A friend's progress...

I had dinner on Saturday evening with an old friend from high school and his family. We ate lots of barbecued (unhealthy, but very tasty) food and caught up on old times.

The difference from the last time we got together is that this friend has lost almost 30 pounds over the past Summer !

How?

He started on Weight Watchers and showed me all the latest tools that they have including online resources so you can figure out how many "points" each meal contains. He was given "40 points per day" and he typically could only use about 20 or so. His biggest dietary switches were the reduction (or elimination) of bread, more vegetables (on the grill too) and, it seemed, a better plan for his meals throughout the day. He would take a handful of almonds for an afternoon snack and an apple for his drive home from work (it is about an hour).

He also started going to the local high school track and walking about 2 miles every day. I think this gave him time to unwind and reduce the stress of a busy job, 3 kids (with lots of activities) and the current economic situation. Sort of like meditation ... with sneakers.

The best news?

His father died much younger than he should have (from a heart attack, I believe) and for a while my friend had been making comments that seemed to indicate that he felt he shared the same fate. "When I'm gone..." or "I need to get things in order in case..." and at dinner there was no such comments. In fact, it appeared that the rest of his family were behind his efforts 100%. His wife had a salad (while he and I had barbecue) and his kids seemed to know what foods were good and which were "special occasion foods". All their kids are into athletics so they don't have any problems with weight... but this type of food knowledge will be invaluable to them when they get older. (Ask me how I know!)

Show, don't Tell !

He is also setting an excellent example for his kids and demonstrating how much he cares for his family by the way he takes care of himself. I am very proud to be his friend and I hope that I'm able to inspire others in a similar way !

I'm sure he would agree that he is not "done" and that a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing effort. I am confident that he will be around for a good many years ... which is great to see since it means my friend will be there for his family, other friends ... and me!

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Leave a comment below.