The first 4Leaf Challenge of 2012 — Gardner, Massachusetts
Dr. Brian Hurley of the Gardner Animal Care Center in Gardner, MA, has been featured in a number of my blogs over the past year. Since beginning to eat 4Leaf on Thanksgiving of 2010, he has taken charge of his health and has effortlessly lost 47 pounds in the process (from 208 to 161). As for the “vibrant health” piece, his own doctor can’t believe the improvements in his blood numbers that he monitors.
Dr. Hurley with daughter Madison -- proudly modeling their 4Leaf shirts
Now that Brian and his family are enjoying the incredible benefits of healthy eating, he has decided to share his good fortune with all of his co-workers at GACC. Read his earlier note to employees on a recent blog below. The kick-off meeting will be held at the clinic on the evening of January 3 and will run for almost seven weeks, ending on Friday, February 17.
Kick-Off Meeting. Seventeen co-workers, their spouses and kids are invited and will enjoy a super-healthy 4Leaf dinner that will be provided by Dr. Hurley and Lisa Hicks. We provided Healthy Eating Healthy World books for the entire group a week ago and have encouraged them to read them and have their questions ready for next Tuesday evening. After dinner, I will make a brief PowerPoint presentation to the group; followed by Q & A with questions being fielded by my son Jason, his wife Lisa, Dr. Hurley and myself.
Leveraging the simple, yet powerful concept of maximizing the percent of your calories from whole plant foods -- still in nature's package
All participants are encouraged to eat at the 4Leaf level every day during the entire seven week period. This means they will be expected to eat things like fruit and oatmeal for breakfast and to learn how to prepare enough 4Leaf meals on their own to get them safely through all of their evening and weekend meals. They will all be encouraged to try some of Lisa’s great 4Leaf recipes.
Throughout the challenge, they will have email and phone access to Brian, Jason, Lisa and myself as needed. To be sure, we’re not just talking about weight-loss — we’re mainly talking about vibrant health.
We’re measuring total cholesterol and blood pressure in addition to BMI and are addressing exercise and sleep in addition to diet. We want them to understand that 4Leaf is all about achieving vibrant health — and diet alone will not be enough.
What about after the challenge? Clearly, Dr. Hurley’s intention is that everyone will continue to embrace the 4Leaf Lifestyle after the “challenge” is over. That is his gift to his entire team and he will providing the all-important leadership that will maximize their chances for success. Click on this blog to view the note that he sent his group a few weeks ago. Dr. Hurley proposes a “4-Leaf Challenge” for his team at GACC
Authors J. Stanfield Hicks and J. Morris Hicks , working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.
More 4Leaf Challenges in 2012. Jason and I expect to conduct many of these 4Leaf Challenges across the country during the new year. The number one criteria (by far) is the enthusiastic participation and leadership of the CEO or owner of the enterprise.
This participation almost guarantees success for the team. Please contact me directly if you would like to discuss conducting a 4Leaf Challenge in your area. Maybe at your school, church, club or place of employment. Just email me at jmh@4leafprogram.com
If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page.
And if you like what 4-Leaf eating is doing for you and your family, you might enjoy visiting our new “4-Leaf Gear” store. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
If you’d like to order our book on Amazon, visit our BookStore now.
—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at HealthyEatingHealthyWorld.com
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J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 
I went to two dinners for the Christmas Holiday. Christmas eve was an Italian extravaganza with olive oil as the featured food ingredient. Christmas day was Irish that would have made any butcher proud. There were approximately 25 people at each dinner not including children.
As a 30 year vegan, I watched in disbelief and disgust as these two different ethnic groups celebrated Christmas. You can forget the children, they are all natural born garbage eaters. The main food at both dinners was the butchered flesh of animals with a dollop of green and yellow stuff called vegetables which were hardly touched. No, these hungry people were lusting for the animal carcasses, salivating with pleasure to stuff their bellies.
And here I sat, with a stalk of broccoli that had started to turn brown with envy and some carrots that forgot their dance steps.
Oh, well, I guess my two family groups never heard of the 4-leaf program.
Seriously, plant based diets will never be main stream. We, the vegan fringe group will always be outsiders. We will live and die with glowing health, soon to be forgotten, and animals will still be slaughtered.
I defer to Jim Morris Hicks. Hopefully, his vision of a world filled with 4-leafers will come to pass and broccoli shall reign supreme. Long live the Broccoli! Amen!
Very descriptive post!
Well said! I used to think your pessimism was over the top but I do love your turn of phrase, Sal, and after spending Christmas with my family I feel much sympathy with your outlook.