Meet Angela Alpaugh, The Southern Fried Bride

I'm Angela, and because of my blog, what's become a well-known newspaper recipe column back home in Oklahoma where I hosted a local cooking TV show, I am just as readily known as The Southern Fried Bride. The name of my blog will probably be your first indication of just what I've been up against as my Better U journey has begun. A country fried heritage swathed in deep fried goodness. It has been the beginning of a journey for me that has found me with the goal of aiming to make Southern fried a celebrated rarity while relishing healthy eating as part of a lifestyle change.

Here are my reflections as I first began my journey: 

Hello weight scales. We've met before. Our relationship over the past few years can be described as tepid, at best. I know I've ignored you for weeks, in some cases months, at a time, looking away when we would meet in a doctor's office. Not this time. My BetterU visit was the perfect opportunity for us to come face to face. For the first time in weeks, I looked into your digital soul and saw what I needed to see to fully begin my fitness journey. 233 lbs. Our relationship is now on the mend and we will be seeing each other on a more frequent basis. 

A little over 2 years ago on my wedding day, I weighed 170 lbs. 63 lbs. in 27 months. With a lengthy family history of heart disease and as I like to tell any health care provider who begins the family history question and answer part of the visit with me, "Just sit back awhile because you'll be here for a spell while I spout off every health issue in my family." At the forefront is heart disease and diabetes. With every annual blood work panel, I always lament, "What if?". So far in life, that had eluded me, but there seemed something different about this time. I will never forget my joy and elation as I sat in the office with Gina and listened as she gave me the BetterU blood work results revealing good news for my blood sugar readings and heart health. The relief I felt as I got into my car to drive home was tremendous. I have been given a second chance through the BetterU program to escape ballooning weight readings, habitual (or as I sometimes call it, recreational) eating and sporadic fitness, but I have to DO IT. I have to stay on track and do, go the places necessary to accomplish this goal, and that is where THIS TIME is going to different from ALL THOSE TIMES BEFORE.        

My mom passed away in 2001 when I was 26, she 49 and a month shy of her 50th birthday. 27 years of diabetes had caught up with her and heart damage had set in and would take her life. As I stood in a small cubbyhole area in the nurses station waiting to sign her death certificate, I remember thinking how I would spend the rest of my life fighting the diseases that took her from me. My commitment has always been strong in spirit, but had gotten weak when it came to living-in-action.    

That being said, allow me to take this time to send an open message to heart disease regarding prevention and awareness: IT'S ON!

I had lived in northeast Oklahoma my entire life when I married my New Yorker husband in June of 2011. On my wedding day, I weighed 170 lbs. Our wedding was featured on "Good Morning America" in a style segment. When we moved to this area, I was interviewed for the show as a newlywed housewife to share my reflections on our wedding day. I picked out a beautiful shift dress to wear by Lilly Pulitzer, my favorite designer. The dress fit me perfectly, and I was proud of how the TV segment  turned out. When I take that dress off its pink hanger now, if you think I can still fit into it, you've got another thing coming. It is my hope, as we embark on this journey, that I will once again be able to wear the dress but this time, especially mindful of what it takes to not only be able to fit into it in the first place, but what it will take to STAY able to fit into it. 

Me and food, food and me...we kind of go hand in hand sometimes. This stage in my life has been one of the times when I have blindly leaned on it as my constant sidekick, and it's been the "Why?" part I aspired to explore as part of the BetterU program. This past week has been a time of reflection for me to explore just this question. It's been amazing the realizations I have discovered this week now that I have determined and not just say I'm going to do it this time, but I actually DID explore at the "Why?" and once I began, some changes came immediately.      

I am honored to be a part of this program and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the other ladies and the staff from American Heart Association and the entities who are also taking part in BetterU. I had the best feeling at the press conference as our collective journeys officially began and it is my hope to inspire others along my journey as I have already been inspired countless times through this program's beginning. 

        

One meal, one success

Laurie:

 

22 Oct - So last night I attempted a change, nothing big, but a difference in how I eat in environments I don’t control.  We were invited out to dinner and for me that always means ordering something I won’t have at home. Like a four course meal consisting of wine, appetizer, salad, breads, entree and dessert. Things with sauces, gravies and lots of butter (as any fan of Paula Dean would), fresh made breads with maple butter, scallops in a fresh cream sauce - you get the picture.

Last night we went went to Maggie’s which has some of amazing sliders and nacho’s, but very little in the way of healthy choices (unless deep fried jalapeno’s count).  I usually tell myself it is okay, because this is a special occasion, to just order what I want, unfortunately, these special occasions happen quite often.  With the holidays coming up, they can happen a couple times a week over the next 2 months, so I decided to scour the menu for something that was the “least bad” choice. I immediately skipped past the salad’s (had enough of those this week), the Salmon (nope had 4 servings this week),  the….... nope, never mind.  That was it, everything else was fried, fat or juicy - Defeat!!!  Sliders it is!

“Try again. Change”.  I looked at the salads again: Cesear salad, nope; garden salad, blah; Chef salad, meh; Pear & pecan salad, wait - what?!?! Caramelized pears, candied pecans, mixed greens, balsamic vinegrette and I could add grilled chicken to it, that actually sounded really good! When it came it was a simply stunning choice, the pears were lightly poached, the pecans were crumbled (pecans & crumbly blue are an amazing paring!) and the BV was light & fresh tasting.  No bread, no dessert and I was completely satisfied with the portion size. One meal, one success. Change.

Next stop - NOLA!

--
Laurie Davidson Donohue

Taking baby steps

Michelle:

It's been a long week! When the program first started I thought I could just jump right in and change everything overnight! WRONG! I have had to take a step back and start taking baby steps. At first I thought, well I can go the next 12 weeks without indulging at all. Yeah that didn't happen. I just made myself crave all those things even more. I have decided that I can indulge once in a while but with moderation.

I have made some positive changes. I love going to the Y. I haven't done any of the fitness classes but I have enjoyed going in and working out on my own as well as with Michelle Graham (who is so motivating). I also eat out a LOT less. We ate out like 3 times a week before, now it's maybe once a week. I have incorporated foods from our cooking demonstration into my diet as well, before I ate oatmeal for breakfast every day, now it's breakfast quinoa. I really didn't know what the glycemic index was prior to going to the Wetterhahns. There are so many foods I thought were really good for me and I could totally chow down on that are actually quite high on the index.

So I'm doing the baby steps thing and setting new goals for myself every week. My goal for next week is a 15 minute mile on the treadmill. It used to take me 30 minutes to get there, now I'm at about 19 minutes!

Focusing on the positive choices

 Chelsea:

Monday was the first day of the 4th week already!!! I had an awesome workout at the Y between my regular cardio and then the Monday morning CardioSculpt class! But also, Michelle has been great with continuing to encourage and motivate me in regards to the challenge. Today she made my goal for the week be to point out and notice all of the positive changes and choices I have and continue to make rather than dwelling on the not so healthy choices. This was great because I know that I dwell on what I do wrong instead of what I do right because as I mentioned in an earlier post, I strive for perfection in all that I do and so I hold myself to very high standards that are sometimes very hard to meet (possibly impossible?!). So between Michelle and Joleene, I have recognized that this need for perfection could be part of what holds me back. So, on top of my every week goals of exercise and making healthy food choices I will try to lift myself up when I do make a healthy choice! Hard to believe we have been doing this for a month already, sad to think we are 1/3 of the way done already!!! 

Trying to focus on the positives from here on out, 

Chelsea

Success comes in cans

Pat Hovorka:

Week 3 has ended and for the most part I’ve been able to stick to my schedule with Michele at the Y.  My goal for next week is to add at least one class.  I’m hoping a group workout will increase my drive, because this week I’ve been feeling less motivated… maybe it’s the weather.  Whatever the reason, I am determined to get over this slump and carry on.  I remembered hearing the following words years ago, so I’ve been repeating them to myself lately:

“If you continue to think as you’ve always thought, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.

Success comes in cans, not in can not’s.”

Author Unknown

Looking forward to Week 4 and regaining my momentum.




Patty Howell:

I loved yoga this week. I'm a little sore, but I enjoyed it. I'm going to go this Wednesday and focus on drinking my water and walking 3 miles a day either outside or on the treadmill at the Y. Don't forget, life coach session this week and Wednesday lifestyle change at Feed the Soul. Have a good week.