I'm Getting Married!

What's Better Than a Lifetime of Love and Laughter?!
Perhaps getting the body of your dreams ranks a close second?

Hello, everyone! Dreams come true every single day, don't they? There are so many I can tell you about, but this month I want to share my joyful announcement of my upcoming wedding to my best friend, Michael Castronova. Over the past 3 and 1/2 years he has become my best friend. After first meeting on www.matchmaker.com and getting to know each other from daily e-mail messages, we met and fell instantly in love. Little did I know, however, that this man would keep me laughing most every day, fill me with hope, show me what unconditional tender love is, and teach me what "family" means.

Well on August 22nd he took me to our favorite resaurant and we had a lovely meal. Once the dinner dishes were cleared , a beautiful woman approached our table and Michael said, "honey move your chair out a little bit, I have a question I want to ask you." And when I did, he dropped down on one knee, just as a soloist began to sing our favorite love song, and he pulled out a ring that was beyond all that I ever dared hope for as she sang on. As you can tell, I was crying. It was a very special moment. One of many, I am sure, of our continuing life together.

I am so happy and I want to share my happiness by extending some very special offers to you, okay?

How would you local clients like a special introductory offer of one month of "become better than you ever dreamed possible" services for $249? You will receive your own personally-designed body sculpting program based on your personal needs and desires and structured to fit your lifestyle and abilities during EIGHT in-home sessions with me, as long as you sign up by my wedding--September 5, 2003!

You local folks need to know that my time in Raleigh may be limited now as Michael's son lives in another state and we may move to be closer to him. I can't say for certain when that will happen (it could be this coming January), so if you have been wanting to change your life by working with me, now is the time to do it!

Do you live in another state or another nation? Non-local clients can buy-three-get-one-free with any e-Chat, i-Chat or Phone Coaching package.

And EVERYONE can take advantage of a $10 OFF Special to the "Live Your Dreams" amazing package as detailed on my main www.thebodysculptress.com web page. Just enter "$10 Off Wedding Special" in the Special Comments section of your secure checkout process. Your card is not accessed automatically on-line. I will adjust your price to be $10 less prior to processing it manually.

Remember to act before September 5th!

My New Favorite Book!

If it seems that the healthier your lifestyle becomes, the worse you feel, this book is for you! Mainstream society's guidelines for nutrition do not work for everyone! In fact, they make some of us very ill--fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, insomnia and more! If this sounds like you, invest the $11 to get this book and take the metabolic typing test. You may find that a few simple changes gives you back your life! I did!!!

Where Do We Search for Health Info?

1. WebMD
2. AOL Health
3. eDiets.com
4. MSN WomenCentral
5. MSN Health with WebMD

How Bad Is a Cookie, Really?

According to the CSPI Nutrition Action Newsletter, a Mrs. Fields cookie may be worse than you think with more than 300 calories and as much saturated fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak. It also has nearly 7 teaspoons of sugar! To put that into perspective, if you are like me and strive for 1500 calories a day, that little cookie replaces a full 4 oz salmon and steamed veggie meal!

For further perspective, consider how NOT ONE of these 200 calorie burning activities will burn off enough energy to equal that cookie:

1. In-line skating for 25 minutes
2. Power yoga for 25 minutes
3. Beach volleyball for 25 minutes
4. Jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups for 25 minutes
5. Singles tennis for 25 minutes
6. Treadmill walk for 30 minutes
7. Belly-dancing for 30 minutes
8. Fencing for 30 minutes
9. Dancing for 30 minutes
10. Swimming for 35 minutes

Weight Training for Osteoporosis

According to the August 2003 edition of Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine, weight training which constantly loads and unloads the bone may cause the actual rebuilding of bone! To work with this objective in mind, pick a weight that will challenge you for 15-20 repetitions and put it down for 10-30 seconds in between each repetition. Contract, put it down, pick it up and contract--repeat 15-20 times.

Be Careful with Fish!

According to the July 2003 edition of Self magazine, some fish can be eaten more than others these days. Here are your ranked guidelines, from best to worst:

1. WILD (not farm raised) Salmon. Omega-3 fats and the least amount of mercury
   (Note that a recent study found cancerously-high levels of PCBs in farm-raised salmon. Don't eat it!)
2. Sardines. B12, calcium and omega-3s.
3. Flounder, Cod, Haddock. Low calorie, B-vitamins, magnesium, low mercury.
4. Shrimp and Scallops. Low calorie, iron, low mercury.
5. Trout, Tuna, Hallibut. Omega-3s, iron and magnesium, but fairly high in mercury. Don't eat more than 12 oz a week!
6. Swordfish, Shark, King Mackerel, Tilefish. Throw them back!! Very high in mercury.

I'm perplexed at where to start in telling my story about my struggle with weight in order to keep it short and concise. I wish it had started after giving birth to my 2 children, but unfortunately that is not the case. Now that we know so much of our body determination comes from the genes we inherit, I can contribute the majority of mine from my father and not my small petite mother. The first thing I remember is going to Levi Strauss, which at the time made jeans only for men, and women wore them. I could not wear them. I had hips at a very young age and to get the pants over my hips left them too big in the waist.

But my real problem started in high school when I starting eating for comfort. My mother did the shopping and stocked the house with Little Debbie products. She didn't eat them, but I did. But I was active and weight was not a real issue. I always desired to be thinner and did the occasional diet to lose 5 to 10 pounds. But while other girls barely topped 100 pounds I was already at 125.

So off to college I went. I certainly made poor food decisions but continued to stay active with all the walking I had to do across campus. But by my sophomore year I met someone who I dated for the next 3 years. Eventually the relationship became very stressful and I began to comfort eat on a regular basis and had no regular form of exercise. I left college at an all time high of 165 pounds and a size 16.

I knew I had to make some changes. I joined Physicians Weightloss and took off more than 35 pounds. I began to exercise on a regular basis with the help of Jane Fonda aerobic tapes. I felt great. And I thought I would never go back to my old ways. I met my future husband shortly after I had lost the weight. We got married and I probably put on about 10 pounds over the next five years of our marriage. But we stayed active and I felt great. I was a size 10 at my 30th birthday party and I look back at pictures from that time and I was okay with my size.

I became pregnant in 1997 and had a miscarriage. I remember lying in bed and being so depressed. I asked my husband to bring me cookie dough and I ate it until I was sick. I became pregnant for a second time a few months later. I can't even tell you how much weight I put on because I wouldn't let the doctor tell me, but it wasn't good. But I was pregnant and I was going to enjoy it and food was a big part of that. I can barely look at the pictures of the day we brought Cole home. I look like I'm still pregnant.

About a year after I had Cole I finally started to exercise and tried to diet. But I was so prone to letting myself eat sweets. I'm so embarrassed to admit that I would buy slices of birthday cake from the grocery store and come home and eat them in one sitting. I felt my life was stressful and this is how I released stress. Eating. I was living in Atlanta, six hours away from home and family, working at home while caring for a baby while my husband traveled 3 to 4 days a week. But I was doing it. I finally got down to a 14, exercising regularly and was okay with that. In 2000, we moved to Raleigh to be closer to family. Although it was something I wanted, the move was stressful. I was lonely, out of routine and couldn't find time to exercise and got reacquainted with Dunkin Doughnuts. Once again I was out of control and became pregnant with my second child. I tried to contain the damage, but after Chloe was born I topped 200 pounds.

Once again I knew I had to make changes and before meeting Angela made a few weak attempts. In 2002 I started working with Angela. She made the plan sound so simple, but I knew it was going to be hard. I was drowning in bad habits. I was working with an entirely new (non-existence) metabolism from the last time I dieted. The changes I made came slowly and begrudgingly. I had to cut out my breakfast diet cokes, sweets and my beloved processed foods. The pounds came off very slowly, but I was busy building muscle. Muscles I had not seen or used in many years.

In 2003 I knew I had to make more life altering changes- more than just my diet. I decided to leave my job. I needed to eliminate the thing that was keeping me from reaching my goals. It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make. How indulgent it sounds. But it became clear that in order to reach the personal goals I had set for myself meant I was going to have to make myself my first priority which I had not done in the last 5 years. I was using the needs of my job, my children, my husband and my family as excuses not to find time to exercise and eat right. And that was no longer fair to them or to me.

I now work out 5 to 6 days a week with a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio a day and at least 3 days of weight training. I love the weight training. I've progressed to the big boy machines and the muscles I now feel and see make me want to do more. As for my diet, I practically make everything I eat. I stick to a low-fat, low-carb diet. I slack a little on the weekends but do my best stay on track.

Angela has been more like a therapist to me. She has held my hand every step of the way. She has been extremely patient with me. My body fat is down from 35% to 24.5% and I've lost over 14 inches. I'm really pleased but know I have a lot more work ahead. But Angela has given me the tools to accomplish what I need.

Are YOU Ready To Begin to
Lose 20 To 35 Pounds in Just Weeks!?!?

Receive it all over the internet today!

"Live Your Dreams!" Today!

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Crankiness is Linked To Heart Disease

Hostility may make us more prone to heart disease that ANY OTHER risk factor such as smoking, drinking to excess and being overweight, shows research from Brown University Medical School. If you have a deep seated pessimism and mistrust of others, consider getting help immediately!