SHARING A 'SAD NOTE' SENT TO ME ON FACEBOOK

I am going to change her name, but the letter below is exactly as I received it on Facebook tonight...how tragic to lose an only son!  Are you going through a difficult time too?  I hope my letter back to "Susan" will inspire you to take that baby step FORWARD too, starting tomorrow... Your Fitness Coach, Anita   Hi Anita, I was checking out your profile, as one of my newest friends, and think that you actually might be a Godsend for me.  Two years ago, my life changed forever when my only child, my teenage son, died of an accidental drug overdose. Since that time, I have managed to gain 30#, and I had about 15# to lose when he passed. All together, I need to lose about 45# and I have been really depressed about it. I am currently 5'4" and 175#....ouch. It's been hard for me to find the motivation (or the overall feeling that my health or happiness is worth it), since my son died. It's hard for me to accept that I am still here and he is gone. For the last 2 1/2 yrs, I have been so depressed and have lived on the couch, existing off of drive thrus of all kinds, with my beverage of choice being my best friend Coca-Cola....straight and lots of it....every day. I have recently become FULLY aware that I have a weight problem and am excited to say that I have joined Weight Watchers online. They have alot of great tools, tips and recipes that I am excited about, and I am hoping that this can help me. Jenny Craig didn't do it, I am not good with prepackaged meals and so much structure. I have never outgrown my rebellious nature, so someone telling me what to eat and when, just doesn't work for me. I spent 20 weeks as a member of Jenny and lost a whopping 4#.  I wanted to ask you about your fitness program and what you would recommend for me as far as exercise, to get this weight off fairly quickly. I am not one of those who would be happy or motivated to keep going, with a mere 1/2 pound weight loss per week. (unless it was a plateau because I have already lost 30# or so! LOL). I love step aerobics. There was a time when I think I might've been the reigning queen of step aerobics and I was in great shape, at about 122#. I love to dance (by myself right now, not in public or in a class), and am not one who gets too excited about machines like treadmills or ellipticals. I admire you and want to congratulate you on your weight loss. Wow. I would appreciate any tips that you could give me. Thanks so much, Susan   HI SUSAN, how cute you are!  I am so sorry about your son.  I can tell you loved him very much.  I have two boys, ages 15 and 10.  You will see them in some of my videos.  Well people like you (I've had more than one like you write to me) motivate me to get off my rear end and get my live conferences transferred online so I can just send them to you to help you.  They are all still on the video camera.  Need editing of course, which takes a lot of time........  WELL ANYWAY!  Let's solve this problem....  Luckily I see several positives in your note.  First of all, you aren't over 200 pounds.  Whew to that.  Look at my before/after photos (www.videofitnesscoach.com  Makeover Story), and you will see I was just shy of 200 when I got serious, and so glad --- because if you are over 200 then it really becomes hard to move and exercise is really really hard to do.  Secondly, your depression is situational and not chemical.  I think that when we know there is a true reason for depression then it is easier to deal with it, rather than being depressed because your chemicals aren't working right.  I had a situational depression awhile back (also caused by grief) and because I knew it was grief, and knew that time would heal, eventually, then it was a little easier.  Third, you've been succesful at exercise before.  Wow, that's really good.  You can do it again.  Especially since you liked group exercise -- you need that now.  I used to have an older lady in my class at Bally and her husband had died, and she said it was really good for her to keep coming to class and keep her relationships she had there.  You need to be around people.  If you can't drag any other words out of your mouth that day except to tell the girl next to you "Have a nice day, see you tomorrow!" then it will do you (and her) good to do even that.  You never know what others are going through.  It would have meant the world to me if someone said that to me when I first started going to aerobics and didn't have any friends in the class.  Fourth, you are evidently at least healed enough to start a program.  I am not a big fan of WW, I was on it multiple times, and now I use a little of WW (the parts that work) and lots of sports nutrition principles.  Watch my Lesson 1 video on this page, and see if it sounds like something you can do (would save you $$ with WW) on your own, but realize that sometimes having a program that you are paying for does help motivate you and maybe you do need that now -- you can decide -- www.videofitnesscoach.tumblr.com (I just posted those on Tumblr tonight).  Then decide if you need a gym or can work out at home.  For home, I highly recommend  Beachbody.  THEY ARE THE BEST! www.beachbodycoach.com/fitnessusa. I will be your Beach Body Coach if you sign up (you can sign up for free but they have a paid version too).   Everyone really likes Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs.  Click SHOP or PRODUCTS at the top of the page.  SO I SEE AT LEAST 4 REALLY STRONG POSITIVES in your favor, that lead me to believe you can take this weight off fast.  Just draw the line in the sand and get it off.  That's what I did.  I went to the gym twice a day or for 2 classes (or as much as I could do that day) and ate right (I did know how to do that with all my WW years) and quit starving myself -- that's what sports nutrition teaches you -- eat 4-5 times a day.  And I lost 10 pounds a month, every month.  I lost 60 pounds in 8 months.  The last 2 -3 months I only lost 5 pounds a month, which is normal when you are close to your ideal weight.  GO IN THAT GYM and introduce yourself to the aerobics instructor and HAVE FUN for 2 hours!  Choose classes you will like, introduce yourself to at least 2 people every time you go, and make sure you do at least 2 yoga classes a week because you'll need that if you are working out hard.  TRUST ME!  It will work. I'M IN YOUR CORNER!  YOU CAN DO IT!  You are right, your life did change permanently.  But life isn't over, it just stood still for awhile.  You can go on.  I am sure you are important to others in your life who are feeling your pain too, you owe it to yourself and to them to take a few steps forward right now.   You just need someone to take your hand and give it a little pull.  I can do that.  Baby steps are OK, going back isn't.  OK?  Are you on my team?  I want you to be!  In fact, the group on Beach Body is called Team Beach Body and you get access to all the "celebrity trainers" and you join a group that you 'VIRTUALLY' work out with, it's really fun.  Sign in, you'l like it!l  The site is a little harder to navigate than I wish it was, but just click around and you'll figure it out. SOMEBODY LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED -- ME!  Write me back and tell me you are starting tomorrow! I just made a grocery shopping video you can watch too -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwcFP_-8s8E&feature=channel.  And be sure to watch the PROTEIN SHAKE, NEW YEAR, and MEXICAN DIP videos on Tumblr. MAKE THIS A MERRY CHRISTMAS!  You deserve it. YOUR VIDEO FITNESS COACH ANITA STONE p.s.  Almost forgot -- I am doing a new program called 21 Days to Fitness, actually working on it right now, that takes all the WEIGHT LOSS SECRETS that the gurus teach, which aren't really tricks, they are based on real science, and puts it together in a 21-Day Online Training Package.