Shelley A. Sonnenberg

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

Tag: helping a loved one lose weight

I Got Thin with a Little Help from My Friends — February 19, 2016

This photo was taken by Marsha Kemp, the owner of Marsha Kemp Photography in Tampa, Florida.

I Got Thin with a Little Help from My Friends

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Losing weight and keeping it off takes a lot of time and effort! The good news is that you don’t have to do it all by yourself. In fact, you may be surprised how much your friends and family are willing to help you. You can also join a support group for people who are also on a weight-loss journey.  Many communities already have groups like this who meet on a regular basis to both encourage one another in developing healthy habits and to talk through the problems that the group members used to try to solve by eating. If you don’t already have a weight-loss group in your area, now would be a great time to start your own!

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This is me prior to my weight-loss program. I weighed about 281 pounds at that time.

I recently lost 159 pounds in fourteen months and I have to say that the help and support I received from my friends and family really contributed to my success. Their support has also been helpful as I work at maintaining my figure. In fact their help was so important that I have included a whole chapter about it in my new book, No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds WITHOUT Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How YOU Can Too! The chapter is called Gathering Support and in it I discuss variety of ways that my friends and family helped me as I was undergoing radical transformation. I also included a Reader’s Discussion Guide in the back of the book  for groups who  are reading my book together and want to meet regularly to discuss both the book and also how the members of the group can support each other as they work toward reaching their own weight-loss goals.

One of the most important things my friends and family did was believe in me and encourage me!  The two shining heroes in this regard were my parents. I share a home with them and I can’t begin to tell you how helpful their encouraging words and hugs were as I started down my new path to better health.

Mom and Dad also volunteered to assist me in practical ways like keeping the house clean, buying groceries and doing most of the cooking so I would have time to exercise faithfully every single day.

My sister has also been very supportive and encouraging. I really appreciate her prayers and kind words. She also gave me a wonderful recipe for prime rib with rosemary and garlic, which you can find in the recipe chapter of my book.

My neighbors were a great source of support too. From the moment I stepped outside to start my fitness walking program, people who lived nearby started encouraging me, and the more I stuck to my plan the more interested and supportive they became.  And my support didn’t stop there! As my weight loss became readily apparent I received lots of encouragement from coworkers, my doctor, friends from church and even my mailman!

Besides prayers and encouragement, one of the most helpful things some of the women from church did was to clean out their closets and give me clothes that I could wear as I was rapidly changing sizes. This saved me thousands of dollars and also really inspired me to stay on my weight-loss program.

While I am on the subject of generous gifts, I also want to mention a beautiful used treadmill one of my neighbors gave me. She had seen me walking by her house every day for 6 months and she knew I would make use of it when the heavy summer lightning storms started in my part of Florida. I am SO thankful for that treadmill!  It really was helpful as I worked to reach my weight-loss goals. Of course all used things wear out eventually, but I am happy to say I got a LOT of use out of that treadmill before I replaced it with a brand new one that I am still using today when the weather is uncomfortable for walking or when I need to do my walking after dark.

Another friend who showed me great kindness and support was Marsha Kemp, owner of Marsha Kemp Photography in Tampa, Florida. Marsha was so excited about my weight-loss story that she made room on her busy schedule so that I could hire her to take my “After” photos that you see on my book cover and various places on social media where I promote my book. She took them with loving care and really brought out the best in me!

You can also see some of those lovely photos on the website for my new online store where I am selling autographed copies of my books! The link to the store is:

https://squareup.com/store/shelley-a-sonnenberg  and I am able to sell autographed hardcover and paperback books to any of my readers who live in the United States.

I hope someday to offer autographed books to my international readers as well, but for the time being I encourage all of my blog readers who live around the world to buy unsigned copies of my book from westbowpress.com, Amazon.com, barnsandnoble.com and other online stores that sell books internationally. If one of these web sites doesn’t ship to your country, please try another one! These days you can buy books from almost anywhere!

Those of you with e-readers will also be happy to know that the e-book version of my book is only $3.99 US dollars, which is a wonderful deal! Be sure to tell all your friends about it! Maybe they will all want to buy a copy, read the book together and use the Reader’s Discussion Guide in the back. Not only will this be a lot of fun, but it could be the beginning of a wonderful weight-loss journey for all of you. I wish you the best of success!

Surrounding Yourself with Helpful People Can Really Make Your Weight-Loss Journey Easier — June 15, 2015

This photo was taken on May 18, 2015 by Marsha Kemp, the owner of Masha Kemp Photography. Marsha is also my neighbor and has given me lots of encouragement during my weight-loss journey.

Surrounding Yourself with Helpful People Can Really Make Your Weight-Loss Journey Easier

/Shelley A Sonnenberg/1 Comment

One of the most helpful things you can do on a weight-loss journey is ask for help! During my recent 159 pound weight loss, I received help and encouragement from God, family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, customers, my doctor, and even our mail man! Some people helped me more than others, but I truly appreciate every single word of encouragement and act of kindness I received along the way. I may have been able to reach my goal alone, but I am sure glad that I didn’t have to!

From left to right: My mother (Gail), my sister (Cherie), Me and my father (Mike). My family has always loved me no matter what size I was. This photo was taken shortly before I started losing weight. I weighed 281 pounds at the time.
From left to right: My mother (Gail), my sister (Cherie), Me and my father (Mike). My family has always loved me no matter what size I was. This photo was taken shortly before I started losing weight. I weighed 281 pounds at the time.

In fact, I consider the help I received so important that I included a whole chapter about gathering support in my upcoming weight-loss book. The book is called No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! It will be available from Amazon.com and other stores in late summer or early fall of 2015, but today I am giving all my blog readers a sneak peek! The following is a quote from chapter seven of my book:

“Next to getting help from God, the best help you can find for your weight-loss program can come from the people you already know! The best part of this is that usually they will help you for free! Of course, if you can afford a personal trainer or a nutritionist, feel free to employ them, but even if you do consult with professionals from time to time, there are few things better than the daily encouragement you can get from friends and family members who are committed to love you, pray for you, and cheer you on through all your ups and downs and remind you that your decision to lose weight was a smart one! Ask God to send people to you to support you, as you take your first steps, and as you continue on your journey. This is a prayer he answered for me, and He will answer it for you too.”

I like to refer to all the people who gave me love, help and encouragement during my weight-loss journey as my “support team.”  My first team members were my parents. Actually, they were on my team years before I even accepted the fact that I needed to lose weight!  I have no idea exactly how long they bombarded heaven with prayers for me before I started my weight-loss program in January of 2013, but I know it was a long time. You can imagine how delighted they were when their prayers were finally answered with “Yes!”

As soon as I announced I was starting a weight-loss program, Mom and Dad immediately volunteered to purchase groceries, prepare healthy meals and clean our house so that I could focus on my daily fitness walking, which took quite a bit of time, especially at first, because I was so out of shape that I had to walk slowly. My sister, Cherie, was also very excited for me and gave me some wonderful encouragement and helpful advice that I still follow today as I maintain my figure.

My neighbors were the next folks to join my team, because they were the people who saw me walking by their houses every day and getting smaller and smaller. My weight-loss journey became like a reality TV show that all of us were part of! Some people just quietly observed me through their windows, but many others came out of their houses, introduced themselves and asked how my weight-loss program was going! They also gave me wonderful words of encouragement which I will always remember. Some of them even started walking with me!

Friends from church and work were also quick to join my team and I have to say they were really wonderful! Some of the ladies in my church even cleaned out their closets and gave me clothes as I was rapidly changing sizes. I appreciate that more than I can put into words! Those pretty clothes in smaller sizes really inspired me to keep losing weight so that I could fit into them.

As the months rolled by and the pounds rolled off, even more people joined my team. Here is a quote from “No Salads Required” regarding that:

“You will notice that some people had to be asked for help and others just volunteered. This will happen to you too. Never mind how your friends and family get involved in your journey; just thank God they are there for you! Also, the more weight you lose, the more “volunteers” will join your cause—after they get over the shock of seeing your new skinny figure!”

I purposely waited to tell my Facebook friends about my weight-loss journey until I was close to reaching my goal weight, because I wanted to shock them with my Before and After photos! It worked! When I posted those photos people were gasping and jaws were dropping all across the USA! My friends in Canada, Australia and India also got a chance to see my Before and After pictures and so did  people in places I don’t even know about, because I gave my friends permission to share my photos with anyone who might be interested.  After they all got over the shock of seeing the “new me”, my online friends joined my support team too. They still encourage me to today with their loving words, prayers and interest in both this blog and my upcoming book.

Actually, my support team is still growing! Now that I am in the process of maintaining my figure and getting ready to launch my book I have the privilege of sharing my weight-loss story with new people every day both in person and online. The support and encouragement I continue to receive really does motivate me to both continue my exercise program and make healthy food choices day after day.

I also am now in the position to be a support person to both old friends and new ones who are on their own weight-loss journeys, and I consider that a real privilege. As each of you build your own support team, be sure to put me on your list! I will be praying for all of you and wishing you the best of success!

Tips on Providing Support to a Loved One Who Is on a Weight-loss Journey — May 1, 2015

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

/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.
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:

  1. 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!
  2.  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!
  3.  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!
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. 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!
  7. 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!
  8. 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.
  9. 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!
  10. 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!