Helping Others

millerll

This one's not really MY success story, but a small victory for someone else. One of my coworkers has been complimenting me on my weight loss and lamenting the fact that she "can't" lose weight. While discussing her diet with her, I learned that she uses a lot of processed, high-sodium foods when she cooks for her family. She also has typical American eating habits. She boils her veggies in salted water, then adds more salt and butter when she serves them. She's convinced there's no other way she or her family will eat them or like them. She only eats fruit slathered in Cool Whip. She's convinced that healthy equals bland.

Yesterday, she was telling me that she had just had lunch and was ravenous. Her lunch consisted of a bit of tuna with 2 tablespoons of mayo on crackers. Well, no wonder! When I told her that I had had a huge green salad, chicken breast, loads of steamed veggies with seasonings (no salt), and my own diced fruit mix, all for less than 500 calories and very low fat and sodium, she about fell out of her chair.

Today, I brought her lunch. I chose a ground turkey and pepper/onion/tomato thing I make that's almost like a thick chili. I served it over some rotini whole wheat pasta. I also brought her broccoli and fruit salad. I topped the fruit with 2 oz. of fat-free light vanilla yogurt, and she loved it! I also brought her celery sticks and Laughing Cow Light French Onion cheese to spread on them for a snack. She told me she didn't eat the broccoli since doesn't like it (didn't know that, oops), but she said she couldn't even finish the rest since it was so much food. All this for 410 calories and low fat, with only 250 mg sodium. I gave her the recipe for the turkey and veggie thing. And she even brought in her own carrots and celery sticks today, and had a yogurt for breakfast (she usually has a Pepsi for breakfast, groan). Granted, her yogurt was full-fat and high sugar, but it's a start.

I NEVER push my lifestyle on people, but if they ask for my help, they'll get it in spades! It's so fun to see people learning how to make healthy changes. You can almost see the light bulb coming on in their heads when they first realize that healthy food doesn't have to taste like crap. I think it'll be a struggle for her to eat healthy since she doesn't know a lot about nutrition, and she's pretty resistant to changing the way she cooks, but at least there is hope.

I must say that it really chaps my *kitten* that we don't have better education about healthy cooking and nutrition in this country. No wonder we have such an obesity problem. Most people have no idea how to cook healthy, and the seductive advertising they see for junk crap doesn't help.

Enough ranting. Have any of you "converted" anyone? How did it go? Did it last? Just curious about others' experiences on this as people ask me for advice a lot since I've lost weight and gottten into shape. I'm never sure how in-depth to go. I don't want to come off like a crazed zealot!

schaapj2

Hey, that is super sweet! Doesn't it feel so good when you can show what you've learned! Any chance you'd be willing to post that recipe for the rest of us! Always like low sodium recipes....sodium is whats keeping me from losing weight!

spob

The most effective way to change is by role modeling and ofcourse gentle persuasion. So it is your success as well. You managed to help somone do something good for:drinker: themselves without ever feeling bad about themselves. That is a gift!

millerll

Hey, that is super sweet! Doesn't it feel so good when you can show what you've learned! Any chance you'd be willing to post that recipe for the rest of us! Always like low sodium recipes....sodium is whats keeping me from losing weight!

Actually, I got the recipe off this site, but I can't find the link right now, so I'll just type it here for you.

1 lb. ground turkey or chicken, cooked and drained
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced and undrained
1 1/2 cups fresh onion, diced
1 cup fresh sweet corn
1 med. green pepper, diced
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. worchestire sauce
15 oz can tomato sauce

In skillet, saute onion, corn, and pepper in water until tender. Add salt, pepper, garlic, worchestire sauce and tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes. Add cooked meat and tomato sauce. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve over cooked rice or pasta.

I usually use no salt canned sauce, but it comes out pretty bland that way. You can add your own salt to taste. Sometimes, I use a little garlic salt or onion salt, but not too much. This is really easy and tastes great. It makes over 3 pounds cooked, and for 6 servings, that's about 8 oz. per serving but that's a LOT. The last time I made it, I used one 8 oz. can of no salt sauce, and one 8 oz. can of regular sauce. The stats came out like this for 4 oz:

Cals: 87
Carbs: 10
Protein: 11
Fat: 1
Sugar: 5
Sodium: 228

Enjoy!

angisnee

That's a great story! It's nice that she has an interest in being healthy and is making small changes bit by bit. Those are the changes that stick, and as she learns more and more about nutrition, I'm sure she'll incorporate what she learns into her new lifestyle. Awesome!

I haven't "converted" anyone, but after a few months of logging food and activity religiously and seeing my success and hearing me talk about nutrition, my husband has joined and is making some really good changes to his diet. He was always an exerciser but added salt or sugar to everything and snacked a lot late at night. Just keeping those things in check, he's lost 8 pounds in three weeks! We talk a lot about nutrition now, and It's so nice to have that extra accountability.

Congrats on her success, and keep up the great example!

missmiller1

My boss told me the other day that I was looking great and asked me how much weight I lost. I've dropped 25 pounds since May by watching what I eat, circuit training and running. He told me I was an inspiration! The next day he told me he was going to go for a run that night (he just turned 59!)

There has actually been a domino effect in my office where I was inspired by a co-worker who lost a lot of weight on the "Fat Smash" diet, then I was inspired to get my weight on track, and now several other people in the office are starting to eat healthier and lose weight. It's great!

KarenJean81

That's great, kinda wish I had you around when I first realized I genuinely wanted to do something about my weight.

I have a dear friend I help out too. She is working two jobs, AND going to school, and wants to even just feel better. Her brother helped her plan out a meal plan for Mon - Wed, days shes out with no time for 18 hours, and the rest of the week, since there is just me and my hubby here, we have her over for dinner. She tracks her calories through the day, and I let her know what portions are what. While she hasn't weighed in, she is feeling tons better, and and looks healthy again, no more dark circles etc.

Her grandmother once thanked me for helping her out and I don't think she quite believed me when I said it was no trouble and totally worth it.

hawkeye01

Thanks for sharing your story.

Like you, I didn't want to PUSH my lifestyle on anyone, but when seriously asked how I have been losing weight, I let them have it. I don't know the total count because it's like that movie Pay It Forward where I help x number of people and they help x number and so on. But from the core group of family members and people at work that I talk to, they also use and love the site.

SHBoss1673

I don't know if I've "converted" anyone, but after finishing my weight loss journey 2 + years ago, I kept going and became a personal trainer, since then I haven't really trained many people (maybe 6 or 7 people, but that wasn't why I got the cert anyway), but I did hold a series of free classes at my office for anyone who wanted to come. It focused around healthy food, working out, and how the body actually works. I know I opened at least a few eyes to some things, which is good. It was fun for me too, I got to actually sit down and show people what works and what doesn't and interact with them. You'd be amazed at how little people know about nutrition and health, and I'm not talking about dumb folks here, many/most of the people in my office have at a minimum a bachelors degree, and many have a masters in computer science or engineering.

and just the other day a guy at the office came to me asking me about how he can strengthen his legs for the upcoming winter where he telemark skis, which is rough on the quads, I gave him a very basic idea of what he'd need to do, but it was nice to give some good advice.

Ahzuri

I don't think the advice I've given people has ever changed their lives or anything but I still give it out. I will always give help to people who ask because it was my husbands best friend who changed my life with his advice. He had been 300lbs of fat right out of high school and a year later had lost 100lbs by going to the gym and eating right. It is very inspirational to listen to him talk about it and very motivating to look at him and think" Wow he used to be all fat and is now in only a few years almost all muscle!" I know he also inspires my husband who has been trying to gain weight for years (hes like 125 maybe and 5'9) to do so by working out at the gym which in turn makes him healthier so that he can hopefully avoid a lot of the health problems that run in his family.