Week 7

When Briana arrives, I am a bit nervous. Today is a weigh-in day and I have not seen her for five days. She tells me about the foods she ate on Thanksgiving and asks if they were okay.

"You ate a lot of vegetables and some good foods. You also had some treats. It's okay as long as you don't have too much and as long as it was just one day," I tell her.

"Okay, good!" she replies and seems pleased that I am not upset. I have come to realize how important my opinion is to her. She tries to do what will please me and worries if she thinks she may have made a bad choice.

As we head down the stairs, she reminds me that today is weigh day. She tells me how excited she is to see how much weight she has lost. I feel encouraged, because if she believes she has lost weight, I'm believing it, too!

She gets on the scale and I bend down to see the numbers. I am pleased to see 216 pounds.

"Briana, you have lost three pounds! That means you have lost 11 pounds so far!"

"Oh my goodness! Did I do good?" she asks.

"You did awesome! I am so proud of you! Are you ready to get to work?" I ask.

"Let's do it," she says.

She starts her workout with enthusiasm. She gets frustrated along the way, but she keeps going. I notice how much more we are doing at this point. I tell her that she is getting stronger and healthier every time I see her. "Yep. I know it," she replies.

As we finish the workout, I tell her that I am going to teach her new exercises soon. I also tell her that next week she is going to do a quarter mile on the treadmill. She agrees and says she can do it. I know that if she says she can, she will.

Week 6

This week is Thanksgiving week, and I have so much to be thankful for. My work with Briana is more rewarding than I could ever have imagined. Her enthusiasm and loving spirit are contagious. I find myself looking forward to her visits, and our time together seems to fly by.

This week, we only have two sessions together. My plan is to make the most of our workouts. Unfortunately, Briana arrives and is not feeling well. Her stomach is really bothering her and her energy is low. She seems agitated, but is determined to make it through her workout.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I'm sorry for not feeling good."

"Briana, there is no need to be sorry. We all have days when we don't feel our best. We will just take it easy today and do the best we can. If your body needs to rest, then that's what we'll do."

"No, that's okay. I can do this," she tells me, although I can tell by the look in her eyes that she really isn't feeling well.

Slowly, we work through the exercises. I take her through the entire routine but use lighter weights and fewer repetitions. I try to talk her out of the treadmill, but she won't hear it. I compromise and tell her she can do five minutes. She agrees and gets going. I stay with her the whole time, holding her back and letting her know that she can stop if she needs to, which she doesn't. When she finishes, I tell her how I proud I am that she worked as hard as she could. I send her home with several types of herbal tea and firm instructions to rest.

I am now grateful for the short week. I hope it will give her time to rest up and feel better. I look forward to next week when she comes back.