Changes from one of my dearest members

Hi winners,

I received this email from Margaret yesterday and with her permission I am going to share it with all of you. It is important that we persevere and go for our goals. Remember "Winners Never Quit and Quitters never Win".

This is a list of the changes that Margaret made since she joined and she is almost at Goal, just a couple more pounds.

I USED TO:
Eat fast food on the way to the beach: 3 to 5 chicken wings at Popeye’s plus a biscuit or two or maybe some onion rings.
NOW
I get a chipotle grilled chicken snack wrap at McDonalds

I USED TO:
Buy steaks at Costco and cook up one for me and my husband
NOW
I cut each steak into three pieces, freeze them, and serve one piece each to me and my husband

I USED TO:
Run or walk 5 or 6 times a week on the treadmill
NOW
I do a variety of exercise 6 times a week: run (working up to running a full 5k), bike on the stationary bike, now at level 10, and go to a computrainer class once a week, and swim two to three times a week. This means some days I do two activities. Plus I also do yoga once a week and I lift weights. And I've started to participate in races.

I USED TO:
Take atenelol and HCTZ for blood pressure and either Lipitor or zetia for cholesterol
NOW
I take HCTZ for blood pressure

I USED TO:
Serve bread and butter for most dinners
NOW
I do not serve bread and butter, even to guests. I try to provide more vegetables also. We buy so little bread that I keep it in the freezer.

I USED TO:
Buy popcorn in the movies and get them to add lots of butter.
NOW
I don’t buy anything except for the movie ticket.

I USED TO:
Serve cheese as appetizers for guests
NOW
I serve vegetables and chick pea dip for guests

I USED TO:
Serve a lot more fried food
NOW
I use the egg white dip method and spray it with cooking spray and bake it in the oven. EXCEPT FOR fried chicken. That will never change.

I USED TO:
Not eat breakfast
NOW
I eat oatmeal most days or a treat on Sunday (waffles and bacon)

I USED TO:
Eat oatmeal with butter
NOW
I eat oatmeal without butter

I USED TO:
Make waffles with white flour
NOW
I make waffles with whole wheat flour and corn meal.

I USED TO:
Eat 5 pieces of bacon at a time
NOW
I eat 3 pieces of center cut bacon (40% less fat) at a time and this only once a week

I USED TO:
Eat a BLT with 5 pieces of bacon and lots of mayo
NOW
I eat ½ of a BLT made with much less bacon and sometimes avocado instead of mayo and on whole wheat bread

I USED TO:
Order off the entre list at a restaurant
NOW
I order off the appetizer and salad lists at a restaurant

I USED TO:Cook up delicious dishes made with sausage. NOW I don’t buy sausage.

I USED TO:Drink wine from a very large glass.
NOW I drink wine from a very small glass.

I STILL:
Drink alcohol every day (I guess that’s the next habit to break)
Use whole milk in my coffee
Use butter, just not as much
Use cream upon occasion
Use mayo
Never go to any fast food restaurant except on the way to the beach.
Look at ingredients and buy as little processed food as possible
Snack on stuff at Costco and the Common Market, only now it is lunch, not in addition to lunch. Go out to lunch with my husband several times a week, but I try to get steamed mussels or something like that, no sandwiches or chips or fries or wine
Cook most meals at home

I DON’T: Eat low fat or no fat sour cream (it’s all chemicals) Eat any butter substitute Eat turkey bacon Use any artificial sweetener Snack much Eat very much cheese Eat any mayo that isn't Duke's or Hellman's. Eat anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, if I can help it. Eat anything that contains ingredients that I can't pronounce.

I USED TO
Just go to the gym and try to do more than I had been doing
NOW I am learning about training techniques such as interval training, muscle tension, heart rate monitoring and recovery, and (with the bike) cadence. This knowledge is really helping me improve my performance.