Reshaping It All (7 page)

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. —Denis Waitley

From My Stove to Yours

Grain Mustard Pork Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup grain Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons herb garden seasoning

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

1

pounds thick-cut boneless pork loin chop

Directions

In a small bowl combine the mustard, herb garden seasoning, garlic, honey, and chopped parsley. Reserve ¼ cup of the rub for serving.

Transfer mustard mixture to a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops and thoroughly coat with the mustard mixture. Let the pork chops sit for at least 5 minutes or as long as overnight, in the refrigerator, before grilling.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the chops for 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve sprinkled with the reserved rub.

FIVE

Heads Up, Eyes Forward, Shoulders Back

While other celebrities were running on treadmills—heads up, eyes forward, shoulders back—I held on to a broomstick (sans broom), feet planted firmly on my living room floor. I was sixteen and about to experience my first significant weight loss.

My mom had a talent agency representing both children and adults, and since a client of hers was a personal trainer, they offered me his services. My weight was never an issue from the producers on
Full House,
but knowing how sensitive a teenager can be about her appearance, my parents wanted to provide me with the knowledge and opportunity to get healthy.

While it wasn't a secret that I didn't feel great about my body, it wasn't a major issue either. The idea of getting myself in shape, living healthier, and losing a few extra pounds sounded good, so we invited him over to give it a try.

Starting at 5:30 a.m., four days a week, forty-five minutes per day, we worked out consistently in the living room of our house, using only a broom handle and two five-pound dumbbells, letting my body do the rest of the work. That, combined with both discipline and willpower, created results.

We also talked about my eating habits. One of the things he advised, which has stuck with me for so long, is this, "Eat until you're satisfied. Not full—satisfied."

As I previously mentioned, most restaurants serve you at least double the portion size you should actually eat. So I suggest stopping halfway through your meal to ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I satisfied right now?

• Am I satisfied if I don't have another bite?

• Am I still hungry, or is it just in my head?

These are the questions we need to ask until we're trained to recognize the hunger and full signals God has naturally provided to teach us to stop. Most people eat far past the full signal moving on to seconds and thirds and then on to dessert.

If you're concerned about wasting the food, then take it home. If you get hungry an hour later, great, then have a few bites of that meal in the fridge. Or if you are at home, put it away and pull it out later. Learn that you don't need to eat food just because it's sitting in front of you. If you're worried about passing up a dessert that is too good to resist, order one for yourself and take it home to eat later. Even if you're at a dinner party, most hostesses will graciously pack a dessert for the road if you explain that you're full. And remember, you don't have to eat the whole thing, just a few bites to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Even when it's just a sandwich, a muffin, or a power snack, train yourself to ask, "Am I satisfied?"

That's what I started doing. And what I realized, along with having stopped halfway through my meal, was that my stomach was shrinking, and I no longer required as much food. I realized how much I had been eating in the past, compared to how much my body actually needed. It's a simple concept, but one of the best pieces of advice I received.

I remember one of the first times I met Pete. We were sitting in my parents' living room, and I was drinking a fruit-flavored iced tea. He looked at me and said, "I see what you're drinking, and you probably don't think it's bad because it's got some real fruit juice in it, but let's take a look at the back."

He turned to the label and showed me the amount of calories and sugar in it. And he said, "You know, you could be eating some delicious food for the amount of calories that you are taking in just from this drink."

Up to that moment, I had never really thought about the fact that the calories I consumed in beverages were wasting valuable stomach room that I could be saving for the food I really loved.

He went over things like basic foods to avoid like anything fried, creamy sauces and dressings, high fat cheese and dairy and taught me to cut back on sugary drinks. He didn't eliminate these foods completely but suggested that I limit them and start making alternative, healthier choices.

Pete was great, calling me almost every day, at the end of the night asking, "Okay, what did you eat today?" Or he would call randomly just to check up on my progress asking, "Hey, how'd you do today? How are your workouts coming along?" I wasn't going to lie to him because I knew that ultimately the scale would tell him the truth at the end of each week. I was honest. His constant support and encouragement were a great motivator that got me off to a great start.

I worked with Pete for about a year and a half. After formulating good habits, I went on to work out at some gyms and do stuff on my own, which fit in with my work schedule. Let's face it, having a personal trainer wasn't cheap; it does get expensive, but he gave me an incredible foundation that jump-started my journey to living healthy on my own.

No, not everyone has the opportunity to have a personal trainer. I realize that. But it doesn't mean you can't have the benefits of one. The buddy system offers many of the same benefits—having someone beside you, checking in, offering motivation, and being that encourager. But here's the thing: I have a couple of friends that when we get together, we motivate each other to eat poorly. We become girls who say, "Hey, we're together. I love junk food, and you love junk food. Let's go get sundaes and pig out!"

And so sometimes those kinds of friends can be detrimental to your goal. They certainly aren't bad people, but I think we need to choose wisely when it comes to who we buddy up with. It's so important to have a buddy plan, but I know that we all have some friends out there that we tend to eat worse with when they are around, whether we both want to lose weight or not. My point is to choose wisely.
Will this friend stick with it, or will she cave quickly if you do?

When it comes to your body, be a leader. Never fall into the role of a follower because it may lead you to stumble when you least expect to.

If you know you are a natural-born leader, find someone who has significantly less self control because it puts you in that position where you know you have to be the strong one, or vice versa. If you know you are weak and that you will cave the minute someone else does, then it's important that you find someone who already works out or is in good shape. You might ask, "Hey, can we team up and work out together?"

In addition to trainers and buddies, we have an additional support system on which I have relied, Jesus Christ. When the changes we make are anchored in the will of God and when our love for God becomes the driving force in our lives, we discover the ultimate trainer is with us, cheering us on.

Newton's famous law of inertia states that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless an outside force is brought to bear upon it. For this reason, when we make our minds up to lose weight, outside forces can be an asset or a liability to us.

You know how it is: you set out vowing never to eat chocolate again, and you do well for two weeks until a little girl is standing at your door with a box of cookies in hand, offering you a slice of heaven for only five bucks. You reach for your wallet, all the while convincing yourself that it's for the sake of the kids. The cookies sit on the counter for a few days while you decide who you'll give it to. After two days you take one piece, and then two. Okay, so you decide you'll introduce chocolate back into your diet but only a wee bit after dinner. A wee bit turns into a bit, and before long a bit turns into a bit too much. That's when you find yourself right back where you started, and once again you are a ball in motion until something stops your momentum.

For me that something is a mind renewed.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom. 12:2 KJV)

We all have goals. Some of mine include being a good wife and mother, building my acting career and production company, having a well-managed home, keeping my body in shape, losing and now maintaining my weight. These are some of the things I strive for. The good thing is that they've all been possible to achieve with God leading the way.

The force that brings me out of the state of inertia is the lane switch I take when I stop following my own way of thinking and start following His. That's the constant renewing of my mind also known as "walking after the Spirit."

It's been difficult at times to pass on scripts I've been offered when I know that other actresses would jump at the chance—to trust beyond a doubt that His plan is better than mine. But that's when I put the car into park, slide over to the passenger seat, and let God take the wheel. How do I know that His way will be better than mine? Because I trust that since He was faithful to me in the past, He will be the same faithful God in my future. If you believe that the direction you're taking is in accordance with God's will for your life—and I believe that healthy living is—I encourage you to press on in faith!

Reverend Richard Cecil once said, "We are urgent about the body; He is about the soul. We call for present comforts; He considers our everlasting rest. And therefore when He sends not the very things we ask, He hears us by sending greater than we can ask or think."

Understanding that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think keeps us pressing toward our goals. When we finally change the way we think and start walking in the light, we are able to achieve our goals. This hope for the future is power for the present, and it's power that will move in your life.

Matthew 4 tells us that after Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, He was tempted by the devil. What harm could it have caused if He had yielded to temptation and eaten one slice of bread? There are times when I also consider, "What harm, if any, could this one guest appearance be? It's a popular show that would definitely boost my career. Yeah, it doesn't reflect good moral judgment, but . . ."

And then I remember Jesus chose not to sin but to trust. He rebuked the temptation, saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). His ability to press on proved that He rested on the strength of the Father and on Him alone.

I witnessed God's faithfulness and attention to detail in my own life with the unfolding of "Summer," the character I currently play in ABC Family's
Make It or Break It.
When the execs and I discussed creating her at our initial meeting, I never asked that she be made a Christian. That was something I only discovered after, when the producers decided it would be a great element to add to the show. It's been awesome to share many of the same values and faith as the character I play and to go to a job that I love every day. Now if I could only be as organized as Summer, I'd have it made!

Jesus understands the struggles I face with being a Christian in Hollywood, balancing family, friends, career, and the struggles I've had with food. That's what makes Him the ultimate trainer in my life. His mercy and grace add strength to my life. He not only equips me with the wisdom I need, but He is also the constant companion who motivates and encourages me every step of the way.

You might be reading my testimony but find yourself skeptical since every past attempt to lose weight has ended in failure. I hear you, but this time I'm suggesting that instead of relying on your strength alone, you draw strength in three ways. Why three? Well, first the Bible tell us that "a chord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Eccl. 4:12), so that's one reason, but I'm also suggesting this because "every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses" (2 Cor. 13:1).

Who are the three witnesses? God, yourself, and a partner:

1. Stay in communion with God.

2. Monitor your behavior.

3. Buddy up, and be accountable to a partner.

This matter of two or three witnesses has not only been echoed throughout the Bible; it's one I echo so often in my own life too. When I have a problem, a decision, or excitement to share, I often run to God, to Val, and to my best friend Dilini, whom I can trust for wisdom, encouragement, and support. Something about the number three completes the circle for me.

So while other celebrities are running on treadmills—heads up, eyes forward, shoulders back—I hold on to my God, feet planted firmly on faith. I'm thirty-four and still walking this journey of faith.

The Pantry

CHOCKED-FULL OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Main Ingredient

A friend with a similar mind-set offers many of the same benefits a personal trainer can. Having someone who's encouraging you, is willing to check in to keep you on track, and can offer practical tips that are working for her is a blessing. It's especially great to have a walking buddy or a partner to take to the gym. But in addition to that, we have God, who's available 24-7. God, yourself, and a friend—combine the three and you have one unstoppable force!