PHASE ONE of the Incredible Shrinking Family was a huge success. Our little group lost over 325 pound in just 3 months! And we raised over $5000 for our selected charities! The biggest loser of our Family was David Huff who lost 74 pounds! Yvonne Clyde was the female winner losing 26 pounds! Both a huge inspiration to us all.  

Take a look below at the inspirational success from Phase 1, and then go sign yourself up right now for Phase 2: Son of a Mother Marathon!

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: I'm so thankful and amazed by what we created here together. I was successful in creating my own personal health because of each of my fellow IS Family members. Amazing you all. Amazing!

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: As a "moral support" family member, I thought of a way to be an effective teammate by co-authoring the weekly emails. Since I wanted to "taste test" each weekly recipe to ensure that it was a healthy recipe actually worth making, I was challenged to make more healthy recipes at home and do research. Since I like to crave everything I make, I was also pushed to try some new ingredients so healthy food wasn't boring for me or you to eat. As a result, I learned many new recipes that I know will stay in my family forever: cauliflower mashed potatoes, ratatouille, garden meatloaf and minestrone to name a few! And, hopefully I taught you a few ways to eat healthy and still delicious meals. All of these discoveries and challenges (to cook so many meals during the week) forced me to do what I love: cook and share my recipes and experiences! I am seriously considering writing a healthy everyday's person food blog of my own.
 
Needless to say, I am taking away so much more than I thought I would take from the Incredible Shrinking Family.  I joined to help others, but in turn you all helped to motivate and inspire me to pursue a hobby and passion and making it meanful to me and others.
 
I would totally do the Incredible Shrinking Family again and keep job as email reminder/recipe person:) 

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: 

For me this has been an amazing journey and I am so glad I took the time to examine why I was overweight and dealt with a lot of internal pain and with my spirit man before I started this journey. I was then ready to shed the pounds and this has been a most fulfilling journey for me and my family. I have lost so much weight that the people I work with do not even recognize me when I walk into work. It has been fun and most rewarding. I have shed more than just weight in the past 4 months; I have shed a lot of old paradigms and to me that is exciting. Anyway as of this morning I lost a total of 74 lbs since August 1st. I went from a 46 “waist to a 38 “. I am not done and will continue to lose until I get to my goal weight of 207 lbs. Why 207 lbs? It is simple I want an 8 pack on my stomach as I have never seen my stomach muscles during my life time. I do not want to keep the 8 pack forever but do want to see them at least once. I will probably stabilize between 207 and 220 but will simply have to wait and see as I have never really been that weight before. I am basing those numbers off of a friend of mine that is 6’ 4” like me with the same body style and he always looks fit and slim. Thanks for taking the time to reach out to me and ask me to join this forum as I have enjoyed the company on this journey towards health. I did not do sponsorship as we have to ask so many to help us with Rebecca’s pending soccer trip next summer. Any way have a blessed day and I will be on the call Wednesday night.
 
Sincerely,
David a.k.a. Slim  

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: Here are a few thoughts as I reflect on ISF project:

Rob, I'm proud of you for not only concieving the idea of the Incredible

Shinking Family but for taking the action to actually start the project.  So

often we have an idea but we fail to get started because it's not quite

perfect or we're not ready for one reason or other.  You took the action!

Many responded.  We had great weekly conference calls which was the medium

to share about the ISF progress but more importantly an opportunity to be

connected with our extended family and friends.  All the wieght-losing

participants made outstanding progress toward their goals and ended-up

feeling good about their achievements.  We're all healthier as a result.

The moral supporters contributed so much to the project I thougjht.   The

blog contributors, recipe-sharers, and so many that helped Rob with

different things that are so easy to take for granted was truly an

inspiration to me.  The project was instructive in ways I didn't expect and

that was the power in it for me.  Rob, well done!  You did something really

wonderful here and created a great memory in the process!  I'm eager to hear

ideas for how we might continue in some way.

Love, 

Dad

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: I am so happy to have surpassed my goal!  I would not have been able to do it without Mike leading the charge.  He helped me the most by doing all of the grocery shopping & most of the cooking throughout this 3 month project.  He really did a great job of planning his meals ahead and knowing exactly how many calories were in each thing that went into his mouth.  Eating healthier made such a difference in how we both felt physically.  After a couple splurges here and there, we just didn't feel good.  It was like our bodies were rejecting our old ways and needed fresh produce!  It also helped to know that there was added accountability by reporting results that would be posted online.  I'm very glad that I participated and even happier that I now fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans.  In fact, I now weigh less than when I first got pregnant! 

 PHASE ONE SUMMARY: As for ISF, this was great inspiration for me.  I never thought of myself as significantly overweight but for years have always found myself gaining 10 - 15 and then depriving my body to get those excess lbs off.  In addition, I've always been an avid fan of exercise and mentally thought as long as I excercise, I didn't have to pay attention to what or how much I eat.  When I started ISF, I decided to do something different.  With the help of my wife and the good recepies on ISF.com, I significantly changed my eating habits.  At first I wasn't that inspired.  While I was losing a bit of weight, it wasn't what I could do when I would deprive my body and lose the "quick 10".  But after 3 months I found that the weight has stayed off and I feel a heck of a lot better.  Much of the change was in portion control.  My wife even bought 7" plates vs the typical 12".  It's amazing how the mind will stop when they see a full (7") plate.  In addition, I stopped with the late night eating.  If I got home from work later than 9pm, I simply would have a protein shake vs. a full meal.  BTW, protein shakes were also a great suppliment for quick b'fast or lunches.  

PHASE ONE SUMMARY: Well this is it... I now weigh 197.5lbs. and have lost a total of 26 lbs. for phase one of ISF.  Thank - you for all of your inspiration and making this a fun family and friends effort.  I' m definitely further along than I would have been otherwise.  It was very encouraging to be able to check in on the website to see how everyone else was coming along, (and a wee bit disappointing the weeks the weights were not entered).  My favorite part of the whole program was the recipes....thanks to Bethany and Mar.  There is also some pumpkin soup that I will be attempting with good old orange pumpkins here.  I plan on wintering with lots of minnestone soup and fruit and nut oatmeal...always look forward to eating them.  I'm ready for "phase two" any time and I look forward to emptying my closet of more  "BIG GIRL CLOTHES".  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My love to you, Heather, Cayson and Becca.  Aunt Yvonne.  Bye...