecorating part of our front yard with chips of sparkling white marble. Between weeding and raking the area where the rock pieces needed to go, carrying the heavy bags to their destinations, and distributing the rock so it would look attractive, I burned a lot of calories and had sore muscles the next day to prove it!

Fitday.com has an article called “Calories Burned Doing Household Chores” that I really enjoyed. I found it both encouraging and inspiring when I realized that whether I spent a day inside scrubbing the bathtub, making beds, vacuuming, and dusting or outside mowing grass, raking leaves, and weeding I would be burning as many calories as I would if I had chosen to spend my time working out in other ways. For example, the article states, “making beds for 30 minutes burns 130 calories, the same number you’d use if you jogged on a treadmill or flat terrain for 15 minutes.”[1]

The article also compared 90 minutes of vacuuming with 15 minutes of kick boxing and 30 minutes of weeding with 15 minutes of weight training. [2] What I liked best was what the author said about leaf raking: “Raking leaves for 30 minutes burns 225 calories. The resistance offered by the leaves makes this chore a type of weight training. Raking leaves tones all the major muscle groups in your body.”[3] I have always hated raking leaves, but this quote put this chore into a whole new perspective! The next time the two big oak trees in my front yard drop leaves all over the place, I am going to go out and deal with them with a smile on my face. At least I will be getting a good workout!

[1] Fitday.com “Calories Burned Doing Household Chores” http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/calories-burned-doing-household-chores.html (accessed 5/25/15)

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid.

I love sitting at my computer and writing weight-loss poetry!

The Weight-Loss Poet Shares the Fun Side of Fitness

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/6 Comments

Losing weight does not have to be boring and neither does reading about it! That’s one of the reasons I like to write weight-loss poetry. It’s great to take a subject that has traditionally been written about in a rather drab, dry way and insert some entertainment into it!

This picture was taken prior to the start of my weight-loss program. As you can see, I spent way too much time on the couch! I weighed about 281 pounds at that time.

In my upcoming weight-loss book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! I have included seventeen poems just for the fun of it! I put in some humor too! Of course, I also have included a step by step explanation of my weight-loss program, suggested meals, and all sorts of practical advice on how to reach your weight-loss goals. I really worked hard to make the book so much fun to read that people will enjoy it whether they need to lose weight or not!

The book will be available from Amazon.com and other stores in late summer or early fall of 2015, but in the meantime I have decided to occasionally include some special weight-loss poems in my blog that my readers will only get to see here, and today is one of those days! In light of my mission to make fitness much more fun I have written a poem on that very topic just for you. Here it is:

Fitness Can Be Fun

There really used to be a time

When I could not believe

That fitness could be any fun

It looked like pain to me!

But, one day I discovered

An exercise I liked.

I took up fitness walking

And it changed my life!

For one thing it was easy

Just one step, then another

It’s a great way to start shrinking,

As I soon discovered.

I just did it every day

Mile after mile

And the more the weight came off

The more it made me smile!

Then, just for variety

I started lifting weights.

That helped tone some muscles

And I thought that was great.

Then one day I decided

To explore somewhere new,

So Mom and I burned calories,

Walking all around the zoo.

Now I also have a treadmill

And a fitness bike I use

While listening to music

So I can stay amused.

I think the secret to getting fit each day

Is to pick exercise you like,

So it feels more like play.

It’s also nice to have someone

To work out with you.

It’s great for your body

And for your friendship too!

Here Is am in my fitness clothes ready to walk around my neighborhood.

Ten Tips on How to Exercise on Your Own Terms and Enjoy It

May 14, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/4 Comments

Almost everyone knows that doing regular exercise will help you lose weight, feel better and maintain a healthy figure. Unfortunately however, a lot of people either don’t exercise at all or exercise so seldom that they are unable to reap any benefits. The good news is that once you change your approach to exercise and do a little strategic planning, you can get to the point where you love exercise and wouldn’t want to miss it.

In my upcoming weight-loss book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! I explain all about the importance of choosing the right exercise program and making it both helpful and enjoyable. My book will be available to order from Amazon.com and other retailers in late summer or early fall of 2015.

As you can tell from my book’s subtitle, I did not do a single sit-up while I was losing weight, because they made me nauseous, but that does not mean that I didn’t exercise at all. Quite the opposite! I actually devoted quite a bit of time to exercise and I still do today, but I have learned to do it on my own terms and that makes a big difference in my willingness to do it. I also got quite a bit of exercise experience during my fourteen months of intensive weight loss and learned several things by trial and error that I would have liked to have known from day one.

The following are some tips that I hope will help you both start a successful exercise program and also enjoy it:

Choose an exercise you like! This may sound obvious, but it’s amazing how many people choose an exercise program based on the latest fashion in fitness instead of choosing something they feel happy doing. In my case, fitness walking was perfect for me. I loved it! Walking was especially advantageous for me because I already know how to do it and it was gentle on my extremely heavy, out of shape body. I was 5 foot two inches tall and weighed 281 pounds at the beginning of my weight-loss program and I wanted to be careful not to hurt myself. I started out walking quite slowly at first, but as the weeks went by and I got leaner and stronger I was able to speed up and cover more ground in less time
This photo of me was taken shortly before I started my weight-loss program. I weighed 281 pounds at the time.
Schedule exercise into your day. All of us do some scheduling every day to make sure we don’t miss out on doing things that are important to us like going to work, lunch with friends, and appointments with a doctor or dentist. Exercise should be no different. Give it the priority it deserves and select a time to do it. I have a part time job with a schedule that is different every day and changes from week to week, so taking some time to plan exercise into my day takes some effort, but I find the benefits of exercise to be well worth it.
Stick to your program no matter what else happens. My father once told me that he had heard or read some statistics that showed that most people who start an exercise program abandon it during the first eight weeks. This does not have to happen to you! Taking care of yourself is extremely important, because we all only get one body in this life and it’s better to take care of it now than to wish you had in the future.
Dress for the occasion. Wearing exercise clothing makes a great fashion statement and helps you prove to yourself that you are serious about what you are doing, but there is also another good reason to wear fitness attire. Many fitness clothing items are made from fabrics designed to make exercise more comfortable and easier to do! I particularly like the way walking and running shoes are made today. It’s true that some shoes with advanced technology incorporated into their design cost a bit more than the ordinary shoes, but I still encourage you to try some on. You may find they are well worth the money.
Bring a few things with you. When I do outdoor fitness walking I usually bring a small tote bag containing a bottle of water, a small notebook and a pen to record how much exercise I am doing, sunglasses, lip balm, sunscreen, my keys and my phone. If I am going out in the evening I bring a bright battery operated lantern so that I can be easily seen as the sun is going down. If I am exercising alone, I sometimes also bring a small portable stereo with headphones so that I can listen to music or the radio as I walk.
Have a talk with your doctor. It’s always a good idea to have a visit with your doctor before starting a new fitness program, especially if you have a history of health problems such a heart condition, diabetes, or various injuries that need to be taken into account when making decisions concerning exercise. If you have problems that are especially troublesome you may want to ask your doctor to refer you to a physical therapist. There are all kinds of creative techniques for exercise that a therapist would know that you may have never thought of, but would help you immensely.
Consider joining a gym. Joining a gym can be a very cost effective way to try out and use a wide variety of fitness equipment for one monthly or annual fee. Gyms also offer the benefit of getting away from distractions so you can focus on exercising for a set period of time. Some gyms even offer trial memberships at a very reasonable cost so you can see how you like what they are offering before signing on the dotted line. This is perfect for both beginners and people who may not be new to exercise, but are new to exercising at a gym and are not sure if they will like it.
Be sure to also ask if your gym offers classes that might interest you. Many gyms offer a wide variety of classes such as water aerobics, Pilates, Zumba, and even classes set up like a military boot camp complete with an instructor who yells at you and pushes you to do more than you ever thought possible. (I would sooner die than sign up for a class like that, but a lot of gyms offer them so some people must find them helpful.) Recently I saw a news story on TV about a gym that offered a class where the participants were doing various exercises on little trampolines while following an instructor and listening to music. It looked like a whole lot of fun. If my gym ever offers a class like that I plan to be the first member to sign up!
Consider hiring a personal trainer. I realize that using the services of personal trainer on a regular basis might be too costly for many of my readers, but many trainers offer the option of hiring them for just one or two sessions to help you set up an exercise routine that you can do on your own once you have learned it. They also are a wonderful resource for suggestions on types of exercise activities that would be suitable for your fitness level and personal interests.
Dust off your treadmill or other fitness equipment you already have and get back on it. Many people already own one or more pieces of fitness equipment that they have never actually used or have stopped using for one reason or another. The good news is that it’s not too late start using it now. I don’t know what brought on your decision to stop using it before, but I do have a suggestion for this time. Be sure to plan for some entertainment! I have a both a treadmill and an exercise bike in my house, and I can tell you from personal experience that using exercise equipment without entertainment is really boring! I love listening to music or the radio while I walk on the treadmill or ride the bike, because it occupies my imagination and helps me stay on the machine as long as I need to be there. I also know people who like to watch TV or use their smartphones to keep their minds occupied while they bike, walk, run or whatever they are doing on their fitness equipment. Just choose the method that works for you and get going!

I think one of the best things to understand about exercise is that it is a good habit that can be started at any age! I didn’t start my current exercise program until I was in my forties and I know people who were much older than that when they started exercising and they still reaped many benefits. Of course, if I could go back in a time and start my fitness program sooner I certainly would do it, but since that is not an option I just do my best one day at a time at the age I am. You can do that too! I wish you the best of success.

This photo of my mother and I was taken by my father this month. I like to refer to my parents as "my two best friends". They are my biggest fans and supporters.

Tips on Providing Support to a Loved One Who Is on a Weight-loss Journey

May 1, 2015May 5, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/3 Comments

Losing weight is one of the most popular topics on the planet today. It seems like almost everybody is thinking about it, talking about it, reading about it, blogging about it and tweeting about it, but very few people are actually successfully doing it.

Do you know somebody who both needs to lose weight and has a desire to do it, but can’t quite make any program that they try work? Maybe they need some help and maybe you are just the person to provide it! Now, I know some of you reading this are saying, “But what can I do? I am not a doctor, or a nutritionist or a personal trainer! What could I possibly do to help?” Actually, there are numerous things that can be done to assist a loved one on their weight-loss journey that do not require special training or a college degree! This is especially true if the person who is working toward reaching a weight-loss goal lives with you!

This photo of my father and me was taken before I began my weight-loss program. I weighed about 281 pounds at that time.

I recently lost 159 pounds during a fourteen month period and one of the things that really contributed to my success was the ongoing help of my family and friends during the whole journey and even beyond that, as I have been working to maintain my weight.

Here are some things you can do that would definitely be appreciated:

Start a support group. This group can be comprised of friends, family or both. My parents and I formed a support group the day I began my program and we still support each other now! The best part about supporting each other is that everyone wins. Not only did I lose weight, but they did too!
Listen to the person who is on a weight-loss program and discuss what is going one in their lives. Many people eat as a form of comfort and in order to stop doing that they need to develop relationships with people they can confide in, discuss positive solutions to problems and also just have fun!
Volunteer to help your loved one with some of their daily chores such as house cleaning, grocery shopping and cooking for them so they can have time to exercise. You don’t have to help them every single day to be appreciated. Just do what you can!
If the person who is working at losing weight has children, you can really do a great deal to assist them by helping with child care. Many parents, especially single mothers find a starting an exercise program practically impossible because of the needs of their kids. You can volunteer to care for the children yourself so the parent can go to the gym alone or you can pay for a babysitter so they can go to the gym with you. Either way, this can be extremely helpful!
Speaking of gyms, you can also help pay for your loved one’s membership if they are facing financial difficulties. If they want to go to the same gym that you do, ask about what it would cost to add the person trying to lose weight to your membership. Sometimes you can get a discount this way.
Help your rapidly shrinking loved one with acquiring new clothes! One of the biggest challenges during a weight-loss program, especially a successful one is figuring out what you are going to wear when you are changing sizes so often. Buying new clothing all the time can be really expensive and before you know it, whatever you just bought is already too big! One of the really wonderful things my Mom and several ladies I know from church did was to clean out their closets and give me free gently used clothes in the size I was wearing at the time. They took turns doing this as the need arose and I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am for that! Not only did they save me a tremendous amount of money, but I was also reminded how much I was loved and supported every time I opened my closet! I especially appreciated help with acquiring exercise cloths. It was nice to feel well dressed while I was working out!
If the person you are supporting lives with you, volunteer to keep tempting foods that they are trying to abstain from like ice cream out of the house while they are actively trying to lose weight. This does not mean that you can’t sneak out for an ice-cream cone or other sweet treat at a restaurant when they are not with you. Just don’t wave the tempting foods under their nose!
If you really want to be a hero, volunteer to follow the same food plan your loved one on the weight-loss program is following! This is especially effective if you are living together, because you will find it’s easier to shop and cook meals when everyone in your house is eating the same things and also your loved one will feel really cared for and supported. This works just as well whether you are following a pre-planned program from a weight-loss book or designing you own program. In my case, I designed my own weight-loss program and then wrote a book about it after my program was successful. The title of the book is No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! and it will be available to order from Amazon.com and other places in either late summer or early fall of 2015.
Gather your support group together at least once a week to discuss how your weight-loss program is going and what you can do to help each other. If you are all following a program from the same weight-loss book, it might be helpful to discuss one chapter of the book every week. This not only will give you something interesting to discuss, but it will help you keep motivated to stay on the program and to read the whole book! Some weight-loss books, including mine have a discussion guide in the back designed to stimulate thoughtful conversations about the information the book covers. These talks can be both and helpful and entertaining!
Think of your own ways to help! The ideas I have listed here are just the tip of the iceberg! Use your creativity and extend your hand of help in whatever way is needed! If you are not sure what the person needs, ask them! You are not only offering love and support by doing so, you could also be helping to save their life!

This photo was taken just a few days ago. I love being at a healthy weight and I am willing to work hard to stay there!

As Time Goes By: Tips on Maintaining Your New Figure Once You Have It

April 28, 2015May 5, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/2 Comments

I recently lost 159 pounds in fourteen months and I have to say it’s great to have a new figure! I feel great, have lots of energy and can wear clothing styles and sizes that I could have only dreamed of wearing just a couple years ago. I started what I call the “intense phase” of my weight-loss program in January of 2013 and completed it in February of 2014. From then I have been in what I refer to as the “maintenance phase.”

Maintaining a new figure once you get one can be especially challenging, because unlike the original period of time when a person is actively losing weight, which usually has a start date and an end date, maintaining your new figure is supposed to last a lifetime! Of course this means that the newly slim person needs to figure out how to live through all of life’s ups and downs and still remained reasonably disciplined where food and exercise is concerned. So far I have done pretty well, but my journey has already had several bumps in the road and if I know anything about life I can only guess that there are more up ahead.

The good news is that there are also plenty of days in life when things are going reasonably well and if I just stick to the good habits I put in place when I was actively losing the weight I should be able keep most of the weight off all the time and also re-lose any pounds I temporarily pick up due to a problem like an illness or injury that keeps me from exercising for a short while. I did have a couple of such situations already in the last few months and I am happy to say that I am feeling fit and fine and am back to my exercise program full blast.

Another type of problem that arises from time to time on a maintenance program is the temptation to overeat due to emotionally charged events that can arise in one’s life. I find the best way to deal with these things is to turn to God, friends and family instead of the refrigerator! One of the nice things about modern technology is that almost everyone we know can be reached by phone or social media even if they are physically far away. There are few things as comforting as talking to somebody who loves you and is willing to stand by you no matter what problems you are facing! Sometimes I still catch myself eating when I should be praying or phoning somebody, but I have gotten a whole lot better in this department and it’s my goal to someday master that completely!

Social eating can also be really challenging when a person is trying to maintain a figure because sooner or later almost everyone finds themselves at a wedding, birthday party or holiday event where cake and other special foods are being served and it’s both pleasant and polite to eat some of it. Do you want my advice on how to handle that situation? I say, “Go to the event, eat the food and enjoy yourself!” Of course I would also suggest that you use some common sense about how much you eat of everything, but if the only time you eat high-calorie items is when you attend a special event like a wedding you probably are not going to gain so much weight that you can’t easily re-lose it once the day is over. Of course, if you are a busy and successful professional wedding planner and eat wedding cake at every wedding you plan for somebody, you may run into some difficulties, but for everyone else the occasional sweet treat at a special event is nothing to worry about.

I have also learned that exercising regularly is extremely helpful when it comes to keeping the weight off. Now, I understand that every person reading this has their own situation to consider, but in my case I have found that if I don’t schedule doing an exercise I enjoy almost every day, I am going to start gaining weight again. I am 5’2” with very tiny bones and my natural metabolism is extremely slow. In order to kick my body into high enough gear to stay in shape I need to exercise at least a couple hours most days. On the other hand, I have a couple friends who very seldom exercise and they never gain an ounce. This does not seem fair, but it’s the way it is! Someday when I get to heaven I hope to ask God about why he made people so different in this regard, but for the time being I find it better to stop wondering about things like that and just get moving!

Fortunately, I have discovered there are several exercises I really enjoy. My favorite is fitness walking. I do it with a friend whenever I can, but I also walk alone outside or on my treadmill. There is also an exercise bike in our house that I have just started riding on a regular basis and I enjoy using that too. My secret for enjoying both of those machines is that I never get on either one without bringing along my little CD player that also has a radio in it. I love playing music while I exercise, because it not only makes the time go by fast, but it also can inspire me to exercise more enthusiastically. This is especially true when I am on the exercise bike. Fast music really helps me move my feet!

I also have a gym membership and I enjoy going down to the gym and lifting weights once in a while. My goal is to go down there a little more, but I am still figuring out how to work that into my busy schedule. When I figure that out I will tell you all about it in a future post! Meanwhile, I am happy to say that it looks like “the new me” is here to stay!

I have found the whole process of transformation from my initial weight-loss to my current maintenance program to be much more fun than I ever thought possible during the 32 years that I struggled with obesity. I wish I had started this program a whole lot sooner! Of course, one of the reasons I have been having such a good time was that I designed my own weight-loss plan with the intent of enjoying it. This was especially important during the first thirteen months when I was losing the weight initially. I ate only healthy foods that I wanted to eat and did only exercise that I liked to do. I share my whole program in my upcoming book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds Without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! This book contains my personal story, lists of recommended foods, 30 suggested meal combinations, insights on how to succeed, poetry just for fun and much more! You will be able to order this book from Amazon.com and other stores starting in either late August or early September of 2015.

This picture of me with the "Before" photo that I use when I do motivational speaking was taken by my father on April, 24, 2015.

The Power of Positive Shrinking: How an Upbeat Attitude Can Help You Lose Weight

April 25, 2015May 5, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/Leave a comment

There are many names for a cheerful outlook. Norman Vincent Peale called it “positive thinking”, my parents called it a “good attitude” and a famous song referred to it as “the sunny side of life.” The truth is that whatever name you give it, a positive attitude can do wonders for any weight-loss program and often makes the difference in whether or not a person is successful in reaching their weight-loss goals.

Recently I lost 159 pounds in fourteen months and I have to say that one of the most important things I did to lose the weight was to believe that my goals, though large, were completely possible to attain. I actually think this attitude was even more important than the food I ate, the exercise I did or the weight-loss and nutrition products I used, because even though all those things made a huge difference, I would not have made it through one day of my program if I wasn’t enjoying it!

Now, I do admit that when I first considered starting a weight-loss program I was a bit unsure if I wanted to undertake such a big project, but once I embraced the idea I did so wholeheartedly and never looked back! One of the first things I did to inspire myself to think positively was to write a simple, but powerful slogan that I said over and over to myself and anyone else who would listen. It was: “I am going to eat and exercise like a skinny person until my body figures it out!” I knew that if I was going to lose weight, my lifestyle that had caused me to become morbidly obese had to be abandoned and what better way to do that than to adopt the type of lifestyle that millions of skinny people were practicing successfully?

I also committed myself to the idea that my weight-loss program was exciting and that it was going to be lots of fun to watch myself transform into a healthy woman with a new figure. My program was in no way a punishment for eating unwisely in the past or a deprivation program that somebody else was forcing me into. Quite the opposite!

In fact, as I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I designed my weight-loss program to include only healthy foods that I liked to eat and exercise that I enjoyed doing! For example, I really am not much of a salad eater and I don’t like celery at all, so I decided not to put either of those items on my daily weight-loss menu. Instead, I ate foods like barbequed spare ribs, corn on the cob, apples and grapes! If you think that sounds like a whole lot of fun, you are right! It was! I was watching myself shrink and also was walking around with a big smile on my face. I had never enjoyed trying to lose weight before, but fortunately there is a first time for everything!

I tell my whole story about my weight loss and the specific details of exactly what I did to lose the weight in my upcoming book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! The book will be available to order from Amazon.com and other stores at either the end of August or the beginning of September 2015. I hope that everyone who buys it and tries my program has as much fun as I did!

A positive attitude is also a very important part of keeping a healthy figure once you get one! I have been maintaining my new weight for over a year now and one of the ways I do it is to remind myself of all the good things I enjoy about being thin like being able to easily cut my own toenails, tie my own shoes, bend over without getting nauseous and fit into any restaurant booth or airplane seat I want to sit in without a problem.

This photo of my mother and I was taken just a few months before I started my weight-loss program. I weighed 281 pounds here.

Now for those of my readers who have never been extremely overweight these little blessings may not sound like much, but trust me when I say that I am thrilled every day to be able to do these things again. I am 5’2” with very tiny bones, yet I weighed 281 pounds when I started my weight-loss program and my hips measured 5 feet around. I understand what it’s like to have a serious weight problem and I also understand that if I don’t keep up a good attitude about living a healthy lifestyle I could end up in that position again.

Fortunately, I am having a wonderful time eating the healthy foods I came to love while I was losing weight and I am also enjoying learning to prepare new healthy recipes. My exercise program is a delight too. In our house, we have both a treadmill and an exercise bike and I enjoy using both of them, but recently I have returned to outdoor fitness walking. I have a neighbor who I walk with several times a week and we really enjoy both taking care of ourselves and having someone to talk to while we do it. Sometimes her husband joins us and we often see neighbors who are outside walking dogs or working in their yards and we talk to them too. We also often see other neighbors who are fitness walking, jogging or riding bicycles and several of them have told us that watching my transformation and seeing my friend and me walking regularly has given them the hope and inspiration to begin their own exercise program. If this keeps up soon everyone in our neighborhood will have a weight-loss story to tell!

So now I have a question for you: Are you considering starting a weight-loss program? If you are I want to encourage you to make sure it’s a program that is both based on the principles of healthy living and also one that you can enjoy every day that you are following it If you choose a program like that and stick to it cheerfully, before you know it, you will not only have achieved your weight-loss goals, but you will find yourself following other exciting dreams as well! What’s next for you after weight-loss? There are all kinds of opportunities that you could use your newly acquired positive attitude to attain. All you have to do is pick the ones you want and go after them until positive thinking and living becomes a regular part of your life. Once that happens you will be able to join my friends and me as we joyfully shout, “My future is so bright, I have to wear shades!”

My future is so bright that I have to wear shades! — My future is so bright, I have to wear shades!

This is my mother and me holding up the size 4X pants that I no longer wear. Notice how much we look alike!

Losing Weight on Your Own Terms is Not Only Possible, It’s the Only Way To Succeed!

April 15, 2015May 5, 2015/Shelley A Sonnenberg/7 Comments

This photo was taken just days before I started my weight loss program. I weighed 281 pounds.

What inspires you to lose weight? Do you have an upcoming occasion for which you want to look especially good? Do you want to get the attention of that special someone or to be given opportunities that are usually only given to thin people? Do you just want to feel healthier?

There are many reasons people want to lose weight today, but unfortunately the pervasive myths in our culture concerning weight-loss often discourage people from even getting started. In my upcoming book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You can Too! I address four of the reasons that I was obese for 32 years. I really did not want to live on salads or celery! I had spent too many years eating much more delicious foods and I was unwilling to resign myself to that menu! I also did not want to do sit-ups. I know that some TV fitness trainers swear by them, but honestly when a person is as morbidly obese as I was when I started my weight-loss program, sit-ups were an exercise in nausea!

As for weight-loss surgeries, I knew they were not right for me either. I realize some people may find them helpful, but in my case, the problem was not in my stomach. The problem was in my brain! I was using food as comfort and entertainment and ignoring the obvious fact that somebody as short and fine-boned as I was should not be eating high calorie foods in large quantities. In my book I also mentioned my naturally slow metabolism and said that though God had created my body to work like an economy car, I had spent years fueling myself up like an eighteen wheeler! Obviously l needed to make a change, but how?

The first thing I needed to do was start a weight-loss program and make it a priority. In No Salads Required! I shared how I reached the decision to do this, as well as how I came to the understanding that if I was going to succeed at weight-loss, my program had to be on my own terms. For me, that meant designing my own weight-loss plan that included eating only foods that I enjoyed and doing only exercise that I liked to do and sticking to that program tenaciously until I reached my goals. This may sound wild, but it worked beautifully for me. I lost the 159 pounds I needed to lose in fourteen months!

I think approaching weight-loss on one’s own terms is so important that I encourage my readers to do the same. No Salads Required! contains a chapter with lists of recommended foods and suggestions for readers on how to design their own meals as well as permission to choose only the foods on the lists that they enjoy. I did also put together a chapter full of suggested meal combinations for people who wanted help getting started and who would appreciate specific recommendations. However, even in that chapter, I suggested my readers pick the meals they like and customize them as needed with other foods on the recommended lists according to their own preferences and what they find currently available in the grocery stores.

Fortunately, due to international trade, there are now many more fruits and vegetables available in grocery stores throughout the year than there used to be. This makes shopping much easier. Also, my readers with green thumbs might enjoy planting and growing some of their own fresh produce. Gardening is not only a fun and healthy activity, but it also opens the door for people to enjoy varieties of fruits and vegetables that are not commonly sold in stores. A few years ago one of my friends decided to grow tomatoes, but not just any tomatoes. She planted a type of orange ones that I had never seen or heard of until she told me about them. Once those tomatoes began to ripen they were all she could talk about. I have never talked to anyone so delighted about eating tomatoes in all my life! She really enjoyed them and that made her extra effort to grow them completely worthwhile.

When it comes to exercise, I also encourage my readers to set up a program that is pleasant for them. After all, if a person plans to start doing something on a regular basis it makes sense to be sure they will enjoy it! For readers with problems exercising due to injuries I suggested in No Salads Required! that they seek the guidance of their doctor and possibly a physical therapist as well. It’s amazing how many safe and effective methods there are for injured people to exercise! A few years ago one of my friends was facing serious health problems that were complicated by morbid obesity. While she was in the hospital for treatment of these conditions, her doctor referred her to a specialist, who helped her set up a manageable exercise program with the goal of building her strength. I was completely amazed! What I learned from her story is that if there is a will there is a way! If that woman could find a way to exercise in her extremely difficult circumstances, then all the rest of us can find an exercise plan that will work for us if we seek the right advice and make the effort to follow it.

So now it’s up to you! Are you ready to chase your weight-loss dreams on your terms? No Salads Required! will be available to order from Amazon.com and other stores in late August or early September of 2015 and I encourage you to buy it, read it and it discover how fun and exciting weight-loss can be. In the meantime I will be sharing “sneak previews” on this blog on a regular basis to give you a taste of what’s to come. I also will be sharing entertaining stories about my life as a writer and what I am doing to maintain my new figure now that I have it. Stay tuned!

Shelley A. Sonnenberg

Author who has lost 159 pounds and written a book about it!

Tag: excercise