Hi Everyone! I've decided to try to write a blog about my amazing journey to get my health back and lose weight. Being that this is my first post, I'm sure that it will be rather lengthy as I present some background history as well as how far I've come over the past year or so. Please don't get discouraged. My intentions from here on out are to continue writing about my weight loss and improved health as well as post wellness tips and maybe some healthy receipes that I enjoy. So please, keep reading!
I've been overweight for almost my entire life. I was "skinny" up until 3rd grade; right before 4th grade I started getting chunky and have always been heavier set. Growing it up it really bothered me as I got teased and tormented by classmates in both grade school and high school. I'll spare the details on most of that as I'm sure most of us have been bullied at some point. I will mention one that still really bothers me to this day, although I suppose I should finally let it go. Perhaps writing this will help me to do so. In 8th grade, our class compiled a book of fun stories and profiles of each person in the class. A few of the girls in my class were in charge of coming up with where we would each be in X number of years. I was so hurt when the book came out and I was made on opera singer: as in "It's not over 'till the FAT lady sings"! As you can imagine, as a pre-teen/teen being made fun of for your weight isn't the best for having a positive self image. I was miserable in high school and was so glad to be out.
After I graduated I continued to gain weight. It probably didn't help that I was living on my own (with roommates) and worked in fast food to get by. Guess what I ate ALL the time!? I spent a good portion of my life eating junk. Three meals a day from fast food places, chips, ice cream, and soda. I cringe at the amount of soda I drank! My eating habits were horrible but it was my way of life. I didn't even really know how to cook very well if I wanted to. At some point, I didn't even care anymore. I was comfortable (enough) with myself to not be completely miserable and self loathing. Besides, I love me a good cheeseburger and fries! SUPERSIZE IT PLEASE!
I, like many, have tried dieting throughout the years. I was, for the most part, never successful. Maybe a few pounds lost here and there, but I always relapsed quickly. I have always been, and still am, the type who wants instant gratification and results. If there is something I want to do or accomplish, I want to do it the easy way and get to the end result...like NOW. Having to put in the time and effort that those things take to achieve positive results just isn't my thing. However, I'll talk later about why I believe it is different for me this time.
I weighed 180 lbs. in 2006 and found out I was pregnant with my first daughter January 2nd, 2007. Amazingly enough, after I had her, I returned fairly quickly to the 180 lbs. I knew that I was overweight, but for the most part, I was okay with that. Then, about six months after my daughter was born, I found out I was pregnant again. After having my second daughter at the end of 2008, I was never able to lose the weight again. In 2011 I was the heaviest I have ever been weighing in at 232 pounds (keeping in mind that I am only 5'1")! I always questioned how long you can call it "baby weight" before it's just weight. Not only was I obese, but I just didn't feel how I thought I should be feeling. The biggest physical effect on my health was that I was CONSTANTLY tired all the time no matter how much or how little sleep I got. It was horribly ridiculous the amount of energy I lacked. I never felt like doing anything and always wanted to sleep, which is very difficult when you have two energetic little girls to keep up with! I even went so far as to have a sleep study and a stress test along with lots of bloodwork done to find out why I was constantly fatigued. Looking back, I truely believe it is due to my weight and the horrible lack of nutriton my body was getting from me.
It was in February of 2011 that a very wonderful friend of mine introduced me to Herbalife. I decided to go all in and try the products. Yes, I wanted to lose the weight, but I also have two beautiful daughters that need me to teach them good eating habits. My soda consumption and daily fast food intake is not what I want them to learn from me. I don't want them to go through what I went through growing up. I want them to be happy and healthy, something that I am working on for myself. I started off going strong but after a few months I was on and off the products. I loved Herbalife, but I guess a lot of the time it was just easier to pull through a drive through...or at least that's what I told myself. At least, with two kids, I had learned to cook rather well by this point so it wasn't my previous three meals a day.
I decided to start getting serious about losing weight and getting healthy again around March of 2012. One reason was my cousin was getting married on June 30th and I found a beautiful dress that I wanted to wear that, at that time, was way too small for me. I set a goal to be 190 lbs. by June 30th. I decided to try the Isagenix 9 day cleanse (which is really 11 days) to help jump start my weight loss. I had heard that this system allows you to drop a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time. I decided to start the day after Easter. It was incredibly difficult and took more discipline than I knew I had, but I followed the program to a T and lost 12 pounds over the 11 days! (Before the cleanse I weighed in at 214 lbs.) However, because I know that I want to make being healthy a lifestyle choice, I knew that I would be returning to Herbalife to help me do so. After my cleanse, I returned to my beloved Herbalife products and went to visit my friend at the nutrition club to find out where I was at in my progress (lean muscle mass, required protein, etc) and found out that since February 2011 and before the Isagenix cleanse, I had lost and kept off 18 pounds! At first I was angry at myself seeing that I had allowed myself to get to 232. After that shock wore off, I realized that to lose and keep off 18 lbs over a year's time is pretty darn fantastic!
I continue to use my Herbalife products and have rejoined the gym. I even enlisted a friend to try a Zumba class with me which, by the way, I absolutely LOVE! I work hard, seeking out encouragement from others via facebook or from my coach or other friends and family. People have been beginning to tell me they are seeing the weight coming off now, which is always an incredible feeling! The wedding was just a few days ago, and weighing in the morning of the wedding I had beat my goal of 190 pounds by 1! I am feeling amazing about myself, inside and out. I realized recently that I no longer suffer from the chronic tiredness that I had for as many years as I can remember.
I'm loving myself for all the great things I am doing for myself and to lead my children in the right direction as they grow. I still have a long way to go but I'm confident that I will get there in time. My "final" goal is to be a healthy 150 pounds. I have absolutely no idea what I will look like at that weight because I don't remember ever being less than 180. I figure at that time, I will reassess and see if I want or need to keep going with the weight loss or just maintain where I am. I am also looking forward to gaining more strength and keeping up the energy I have found. In order to compensate for my need for instant gratification and because 150 lbs. seems like light years away, I set mini goals for myself. I've found that this helps to keep me motivated as I still get to celebrate victories along my journey. I can't wait to keep going and feel even better. I am an Herba-girl for life!
Thanks for reading!
