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Hello,
I am writing this to all the Moms out there who have a hard time getting their children to cereal that is healthy. My son Drew would only eat cereal if the prize in the box was something cool or if there were marshmellows in it. We were introduced to a great brand of cereal called "Mom's Best". Let me tell you the box is so true! This is the best tasting cereal and my son loves it. Not only is this cereal tasty but it is also good for you. My son eats 3/4ths of a cup every morning with a yoplait light vanilla yogurt and about twelve grapes. Sometimes he switches up the fruit choice but not the cereal. I recommend trying the Toasted Cinnamon Squares. You can purchase this cereal online at MyBrands.com . I promise you that you and your children will love this tasty cereal. It is tough to maintain a healthy family for life but with a cereal like 'Mom's Best" they make it easy to eat nutrious tasty food. Thank you "Mom's Best Naturals for making such a wonderful product one in which we live by!

Jennifer Baldini

Well this evening I decided to go out with a coworker from work for drinks and dinner. My coworker and I are both trying to be health cautious. So I thought for sure we would order salads. Wrong!! We both decided that we wanted to share a couple of appetizers. So we were sitting there at T.G.I.F (Fridays) and we are reading the menu and I noticed that they have this new portion control menu. I was like "Awesome" I can get the right portion for a fraction of the cost. I can do well on my dinner choice and not over indulge myself. Well I am sad to report that I didn't make the right decision. Like I had mentioned before we decided to share two appetizers. This was a big mistake! We got the chicken nachos and the three for all at Fridays. I pigged out and so did she! We of course had to make sure that we cleaned our plates. Let me tell you the food tasted so good. The food was so greasy and fried with melted cheese and bacon on the potatoes. The fried cheese things were yummy. I should title this blog "when fried foods go wrong" I immediatly before the waitress brought the check around, felt sick to my stomach. I had stomach cramps and I just felt discusting. I should've known better and gone with the chicken salad. This evening I went crazy and now my body is paying for it. Eventhough at the time the food tasted amazing I am so sorry that I ever ate it. I do not like the way it made me feel bloated and just over all "fat". Just thinking about those greasy potatoes make my stomach churn. I feel so sick right now and I am glad that my body is telling me not to ever do that again! Everything is in moderation. I should of just maybe snacked on one or two and ordered a dinner salad. Since doing this lifestyle change I have had some struggles and I have learned form my mistakes. I can't just magically eat whatever I want! Food to me was always a comforting factor. Last night it was the enemy! I was expecting to jump on the scale and see that i gained ten pounds and I was pleasingly surprised to see that I only gained ha lf a pound. I should have worked out when I got home but the food made me feel so bloated and tired that I just feel asleep and woke up a few hours later crying for some Tums. Now I know why I haven't had fried foods in such a long time and I would like to keep it that way!

Jen Baldini

The "Workout 180"

About two weeks ago, my family received a little present from the wonderful people at Workout 180. The gift was their newest piece of home gym equipment. For those of you who haven't seen it before, it is a complete body workout system. This equipment can be used in a variety ways. The first thing that stood out to me about this equipment was the fact that it had resistance bands built into the unit. There are three levels of resistance and is perfect for any level of fitness. The coolest thing about the Workout 180 is the fact that it has a detachable piece that becomes a balance plank to really stimulate and shock the body. I have personally been using this piece of equipment for the last two weeks and have had a great time with it. I can get through a workout in 30 minutes without having to use various weighted dumbbells and barbells. It's all there for you and it even comes with an instructional book that shows you all the different possible lifts and positions to get that complete workout. There is even a wall poster that comes with it and shows different exercises for each muscle group so you can move more efficiently through your workout. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the people at Workout 180 for their wonderful gift and look forward to future pieces of equipment that they will have.

For those of you who want to look at it more, you can go to their website at www.workout180.com.

Take Care and Good Luck,

Matt Baldini

Matt Baldini

I'd call this a "Victoria Secret first moment in Kohl's"
I was shopping at Khols and I saw a really cute pink bra. The size was a 38c. My regular bra size was 44d. They don't make cute bras in that size. Matt my husband told me to buy the 38c and see if it fits since I had lost all this weight doing the Fat Family thin Family program (yup that's my video story on the homepage). I was so excited that it did indeed fit. I have never been able to buy a cute pretty pink bra in my size ever. It isn't about the weight anymore its about looking and feeling great. Life is so short and we need to enjoy it and have something to be excited about everyday! I felt normal for the first time in my life. I didn't have to go to the fat store and buy a bra I was able to go to a regular store and buy a bra right off the shelf. Not just a boring plain bra but one that was cute and pretty. I know to some people it was just a bra but to me it was a milestone that I have never experienced. Soon I want to be able to buy a pair of jeans off the rack of a department store. A pair of jeans not from Lane Bryant. I want people to see that this lifestyle change really is a lifestyle change. I am doing and experiencing things in life that make me feel normal. Matt and I are making our dreams come true. With every day that passes we are getting closer to our goals. We see our success and it feels great!

Jen Baldini

Jennifer’s story:

For the first time in my life I feel like I am in control of what goes into my mouth. I am thirty two years old and have struggled my whole life with my weight. I have been on numerous diets. You name it - I tried it. I was on Weight Watchers, Slimfast, Metabolife, South Beach Diet, some crazy grapefriut diet, and the milk diet. I would lose weight but then I gained it back, plus more. I was always hungry and never satisfied. Growing up my families idea of vegetables were peas, corn and potatoes. We rarely had fruit and if we did it was from a can. Wednesday nights were take-out pizza. Friday nights we would go out to a family restaurant. I remember being told to clean my plate because there are starving kids in Africa.

Food has always controlled me. I would obsess about it. For instance when I was on The South Beach diet I would have dreams about French fries. I was always worried about when my next meal was. I was never informed about the food pyramid or the right portions for my body. I would just eat until I felt full. My low point was when my son had a happy meal from McDonalds and he handed me the leftover food that he couldn't finish. He said "here Mommy you always eat what I don't finish". My son was just doing what he knew to do but this time instead of me digging threw his bag he had just handed it to me, as if having two cheeseburgers, super sized fries and a chocolate shake wasn't enough! I still wasn't satisfied that I had to eat the little bit of food that was left from my son's happy meal. I decided that I needed a lifestyle change when my son's doctor told me that Andrew had signs of hypoglycemia. What was I doing to my son? He is going to grow up to be obese like me. My unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet was having an affect on my only child.

I sent Amy an email and tears were streaming down my face as I asked her for help. I was completely clueless with how I could turn my life around and help my son. She told me about her new book and I agreed to give it a try. I admit that I wasn't to sure that this was going to work since every other diet had failed. I mentioned this diet to my husband, Matt, and I think he was unsure as well. The moment I received the book I couldn't put it down. I kept reading it and thinking that I could do that. The first week wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. I had to get use to preparing meals and going shopping. Matt and I are fast food junkies. I hardly ever cooked. Our life before this healthy lifestyle change was depressing. Matt and I just existed. We were couch potatoes and we would eat watch TV and then sleep. I never realized just how depressing and unfulfilled my family was. My son Drew always wanted me to take him to the park or run down the street with him but I was just too tired, I had no energy. You know something - I never realized how being in control of my food and maintaining a healthy balance of good nutritious meals would bring my family together.

Our energy is through the roof. I love my vegetables and fruits and how they make my body feel. This lifestyle change wasn't hard to do. We as a family owe it to ourselves to be happy and enjoy one another. I am happy to report that it is not hard to modify your life, there will be struggles and times when I know that I'm gonna want that piece of cheesecake or greasy pizza, but at least now I can say that I will control my portion and not let the food control me. My husband and I have together lost 35 pounds in one month, but we have gained an understanding that this is a lifestyle change, not a fad diet or a quick fix. Maintaining these healthy choices and setting a good example for our son is what we strive for. The bottom line is - losing the weight is just one perk to this lifestyle change. The most important thing is that we will live to see our son get married and have children of his own and not struggle with food like we have.

Jennifer Baldini