Jon Stanton

My family, even with its sometimes maddening quirks, is the center point of my life. Family is the foundation of our society, and I am convinced that in order to live a healthy, balanced life, strong family connections are necessary.

My family has weight issues. It's built in to our DNA. My dad's family is probably best-defined as "stout" and my mom's family is the exact opposite - tall and big-boned. For most of my life, everyone thought I took after my dad, because I had that "stout Stanton build," and although I am framed more like his side of the family, my facial features are more like my mom's. Of course, do you really care? But this is my blog, so I can write what I want! LOL...

Anyhow, back to the weight issues... My dad has battled obesity most of his adult life. My mom was obese growing up, and weighed nearly 300 pounds in high school (to her credit, a lot of that was muscle - she grew up on a 500-acre farm). My two sisters have each waged their own weight battles throughout their lives. My brother was always the "skinny one," but as he has aged, his weight has started to become a concern for him too. In other words - weight has always been an issue in the Stanton household.

My mom tells people now that I must have also inherited her willpower genes, because although my mom was very large at one time in her life, just about everyone she knows would never suspect that. You see, my mom spent about two years of her life back in the 60's doing exactly what I've done, and she has kept the weight off ever since. For more than 40 years, my mom has never weighed more than about 140 pounds, and that's on a 5'9" frame! She was and continues to be an inspiration for me.

Every member of my family has played a key role in my weight loss success. That's the main reason I wanted to write this blog, because having the support of your family is another key component to losing weight. First and foremost, I know my family prayed for me; that's the most important role they played for sure. Both of my sisters helped me at various times with nutrition advice or with meal plans. This helped me get a good start on figuring out how to do that on my own. My brother would often walk with me in "the early days" and my mom and I walked a lot together too. She helped me stay motivated, and would go out of her way to find alternatives to her traditional slate of "goodies" when we had family meals.

My dad has become my biggest fan, I think. I call him my roving agent and PR person. He sings my praises everywhere he goes, and although I'm sometimes a bit embarrassed by his effusiveness, it means a lot to know my dad is proud of what I've accomplished.

If you are facing your own weight challenge and have decided to try and make a change, I would encourage you to bring your family on board with you and ask for their support. This is especially true with a husband and wife. Although I'm not married (yet), I often hear from individuals (women, in particular) who feel sabotaged by their spouse. "I'm trying to lose weight, yet he brings home McDonalds 4 nights per week and then sits in the chair eating potato chips and ice cream. He doesn't gain a pound, yet I can't lose weight because if that stuff is there, I'm going to eat it." This is a mantra I hear often. Guys, support your wife, and STOP IT! Your health will improve too, even if you don't have a weight problem, and I'm sure your marriage will improve too because she will appreciate your support.

Leaving that rabbit trail behind, let me just sum up by saying family (in whatever format applies to you) is very important to any successful weight loss. Ask for their support, rely on their encouragement and skills they have to offer, and be sure to say "thank you" when you reach your goal!