's motd Wed June 16, 2010

[Guest guest]

DOUG

Wednesday, 16 June 2010

A gentleman began coming to my studio several months ago and his name was Doug. He was a rather quiet guy but after a little conversation I had with him, he told me that his goal was to lose some weight and get back into good shape.

I remember watching how he worked out when he took his first class. I could tell that aerobic exercise was a bit "alien" to him. But within a few weeks of attending class, I could see progress as he was really getting all of the steps down right. I'd always see him smiling or singing along to some of the songs I played in class. It was obvious that Doug was having a really good time while working out. He usually wore a navy blue sweatshirt that was a bit baggy along with his workout shorts. One Saturday, Doug joined us for one of our weekly Project Me motivational classes at Slimmons. During Project Me, we talk about food, portion control, compulsive eating and learning how to stay focused on reaching our goals. I've been doing these classes at Slimmons ever since I opened the studio nearly 40 years ago. I think it's good when you're in a group and can talk about the kinds of problems we all have in common as we're working to lose weight.

One day, I asked Doug what he did for living. I found out that he managed a restaurant in town that I knew quite well but hadn't dined. The bottom line is that Doug's job kept him constantly in the presence of food. He was always in the kitchen making sure everything was perfect before it was served to his guests. But all of that time in the kitchen also led to Doug often having to taste a little of this dish and oh...a little of that one. And in the process, he was adding weight, 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 15 pounds and later on...even more!After several months of attending class, last Saturday, Doug joined us for another Project Me class. And guess what? He was wearing an obviously smaller-sized sweatshirt and shorts. He looked good! And along with the new outfit, Doug was also wearing a great big smile on his face. He looked so happy and looked very different, too. See, Doug had lost a total of 50 pounds! And the whole class joined in giving him a much-deserved round of applause.His whole body was smaller and, like I said, he was really beginning to look like a different person. I knew Doug had been losing weight. And one of the reasons I could tell is because he was moving so much better in class. But he'd been wearing those baggy clothes for so long, which made it harder to actually see the amazing transformation his body had been going through.

Everyone in class had lots of questions for him. Doug told us that he'd made peace with the food and with his eating habits. He told us he didn't snack on junk foods any longer and had become much more conscious of what he was eating, paying closer attention to his portions sizes. It was as if a light bulb had turned on in his mind as he said to himself..."I've got to do it. I've just got to lose this weight!"And he did! It's amazing is how much younger Doug looks. Those 50 pounds he's lost also took about 10 years off his face. So congratulations, Doug!

And I hope that his success story today will help inspire you and turn on that light bulb in your mind!Love,