What's Happening in February

Another month full of community outreach-- speaking, cooking, presenting, and more cooking. I declare February 2013 as FANTASTIC fun. Here's what I'll be up to and where -- join me*!

Highlights:

Throughout the month -- *For current Clark College health students. Excited to return to Clark as a guest lecturer! The goal is to bridge the gap between what the students are learning in class and to give them some practical, "hands-on' experience. I'll visit Health 104: Weight and Your Health, Monday, February 5th. And am looking so forward to lecturing in Veronica Brock's Health 100: Food and Your Health classes (She taught me a lot  of what I know about food right in the very class I'll lecture in!) two back-to-back lectures -- Wednesday, February 14th. I'll also lecture for Health 100: Food and Your Health these dates: Tuesday, February 13th, Tuesday, February 19th, and Thursday, February 21st. Whew! Clark College!

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I'm expanding my outreach to get more kids and teens (they're our future!) involved in  preparing and eating real food -- Outside of the Box.

Tuesday, February 5th
5 - 6 p.m.
Teen Arts & Crafts night
Quick & Yummy Snacks: Teens 12 and over. Make delicious healthy snacks like smoothies, energy bars and homemade microwave popcorn, with cookbook author Chrisetta Mosley. Click here  to read LiveWell's calendar blurb.
Community Park Library
600 NE 136th Avenue
Vancouver

Wednesday, February 6th
2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Outside of the Box Young Un's
Kids age nine and older can learn OUTSIDE of the Box simple favorites using whole food ingredients: Granola Parfaits (granola made from scratch) and Brown Bag Popcorn with  healthy add-ins. Call store to sign your child up! 360.597.2700

Chuck's Produce & Street Market
13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver


Here's a full list of my upcoming events:

Monday, February 4th
Clark College Health 104: "Weight and Your Health" guest lecturer
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Tuesday, February 5th
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.


Outside of the Box: Teens
This one's for teens -- twelve and older. I'll show them how to create simple items they can whip up to-go. Blueberry Banana Kale Smoothies and Whole Food Energy Bars.

Cascade Park Community Library
600 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver                 
360.256.7782
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Wednesday, February 6th
2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

Outside of the Box for Young 'Uns
Kids age nine and older can learn OUTSIDE of the Box simple favorites using whole food ingredients: Granola Parfaits (granola made from scratch) and Brown Bag Popcorn with healthy add-ins.

• Classes are F-R-E-E
• Class size is limited to about 15
• Please call store to sign up for class and reserve your seat

Chuck's Produce & Street Market
13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver
360.597.2700
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Sunday, February 10th
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
 
Outside of the Box: Chili
Join me as I show you how to create hearty, warm chili using two types of beans and extra-lean ground beef. Served with Cilantro Lime Rice.

• Classes are F-R-E-E
• Class size is limited to about 20
• Please call store to sign up for class and reserve your seat

Chuck's Produce & Street Market
13215 SE Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver
360.597.2700

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Tuesday, February 13th
Wednesday, February 14th
Tuesday, February 19th
Thursday, February 21st
Clark College Health 100: "Food and Your Health" guest lecturer
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Wednesday, February 20th
PSU Eat to Live Panel guest 

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Wednesday, February 27th
6-7:30 p.m.

"5 or 50" Women's Sustainable Weight Loss & Healthy Lifestyle Group
No matter if you have "5 or 50" pounds to lose. It's time to start seeing yourself as beautiful, strong, capable and look beyond physical attributes. I'll facilitate the meeting and share my tips for staying motivated. This will be a safe, inspiring environment to share and grow.

• Motivation and tips for healthy, sustainable weight loss
• Recipe sharing
• Self-love and affirmation
  

Cascade Park Community Library
600 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver
360.256.7782

2012 Outside of the Box

First and foremost, all Glory and Honor to God for without Him nothing is possible. I'm so highly favored and blessed.

Phew...Where to begin. 2012 has been a remarkable year. Oh, the places I've been. The people I've seen.

I've met lots and lots of people. I've been the guest speaker at many places. I've hosted upwards of 20 cooking classes. Formed a women's group. I've shared stories with you, recipes with you, and offered my tips for a sustainable healthy lifestyle. I authored not one, but two cookbooks. One of which, "Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box" is a required textbook for Health 100: Food and Your Health classes at Clark College. Seriously!

"Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box" is in circulation at two library systems: Fort Vancouver Regional Library and Multnomah County Library -- earning me not one but two Dewey Decimal numbers. 641.563 MOSLEY and 641.563 M912s 2012. Woo hoo!

I'd have to say of all the great things I've done this past year. My greatest honor was writing "Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box." Authoring that cookbook has opened up countless opportunities for me and in turn I've been able to  help, inspire, and encourage more of you to eat healthy and outside of the prepared food box.

Thanks to every single one of you who bought a copy of "Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box"! And, thank you for your willingness to embrace my ideas and supporting your own healthy lifestyle.

Thank you! Merci! Gracias!

Extra-special thanks to:

Clark College, but especially -- Veronica Brock, Kristen Myklebust, Jeanne Hoff, and Marti Earhart.
Chuck's Produce & Street Market -- Angee Murray for making things happen.
Fort Vancouver Regional Library -- Teresa Torres of Cascade Park Community Library for her help and support with my ideas and of course getting my cookbooks in circulation.
Multnomah County Library -- Patricia Welch for her determination in getting my cookbooks in circulation.
LiveWell of The Columbian -- for putting my words in print. I met so many people who say they follow me regularly in the paper. Cool beans!

Northwest Personal Training, Minuteman Press, Mother's of Preschoolers, Vancouver Community Library, Cascade Athletic Club, TOPS Weight Loss Support Group, Fisher's Landing Assisted Living, Professional Connections, Focus Group, Courtyard Village, New Seasons Market, The Skanner, The Portland Observer, The Independent, KBOO Radio, Lydene Robertson Photography, and Camille Goldy Saari.

Day 7: Holiday Samplin' & Signin'

Happy Holidays! Today, I wrapped up my Holiday Samplin' & Signin' campaign at Chuck's Produce & Street Market. I sampled lots of good food, signed and sold lots of cookbooks.

Every day was different. Every day brought about lots of women, men, and children. Over the course of several weeks, I've had great conversations with you. Some of you already knew me from here, there, every where, some of you read about me in The Columbian newspaper, some of you are enrolled in "Food and Your Health" at Clark College, and some of you never heard of me before. No matter how our encounter began we always talked about food, grocery shopping, and eating OUTSIDE of the Box!  I learned that a number of you are already OUTSIDE of the Box and those who aren't quite there yet are eager to take the steps to get there! I am impressed and inspired by you all.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for your willingness to try my OUTSIDE of the Box concept and ultimately take control of your health.

Happy Shopping, Cooking, and Eating OUTSIDE of the Box! ~Chrisetta

Day 7

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Real example

I've been there, done that -- am doing that. That's why most of you can relate to me.  I'm not a Biggest Loser contestant on TV being worked by a staff of personal trainers and fed by personal chefs. I'm not an airbrushed Weight Watchers celebrity spokesperson. I'm not a health professional who has all the book smarts, but none of the real gritty insight of battling obesity and life at the same time. I'm your real example.

I'm the gal at the gym working out along side you. I speak to you and with you at community events. I host fun, informational, cooking classes locally. If you see me at the grocery store I'll chat with you. If you shoot me an email I'll respond. I'm here, there, everywhere. I'm accessible. I'm your real example.

Real example: I met Judy at my cookbook
signing at New Seasons Market last week. She reads my blog in print in The Columbian. After reading my blog posts for a few weeks she came to my cookbook signing all jazzed up to meet me. We had a nice conversation at the cookbook signing. About a week later, I ran into Judy while I was out picking up a few grocery items. I stopped and chatted with her. She was so excited to see me again and was impressed that I remembered her -- though I did admit at the time I couldn't recall her name.  Judy told me that she loves reading my blog:  Admires how honest, open I am.  She really feels connected with me and can relate to me. She said, I am a real example, a real inspiration.

I am honored, grateful, and lucky to be your real example.

New Seasons Market & Farewell Fatso! Bringing Cooking Back

Partners - LeeAnn and me

I can honestly say, New Seasons Market is "The friendliest store in town."  My first encounter was by phone with LeeAnn, (Community Coordinator - Fishers Landing) in December. I told her about the launching of  Bringing Cooking Back, my involvement with the community, and of course of my weight loss. She was interested in having me in the store in some capacity, but admitted she was new to her position, the store was new, and it was the holiday season. She asked if we could connect sometime after the first of the year. Although I wanted things to happen right then, as I often do, I agreed to wait. They made it worth my wait. LeeAnn worked her magic -- had my books purchased for sale at the store in early January and then started waving her wand to have me in store for a book-signing.

Last night, the Fishers Landing store embraced me and the community with open arms.  I was there serving up samples of my tomato soup, signing books, conversing with great people, in a beautiful well-lit store surrounded by the friendliest staff and my loved ones. Oh, boy, I had a cheering section: My mother, my uncle, a high-school chum (arguably one of my biggest fans) and her aunt, a few of my other close friends dropped in, and to round it all out-- some of my loyal cooking class attendees joined me. A night I'll cherish forever.

New Seasons Market is not only the friendliest store in town, but they want to promote local authors, artists, and local stuff. They are willing to give folks like me a chance.  They are happy to give folks like me a chance.  New Seasons Market is a local store who hasn't gotten to big, still remembers where it came from.

And, this morning as I was still basking in last night's glory, I received this email from LeeAnn: "... I can’t thank YOU enough for finding me here at New Seasons Market and being so persistent from the start on being here with us. Last night was ‘a feather in my cap’ here at the store! I knew people would LOVE you and you came through like a rainbow - it was a great event and I hope we can do it again sometime soon! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Huh? They're thanking me? I'm the one who benefits most in my eyes. I'm the little fish in the pond. It took me a minute to wrap my head around it, but that's exactly the point. They want to help me Bring Cooking Back. They want to help me fulfill my dream. I'm proud to have found a partner in New Seasons Market.

170

The Columbian, The Portland Observer, and even my own blog posts have mentioned my weight loss to date as 170 pounds. You may have even noticed, this number has been at a stand still for months. Perhaps, I'm in the midst of a plateau. Although some health professionals say there is no such thing as a plateau -- if you do the work and eat properly you see the results. Heavy sigh.

Okay, so maybe this is not a plateau, maybe I just needed a break.  I've been in a space like this before so I haven't hit the panic button because, well, I know my track record. Losing this amount of weight and battling obesity is no small feat.  Eating well, practicing healthy habits by exercising is a relatively new lifestyle for me. I'm still trying to figure this all out. I know how to eat poorly and be inactive - that was my specialty for 30 plus years.

So here I am in a state of uncertainty about my next move.  My next healthy move. I jab and I duck. I know,  in order to get to the next level, I'll have to find the next gear, kick things up a notch.  My body is fighting me, maybe my mind is too a little. My goal is attainable and within reach. But, it will not come without hard work. None of this has come without hard work. I want this, I really want this. I want to kick my old childhood nemesis obesity to the curb. So here I go...Time to lace up my gloves and get back in the ring. This is only round nine of a heavyweight bout.  I'll have to do something dramatic to get myself to the next level. Rest assured, like, Rocky, I'll go the distance.

Surely, I'm proud of where I am today -- I'm happier, healthier, and 170 pounds lighter. But, I will not rest my laurels here.  Like coach always tells me the best is yet to come. He's right. My dukes are up.

Be encouraged

Many of you have written to me to tell me I've motivated, inspired, and encouraged you along my journey - thank you. After all, you are a big reason why I blog. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with a young woman who found my blog after reading the article that was written in "The Columbian" back in July.  How totally cool. Anyhow, she was interested in buying a copy of my cookbook. She's local, so I met with her at New Seasons Market.  I signed her book, we chatted about my weight loss and I offered her some tips and suggestions. Next thing, I know, my passion for good wholesome food and sharing my knowledge led us to the produce section. I explained to her why it's important to buy local, organic and offered her some recipe suggestions. Before I knew it we were traveling the entire store -- I was giving her a Personal Grocery Shopping 101 class (hmm...this could be an upcoming class).

We talked about exercise and lots of other health, fitness related stuff. I felt honored to be able to pass on what I've learned and to know that people look to me for ideas and motivation is just amazing. I use to be a slothenly 388 pounds. I use to eat highly caloric processed food and my exercise consisted of going back and forth to the kitchen. Today, I promote a healthy fit lifestyle and folks look to me for inspiration. Ha ha. That's awesome.

As we walked around the store and I introduced some of my recipe ideas. She pointed out that she doesn't like oatmeal, Brussels sprouts, and a few other things I suggested she try. I gave her permission to not like these items. There are plenty of other foods that fit the bill that she may like. Our shopping experience/conversation prompted this blog post...Look to me for your inspiration, motivation, but remember the path you travel is unique. Let me be your guide, but your journey is your journey. You may be able to use some of my recipes, exercise routines, tips, however, some of my methods may not work for you and that's okay. Adapt what you can from me and others, but your journey will be different. Be encouraged by me, but remember your journey is uniquely yours. Good luck! Do continue to look to me, I love it!

Alive and kickin'

July 2011 © Vivian Johnson, The Columbian

My weight loss story was featured on the front page of  "The Columbian" back in July. Since then the blog has really taken off, I've went on to motivational speaking, teaching cooking classes, writing and self-publishing a cookbook. Surely, without the coverage I would have went on to do these things as well, but there's something about being featured in the newspaper. It's kind of cool to see your name in print, have your story told through the eyes of someone else, you reach more people, and it gains you a certain level of respect.

I'm a journalist by trade and believe in the nature of journalism. Print journalism - newspapers, however, have suffered since the rise of the internet. After the responses I've received after each article written in "The Columbian" I'd have to say newspapers still do make an impact --  they are alive and kickin'.

Thanks to the staff of "The Columbian" for helping me share  my story with the community. I want to reach as many people as I can and they've helped me do just that. 

A recap:

Woman packs on happiness as she sheds pounds - July 2011
Woman winning obesity battle featured on 'AM Northwest' - August 2011 
Chrisetta Mosley keeps inspiring - September 2011
Welcome new health bloggers to Columbian.com! - September 2011
Cooking up weight-loss success - December 2011

Doing it

I live by the ubiquitous Nike slogan "Just Do It." I spent quite a bit of my life on the sidelines, but no longer I put things in motion. Gone are the days of sitting around, contemplating. I make it happen. I'm a doer. With this type of attitude, 170 lbs. gone forever... I talk the talk. I walk the walk. For those who are still contemplating, might I suggest: "Just Do It!"

Today, I was featured on "LiveWell's" blog. Check it out: Chrisetta Mosley keeps inspiring

Overjoyed and overwhelmed

So much going on -- mostly all good stuff. Mainly, everything I ever wished for, but no matter, I'm still a little baffled by it all. I've made so many wonderful connections and with the help of some media coverage I am reaching more and more people every day. What an amazing feeling!

July:              Featured on the front cover "The Columbian"
August:         TV debut, on AM Northwest
                      Featured in "The Columbian"
                      "Farewell Fatso!" penned as a book, coming soon...
                      Motivational speaking debut @ Courtyard Village
September:   Featured on the front cover "Portland Observer"
                      Healthy Cooking classes at Chuck's Produce
                      Photo shoot for upcoming article in "SU Magazine"
                      Motivational speech @ Courtyard Village

There's much more in the works. I currently have dates into February 2012. Whoa, Nelly! Beyond all of this, I'm a mother, daughter, friend, and in the midst of it all I'm on a mission to be Fit by Forty. I want to continue down this path to a better lifestyle for me and for you. Very excited, grateful -- overjoyed, but I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed.

Believe

People are going to say all sorts of things about you - good and bad. People will think what they think about you - good and bad. That's just life. It's human nature -- I guess. Throughout this journey and in life I've met plenty of folks who have had words of advice for me. Plenty of folks who have doubted me. Last summer, I was working with someone who told me that I was too worried about blogging and needed to focus more on myself if I wanted to get the weight off - read earlier post, "Do You."  Where would I be if I would have listened to her? Not on the front page of The Columbian, live on AM Northwest, and certainly not writing this blog post. Thank goodness, I believed in what I was doing and kept pursuing blogging.

When I was hit by a car and suffered a fractured Tibia in February of this year some folks around me gave up on me. I'm sure, they thought I wouldn't rehab my leg and doubted I could continue to lose weight. My physical therapist said it's unheard of to not gain any weight while rehabbing a fractured leg. Again, within 6 1/2 months I've completely rehabbed a fractured Tibia, remained positive, and lost 15 lbs. How? Because I believe in myself. No matter what others think of me or what they say about me. I know within myself I can do anything I set my mind to.  This battle is mine and mine alone so outside forces and people don't rattle me.

I'm not saying I don't take others advice. Surely, I do, but I take what folks say with a grain of salt. If the information or advice is reasonable, applicable I use it. Otherwise, it's just someone else's opinion. At the end of the day. Everyday, I believe in myself - that is unwavering.