All About Getting Healthy (posted by Birgie)

Twenty years ago I made a decision to do something for me. That decision was to reach 140 for my 40th birthday. I joined weight loss clinic on Jan.1 and had daily weigh ins charting my weight and chats with my nurse councellors. Monthly they took my blood pressure, urine test & I took my measurements. Daily I was given a vitamin, as well as a water pill and my journal was checked. The calorie intake was 650 a day way too little.

I believe the daily councilling helped me to realize where my eating habits stemmed from. To have someone listen to you and your problems, was very helpful indeed. I took responsibilty for my own life, it's the one I could control, trying very hard to get healthy.

At home I kept away from the junk, however I'm sure I smoked more, which I'm not too proud of.
Remember switching to black coffee and made jars of lemon juice with sugar twin.
At work they thought it was a jar of gin and tonic I had because I happy and they could see the weight coming off.
Every birthday at work, I refused every big slice of cake for 6 months. Do you know how much cake I gave up? The more some co workers told me I couldn't do it, the more I fought back. In the end I lost 60 lbs. passing my original goal. I was proud!

The original inspiration was seeing Rick Hanson wheel through Oakville and Mississauga on his Man in Motion Tour in Nov.1986. If he can do that surely I can lose weight or find some goal to make me get out of my depression, a depression that had been festering for many years .

The best part at the end of the whole journey was going to a second hand shop when clothes were 50% off in the summer and getting a whole new wardrobe of designer clothes that looked simply marvellous. Even the pants fit well, man I felt good!
Ham & Sue picked up this lovely peach pant outfit for my bday,it fit perfectly! I proudly wore it to a reunion bbq at Al and Gwen Ludlows in July of that year. I looked like the girl everyone remembered 20 years earlier when I worked with those crazy guys in Hamilton.

For myself I felt great, full of energy, my children were happy when I was happy as was their father.

I continued being positive and tried hard to maintain my own momentum, but sometimes our own happiness doesn't necessarily make someone else feel good about themselves. We can not change anyone, only ourselves.

This time I will take it slower and make it for the soul purpose of getting healthy and get energized so that together my husband and I can spend more quality time with our family and friends.

Birgie