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Weight-Loss Challenge

July 2nd, 2012

The New Year came and left and losing weight was NOT one of my goals this year. Every year I had set a weight-loss goal for myself and I do not lose weight, so I figured out a plan for that not to happen, I will not make that a goal. At this point I was still going to the gym sometimes. When I say “Sometimes” I really mean when I had the energy to get my three children ready and piled in the car and drive across town to get to Tony Cruz XTC Sports and Fitness. I had no motivation. In January I saw a sign in the women’s locker room, it was advertising a twelve week weight loss program that had a cash prize. The competitive side of me was extremely excited to go for it, but every time I thought about it the more I second guessed my decision to sign up.

The time came when I went to the gym to sign up. I knew it was going to be tough, but would be worth it in the end. There was a pretty long line to weigh in and get measured. I really thought I would not have a chance to win. I went ahead and signed up anyway. They wrote down my measurements and weight, and took before pictures. Once a week I would meet with a nutrition trainer and weigh in. the first time I meet with my nutritionist I was introduced to Herbalife.

Herbalife is a brand name weight loss product. The Herbalife shakes are great and come in many different flavors, my favorite being Café Latte. I decided to do a shake twice a day, usually I would do a shake for lunch and dinner and eat a good breakfast, like oatmeal and fruit. I also drank the Hebalife tea; a tea that is full of natural ingredients and burns calories. Later I added Aminogen which helps break downs proteins and amino acids, it reduces bloating that is caused by incomplete protein digestion, and it promoted lean muscle mass. This diet was the most important part of my weight loss. In order to lose the most weight possible, you have to remember that diet is 70% of weight loss. The other 30 % is a strong workout routine.

Being a mom, gym choice is so important, not only for the workout routines, but also for the childcare provided. XTC has a great room in the front part of the gym that you can keep an eye on your kids. My kids really love to go to the gym. I can work out worry free. I have tried different classes at the gym and the best class I tried was the Tuesday and Thursday noon cycle class. I had a great workout doing the cardio kick boxing, but I never can keep up. The workouts are very extreme and the instructors are so encouraging. Many people love the Zumba classes but I feel so silly due to my lack of rhythm, maybe I will try it again. A couple times I did a session with a personal trainer, Sam Brown. He showed me the best workouts to do in the gym and he knew that I could not always make it out to the gym so he showed me the best workouts to do at home.

During the weight loss challenge I would weigh in with a personal and nutrition trainer, Sam Brown. I loved this because I knew that if I cheated on my diet, or if I was not working out hard, it would show on the scale. Sam pushed me to lose weight each week, and to set goals that were beyond what I thought I could do. I did a few personal workout training sessions, which left me so sore but showed immediate results. Every week I pushed myself during my cycle classes or kickboxing at XTC, and I would not cheat on my diet. I immediately was seeing the results of my hard work. The first week I lost seven pounds, and the next week I had a four pound loss. The best thing was the inches I was losing. My pants were fitting better, and then they were not fitting at all.

At the end of the 12 weeks I lost a total of 42.4 pounds and 10 inches off of my waist. I ended up coming in third in the contest, and won just over $200. But the best thing about doing the whole thing was the energy that I gain while losing the weight. I feel like I can keep up with my kids more. I actually look forward to going to the gym to workout. Not to mention, I feel better about the way I look. I am still seeing the pounds melt off and the inches drop!

Working out and dieting is hard. The hardest part is getting started. HerbaLife is more than a diet, it is a healthier lifestyle. I believe in this product so much, I became an independent distributor and now sell it to my friends and family who also want to commit to something better than processed food and drive thru food.

Dr. Morgan

October 14th, 2010
jacksonville family chiropractor roy morgan

Jacksonville Family Chiropractor

Dr. Morgan is a chiropractor and nutritionist in Jacksonville, Texas. I have always heard about the way that he diagnoses people and how questionable his strange ways are. Dr. Morgan does some strange things, like pull on pressure point on you body and watch your reactions just to see what vitamins you are missing, he also will ask you to hold small glass bottles with clear liquid and push on your other hand to check your strength. By doing this he sees what foods your body is rejecting. Even though the way he diagnoses his patients are questionable and to be honest, a little hokey, the results are undeniable.

He helps people of all ages and people with all different problems. My daughter has been doing the oddest thing for the past few months, which was eating strange things like chalk, dirt, paper, and even dry wall. It was really strange for her to act that way. I started to worry because she started to hardly eat food, even if it was her favorite foods. I began to get really worried and quickly called her doctor. He told me to just give her iron vitamins. I tried that and nothing improved. So I decided to investigate, I quickly discovered that there is a eating disorder called PICA that three year olds can get. Basically small children eat dirt instead of food to get that full feeling. I got really worried so I took her to Dr. Morgan. He did a strange method to find what her body was missing and what her body is rejecting. The doctor gave her chewable supplements to take a couple times a day, and told me to keep her off of MSG. Once I began to do what the doctor said within a couple days I saw such a huge difference. Not only did she start to eat her food and stopped crazy dirt, she was able to communicate better, and listen to direction much easier. I was impressed with her attitude and obedience. It was like she could finally think clearly.

My daughter is one of many people that has changed their health and lives because of Dr. Morgan. I still am not a complete believer in his ways. I don’t understand how he can see that you have gallbladder problems by pushing on your hand, but the results are clear. He provides his patients with a natural way to live a healthy and happy life.

WIC Low Income Government Assistance

January 26th, 2010

WIC

WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children and is a program designed to help pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children under 5 with nutrition. There is a daily clinic in Tyler and mobile clinics at other locations in our area once a week too.

To qualify for benefits, you have to live in Texas and have a low income for the number of people in your household. Benefits are given after a financial assessment has been made. There are details on the WIC website and you can phone the WIC hotline to find out if your family is eligible (details on www.dshs.state.tx.us/wic)

They have information in both English and all materials are also available in Spanish.

In my experience, the ladies who run the WIC program are really helpful. It would seem that this is not the easiest of programs to administer but they do it with a smile. We received help when I was pregnant and had a child under five. We were given a health assessment and nutritional advice as well as the food package. This came in the form of a ‘gift card’ which could be redeemed at most local superstores. Specific food types and in some cases, brands, are listed for you to purchase. You receive an information sheet and a video to watch to help you get started and in most supermarkets the products you can choose are labelled ‘WIC’ to help you as you shop.

At one of my WIC appointments the nutritionist identified that my daughter was iron deficient. I guess I wasn’t surprised as she is a terrible eater! But I was glad to have all sorts of ideas, suggestions and recipes to help. She was also given a children’s book on each visit which is I think is great. Any help with encouraging literacy has to be good for kids in East Texas.

We had milk, eggs, cereal, peanut butter, bread, rice, beans, fruit and veg. It was a real help to our family budget. I was also offered breast feeding support and even an electric pump to aid feeding. I have to say I am really impressed that they would spend the time and money to help Moms breastfeed. We all know it is the best start for a baby to have it’s mother’s milk but it is not always an easy choice to make and sustain. Any support is really valuable. It was also good to know that my baby was on target on the growth chart. I continued to receive a food package as I was nursing him and once I began to feed him solids, I was given formula and baby food and cereal on my card each month.

I think it is well worth applying for the WIC program if your income is low. You do need to prove your income twice a year and visit the clinic at least every three months but that is a small price to pay for the assistance you receive. And don’t worry, there is no stigma attached to receiving WIC as there are so many families in East Texas who receive it. It is not just for single parents or those out of work. A lot of families here are living on a single income because Moms bravely chose to stay at home with their children. In this community there are also a large proportion of families who have lots of children or extended family living with them and so are eligible for benefits even though their income is not low. I have always been treated with respect at the Lindale WIC office and have no hesitation in recommending their services to others.