| Are you brisk and bouncy, fit and trim,
| |
| | water, and not eating anything for most
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| firmly muscled, and radiating with
| |
| | of the day. And now Bill was getting fat,
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| energy? Can you snap off push-ups and
| |
| | too! Does any of this sound familiar? A
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| sit-ups like nobody's business? How about
| |
| | Prayer Answered While I wasn't exactly in
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| your kids? I thought so.
| |
| | despair - more like a state of
|
| Yes, some of you reading this are farmers
| |
| | discouraged resignation - I did pray that
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| and ranchers. Others are heavily involved
| |
| | God would show me a way out of this pit.
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| in demanding physical sports.
| |
| | Face it, when you're that overweight,
|
| But if homeschoolers are like the rest of
| |
| | just plain living is tough. I was
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| the U.S. population, a good solid (and I
| |
| | experiencing scary heart pains, had no
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| do mean "solid"!) 50 percent of us are
| |
| | energy, and couldn't even bend over to
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| overweight, with almost half of these
| |
| | tie my shoes. Plus, I had gained back all
|
| being really overweight.
| |
| | the weight I lost on the Atkins diet,
|
| It's not that we sit around eating like
| |
| | since now I had no idea what I was
|
| pigs all day. It just sort of crept up on
| |
| | supposed to eat any more.
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| us, as we sat around our air-conditioned
| |
| | This is the state I was in when I saw
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| houses, trailers, or apartments on our
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| | Body for Life at the bookstore. I was
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| teeny-to-nonexistent patches of land.
| |
| | drawn by the before-and-after photos on
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| When your suburb is designed without
| |
| | the cover. But then, we've all seen diet
|
| sidewalks, it's tough to go for a walk.
| |
| | scams with before-and-after photos. I
|
| When your city park becomes the favorite
| |
| | did, however, pick up the book and start
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| hangout of muggers, you'd better be able
| |
| | browsing. What the author, Bill Phillips,
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| to run fast if you plan to jog! And,
| |
| | said seemed to make a lot of sense. I
|
| whatever your environment, if you have
| |
| | knew for a fact that what he said didn't
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| babies and toddlers, getting out to the
| |
| | work, didn't work. It was clear this was
|
| health club or even out for a walk around
| |
| | not a scam, so I bought the book.
|
| the block can be nigh impossible.
| |
| | Just like most of you, I have never read
|
| Let me tell you my personal story and see
| |
| | "muscle" magazines. So this was all new
|
| if you can relate.
| |
| | to me. Basically, Bill Phillips stated
|
| How I Got Fat I was a slim toddler, then
| |
| | that for what he calls a physique
|
| a fat child.
| |
| | "transformation" (making yourself over
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| The private school I attended for four
| |
| | into what you'd like to look like), you
|
| years specialized in starchy food and
| |
| | need these ingredients: Cardiovascular
|
| gloppy desserts, but the real bane of my
| |
| | exercise (walking, biking, etc.) Weight
|
| young existence was the "you must clean
| |
| | training (now this was something I'd
|
| your plate" rule.
| |
| | never done!) Supplementation (more on
|
| This all changed in eighth grade of
| |
| | this later) A controlled diet (no strange
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| public school, when a boy I had a crush
| |
| | recipes: he gives simple directions in
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| on made a comment about what I looked
| |
| | his book) Six small meals a day - it
|
| like in orange stretch pants. (Something
| |
| | turns out that the surest way to gain
|
| about "the moon rising over the
| |
| | weight is to starve yourself all day and
|
| mountains" . . .) This motivated me to
| |
| | eat a big dinner Lots of water to drink
|
| lose a lot of weight quickly. I ate
| |
| | (I recommend spring water, preferably
|
| nothing but oranges and hard-boiled eggs
| |
| | brought to your door in huge bottles, not
|
| (I had heard they both consume more
| |
| | distilled) A new attitude about the
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| energy to digest than they give back),
| |
| | possibility of not being a physical wreck
|
| drank lots of water, and spent hours
| |
| | the rest of your life This was it. I was
|
| every day progressing as quickly as I
| |
| | sick and tired of being sick and tired -
|
| could through the levels of The Royal
| |
| | and rather scared, if the truth be known,
|
| Canadian Exercise Plan for Physical
| |
| | that I would not be around long enough to
|
| Fitness.
| |
| | teach my kids everything they needed to
|
| I kept up a similar regimen - not quite a
| |
| | know. So, abandoning our usual frugal
|
| starvation diet, but close - adding more
| |
| | policy, we went out and bought an
|
| low-cal types of food and eschewing all
| |
| | expensive exercise bike, a
|
| sugary and carbohydrate foods, all
| |
| | not-terribly-expensive exercise station
|
| through college and into my early
| |
| | from Sears, a weight bench, and some
|
| marriage. I kept up the exercise plan,
| |
| | dumbbells. (Bill Phillips claims you
|
| too.
| |
| | really only need the bench and dumbbells,
|
| When I started having children, my eating
| |
| | but since some of the exercises in the
|
| pattern changed. Suddenly I was making my
| |
| | back of his book required leg-extension
|
| own whole-wheat bread, followed by such
| |
| | and pull-down stations, I didn't want to
|
| healthy goodies as soy-wheat pancakes,
| |
| | mess up my chances.) So far, my husband
|
| homemade yogurt, lentil soup, and so
| |
| | Bill has lost 50 pounds, and my children
|
| forth. The More-With-Less Cookbook was my
| |
| | Joseph and Sarah lost 30 pounds very
|
| guide, which helped, since we couldn't
| |
| | quickly, while I've only lost 27 pounds
|
| afford "meat" protein most of the time.
| |
| | in six months.
|
| I still exercised in the morning, and I
| |
| | However, unlike every ineffectual
|
| still had a figure - for the first five
| |
| | exercise and diet program I've tried in
|
| kids.
| |
| | the last 15 years, I have actually gained
|
| Then, computers entered my life. Cue
| |
| | muscle strength and tone. Heart pangs and
|
| sounds of ominous mood music: "Dum, dum,
| |
| | insomnia went away. Most importantly, I
|
| de dum . . ." So did projects with
| |
| | now understand how fitness works . . .
|
| deadlines. More ominous theme music: "De
| |
| | and I'm still losing body fat! Next
|
| DUM de DUM . . ." To make a long story
| |
| | issue, I'll share with you what I've
|
| short, we bought into the "high fiber"
| |
| | learned about exercise equipment, muscle
|
| diet, started eating occasional junk food
| |
| | development, and the best way for
|
| to keep energy high during all-nighters,
| |
| | children of different ages to exercise.
|
| experienced the stresses of starting and
| |
| | For now, I want to start by helping you
|
| running our own business, made a habit of
| |
| | moms and dads. First, you need a copy of
|
| skipping breakfast and sometimes lunch to
| |
| | Body for Life. There's a reason this book
|
| get more work done . . .
| |
| | is now a New York Times best-seller! We
|
| And I ballooned like crazy.
| |
| | sell it for $26 plus $3 shipping
|
| At 180 pounds, I joined my first health
| |
| | (1-800-346-6322, www.home-school.com).
|
| club.
| |
| | The book gives all the diet and exercise
|
| At 200 pounds, I joined my second health
| |
| | details, plus shares Bill's philosophy
|
| club and we signed up for the
| |
| | and many inspiring stories. Bill
|
| neighborhood swimming pool.
| |
| | Phillips' company, EAS (1-800-297-9776,
|
| At 220 pounds, I sweated through mile
| |
| | www.eas.com) also sponsors 12-week
|
| walks every day as well as trying to keep
| |
| | fitness transformation challenges with
|
| up at the health club.
| |
| | great prizes. If you enter, he'll send
|
| At 275 pounds, I discovered the Atkins
| |
| | you a free video with the experiences of
|
| Diet, and lost 35 pounds. Ecstasy! Until
| |
| | previous winners and you'll get a 20%
|
| I discovered that a pre-existing
| |
| | discount on the supplements his company
|
| gallstone problem had become so severe I
| |
| | sells. We've tried supplements from other
|
| could no longer use this diet.
| |
| | companies, and still prefer Myoplex Lite
|
| Now here I was. A professional dieter,
| |
| | (for weight loss) or Myoplex Deluxe (for
|
| with a resistant metabolism. The only
| |
| | muscle gain), both available from EAS.
|
| diet that had worked for me in 15 years
| |
| | You can get fancier with additional
|
| was no longer an option. I was exercising
| |
| | supplements, but these are fine to start.
|
| ten times as much as the thin gals who
| |
| | The point is, do start. Do it now! Your
|
| lay around the pool and never entered the
| |
| | kids need you.
|
