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Featured Client
San Jose Mom Gets Skinny to Keep Up With Kids

by Elizabeth Fergason

Shelley Philbrick is a Lite for Life success story for two reasons.  Not only has she lost 45 pounds, Shelley has become a role model for a healthy lifestyle for her two young children.  She has come full circle, really, given that it was her kids who motivated her to commit to the Lite for Life program in the first place. 

Shelley’s struggle with her weight began at the time of her father’s death.  Just 15 at the time, Shelley sought comfort in food and gained weight.  She dieted with some success but could never keep the pounds off.  Each time the weight returned, a few more pounds came along with it. 

Once Shelley started a family of her own, she realized her extra weight was holding her back from being the kind of mother she wanted to be.  “I wanted to run and play and feel energetic with my kids,” she says.  “I knew I needed to change my habits and I also really wanted to set a good example for my children.”

She initially became acquainted with the Lite for Life program through a school fundraiser.  Last Spring, Darlene Forsythe, owner of Lite for Life of San Jose, donated a weight loss program to Shelley’s school auction.  “Once Shelley was under way here, there was no stopping her,” says Forsythe. 

The scientific basis of the Lite For Life Program was important to Shelley’s commitment.  She says, “the idea of maintaining blood sugar levels made a lot of sense to me.  Other diets focused on weight loss alone, but Lite for Life focused on stabilizing my blood sugar levels in order for me to lose weight.”

Taking advantage of Lite for Life’s intensive counselor support was also crucial.  Shelley visited the store frequently.  She took the counselors’ advice and made daily snacks a part of her routine.  When she hit a plateau or went up a pound or two along the way, her counselors helped her stay focused on her long-term goal instead of losing faith in herself or the program.

“Shelley was motivated and always a pleasure to work with,” says Forsythe. “We are so proud of her.  That she continues to maintain her goal weight is especially satisfying.”

In addition to losing 45-pounds, Shelley took off 53 inches and dropped three dress sizes. 

“I love trying on new clothes now,” she says.  “I don’t feel like I have to choose an outfit just because it doesn’t make me look fat.  I can get something that I like.” 

Most important though, is how she now interacts with her children.  “I run with my kids and play more vigorous games.  I’m definitely capable of keeping up, if not surpassing them.” 

Shelley has even developed into a budding marathoner.  Shortly after starting Lite For Life, she started walking 20 minutes a day.  Gradually she worked up to jogging, and last October, Shelley entered the Rock and Roll Half-Marathon in San Jose and finished in the top ten of her division! 

Shelley has become the woman she’s always wanted to be, one who is fit and active, a mother who can keep up with her energetic children.  She is also modeling a lifestyle her children can respect and emulate, creating a legacy of healthy lifestyle choices.

Congratulations Shelley!  You rock!

Elizabeth Fergason is a Counselor at Lite for Life in Menlo Park

Nutrition in the News:
Excess Insulin Worsens Breast Cancer and Other Cancer Outcomes

by Elizabeth Fergason

As a Lite for Life client, you know that controlling blood sugar and insulin levels is the key to losing weight comfortably and safely.  There is increasing evidence that controlling blood sugar and insulin levels is also a basic component of overall good health.  Many life threatening diseases such as type II diabetes, high LDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and cancerous tumors have been conclusively linked to high insulin levels. 

Recently one of our clients in San Carlos called our attention to a study linking elevated insulin levels to higher risk for the progression of breast cancer.  This data, combined with results from other studies from the last several years, provides new motivation for eating to control blood sugar--even if you don’t need to lose weight.

The study, conducted at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, involved women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who were followed for up to 10 years.  Researchers found that the women with the highest insulin levels were eight times more likely to die during the study than women with the lowest insulin levels.  70% of patients with elevated insulin levels were alive after seven years, compared with 95% of those with normal insulin levels.
A 1991 study conducted by the Diabetes and Endocrine Research Laboratory at the Mount Zion Medical Center in San Francisco helps explain why.  Researchers there analyzed breast tissue from 159 women with breast cancer and compared it with breast tissue from healthy women. 
They found that breast cancer cells had seven times the number of insulin receptors as normal breast cells, suggesting that some breast cancer cells may use insulin, the hormone that lets cells metabolize sugar, as a growth promoter.

Simple carbohydrates found in food such as refined grains and sugars can create blood sugar spikes, especially when consumed without accompanying protein or fiber.  When blood sugar spikes, insulin must spike as well.  All those extra insulin receptors allow tumor cells to use the excess insulin to gobble up sugar from the bloodstream so they can grow.

Recent studies have also linked elevated insulin levels from high carbohydrate diets to more rapid growth of cancerous prostate tumors in mice, and to a threefold increase in risk for colorectal cancer in humans.

The key to keeping insulin levels under control is moderating refined carbohydrate intake and eating carbohydrates in combination with a more complex food, one that is either high in fiber or contains protein.  Regular exercise also helps control insulin levels.

Elizabeth Fergason is a Counselor at Lite For Life in Menlo Park

Featured Product:
Finally! A Soda With Stevia

Missing the taste of 7 up or citrus flavored sodas?  Zevia is a great alternative to chemically sweetened diet sodas. This non-caffeinated, all natural, carbonated drink supplemented with stevia packs a mere 5 calories and tastes great.  Zevia comes in two wonderful flavors, Twist, (reminiscent of Fresca) and Orange. 

Maureen's Tips
To Lose Big Weight, Think Small

This is the time of year when many of us set weight loss goals the new year.  The best way to tackle any big goal is to break it down into smaller steps.  Losing forty pounds can seem daunting, so break it down into a series of smaller goals.

If you want to lose 40 pounds, your first goal should be to lose 10.

To lose 10 pounds, your daily goals might include drinking all your water, taking all your Lite For Life diet supplements and eating lots of veggies.  Weekly goals might be weighing in at Lite For Life three times a week and exercising every other day.

Be sure to set up a reward system for meeting your goals.  For daily goals, treat yourself to something small, like a Lite For Life dessert, a new song from Itunes or an extra 15 minutes of sleep.  A good reward for a weekly goal met might be a new lipstick or a book you’ve been wanting to read.  When you lose the 10 pounds, treat yourself to something bigger, such as massage or a new sweater.

Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  If you take the steps you need each day, you will certainly arrive at your goal.

Maureen Sullivan, MA, CNC is the founder of Lite For Life.