Chicken Soup for the Dieter's Soul

by Jack Canfield

  Exercise is still a challenge for me. My balance isn’t 100 percent and neverwill be. But I can’t andwon’t let that stop me. I can’t imagine choosing not to move after not being able to. I’ve always heard that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone . . . but I never truly understood the truth in those words.

  By the grace of God, with a lot of help from others and buckets of my own sweat and tears, I can do Sweatin’ 3 again, and I can walk confidently around the neighborhood. There are still many evenings when I don’t feel like exercising, but I do anyway. I do because I can—and that’s a wonderful gift to make the most of.

  I carry reminders of my “stroke of inspiration” every day. Most people would not notice them, but I do and I’m grateful for them. They are reminders of how far I’ve come and of where I don’t want to find myself again. I am on the path to total health, and it’s a fun and exciting road to take again.

  I have lost over fifty pounds at this point. I have a long way to go . . . but I’ve come a long, long way already. Life is good.

  Charmi Schroeder

  Couch Meets Table

  Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future; concentrate the mind on the present moment.

  Buddha

  You’re probably familiar with the expression “You are what you eat.” For me, it was more like: “You are WHERE you eat.” Either way, the result wasn’t pretty.

  My postage stamp-sized kitchen precluded a table or even an eating bar, and the dining room table was covered with books, magazines and files, not to mention two cats basking in the sun from the only south-facing window. Even if I could have cleared a spot on the table, one of my favorite cooking shows aired at suppertime and the TV sat in the living room.

  So I ended up eating on the couch.

  Although an avid fan of the Food Channel, I spent so much time watching TV I didn’t have time to try out the recipes and techniques. I did most of what passed for cooking during commercials. When you only had two minutes to whip up something remotely edible, you quickly learned to ignore words like flambé, sauté and julienne and substitute microwave or delivery.

  My motto was: If it couldn’t be nuked or delivered, I didn’t eat it.

  Eating on the couch led to several problems. It was impossible to watch TV, balance a plate on my lap and cut food all at the same time without dropping half the contents on the cushions. Although my cats liked the arrangement and vied for who got to sit next to me while I ate, I was less happy. To cut down on cleaning bills, I gravitated toward finger foods. Pizza, chicken nuggets, chips and cookies were a lot easier to manage than linguini with tomatoes concasse or osso buco.

  The combination of food and TV meant I often finished an entire meal without any recollection of having eaten it. Bags of chips and cookies disappeared the same way.

  The other day when I struggled yet again to zip up my favorite pants, I discovered a more immediate problem. Eating dinner while watching food shows had not only expanded my culinary vocabulary, it had also broadened my beam.

  It was time to take action. For my first step, I turned off the TV. Since I couldn’t enlarge my kitchen, I rolled up my sleeves and cleared off the dining room table. While the cats were not too happy about losing their favorite spots, the dining room looked much more inviting without mounds of papers cluttering up every surface.

  Next, I opened a cookbook and started to plan healthy meals. I visited my local grocery store and took a shopping cart for a ride through the produce aisles and the meat and fish departments—hitherto strange and forbidding territory. Then I introduced myself to mixing bowls, pots and pans, and a large appliance in my kitchen called a stove.

  Cooking proved more difficult than I had thought. What looks simple on TV seldom turns out that way in real life. I had neither a sous chef nor a clean-up crew to help out.

  I made many discoveries on my culinary journey. One, when the recipe says one cup, it means one cup, not half a cup or two cups. Two, substituting ingredients can be a recipe for disaster. And three, four-year-old spices don’t have much flavor left in them. Many a dish I prepared went straight from oven to garbage can.

  Along the way, I also learned that simple was best. That flambé means you’d better have the fire department on speed dial. And that if a recipe calls for ingredients you can’t pronounce, turn the page and try one you can actually say.

  To be honest, I backslid a few times when my traitorous fingers dialed for pizza. But I persevered.

  I started to enjoy cooking. I played around with textures and ate more raw or lightly grilled vegetables instead of relying on that old standby—the potato. I started using herbs and spices instead of salt, fat and sugar to flavor food. I bought a couple of new cookbooks that emphasized healthy cooking and continued experimenting with different recipes.

  As a surprising side effect, now that I could actually taste my food, I found myself eating less and enjoying it more. And since I felt funny eating chips or a chocolate bar at the dining room table, which was the only place I now ate, I gradually stopped buying them. Within a couple of months, I lost fifteen pounds without dieting and without feeling deprived or hungry.

  As for my favorite cooking show? I tape it and watch it later—after I’ve eaten.

  Harriet Cooper

  Worship Walk

  You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you.

  Joel 2:26 NIV

  It’s been two years, and I can’t believe that I’ve stayed on my low-carb diet. I say “low-carb” because I know that my body needs some carbs. Otherwise, I’d fall off my treadmill. That’s another thing that amazes me—that I’ve stuck with my motorized treadmill. It’s just not like me to stick to something hard without losing my way. No sugar. No honey. And no molasses. None of my favorite foods— like Krispy Kreme doughnuts, brownies, fluffy biscuits and sweet corn bread—are on my diet. I miss them nearly every day. Every muffin I bake is from scratch, and not quite the same with Splenda and soy flour, but it’s livable, and I have lost over forty pounds.

  As a diabetic, not only is my glucose level under control, but my hemoglobin levels have dropped from a poor reading of 7.5 down to a nearly normal 6.3. The lower my score is, the less likely I am to lose a foot or kidney function or my life! So my diet is not only life-changing, but it is life saving. And frankly, I could not have done this without the grace of God. I just don’t have that kind of willpower. That is why I call every day, on or off of my treadmill, eating only foods that are good for my body, my worship walk.

  My goal is simple. I am never ahead of my present meal or snack. This is a walk that I take moment by moment, always remembering what doughnuts taste like. If I plan ahead, or if I look toward tomorrow, I know that I’ll fail.

  There are two pictures of me that I like to compare. One is of me holding my birthday balloons, two years ago. I’m laughing at my family, and you can tell that I have a happy life. The other picture is more recent. It’s of me sitting on my husband’s lap, as we smile into the camera. The difference in me is not only that I’m slimmer, but that I can actually fit on my husband’s lap! For me, that says everything.

  This has not been easy. I am not a woman who heads for the dieting magazine. I’m the one who’s drooling over the chocolate cake. Strangely enough, I still bake for my family. In fact, I do more baking for them since I know I’m not going to eat it. I do, however, get to take that first sniff, if there is a bag of doughnuts around. “Wait! Don’t open it! Let me!” Mmmmmhhh! What a wonderful smell! Then I move on to my high-protein blueberry muffin and thank God there is such a thing as toasted soy flour and Splenda.

  When I met my husband, I was 120 pounds. On the outside I looked confidant, but inside I was a mess. I believed that if I lost my youth and my perfect figure, my husband could not love me. Why? Because I did not love myself. Now, at sixty, I realize that my view of myself and of my husband’s love was shallow. My husband and I will soon be married for t
wenty-five years. During our marriage, he has told me every day how beautiful I am to him. His love, support and faithfulness have been constant, yet only now do I believe him. Only now, at sixty, and a mere 160 pounds, do I believe that I’m beautiful.

  There are diet books enough, and the Internet is full of diets, but it was not the diet that was my problem. It was the reflection that I saw of myself, not in the mirror, but in my heart. So today is a good day. It’s a day that begins anew, in a walk that is both physical and spiritual, a worship walk that I can only take from moment to moment, as I place my hand in the hand of God.

  Jaye Lewis

  “One thing I like about my new image is that there’s so much less of it!”

  Reprinted by permission of Dan Rosanditch.

  More Chicken Soup?

  We would love to hear your reactions to the stories in this book. Please let us know what your favorite stories were and how they affected you.

  Many of the stories and poems you have read in this book were submitted by readers like you who had read earlier Chicken Soup for the Soul books. We publish at least five or six Chicken Soup for the Soul books every year. We invite you to contribute a story to one of these future volumes.

  Stories may be up to 1,200 words and must uplift or inspire. You may submit an original piece, something you have read or your favorite quotation on your refrigerator door.

  To obtain a copy of our submission guidelines and a listing of upcoming Chicken Soup books, please write, fax or check our websites. Please send your submissions to:

  Chicken Soup for the Soul

  P.O. Box 30880 • Santa Barbara, CA 93130

  fax: 805-563-2945

  website: www.chickensoup.com

  Just send a copy of your stories and other pieces to the above address. We will be sure that both you and the author are credited for your submission.

  For information about speaking engagements, other books, audiotapes, workshops and training programs, please contact any of our authors directly.

  The Optimal Weight for Life [OWL] Program

  The publisher and authors of Chicken Soup for the Dieter’s Soul are pleased to donate five cents for every book sold to the OptimalWeight for Life Program at Children’s Hospital, Boston.

  OWL is a multidisciplinary care clinic dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of children who are overweight/obese.

  As the largest hospital-based pediatric obesity program in New England, OWL provides more than 500 new patients each year with state-of-the-art care. OWL features innovative treatments for pediatric obesity developed through clinical research and promotes public awareness and prevention efforts.

  At OWL specialists in nutrition, endocrinology, developmental pediatrics and behavioral medicine develop successful lifestyle interventions for obese children and adolescents.

  New patients are evaluated to identify any underlying medical conditions (such as a hormone problem) and potential complications (including high cholesterol, diabetes or gastrointestinal disease).

  Patients are given nutritional counseling and families meet privately with a dietitian to discuss practical aspects of starting the recommended individualized meal plan.

  OWL provides a combination of short-term individual and family psychotherapy sessions to increase motivation to change diet and physical activity levels. These treatments may also help children cope with the emotional stresses associated with being overweight.

  Group therapy is offered on a periodic basis to facilitate individual treatment. Groups generally meet for ninety minutes each week for a total of six weeks. Participation by the child and at least one parent/ guardian is required. For more information contact:

  www.childrenshospital.org/OWL

  Optimal Weight for Life Program

  Children’s Hospital, Boston

  300 Longwood Avenue • Boston, MA 02115

  phone: (617) 355-5159 • fax: (617) 730-0505

  Who Is Jack Canfield?

  Jack Canfield is the cocreator and editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which Time magazine has called “the publishing phenomenon of the decade.” The series now has 105 titles with over 100 million copies in print in forty-one languages. Jack is also the coauthor of eight other bestselling books, including The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Dare to Win, The Aladdin Factor, You’ve Got to Read This Book, and The Power of Focus: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Certainty.

  Jack has recently developed a telephone coaching program and an online coaching program based on his most recent book, The Success Principles. He also offers a seven-day Breakthrough to Success seminar every summer, which attracts 400 people from fifteen countries around the world.

  Jack is the CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises and the Canfield Training Group in Santa Barbara, California, and founder of the Foundation for Self-Esteem in Culver City, California. He has conducted intensive personal and professional development seminars on the principles of success for over 900,000 people in twenty-one countries around the world. He has spoken to hundreds of thousands of others at numerous conferences and conventions and has been seen by millions of viewers on national television shows such as The Today Show, Fox and Friends, Inside Edition, Hard Copy, CNN’s Talk Back Live, 20/20, Eye to Eye, and the NBC Nightly News and the CBS Evening News.

  Jack is the recipient of many awards and honors, including three honorary doctorates and a Guinness World Records Certificate for having seven Chicken Soup for the Soul books appearing on the New York Times bestseller list on May 24, 1998.

  To write to Jack or for inquiries about Jack as a speaker, his coaching programs or his seminars, use the following contact information:

  Jack Canfield

  The Canfield Companies

  P.O. Box 30880

  Santa Barbara, CA 93130

  Phone: 805-563-2935 • Fax: 805-563-2945

  E-mail: info@jackcanfield.com

  website: www.jackcanfield.com

  Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

  In the area of human potential, no one is more respected than Mark Victor Hansen. For more than thirty years, Mark has focused solely on helping people from all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what’s possible. His powerful messages of possibility, opportunity and action have created powerful change in thousands of organizations and millions of individuals worldwide.

  He is a sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author andmar-ketingmaven. Mark’s credentials include a lifetime of entrepreneurial success and an extensive academic background. He is a prolific writer with many bestselling books, such as The One Minute Millionaire, The Power of Focus, The Aladdin Factor and Dare to Win, in addition to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.Mark has made a profound influence through his library of audios, videos and articles in the areas of big thinking, sales achievement, wealth building, publishing success, and personal and professional development.

  Mark is the founder of the MEGA Seminar Series. MEGA Book Marketing University and Building Your MEGA Speaking Empire are annual conferences where Mark coaches and teaches new and aspiring authors, speakers and experts on building lucrative publishing and speaking careers. Other MEGA events include MEGA Marketing Magic and My MEGA Life.

  He has appeared on television (Oprah, CNN and The Today Show), in print (Time,U.S.News &World Report,USA Today,New York Times and Entrepreneur) and on countless radio interviews, assuring our planet’s people that “you can easily create the life you deserve.”

  As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Mark works tirelessly for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Childhelp USA and many others. He is the recipient of numerous awards that honor his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen. He is a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, an organization that honored Mark with the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for his extraordinary life ach
ievements.

  Mark Victor Hansen is an enthusiastic crusader of what’s possible and is driven to make the world a better place.

  Mark Victor Hansen & Associates, Inc.

  P.O. Box 7665

  Newport Beach, CA 92658

  Phone: 949-764-2640 • Fax: 949-722-6912

  Website: www.markvictorhansen.com

  Who Is Theresa Peluso?

  Theresa has always felt drawn to a page and the power of words. Books represent knowledge, expression, freedom, adventure, creativity and escape—so it’s no surprise that her career has revolved around books.

  Theresa’s career began over thirty years ago in a large publisher’s book club operation. In 1981, Theresa joined Health Communications, a fledgling book publisher that grew to become the country’s #1 self-help publisher and home to groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers and the series recognized as a publishing phenomenon, Chicken Soup for the Soul.

  After twenty years spent in the day-to-day operations of a thriving publishing company, Theresa is now developing books as a writer, compiler and editor.

  She is the coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul II, Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, its companion Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations and Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul.

  In addition to other Chicken Soup books waiting to be hatched, Theresa is developing titles in the Read a Little Bit About . . . series. Read a Little Bit books help teens and young adults build literacy skills while focusing on relevant, contemporary topics and issues, such as buying a car or getting a job. Theresa is also working on Sonic Boomers: That Sound You Hear Is YOU Making a Difference, a book featuring unsung heroes of the baby boomer generation who have found fulfillment and growth in their lives by helping others.