The view to the valley from Bell Canyon Waterfall

We’ve been home 2 1/2 weeks now. Cherie and I have been friends for almost a dozen years. Last week, we met to work out with a friend and then eat a quick lunch. Our friend wanted to hear all about our experience at PFC and I learned a few new things listening to her tell another friend.

Like most of us, Cherie went because she wanted to lose a lot of weight fast. She had a little bit of anxiety about losing the definition of herself. Every morning she woke up in the role of wife and mother to 7 kids. She thought if she was sequestered somewhere without that role, who is she? Before the camp, she had also in her mind labeled all of us regular exercisers (including me) as “selfish”. Now since she is my closest friend, she had never told me she thought that. But also, because we are friends, I wasn’t offended either. I thought it was funny. She also had convinced herself that somehow her life wouldn’t be as fun or enjoyable is she didn’t have sugar to eat.

At lunch, she explained to us her “aha moments” at PFC. In the process of not having sugar at all for 28 days, she realized her life was still incredibly enjoyable. I’ve said this before, but we really did laugh a lot through the whole process. We all laughed together at ourselves, each other, Chris and Wayne…..without sugar! She also realized that she is so much more than wife and mother and it is ridiculous to define yourself in such a small faceted mind set. Plus my favorite: that regular exercisers are NOT SELFISH but rather taking care of themselves.

Cherie has lost 5 more pounds working with David, her coach for the 12 weeks following PFC. She works out an hour a day and eats small meals every 3 hours and even enjoys a sugar free skinny cow ice cream bar as one of her snacks. Her resting heart rate is under 50! Go Cherie!