i wanted to share with you a story near + dear to my heart…a story about my daddy. this man raised me, inspired me, and has always been an example of a hard-working entrepreneur and God-loving man who would do anything for his family. and obviously i’m daddy’s little girl (even at 32!). and this past march we had a health scare with him that rocked our family’s (mostly) peaceful little world. and blessed as we seem to always be, he is fine and
recovered from surgery on what was thought to be lung cancer and later to be identified as a large cyst where they had to remove 1/3 of his lung. and the trooper that he is, he’s back to work, smiling as always. so here’s a little peek into my conversation with him pre-surgery about his journey using fitbook to drop 2 jean sizes, how he handled days when he opted to plop on the couch – and days he prevailed. this heart-to-heart makes me smile because knowing fitbook helps people every day warms my heart…but seeing it work in the life of someone you love is well, priceless.
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angela: so, obviously i created the fitbook daddy, was that the reason you started using it? or tell me what was the reason that you thought you’d give it a try? do you remember when or why that was?
daddy: well, of course i’m proud of you sweetie, but the real reason i started using it was because i didn’t feel good. i was sluggish and tired all the time, not to mention i was at least 30lbs overweight. the real “wake up call” for me was when i went to my doctor and he told me that, according to my BMI, i was “obese”. i knew i had to get serious and needed some way to track my food intake and my exercise.
a: hmm…if there were ONLY a way! *laughs*
d: yeah, i know…fitbook!
a: anyway, you’re a hard worker – i’ve always admired that about you. so obviously that made it hard for you trying to fit workouts in when i know you were working 10 hour days. did the fitbook help at all with planning or did you just take it day by day?
d: i’m a scheduling person. if i try to just fit my workouts in “whenever” they would never happen. i used the fitbook just like you taught me – to plan my weeks out ahead of time and then schedule my workouts. there were days when i just didn’t feel like it but seeing it written out so clearly in ink just motivated me to do it anyway – it seemed easier than admitting i’d let myself down by not following through on my plan.
a: i know – you were dedicated…often waking up VERY early! i know you tried quite a few different workouts, including going for long walks in the spring/fall, riding bikes with mom in the summer, skiing in the winter and going to the gym, but you found one thing that clicked for you. can you share what that was and why you liked it so much? why did it work for you?
d: i am pretty active most of the time…but once again, i needed a schedule. fitbook gave me a way to plan out my week and stick to it. sure i would ride the bike pretty religiously, skiied every weekend during the winter and walked pretty consistently, but by writing it down i noticed that my eating was out of control. that is when i began to focus on eating healthy also. i could track my meals and snacks and “oops” times. (yes, i slip up from time to time!) my favorite workout that i love is liveexercise.com by bodylastics (NOTE: dad is not paid to say this, he honestly truly loves it…he talks about this like these guys are his personal trainers!). it is live online resistance band / weight training total body workouts every week that i can stream for free on my laptop in my basement. once i added resistance training to my weekly workouts, i started feeling better about myself and saw the numbers on the scale drop.
a: when you finally came to me and said you were serious about losing weight i helped you tweak a few things on your nutrition – and now you amaze me with your knowledge. kinda like teaching your little girl all you know and watching your grow before your eyes! what was the biggest change you saw in your nutrition when you started writing down your food?
d: well, i realized a little bit of the “wrong” foods does a lot of harm and a lot of the “right” foods does a lot of good so it’s just consistently making good choices. i still slip up and splurge but i’ve learned to enjoy them now because i also realized that when you get your body on a regular exercise routine and metabolism is on your side those “splurges” aren’t as big of a deal anymore.
a: yes – good point! it’s like training your body to be an incinerator so you can enjoy all things (in moderation). on that note: i’m always open and honest that there will be tough days. can you talk about days that you turned the other way from writing in your fitbook or did a u-turn on the way to the gym? what was it that kept you going on the days you wanted to give up?
d: many, many, many days i would come home from work and argue with myself that “i worked hard and deserved to sit down on the couch and take it easy.” then i would make the arguement with myself that “it’s only 45 minutes out of your day for a healthy life!”. but that didn’t always work. there were days the lazy me would win and sit on the couch. what also worked was moving my workouts (resistance training) to early mornings before work. once i get it done in the morning, it is done for the day and i start the day off on a positive note. more often now, the “healthy me” wins and now i’m seeing the results.
a: you (and mom) have been my biggest fans since day one with fitlosophy – so what was it like to finally use the actual product and see such success with it?
d: amazing…yes it is my little girls’ business, but it really works as a motivator. you see the results and after a year i lost 18lbs and 9 1/2″. i’ve gone down 2 jean sizes and want to continue. results are contagious.
a: i love you…you are such an inspiration to ME and it makes me smile to know that fitbook has helped you reach your goals. anything else before we wrap up daddy-o?
d: nope punkin’ – i’m just proud of my little girl.
that you’re unwilling to make? whether it’s phsyical, spiritual, or relational, we must all make sacrifices – and so often we push back against making the choices that we know are good for us out of sheer selfishness or not wanting to change. so what it comes down to is this: how bad do you really want it?
