The knock-on effect...

I've received heaps of encouragement from my entire  family and friends over the 7 weeks I've been on 12WBT, but no more so than that given by DD, who as I've mentioned before, is paying for me to do the program, BM by rethinking what sort of things he would normally buy for me as a 'treat', and BFF, just by being a willing and understanding ear as well as giving me odd not so gentle nudge when it's needed.


Over the last year or so, DD (turning 20)  has been steadily gaining weight, nothing really significant, but I can see her shape changing and she has begun complaining that her clothes no longer fit, and her diet consists mainly of fast food & soft drinks.  I have been so incredibly reluctant to say anything to her about it, because I didn't want her to feel like I was getting on her back about it, and making her feel the way I do when my Mum talks to me about my weight, but it frightens me that she is walking my path.

LIGHT BULB!

Mum wasn't on my back at all - wait...  well she was, but for a different reason than I thought.  She was hurting because of what she could see I was doing to myself and was afraid for me.  Those concerns just came out wrong.  Really wrong!  We're just a little short on tact in our family.  But they are the same concerns that I now have for my  daughter.

Isn't it funny how you can never really see clearly what it is your parents are trying to get you to understand until you have your own child, and find yourself in that exact situation with them.

BM is a big man, not just because he too, is overweight read obese, but he is quite literally a BIG man - he is 6'4" with broad shoulders, size 12 feet and is built like a brick shithouse!  He was born and raised on a farm up on the Dorrigo Plateau, absolutely gorgeous country, and they sure do build 'em big up there.  He works 12 hour shifts and really doesn't like to do much on his days off that doesn't include watching DVD's or going shopping.  Getting him motivated to do anything is a real struggle.  He loves fast food, junk food, soft drink, chocolate and big portions.  Luckily though, he eats what ever I put on his plate without complaint - unless it's burnt... burn his food and you'll never hear the end of it, it's about the only thing he flat out refuses to eat!

Over the last 7 weeks, I've noticed that not only am I  changing, but so are they.

Here comes the knock-on effect...

DD has started going for regular walks, in fact she got me up early today and we went together.  When I say early, I mean early... 5 bloody 30 in the morning!   I didn't know there was  a 5.30 in the morning.  But it was nice to spend that time with her, just us.  We walked only a little way coz I'm not that good at it yet, only 1.46km but we did it and I'm proud of us.

BM has started taking garden salad & fruit salad to work for lunch and snacks, is eating smaller portions and has joined a local gym!  He goes nearly every day, except when he's on night shift.  When he's on day shift, he gets up at 3.30am so he can get in an hour at the gym before heading off for work.

BFF was already a regular at the gym, she goes most days - don't how she squeezes it in to her schedule, but she does.  What she did do though, after listening to me rave about the program for some of the warm up period and the entire pre-season, was sign herself up to Round 1 2013.

I am proud to be able to say that, finally, I have been a good example to people I love.  I am slowly making changes, and they will be are life long changes.

I haven't got it 100% right yet, not even 50%, but if I tried to be perfect straight away, I know that I would fail, and would just give up completely.

Slow and steady wins the race...