Well we all made it, the 21 Day Carson Family Challenge is over, and we are at the beach in Florida!
The final week of the 21 Day Challenge was no exception to the previous two. It brought its own set of challenges and temptations. Lets talk about the temptations first. They were mostly similar to the temptations of the first two weeks except for one BIG temptation that presented itself at the beginning of the week. My niece and her daughter came by to visit and brought with them 3 cases of Girl Scout Cookies that Kim had ordered. I know what some of you may be thinking, “Why in the world would a family that tries to eat healthy order 3 cases of Girl Scout Cookies?” Well it’s because my sweet wife has such a generous, giving heart! Although this time she may have gone a little overboard in helping out my grand-niece to meet her goal for selling Girl Scout Cookies. For a couple of days those cookies sat in the kitchen taunting and tempting everyone, except for me. I’m not a big fan of cookies that come in a box! I finally took them and hid them in another room where they could not be seen. Out of sight, out of mind can be a very effective technique when changing your eating habits! I am very proud of the girls for not giving in to the temptation, even though they greatly wanted to have a cookie or seven.
The other challenge that presented itself was the willpower to stick to the daily exercise routine. For various reasons nobody was able to follow through with their exercise plan this week. It would have been great if everybody could have, but I’m really not that disappointed because it helps me prove a point that I often try to make with my patients that I’m working with to help lose weight and become more fit. The total weight loss of the Carson Family was the least it had been out of all three weeks. Further proving my point that it takes the dynamic duo of proper nutrition and exercise to get optimal results when you are trying to lose weight. This is not just an idea that I and many other health care practitioners preach, but an idea that has recently been backed up by studies that were done proving that either one alone is not nearly as effective as when both are adhered to. I’m glad that these studies were done because there are so many advertisements out there promoting weight loss that say you can eat these certain foods and lose all the weight you want without having to exercise. There are other plans that just say “Exercise! Exercise! eat whatever you want” and you will drop the unwanted pounds. I’m not saying that you wouldn’t lose weight just doing one or the other but it’s obvious, I think, that if you do both, you WILL get better results. So the total weight loss for week three was just a mere five pounds, with two of us not losing any weight, despite us sticking to a strict nutrition plan. Which brings our total weight lost for the three weeks to 36 pounds. Had we all been consistent throughout the 21 days on both eating right and exercising daily what could the number have been, I wonder? 40 pounds? 45 pounds? It’s hard to speculate, but I believe the number would have been much higher.
Regardless of that, I am extremely proud of the results that we all have achieved over the past 21 days. However, what I’m most proud of is that this challenge, I believe, has changed my daughter’s thinking on food and fitness forever. Even though they are living it up on the beach right now and eating whatever they want to, including those Girl Scout Cookies, they are determined that they will stick with the habits of consistently eating right and exercising. They don’t want to stop what they have started or go backwards, because not only have they lost weight but they all feel better as well. One of my daughter’s skin has even cleared up as a result of the sugar fast. So it’s not all about vanity, having a smaller waist line, or that so called beach body. It’s as much about feeling good physically and emotionally as it is about looking good on the outside. It’s all about living a more balanced, healthier, and vibrant life…. What we encourage and teach daily at Carson Natural Health.
If reading this blog inspires you to begin your own 21 day challenge, then you may be interested in a product I recently discovered. This product can provide a genetic nutrition and fitness assessment based upon your unique DNA and lifestyle. Click here for a short video detailing the assessment. If you’re interested in achieving a new level of wellness, then please contact me by filling out the contact form on CarsonNatural.com or by leaving a voice message by clicking the “Ask Dr. Phil” Microphone!
Happy Summer and Healthy Blessings,
Dr. Phil
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