The 50 Pound Difference

It may have started this spring when, for the first time, we got into the show The Biggest Looser. Dave listened as a contestant said to the audience, "I was you! I was sitting on the couch watching this show with my bowl of ice cream. If I can do it, you can." He looked down at his bowl of ice cream and put his mind to a weight loss goal. Just a few months later and Dave's 50 pounds lighter! He's lookin' so good, even the bank teller asked, "Are you loosing weight?" today! This weekend we had to hit the sales to replace most of Dave's now-too-big wardrobe (the downside to weight loss being the closet full of pants, shorts and suits that are now 3 to 4 sizes off).
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Dave says that, for him, it was more that he was maintaining a heavy weight by making poor decisions and simply rethinking his food choices made a big difference. That may be the secret to his success, if you want to call it that. The social nature of his job was constantly presenting him with tempting options. But now, no more desserts at council, no more baked goods at senior game days, no more biscuits and gravy at morning breakfast meetings, no more high-calorie Starbucks drinks, no more late night snacking. There's a handful of recipes I've eliminated from our family's dinner rotation-- casseroles and high-fat dishes. And as a whole family, we've also been working on substitution. Turkey everything instead of pork anything, olive oil mayo instead of the original, yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream, etc. Many things we actually continue to do the same. With such great access to them, we've always been fruit and veggie lovers. Our beef is cut the leanest it can be. We've never had a pantry full of junk food.
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Another key to Dave's success has been daily use of the Wii Fit to monitor his BMI and set goals. I'm so proud of him and while I've always found my hubbie attractive, how can I not love his hot new body? I feel good about the pretty simple changes we've made to ensure better health for all of us as well.
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It's been a while since I've shared a favorite recipe. In the sidebar is one of Dave's famous dishes-- Hawaiian Sausage. He invented the recipe years ago and has tweaked it as of late to make it even better for you!