On the FLY!

I am late! I am late! I am late!

Sometimes I feel just like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland...running all around and never getting much accomplished or just feeling overwhelmed. But several years ago after I had been diagnosed with cancer, I quit my job and actually stayed at home for the first time in my life since I was fifteen years old. I had no idea that just NOT working would be so hard for me to adjust to! After a while, I began to get teary eyed every day! But it was not the roller coaster ride my emotions were taking that caught me off guard, but it was the sense of just being overwhelmed by housework every day! I can't explain it...it was like I knew what I had to do but I didn't know where to start and so I just would not start!

Can you understand what I am talking about?

I had cancer; so why should I even care how my home looked? The days just flew by! It seemed as if every day was just waiting for me to get up and get started but I couldn't cope with every day things at that time. For the first time in a very long time I did not have a plan for my life. I did not know what the next week or the next day would bring and so I just existed for the moment. And things just backed up and did not get accomplished at all. It was as if I forgot how to function...I forgot how to clean my house...wash our clothes...work in my yards...etc. I just wanted to spend all my time with my husband, Kirby. Chad, my oldest son, was living in Indiana and I longed to see him every day. I realized that this was not healthy for me to feel so depressed and overwhelmed by even the small things in my life but I grew worse as the months went past.

Finally I broke down and went to a counselor. She told me that I could get myself back in full functioning order just as I was before I learned about the cancer. The counselor told me about a great website that would help me get myself back in order! So I want to pass this knowledge forward to you. The website is: www.flylady.net/

Let me encourage you to go to this website and take advantage of this awesome and fun site! (Yes! Housework can actually be sort of fun!) Download some of the forms that will help you get yourself organized in your house work, finances, personal life and so on! Since those terrible days of uncertainty, I have become quite the Fly Lady myself! I have finally gotten my "flight plan" all figured out. But there is always room for improvement!

Again that site is: www.flylady.net/

God Bless

What Are YOU Doing On The Fourth?

Today I was scheduled at my new dentist's office for a root canal and then in three weeks I am scheduled to go back and have two crowns put on my front two teeth. I think, "Yep, that's what old age and eating way to much crunchy stuff over the years will do for ya! Serves me right!" But you know, I am not really complaining! I really am so happy to be having it done. For the past year I have been just putting up with the loss of the filling in my front left tooth. Well, like I told you, I have always put the health of my children and husband before my own. If I needed something attended to and one of my kids needed anything I would always put off having myself looked after by a doctor so that I could make sure that we could afford them getting seen by the family doc. As a result of not taking care of myself including the health of my mouth, my teeth are in very poor condition. I've got lots of work to be done to get my pearly whites back in shape!

So yesterday, I reluctantly went in to see a new Dentist, Dr. Bell in Warner Robins, GA. I just had to tell you about my visit. It was one of the most enjoyable dentist visits I think I have ever had! The staff was so efficient and caring! Dr. Bell has the most pleasant personality of any dentist that I have ever met! He took one look at my mouth and said, "Oh well, we've got to do something with those teeth in the front first! That's a priority! Nothing is more important than a good smile. Why that is just embarrassing! Come on in here and let's get a temporary filling in those today." And that is just what he did! I came out of that office smiling again!

If you live in the Warner Robins, GA area, and your looking for a dentist, let me suggest that you give Dr. Alex Bell DMD or Dr. Colson DMD at the Family Dental Associates located at 328 Margie Dr. a try. I know I am very pleased. I believe you will be also.

Oh I am so excited about my new dentist until I almost forgot to ask you what are you doing on the fourth of July? Are you grilling steaks? Well don't invite me because I can't eat anything that is not very soft right now! Not for three weeks anyway. Not until my root canal gets well and I get my new crowns in.
But I don't even mind. I think I'll just lay out in the sun by a pool somewhere and SMILE!!!

Murphy's Law

This past week has been "one of those weeks." You know the kind I'm talking about. There is an old saying that some call "Murphy's Law," it goes like this, "whatever can go wrong will go wrong." My husband was given a coffee cup with that detestable prophecy printed on it and I have always refused to drink willingly from that cup! But you know I think there are more people that believe that so called "law" than people who listen to, believe and obey the ten commandments! Most people feel that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong and it will go wrong at the worst possible time; when you least expect it! They just seem to accept it as a way of life and I am no different than anyone else. I used to fall into that same category. But really this is a negative, pessimistic view of life! I said that I used to think this way, but as I grow older my ideas and views of life have greatly changed, especially as I grow closer to my golden years and closer to the Lord. Through some of my life experiences, I have come to see this interpretation of Murphy's Law to be the wrong way of looking at it! Now, I see that having the understanding of Murphy's Law and how "whatever can go wrong will go wrong" is a principle of Forward Thinking...being prepared for any situation that comes your way - no matter what may happen! Always expect the unexpected...so to speak! Planning for future setbacks as well as future success should be a goal for us all as we travel on our journey to the land of health, wellness...and wealth.

But I must confess that I am one of those short sighted people who never planned for setbacks and loss like the stress of lay offs, heart attacks, strokes, bad knees, diabetes, miscarriages, arthritis, and finally the BIGGEST set back and surprise to me...a broken back!

Never...never, would I have ever believed that I would have broken my back! No one could have even forewarned me and made me believe them or take them seriously about taking care of my spine in case that one day I may be in a wheel chair due to a back injury. Who me? No way...well...yes way!

But when I worked at a local Home Improvement Company, I had the nickname, WONDER WOMAN. Daily I lifted 50 to 80 lb. bags of concrete, mulch, rock and topsoil without giving it a second thought. But now since my accident I realize how I have abused my body over the years and just how important it is to take care of the body that God has blessed us with. Especially what I call the "core four" essential parts of my physical body. What are the "core four?" They are my mind, my eyes, my heart, and my spine. Murphy's Law says, "what ever can go wrong will go wrong" now apply that saying to your body...scary thought, right? Every person needs to do some forward thinking and make plans to take care of his or her body.

Experts say that 8 out of 10 people will have back pain at some point in their lives that will be so severe that it will hamper all work or play in their lives. So how do we plan for "whatever can happen?" Well, I first suggest that you learn all that you can learn about your body and how to take care of it. Learn your strengths and weaknesses. Go to a GOOD REPUTABLE M.D. Go NOW! Don't wait until you are under physical pressure and pain. Don't wait for an illness to strike! If you wait, you may not have enough time to decide on the best place to get care.

My suggestion is to go to the American Medical Association's Web site and use the "DoctorFinder" service to find doctors who are local to you. You can find the site at: http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/html/patient.html Or give them a call at 800-621-8335.

Also check with your insurance provider...you do have health insurance don't you? If not please get some! Don't make the same mistakes I made! An HMO or a Personal Provider may have a list of Family Practice Physicians in your area. But even with a list of doctors you will still want to know who you can trust. Who is the best qualified to care for my health and/or my family's health? Well, when it comes right down to it you can't beat "word of mouth." Ask other doctors or hospital nurses for their recommendations. You can ask your pharmacist, dentist, eye doctor, family, friends, your pastor, coworkers and neighbors.

Do any doctors names keep coming up in the conversation as being favorable? Good! Make a list of all who come highly recommended, then call their office and talk to the receptionist or a member of the office staff. Ask questions and tell them your concerns. Is the doctor taking new patients? Let the office know that you are looking for a doctor you can rely on for a long trusting relationship. (I'd like to state here that I have a wonderful family physician that I have completely trusted now for nearly ten years!) Some offices may have brochures or Web sites to give you a better answer to your concerns.

Do a little digging and investigate a doctor's training, background, and quality of care - including a background check to see if a doctor has a history of legal or disciplinary actions that are currently pending. Look on this Web site: http://www.docboard.org/ for info on doctors in some states. Learn if a doctor is board certified. Being "board certified" means that the doctor has had three or more years of extra training after completion of medical school to become a specialist in a particular field of medicine. Family doctors who are board certified, must pass an exam every seven years to maintain their certification.

Here is MY advice to YOU. Ask yourself these questions:
1) Is this doctor easy to talk to?
2) Does he interrupt me before I've had the chance to explain my problems?
3) Does he treat me with respect?
4) Is he patient?
5) Does he encourage me to ask questions and does he listen to me with concern?
6) Does he show that he is truly interested in me as a person who has both physical health and emotional needs?

Then once you have asked yourself these questions and answered them, trust your own feelings when deciding but also remember to give the new physician - patient relationship time to develop. Your doctor is new to your case so let him get to know you also! But after a while if you still are not satisfied, do not feel bad about deciding to move on and continue your search for the right family doctor for you and your family.

You may wonder why I am so concerned about having the right family doctor. Well, I have had a series of misfortunate experiences with the "wrong doctors." These were experiences that I went through by not taking the responsibility of planning for my health and personal wellness as well as the wellness of my family. I suffered the loss of my first child who had already died in my womb and the doctor which I had continued to tell me the whole time (over a month) that the baby was still "doing just fine and her heartbeat was strong." The heartbeat he thought he was hearing was my own. I lost my baby on my birthday in Texas while I was visiting my sister. Then I was misdiagnosed by two doctors which resulted in having to go through cancer therapy for over four months. I was told that I had two different types of cancer so I thought that I may need to see a cancer specialist. I called the doctor who had initially told me over the phone that I had cancer and asked her to refer me to an oncologist. Her reaction surprised me. She hesitated and asked me to give her enough time to go back over my reports and records. She then told me that I did not need another doctor that she could handle all that I needed and I would most likely need a hysterectomy. She cut me off abruptly and told me that she didn't have time to talk to me if I had any more questions I could talk to her nurse. Red flags and rockets went off in my mind! Something was NOT right with this attitude! That was the second worst experience of my life and I after the cancer medication took it's toll on my body, I was left a diabetic and unable to give birth to any more children.
Since then, my husband and a friend of the family convinced me that I should go to a local chiropractor to see about the pain that I had in my lower back and legs after I had the lawn tractor flip over on top of me. That chiropractor took only one x-ray of my back while I was sitting in a ladder back chair with some pretty antiquated equipment and then proceeded with some "adjustments" until I screamed with pain and demanded that he stop! My husband almost had to carry me out of the office to the car. When we got home I had to go straight to bed and there my lower body just stopped moving! My pain was so intense that the only way I can describe it is that it felt that someone had ripped my skin off and set me on fire! Kirby called an ambulance and I was rushed to the hospital and admitted. After the "right doctor" ordered an MRI he could see that my back bone had been broken but amazingly was still in place. I know that the Lord was holding me together!

Please choose your doctors wisely! Remember Murphy's Law and change that negative "Law" into a positive by taking it seriously and doing some Forward Thinking! Take care of YOU and YOUR FAMILY! Plan for the worst and like a good scout, always be prepared!

May God Bless You In ALL Things!

What is "Man's best medicine?"

What is the number one activity in America or even in the whole world? No...it is not jogging...and no...it is not cycling...no, it's not swimming! It is an activity that almost every healthy person in the world does every day...walking!
It doesn't require any special skills or advanced training. You don't have to have a college degree to prepare for it. Walking doesn't need any special equipment or special clothing. Although I recommend that you get a good pair of walking shoes, comfortable clothing, and a pedometer to keep up with how many steps you take each day.

The GREATEST benefit of walking is that it is so healthy for you! Way back in ancient Greece, when Hippocrates told his young scholars that "walking is mans best medicine," he didn't realize that thousands of years later physicians would still be recommending walking to improve one's health and lifestyle or that studies made thousands of years after he made that wonderful statement would have proven just how true he really was! Here are just a few of the healthy benefits of walking:

• It burns almost as many calories as running or jogging with less physical stress to your body
• It eases back pain
• It promotes good posture
• It reduces high blood pressure
• It reduces the levels of bad cholesterol in your body
• Reduces heart attack risk
• It enhances your stamina & energy
• It lessens your stress levels and eases tension
• (Here is a BIG PLUS) It reduces your appetite naturally! Without taking any of those prescription or over the counter pills that have been found to be so dangerous!

While walking is easier on your body, it can be just as beneficial or more so than running to help you lose weight. If you run for 30 minutes at 5 miles per hour you will burn about 285 calories. If you walk for 30 minutes at 4 miles per hour you will burn 165 calories on a level surface. Now, if you walk on a slight incline of about 5% you will burn about 225 calories; and if you increase that incline to about 10% you will burn about 360 calories. Get the picture? Be choosy about the route you walk. Find a route where the terrain varies and burn more calories...enjoy the countryside and the scenery around you. Walking can be an all over invigorating, therapeutic experience! Good for the soul and for the body! Hey it's still early and it's still the coolest part of the day...let's get out and WALK!

Lose 12 to 26 pounds before Labor Day!

Labor Day, September 7th, is 13 weeks from yesterday and this is a great window of opportunity to accomplish some amazing things with your energy, health and weight loss. Imagine yourself at a cookout or some fun gathering - - - now, how do you feel? Do you have a ton of energy and are you excited about your life? Are you looking forward to all the activity that goes on around you in the fall?

Here in Perry Georgia, we have the National Fairgrounds and as soon as you come into town, there is a large sign that counts down how many weeks are left in the year before the next National Fair is held during the early fall. Every time I enter town, it is a grim reminder that I am overweight and out of shape! The fair heralds the holiday activity around these parts! It is absolutely the BEST fair ever and everyone around here looks forward to all the outdoor activity and all the rides and shows! It is so much fun for the family! My son, Chad could plan his whole year around going to the Georgia National Fair. He always announces the fair’s arrival to me each year. He never fails to say, “Mom, are you going with me to the fair this year?” But to tell you the truth, I have not been to the National Fair for about eight years! Not because I really did not want to…but because I did not feel that I the stamina and energy enough to even walk around and just look at all the exhibits, and definitely not enough energy to ride the rides. (Don’t you hate it when the seat belts on the rides don’t fit around your body?) Since I have had bad knees and health problems I have used them as my excuse to not take part in my children’s family fair outings. I always pretend that I really have just lost all interest in having fun at the fair. Besides, I am not a kid anymore! At 53, I’m too old! But the truth is that I would LOVE to go to the fair and ride ALL the rides (every one of them) with my grand kids. I’d love to walk all over the fair and take in all the sites and sounds and smells. I’d LOVE to hear the joy in my children’s and grand kid’s laughter! I feel that life is passing me by and I am missing a very special part of it because of my poor stamina, low energy, aches and pains.

Personally, I am tired of being tired How ‘bout you? Are YOU tired of being tired also? Do you want to have a ton of energy and be excited about life? This Labor Day will you be excited about being able to be much more active during the fall? Will people keep making comments about how great you look and how much energy you have? This is important because your consistency today and in the coming 3 months is going to lead you and me into feeling like a Rock Star on Labor Day. ARE YOU UP FOR IT? You deserve to have tons of energy, to be healthy and to feel good about yourself. So concentrate on making smart decisions today and start taking a few baby steps initially towards improving your energy and health. Even a few small changes in our behavior will help carry us into better health! Lastly, stop making excuses about why you are not losing weight and/or getting fit, start holding yourself accountable and start kicking some butt! (And as in MY case, it’s some pretty BIG butt! Ha! Ha! Just kidding!) Sorry for the tough love, but I care about you and want to help and encourage you.On Labor Day, you and I will be proud of our hard work and we will be excited to have made some great improvements to our health. And, let me tell you, it is OK to make yourself a top priority. YOU DESERVE IT!

Here again, I want to mention that there is so many ways out there to for anyone to attain better health! Especially online! And although a lot of the sites are NOT free, some of them really are FREE! I will say it over and over again, it is hard to beat Sparkpeople! Let me encourage you to visit their website: http://www.sparkpeople.com
All you have to do is register with them to have ALL of their resources available to you and your family! You will also have online friends that will chat with you and encourage you to become the best that you can be.

If you live in the Houston, Peach, Dooley, or Pulaski counties, please feel free to come join us at New Light Harvest Chapel on Hwy 341 South for the 3D Eat Well, Live Well, and Love God program. If faith can move mountains it may budge unwanted pounds, boost low self-esteem and overcome other problems. God is the most necessary component of a whole life — and that is what the average diet plan misses. Carol Showalter thought it was divine inspiration when she noticed the sign "Smile, God Has the Answer" on a Sunday school bulletin board. The message moved her to create one of the first Christian-centered health programs in 1972. It is a FREE program also! If you’d like to learn more about the 3D program go to: www.3dyourwholelife.com. At New Light Harvest Chapel there are NO WEEKLY FEES for weigh ins each Wednesday evening at 7 pm! "Other diets
make you feel guilty for eating too much or too little; but the 3D Plan doesn't judge you. I like the mix of nutritional advice with the spiritual dimension that was missing in other weight loss programs. To the first five members we are giving a FREE 3D book! We just had our weigh in meeting for the week last night and I lost one more pound! That's 25 pounds so far!

New Light Harvest Chapel is located just a few miles out of Perry, GA in a small community called Clinchfield. Our people are a loving caring group and would love to meet you! Hey, Pastor Kirby and I would really LOVE to meet you too!

OK, I hope by now that you have decided to join me in my challenge to lose 12 to 28 pounds by Labor Day! Let’s get started!



"I know, O Lord, and do with all humility acknowledge myself as an object altogether unworthy of thy love; but sure I am, thou art an object altogether worthy of mine. Do thou then impart to me some of that excellence, and that shall supply my own lack of worth. Help me to cease from sin according to thy will, that I may be capable of doing thee service according to my duty." (St. Augustine, 354-430)

• "Change your thoughts and you can change the world." (Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993)

KEEPING UP WITH PROGRESS!

OK so this blog spot is STILL a work in progress but so is my weight loss! I've decided to post this one more time and compare how far along I have come since I first started cutting back on what I am eating every day. If you'd like you can also check out my "blog to lose" site at: http://www.blogtolose.com/profile/ColeneWhitehead

Kirby still wants us to put a few pictures on his Myspace site: www.myspace.com/kirby2883 but, the crazy events that have been taking place over the past five months have had me all tied up or slowed down and over whelmed! So, I don't really know when I will ever be able to get to doing that. But I do have a couple notes jotted down in my 3D journal so I figured I’d go ahead and add them here just to share with anyone who may want to compare their goals and weight loss with me. Although my goals are EXTREMELY rational and slow, I don't feel that I have given my weight loss as much enthusiasm as I should. But, I am trying to take it a step at a time. I just don’t want to set myself up for something unrealistic and then be all sad and disappointed if I don’t meet them. I have been guilty of doing that a couple of times before in my life! And I can tell you that it is NOT good for the moral! So I decided to go back and check my past blogs and use the timeline that I posted weeks earlier. If I meet these goals ahead of schedule, then FANTASTIC! That would be a great reward for me! But as I am looking now at the time line, I see where I have not met the goals that I set for myself. Here is a list of my Commitment Goals
* Attend weekly meetings regardless.............this I have been committed to!
* Track points every day......with 3D, I do not have to track points, but I do track my nutrition on "Spark People" and get much needed feed back on what I need to be eating. Check out: http://www.sparkpeople.com/ on a daily basis. I can't tell you how much this wonderful site has helped me, informed me and encouraged me!
* Blog twice weekly (absolute minimum).....yeah! I am on track now with this one!
* Post pictures of my before pics and a new picture at every 25 lb accomplishment until I reach goal............well...I did post a BIG PICTURE of me and Kirby...but I am looking forward to getting some really great SKINNY PICS!
* Positive self-talk every day....I have to tell you that I could not go on without my 3D friends and my new friend, Trudy, who reminded me that we have to let God put things in the right perspective.

My Personal Goals:
* Slowly and responsibly strengthen my back by attending a gym and a physical therapy swimming class...I have not done this or tried to meet this goal. I have no excuse now that we've purchased excersize bands to work out with!
* Take a quilting class ......I have got the cutest pattern for a quilt for Michael, my grandson.
* Learn to sew pocket books and purses.....still pending....but I did make about 40 GREAT smelling candles which my son, Chad, took all over his neighborhood and got some ladies opinion of them....He said, "Hey, mom, you've got a really GREAT product! Get me more!"
* Walking for 30 minutes every day.........I have been walking, but I am doing it gradually! I don't want to experience any more pain than I really have to!
* Become a WW leader and possibly start a WW meeting at New Light Harvest Chapel........instead of Weight Watchers leader, I became a 3D leader by just starting the 3D program!
* 15 lbs weight loss by End of January 2009......I lost only 6 pounds.
* 20 lbs weight loss by February 8th, 2009. That is the anniversary of the first year of NLHC!.......................................Lose 20 lbs?? Nope not even close!
* 40 lbs weight loss by my birthday, May 11th, 2009......NO, but I lost a total of 22 pounds
* 50 lbs weight loss by my husband's birthday in June 2009....when I wrote these goals I thought that these were reasonable! It would be fantastic to be able to lose 50 lbs total. That would put me at 275!
* Goal weight of 140-145 lbsDecember 2010 Weight Loss Rewards....I'm getting closer!
* Every 10 lbs = a professional manicure or a pedicure......sounds GOOD!
* Every 25 lbs of weight lost = a mini shopping spree! I will buy a new outfit or a pair of shoes!............well, this week Kirby got the new pair of walking shoes by New Balance!
* For the first 50 lbs lost = purchase of new Coach purse
* 100 lbs = purchase a hot tub!
* Goal of weighing in at 145 = glorious vacation trip to Yosemite National Park, Montana and Seattle Washington.............Ooooh, Yeahhhhh!

My Favorite Walking Club - NC Asheville Ambler Club Walk Lake Junaluska On Jun 13

Kirby and I have been keeping our pedometers on and counting steps! I believe that Kirby is really serious about getting rid of the extra pounds this time! He has been busy walking every where he goes. So I suggested that we keep working up to speed and reward ourselves with a trip to the beautiful northern country...where it is cooler and maybe a little less humid than Georgia! This Spring has been the wettest one I believe that I've ever seen! But summer is fast approaching, and it is beautiful in the Appalachian mountains! As you get to know me, you will realize that Georgia is usually NOT ON MY MIND! My heart belongs to the mountains of North Carolina! Let me suggest to you an absolutely awesome place to walk. Make plans to walk with the Amblers around Lake Junaluska on Saturday, June 13,2009. The walk qualifies for the Authors and Literary Landmarks and the Railroad Heritage programs. The route wanders through a lovely residential area, around the lake, past the rose garden and along the nature trail. Enjoy breathtaking mountain vistas on this 2+ rated trail. Plan to register in the new Bethea Welcome Center at 9:45 AM, ready to step off at 10:00 AM. To get there from Asheville, take I-40 West, turn right at exit 27 (Waynesville, Hwy19-23-74). Right exit 103 (Hwy 19). Pass the lake; quickly turn right at the Main Gate entrance to Lake Junaluska Assembly (stone gateway). Proceed on N. Lakeshore Dr. a very short distance to Bethea Welcome Center on the left. The Welcome Center is open daily 9 to 5.

P.S. Here is the latest weight loss numbers for the New Light Harvest Chapel 3D Eat Right, Live Well and Love God Program! Diane Holmes lost 1.6 pounds last week but gained .04 pounds. She was a little upset at first, but her weight gain could very easily been due to fluid build up in her body. I think she is doing great! I lost another pound...OK! OK! It is not a very big weight loss and I could probably do much better than I am, but I want to lose more slowly so that my skin will not get too baggy! Kirby did not lose weight this week. He is at a stand still at 225 and he was a little upset over that. Until he realized that he had lost 2 inches in his waist! I am sorry to say that we had seven people who did not show up this past Wednesday night. But I am going to forgive them and hope that they show up next Wednesday night. Seems that commitment is a very hard thing for today's society! Even when it is going to be very, very, good for their health and Life!
Praying for your weight loss success and your good health, till next time!