Keith Ahrens

“There are many opinions about how the size of your plate effects how much food you eat.  There’s no doubt that portion control is part of any healthy lifestyle.

Portion control has always been one of my biggest problems.

Studies have shown that the size of our plate is directly related to the amount of food we eat at one sitting.  I believe this to be true.

I now buy 7” and 8” paper plates instead of the usual 10” paper plates I used to buy.  My daily dishes are 8” instead of the normal 12-inch dinner plate”.

By reducing the size of the plate by 20{1ee8873d3da54571ef77633feec9b2f18618b0dba2f28faf42edb28003d1c6f7}, we could conclude that we’re cutting 20{1ee8873d3da54571ef77633feec9b2f18618b0dba2f28faf42edb28003d1c6f7} of the calories we consume also. Besides, our plates look fuller.

Now we just need to think about what we’re putting on that plate!” – Keith

On August 20th, 2010 I had a Life Changing Experience. That experience will haunt me for the rest of my life.

My grandmother (age 42), my mom (age 62) both passed away at this age from the same exact thing I just survived.  Heart Disease and Heart Attack runs on the female side of my family. I knew this when my mom passed in 1992. That information was put into my health filed and collected dust.

On January 29th 2010, I under went a Rotator Cuff repair (shoulder surgery). That’s when things began to change for me.  I couldn’t take meds with out eating food. I was not cautious what I was consuming.  My weight spiraled out of control without me even knowing.  7 months later I was weighing 191 pounds as I lay in the hospital bed.  Standing at 5’6, I weighed 160 pounds before my shoulder surgery.

It was a Friday morning on August 20th 2010 at 3:45 a.m. I deliver the daily newspapers for 179 customers 7 days a week.  As usual, I left my house at midnight and started delivering the papers at 12:45 am.  I finished half my route when I found myself throwing up on the side of the road and at times pooping.  Yes u heard me.  I kept pushing myself to finish my route not even knowing what was about to happen to me.  This is how dedicated I am to my customers.  Then it came to a point where I was getting tired and was not remembering where I was.  I called my boss. I was in an area where cell phone service was poor.  My cell phone lost signal twice with me calling him back to let him know my location.  I went back to my car because I couldn’t walk another inch.

While sitting in the car I figured to call 911. I couldn’t even talk. I was so busy throwing up and pooping on the side of the road.  I couldn’t even talk to the dispatcher.  I don’t remember too much of what happened next.  All I remember was my boss waking me up from being slumped over the steering wheel of my car.

When the EMT’s arrived I heard the one E.M.T laughing at me cause he found me bent over pooping and throwing up.  Just another part that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

It seems that anything that could have gone wrong — went wrong.

Because I didn’t have the symptoms of a heart attack, I was treated very slowly.  No rushing TO the hospital and no rushing AT the hospital.  Remember, this all started at 3:45am. By the time they realized I was having a heart attack it was almost 6am.

They finally called out a STEMI Team which is a Specially Trained Emergency Heart Care Team at 5:52am.

My life has since changed drastically.  I’m on a Low-fat, Low-sodium Diet.  I eat as many fruits and veggies as possible.  I eat sugar free jello, yogurt, applesauce, and low-fat sugar free sherbet.  When I eat meat its once a week, baked, broil or boiled.

No fried foods at all. I use to eat fried foods just about every day.  The day of my heart attack I had French fries with lots of gravy ugh.  Just the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

I’m on 5 medications and I drink 5-20oz bottles of water a day.  After 2 stents in my heart, another stay in the hospital overnight, 9 days after my heart attack I was right back out there doing what I loved doing.

It took a heart attack for me to realize the importance of eating right.  Now that I have gathered all this information I have passed it on to my mothers only living sister, my 2 sisters, my daughter and my female cousins.

The scary part of this whole story is my mother was pregnant when her mom died.  I was pregnant when my mom died.  My daughter in-law was pregnant for my grandson when I had my heart attack. How strange is this? My heart attack came 4 days before my mom passed away 18 years ago. Now when some one gets pregnant I think of this. 42,,,52,,,,,62,  you tell me, is this strange or what?

I weighed 191 the day of my heart attack, and was 177 when I went to see my cardiologist at my 4-week check up.  I lost another 3 pounds and now weigh 174.

My goal is to get down to 160 pounds. That’s what my weight is supposed to be with my height at 5’6.

I don’t thank God enough for saving my life. I have a whole life ahead of me and that’s my lovely grandchildren.  I was able to see the 5th grandchild born and, of course, I cried.

This heart attack has caused me to look at myself differently now.  Thanks for reading my story.  Of course this isn’t an exact detail to detail of everything that happened to me. I tried to save some horrific phrases out.  Pooping was bad enough.

Thanks for letting me share, Bess M.S. Robertson

P.S. (M.S.) stands for Matilda & Sophia. I was named after both of my grandmothers.

Fresh fruit comes from the earth and each variety has so many natural minerals, vitamins, fiber, natural sugars, antioxidants and more.  Most of don’t get enough fruits and veggies per day.  Fruits help keep away chronic disease and helps with our immune system. Next time you go to the market pick up some extra fruit. Try something different. Maybe the list here will help 🙂  – Keith

I was tired of having to go to special stores to buy clothes and being the “fat guy” in the pictures with my friends. One day I decided something has got to change. I never felt sick or unhealthy but I knew the days of feeling comfortable were limited if something didn’t change. Diabetes and High Blood Pressure run in my family and I did not want to become a victim. I started off small, exercising lightly 3 times a week and progressed over time. I started out walking, which led to running, which led to Boot Camp classes, and now I compete in 5K’s as well as other obstacle runs. I have lost 80 pounds to date and trying to shed a few more. I don’t focus as much on my weight as I do on how I look and feel. I set my fitness goals on a weekly basis.

What was the journey like?

The journey has been a roller coaster. There were definitely more ups than downs but it is not an easy road (however if I can do it, anyone can). The trick is to stay disciplined and most importantly, try to find a way to make it fun!

I got active and made better food choices. Activity is definitely the most important factor for healthy living altogether. I won’t say I really ever “dieted”, however I will say I’ve made better food choices as well as controlling portion sizes. You also have to get in the right frame of mind and think that we “eat to live” and not “live to eat”. There were times I would crave a nice juicy burger and just go for it. I was happy while eating it for a couple of minutes but afterwards I would kick myself and ask why I ate that. You have to ask yourself what is more important, a few minutes of satisfaction or life of good health? Do I always eat healthy and make the correct choices? Absolutely not, but it’s a goal I hope to eventually stay with.

1) Have fun! Have fun!! Have fun!!! Did I mention have fun?? The reason I emphasize this because instead of looking at exercise as a chore, find a way to have fun with it. I am an all around music junkie so in my case, I use running as a reason to have a good jam out on my IPOD. Also, don’t be competitive; just do the best you can do. You have your good days and your bad. Celebrate the good workouts, and laugh at the bad ones. Today there are so many kinds of exercise programs; there is at least one that can be made for anyone whether it is yoga or Zumba.

2) Find a support group. If you join a gym or even on a social network group, post your activity. You will meet friends with similar goals and instead of hanging out to go eat, meet each other for walks.

3) Stick with it! Don’t give up. Yeah I have slacked off some but you always have to pick yourself back up.

Wow, I’m not sure I know where to begin. There are people I see at the gym all the time that it takes all they have to even walk. There are also a few people I see with personal trainers that are in wheelchairs and they are on the weight machines. If they can do it, I have no excuse. With my success story I have had a couple of peers getting into working out and they inspire me! I’m single without children and to see people with families find time to fit exercise into their schedule, that really keeps me going.

I feel great now however I feel challenged as well. Our nice warm days are numbered and to those that know me, I despise cold weather. I am going to have to get myself re-acquainted with the treadmill and saying goodbye to the nice warm long runs outside. Not to mention the holidays are coming up which means there will be food all around no matter what. I will try my best to keep the mind frame of food being just a temporary satisfaction and choose the celery sticks over cheese balls.

The next big event I have planned is the Palmetto State O-Run in March, which is a 4.2-mile run with 30 obstacles. It is a team event, which we all are excited to accomplish and most importantly have fun with. Until then, at least 5 days a week of activity (45-90 minutes).

I get asked a lot about what I think of hGC for quick weight loss.

I discourage it and don’t feel the benefits outweigh the risks. Again, it’s just my opinion.

What is hCG? hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), is hormone found in the urine of pregnant women.

Many people are using this drug, along with a very caloric restrictive diet, as a quick weight loss system. The diet usually involves the person to consume only 500 calorie a day. The drug is supposed to use fat for fuel.

A lot of experts agree with me that the weight loss is from the restricted caloric intake and many experts and studies say not so much the drug.

Think about it, at 500 calories a day, who wouldn’t lose weight?

If hGC was the miracle drug that many claim it to be, why is there an obesity epidemic in this country and the world?

To me, this is a “starvation” diet. Most of us need at least 1200 to 1600 calories a day to function.

There are a host of problems associated with a very restrictive diet. Nutritional and mineral deficiencies are the most notable. The body, when deprived of nutrition not only burns fat but also valuable muscle mass. We need that muscle mass as we age.

Quick – fix weight loss diets have a huge failure rate for any long-term success!

I understand the desperation and desire we feel to lose the weight when everything we’ve done has failed. I know first hand. Balance, proper nutrition, and daily activity / exercise are the only paths when used together that will result in long-term success. We just need to make these steps our priority.

Trust me, it hurts a lot more to be unhealthy than it does to be getting healthier. – Keith

At the age of 17 I was tipping the scales at 230 lbs. I was obese and very unhappy with how my life was turning out. One day, I decided that enough was enough. I made a change that would effect my life forever, in many ways I would have never thought. I started off with a small goal to lose 10 lbs. After losing those 10 lbs. I made another small goal and so forth. Today, I have lost over 100 lbs.It is a constant battle, but not a battle I am not willing to fight. I had the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss SC, a dream I had had since a small girl. I competed in a local pageant, won, and made my own personal platform “Eating Healthy and Fighting Obesity”. I have a facebook fanpage that allows me to connect with over 2,500 people from across the world. I speak to schools,organizations, and individuals daily about the importance of our health.I share my own story to encourage others that anything is possible through hard work and perseverance. I made it all the way to the top 10 in the competition and strutted my new body in a two piece bathing suit. Everyday is a new adventure and I push myself to see what else I can accomplish. Without losing over 100 lbs. I don’t know where I would be today. It has become my life passion to encourage others that we have the power to control our lives and the way we live. I am currently working on my group fitness certification and was honored with the Lifestyle Change Award from the American Heart Association.

The journey for me was not an easy one. My whole family has always been stick thin, eating whatever they wanted. My lifestyle change made my family change as well. Leaving the junk food behind was very hard for me because it was always around. My high school only served fried, greased, buttered, cheesy, foods. I had to learn how to plan accordingly. I packed my lunch and stayed away from the devilish foods that were being served. Exercising was something I had to get used to and now, I couldn’t go a day without it! I started off only being able to walk 15 min. and run 30 seconds or less! I now run 6-9 miles a day, weight train, and do group fitness classes. This is one journey I will never regret. It’s been hard but I would never take it back. It has made me who I am today. A strong, confident, motivated, and driven individual.

I started off with setting a gaol of 10 lbs. After I lost the first 10, I decided that I wanted to lose another 10. I ended up losing 13 lbs. I was so excited that it motivated me to continue setting goals for myself. (Which, I still do to this day) I joined the gym and stocked up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I learned how to cook and avoided fried greasy foods. My exercise has helped me the most and has made me stronger than I ever thought I could be. I never knew I could be so physically fit.

1) Never NEVER say the word DIET. You are not going on “another diet” you are simply changing your lifestyle and the way you look at things. As with a car, it needs gas to be driven. Not just any gas, but quality gas. We as humans need food to live. As with the car and it’s fuel, we must have quality put into our bodies to be quality humans. This helped me when I looked at food for comfort and not for living healthy.

2) Get sweaty- The more you sweat the more calories and fat you burn. Don’t be afraid to try new and exciting exercises! I competed in my first mud run and it was a new and dirty challenge that made me appreciate what my body is designed to do.

3) Tell yourself everyday that you CAN do it! Don’t wait around for others to motivate you, but motivate yourself. Every morning I wake up and tell myself that today is a new day and I can do anything I set my mind to!

At first, my inspiration was to get healthy. I was sick of being sick and having asthma and my doctor told me that if I lost weight I could possibly get off my inhaler and be at less risk of heart trouble, diabetes, and other diseases caused by obesity. Now, after winning Miss Florence and creating my platform, it is those who share their stories with me that motivates me. Also, having others to ask me for help and tips to weight loss motivates and inspires me to never give up and to always fight the good fight.

I FEEL AMAZING. I have not used my inhaler in almost 2 years, I hardly ever get sick, and I have energy that shoots through the roof! I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished. Everyday is a new challenge and I look forward to the future more than ever knowing that I can do anything I set my mind to! After losing over 100 lbs. every other obstacle seems like a piece of cake!

To: Mr. Jim Skinner, CEO – McDonald’s Corporation

Dear Jim,

As CEO of the largest food distribution and marketing company in the world, is it too much for me to ask that you develop and serve several “Heart Healthy menu items? I was one of your most loyal and devoted customers for over 40 years. Unfortunately, I had to stop eating at your restaurants almost 4 years ago after my heart attack, which led to life saving open-heart surgery. Oh yeah, after I stopped eating at McDonald’s, and the other fast food places, I’ve lost over 200 pounds by making heart healthy food choices and exercising.

Because of your locations throughout the world and on every corner, I would love to be able to stop by and enjoy a quick meal again. You guys are smart people who have the ability to change the world, again, but for the better.

If I were CEO of McDonald’s, I would direct my corporate chefs and marketing department to make this happen. I would love a $1.00 grilled chicken breast on a whole-wheat bun with lettuce and tomato. How about a value pack of celery, carrots or any other non-processed fresh veggies? Can I have an apple with that?  I’m sure you get the idea. As a matter of fact, I would pay more than $1.00 and be your first customer. Hell, I may even “supersize” it. Actually, I would change the name from “Supersize” to “Hearty-size” and instead of “billions and billions served”, which I find to be a non-flattering tag line, let me help you get started to use the tag, “Billions and Billions Saved”. I mean lives, of course. I will be the first in line to get a “Hearty-size” value meal that’s heart healthy.

McDonald’s has the opportunity to lead the world to better health.  Can you imagine a McDonald’s ad that says come on in for your heart healthy meal? I Can. How about placing a heart healthy happy meal on the menu? After people fall out of their chairs hearing this ad, they can drive on down to McDonald’s and place an order. I will.

McDonald’s does so much great work with The Ronald McDonald House, and countless other charities and projects in our communities that improves the lives of the ones they touch.  I’m just asking you to redirect some of the effort and do it through your food. I believe you can give to so many more this way.

I have a lot of ideas and if I wielded your power, influence and prestige in the business world, I would begin to re-shape my legacy.

I’m just a guy trying to live healthier and shape a healthier planet.

Jim, I would really like to say, “I’m Lovin’ It” again and will always believe that anything is possible. I have faith in you.

Have a Heart Healthy Day Jim.

Keith Ahrens

Keith@KeithAhrens.com

My new website is up. www.keithahrens.com New look, feel and much more content.

All health related info and much more coming soon.

My goal is to provide information that people can use today to improve their lives.

There will be much more useful and inspirational content on this site with new posts.

I will soon be having several experts contributing also to the content.

Feel free to share the link with your friends.

As always, I welcome any feedback–good or bad:)

Feel free to explore and post a comment on an existing post if you wish.

If you could go to the site and “subscribe” you will get my latest blog posts. You just enter your email and follow any quick steps.  Very secure and easy to do. This will keep you up to date on the latest posts.

I hope you enjoy:)

Ted Vieira at Image Perceptions was the mastermind behind this new site. He’s a great guy and a Master Web Guru:) Ted@ImagePerceptions.com

Healthy Days Ahead, Keith

“If you’re doing weight resistance training, and you should be, try slowing down each repetition. For example, if you do a set of 10 reps of bicep curls in 12 seconds, slow it down to 24 seconds. This will let your muscles fire at a different rate. It’s like doing a completely different exercise. Try it for a set or two and see how you feel. Feels good, doesn’t it?” – Keith

“When is the best time to exercise?  Is it morning, noon, or night?  How about 3am, 3pm, when the sunrises or the stars shine? The correct answer is — The best time to exercise is the time that you WILL exercise! Find your niche, find your time but make activity and exercise a daily heart healthy priority.” – Keith