Food Food Food!

On a good week my workout agenda looks like this: three times a week, I attend a fitness class. Following those classes I typically go to the gym and do some light cardio and lift weights. Then there are the weeks where I am sick, a child is sick, I have to work, or I over sleep, etc and my week of workouts look like this:       . Nothing. It is in those times that I have to really rely on my food to keep me on track.

About a month ago I had hit a rough patch in my workouts with it being too hot to exercise outside, having to kids home during the summer meant no gym time, and I was going through a bout of laziness. Through that I did not gain a single pound. Imagine that! I had programmed myself to think that if I didn't work out for a little while, all the weight I had lost would come back and then some--but it didn't.

I have learned over the past year and a half that food is the most important part of your health journey. Sure, being able to run is great but if you are still downing greasy food every day, your heart is no better off. Lifting weights is wonderful but if you are also consistently lifting donuts and coffee to your lips, your stomach isn't going anywhere. It really is about being a manager of yourself. That sounds silly, but honestly it's true. You have to be able to deny yourself things that are not good, for those things that are much greater.

I'm going to try to help make some suggestions of how to make small changes now that can drastically impact your "later".

Track your food:
You've heard me say this a million times but it is really important to me: TRACK YOUR FOOD! I use MyFitnessPal to do this and it is so easy. The app will calculate your required calories based on your information and goals. You can then input your food and let it do the math for you. You can scan bar codes into the app so you don't have to do the leg work of typing in the nutritional information of each item and you can even search for restaurants on it. It is great in the way of accountability to yourself and your friends that you can add as well.

Beverages:
Here's the deal. You should not be drinking your calories! Aside from a healthy (meal replacing) green smoothie or shake, you truly should only be drinking water (flavor it if you have to at first!) Drinking calories does not fill you up and you still tend to eat the same amount you would eat otherwise. Trust me--this girl drank 2-3 cans of Coke a day and continued to eat the same. It didn't work. This rule applies to more than just soda. Tea, juice, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, and sugary coffee drinks are not doing you much good. Trade them for water and then you can drink as much as you want without having to track anything! If you do drink anything other than water, track it in your daily food log--you'll be surprised how quickly you become protective of your calories and actually WANT to drink water!

Serving Sizes:
I know I preach this a lot but serving sizes are so crucial! A serving size is not how much you can fit on your plate. Aside from the occasional bag of chips I would eat in its entirety, I never would have thought of myself as an over eater before. Boy was I wrong! Remember to read nutritional labels carefully. If a cereal or cookies nutritional informaiton sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Check the serving size, some are surprisingly small, and this is done intentionally to get you to think you're making a good choice. Honestly, who eats 2 Oreos?

Eating out: 
Let's face it, you are going to eat out every once in a while. This doesn't have to be a time of high anxiety or an opportunity to over eat. A sweet friend of mine, Monica, is on an amazing fitness journey as well and she reached out to me recently. She offered some suggestions on how to handle eating out while trying to be healthy. This is super great information!

• Ask for all condiments on the side.
• Ask for your burger or sandwich to be open faced (meaning without the top of the bun). It helps with will power.
• When ordering a side, opt for the side salad with dressing separate. The serving size of any dressing is typically 2 spoonfuls.
• Good go-to options when eating out: 
• Salad with grilled chicken, steak, hard boiled eggs, or salmon with 2 spoonfuls of any dressing.
• An open faced grilled chicken sandwich or burger with 1/2 spoonful of any condiments.
• Steak, salmon or grilled chicken with rice or potatoes (4 spoonfuls) and steamed veggies.

Accountability:

This is so important. In the beginning, I made a decision that I was going to put my journey out there on Facebook and despite my anxiety about it, it was the best decision I could have made. People started asking me questions. Encouraging comments came just when I needed them. I started seeing people around me make better choices for themselves as well. In a world where are we have to do to connect is log in, use the benefit of those in your life to keep you on track. Help them as well. This is a hard journey but when done right, you can inspire so many people with also spurs you on and helps you keep going. 

In terms of accountability, I noticed last month that MyFitnessPal now allows you to share your food diary for all of our friends to see once you've completed it for the day. The thought of this makes me nervous but I am challenging myself to do that starting today. This is another layer of accountability for me. In the beginning it would have been to make sure I wasn't eating too much, now I need accountability buddies to make sure I'm eating enough. (To clarify, I don't starve, but there are times where I should be eating more than my allotted 1500 calories). Also, this should be helpful if you are asking yourself, like many that know me, "What does she eat?!" Find me on MyFitnessPal (mommacartlidge) and we can keep each other on track! 

Why I can't "just have one"...

I hear it all the time. "You can just have one!" or "One won't hurt you!" The problem is that I am simply not capable of just eating one of any of the junk food that I used to and then carry about my day. Could I simply grab one cookie and walk away? Absolutely. You'd think that would be the end of it, but it never is. For the next few minutes, hours, or days I think about how I just want "one more" and it was SO good and I "deserve" it.
Do I really? Do I really deserve the sluggish, nauseated, gross feeling that inevitably comes right after? Do I deserve feeling guilty because I know what I just ate wasn't going to help me make progress toward my goals? Usually that guilty feeling makes me feel even worse and I eat other foods that aren't good for me. I think I deserve better than that.
Please don't get me wrong. I do think the occasional treat is okay but I think that you need to know yourself well enough to know your triggers. Recently, I gave up sugary treats and pizza for three months prior to my birthday. On my birthday, I allowed myself to indulge in pizza, cake, candy, etc. I told myself I would have a day where I wasn't so focused on what I ate. The problem wasn't that day--it was the entire week that followed. All I could think about was the foods I wanted more than the healthy food on my plate. It led to me making some poor decisions in the week following. I had an incredible birthday because I was surrounded by people I love but all of the food I ate that day cost me a week of peace.
Food addiction isn't unlike a drug addiction. People laugh at the term "food addiction" but honestly think about it. Just like a person addicted to junk food, a person addicted to drugs thinks about them constantly. When they use them, they can't control how much of they use of them. When they run out, it's all they think about. They may have made many unsuccessful attempts to stop using them only to relapse. Much like drug addiction, there are also withdrawal symptoms associated with food addiction. I have learned that I personally am not able to control myself when I eat these foods so I choose to not eat these foods. It's really that simple.
I've been trying to teach myself that I'm eating to live, that I am not living to eat. This is a hard concept to accept because some foods just taste SO good it is hard NOT to crave them! I've learned a lot about myself during this journey. I've learned that I am a lot stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. I mean that not only physically, but also mentally. I am in this to ultimately save my life. If I had continued down the path I was on, my health would have continued to spiral and my quality of life would have diminished. I think I'm worth more than pizza or a sweet treat.
All of that being said, I still love food and have found lots of products that are delicious but also healthy and help me achieve my goals. I will be making a post about them soon!
Find me on Facebook and Instagram to follow along with my journey daily!

Reading a Nutritional Label

When I first started tracking what I ate, I was rudely awakened to serving sizes. In fact, if I'm completely honest I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at first. Did you know that most cereals boast low calories per serving because their serving is less typically less than a cup--more like, 1/2 cup for most. I don't know about you but if my cereal wasn't teeming out of the top of the bowl, then I went back for more. Just the other day, my husband and I were looking at getting a 16 oz package of artichoke dip. With just 90 calories per serving, we were sold! Almost. The problem? The serving size was 1 oz, that means that if we sat down and polished off the entire (small) container we would have, together, eaten 1440 calories! This almost my entire caloric intake for the day!

So today I'm hoping to give you some tips and suggestions on how to read and thoughtfully consider all of the information available to you on a nutritional label. For the following information, I'll be using two bags of chips; Late July Sweet Potato chips and Lays Classic potato chips.

The label on the left corresponds to the Late July chips and the Lays Classic chips are on the right. 

Serving Size: Look closely, the serving size for either chip is only 9-15 chips, not the entire bag as I would have hoped in the beginning of my journey. I'm not sure who can sit down and simply eat 9-15 chips and be satiated. I cannot so I avoid them, knowing I am better able to eat my calories elsewhere. 

Calories: Foods that are high in calories are not necessarily awful for you but they need to be limited (example: nuts and nut butters) but foods that are low in calories don't automatically make them better for you. Under eating is as harmful as overeating. So what makes up the calories in foods? There are 3 macro nutrients that together make up the calories in all the foods you eat and they are: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Each gram of fat is made of 9 calories and each gram of protein and each gram of carbohydrates are made of 4 calories. With this information, you should be able to calculate the calories in an item on your own--thankfully, you don't need to but it's a good bit of knowledge to have. 

Limit the following nutrients: All fats, cholesterol and sodium. Your diet shouldn't be high in any of these items. There are good fats: nuts, avocados, and certain oils to name a few but these should not be the main items in your diet. While cholesterol is necessary for cell function, too much cholesterol can lead to high blood pressure, strokes, and even heart attacks. Foods that are high in cholesterol are eggs, fish, pork, red meat, cheese, etc. Be mindful as you eat these foods. Sodium is the scientific name for salt. Too much salt can cause bloating, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. 

Carbohydrates: Contrary to popular assumption, carbohydrates are not awful little creatures who steal your gains and make you fat. Carbohydrates are an energy source for your body and when eaten properly, you can use them to help you make great progress when you exercise. Making wise choices is important. Think of things like fruits and vegetables and foods made of whole wheat. Remember that fiber and sugar are components in carbohydrates. Fiber helps your body maintain proper digestive funtion. Sugar is highly unnecessary in our diet and is commonly used to make us crave foods. Carbohydrates turn into glucose sugar that our bodies can use, added sugar is unnecessary and unhealthy. You'll notice to the right of every nutritional label there is a column indicating the percent of daily value of each nutrient makes up. There is not a recommended daily amount of sugar, and therefore, you'll never see a percentage there. Moral of the store, limit sugar. 

Protein: Protein is the single most important nutrient in your diet when it comes to wanting to build muscle. Protein also helps you to remain full longer, resulting in you eating less and can lead to weight loss. Some good sources of protein (aside from meats, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with) are: nuts, nut butter, grains, beans, and leafy greens among other things. For normal individuals, you should be taking in about 50-60 grams. For individuals hoping to build muscle it is recommended that you eat .5-1 gram per each gram of body weight. 

Ingredient lists: Did you know that the order in which the ingredients are listed on the label indicates how much of the item is in the product, meaning they are listed from most to least. Using our example from above, Late July Sweet Potato chips have more Organic White Corn than any other ingredient and Lays Classic chips are more Potatoes than any other ingredient. It is important to choose items that have the fewest ingredients. Doing so will ensure you're not putting unnecessary things in your body. Organic ingredients are preferred as well, meaning that no chemicals were used in the making of those ingredients--no chemicals on ingredients means no chemicals entering your body! Watch out for sneaky additions of sugar into your foods by using other names such as: aspartame, syrup, molasses, fructose, any type of juice, dextran, any type of malt, glucose, and many many others!  

Based on the two bags of chips above, using the knowledge we just discussed, the Late July chips are a better option. They are lower in fat and carbohydrates which leads to lower calories. The sodium is lower which is better for heart health and while the ingredients list is longer, it is full of organic and health conscious ingredients. 

Hopefully with this article, you feel better equipped to read a nutritional label and make educated decisions on serving sizes and what you're actually putting into your body. 

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have! If I do not know the answer, I will find out for you! 

And it all comes tumbling down

Sometimes the motivation that stems from deep within, the same motivation that has driven me to lose nearly 100 pounds, goes silent. Eerily silent. Occasionally, the voice in my head saying that I cannot do something is significantly louder and more convincing than that meek voice that encourages me to just keep moving. You'd probably assume that after 18 months of this journey that the voice of deception and defeat is quieter and the voice of confidence and encouragement is far louder. You'd be wrong. Honestly, the longer I do this, the louder the negativity in my own head gets, when I let it seep in.
A little insight into my week. My children were recently out of town for two weeks affording me the freedom to go to the gym whenever I felt like it. I was able to buy different (more expensive) health foods because I was only shopping for my husband and I. As much as I missed them, when they came home it felt like I got body slammed. Back to life, back to the reality of having to fit in workouts where I can, buying less expensive but still healthy foods. In the interest of being completely honest, I have only worked out one time since they got home a week ago.
So as I sat on the couch feeling lumpy and pathetic all week, I let that voice overtake me. "This cannot be done with a husband, children, and a job!" or "You're not going to succeed!". Logically, this makes absolutely no sense, but the feelings are still there.
This morning, I got up and felt lighter. I've been telling my husband about the feelings I've had and boy does that help! So I figured I'd share it with you too.
I have a sneaking suspicion that people give me a lot credit for "having it all together"--I don't. Maybe they assume that I never grow tired of this journey--I do. Maybe they think that if they lose motivation for a time, that it is all over for them--it isn't. I will pick myself up, dust myself off and continue down the path I've laid out for myself--and so will you! It's ok to feel defeated, tired, and overwhelmed. This lifestyle isn't intuitive for everyone (is it for anyone?) and it takes work. Remember, however, that you are so worth loving. Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. That voice inside your head is you. Would you speak to your best friend that way? Probably not. Are you not worth the same love and respect? I think you are. I think I am too.

So what do you do? How can you keep encouraged when times get hard?

1. Find a health buddy: This person or group of people can help keep you accountable and they understand your struggles. As much as your other friends want to support you, they can only take so much talk of weightlifting, cross-fit, running, paleo, or whatever your current schtick is. Cut them some slack.

2. Write it down: I've told so many people this--write down your "why". Why are you starting this journey? What do you hope to accomplish? Make sure to add both short term and long term goals to your list. Including things like "I want to be at my child's wedding" is important, but realistically, also include things like "I want to feel good in the dress for my best friends wedding in two months". Both are types of goals imperative to your success. Goals that are too broad or too far in the future will not help you in the pit of defeat right now. I have a friend who has made it a priority to treat herself to something fitness/health related as she attains her goals as a means to motivate herself to keep going. This is a wonderful and creative tool!

3. Measure and photograph: This is huge. If you do nothing else, do this. Take your measurements and pictures frequently. When that scale doesn't move (and sometimes, it wont for weeks!), you'll have concrete proof to look back on and realize that you are still doing ok! I took measurements from March of 2014 until now and the difference is astounding. I keep those measurements in my bathroom to look at often. Pictures also help you visually see where you are. I know that before my journey, I was always behind the camera. Hop in front of it darling, it is your time to shine! You'll be glad you did, the next time you hit a plateau. (Side note: If you're weighing yourself more than once a week, that's a problem. You and your scale need to break up. I try--although sometimes unsuccessfully--to not weigh myself more than that. Otherwise, you're going to go insane!)

4. Remember this is a lifestyle change, not a diet: It took me 26 years to create the bad eating and exercise habits I had before, it's only logical that it would take a while to really hone in this new way of life. Give yourself some grace, you're doing just fine. Do not define yourself by some fad diet, its better than that! This is a lifestyle change, correcting old habits with new, healthy ones. It takes time so don't expect everything to come together all at once!

5. See your doctor: Personally, I have been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I see an alternative doctor (he is a Kinesiologist) who has treated me for the causes of my thyroid condition and has improved my life tremendously. Through diet and healthy supplements, I can happily say I no longer take my thyroid medicine. I cannot recommend this enough but I would never suggest you take this path without a doctor's supervision! I could easily hide behind this diagnosis but I choose not to every single day. Feeling better than ever before, health-wise, keeps me motivated to just keep going.

So that's it. It is a new week and I have decided to just keep moving. Everyday may not be the best but you can certainly make the best of every day!

How in the World?

It is easy for me to sit here and tell you where I started and where I am now. What is tricky is how you can apply that to your very own situation. If you remember, I asked for questions in my last post to help navigate stumbling blocks for you guys. I'll answer them (and a few more I hear quite frequently) and I'm hopeful that will help relieve some of the tension that is keeping you from getting started. Also, at any point, feel free to ask questions on any blog post!

1. I would like to know how you make the transition to a vegetarian diet. 

Before I answer this, I KNOW this lifestyle is not for everyone! That being said, you'd be surprised at how much easier it is than you'd think. Personally, I have never enjoyed eating meat. You can ask my parents, I'm pretty sure it drove them crazy! As an adult I would eat chicken, some beef and that was about it. Even then, when I was asked by my insurance agency's life coach if I would consider giving up meat, I scoffed at her. It wasn't until last June when my husband and I were really analyzing our eating habits in light of the fact that I was making such big changes that we happened upon the documentary Forks Over Knives. It was that night, June 27, 2014, that my meat loving husband threw away all animal products we had in our house (except cheese--we love cheese!). After mourning the loss of the money we literally threw away, I was pretty happy about it. Navigating around meat in my diet has been a lifelong struggle for me. From that day forward we set out to  make vegetarian meals. Honestly, in the beginning it looked a lot like side items on a plate without a main course. Stick through it, it gets better. Our staples are rice, beans, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. There are a lot of cook books out there that can help make the transition easier! My personal favorite it Thug Kitchen (*disclaimer*- It is full of foul language but the recipes are amazing!). 

My husband and my children ate this way as well. Now, over a year later, while I still do not eat meat, they do occasionally but never at home. We just don't buy it. It's that simple. 

Also, if you do plan to become vegetarian, get ready to field questions from well meaning friends and nosy strangers who are suddenly dietitians. "What about your protein?!?" "Have you had your iron checked?!" I'm not sure why they find this appropriate--after all, I bet they wouldn't take kindly to me asking how their cholesterol levels were doing ;-). 

2. What shoes (brand and model) you use for Omnifit and running & do you use different ones for each activity?

My first ever running shoe was a Brooks Ghost 6. I love them! Soon after, I got a pair of Newton Gravity running shoes. Those have a learning curve. They have a piece on the bottom of the shoe that makes it so you don't run on your toes. I like them but would probably recommend Brooks before them. Look around your area for a specialty running shoe store. In our area it is, Love 2 Run. They have a machine to measure your arches, where you put the most pressure and they can check out your stride and make educated recommendations based off of that information. 

I use my running shoes for both running and Omnifit. As a side note, I did just get Converses for weight lifting that I'm pretty excited to use! They are supposed to be great for keeping you close to the ground and stable because they don't have the air pockets that running shoes have. 

3. How do you turn down free dessert?

This is hard! Sweets are my weakness. That being said, I'm also stubborn. I make short term goals to prove something to myself. Most recently I gave up all sweets (candy, cake, ice cream, cookies, pastries, etc) and at first I made a goal of one month. When I accomplished that, I lengthened the goal to three months (until my birthday). That works for me. Now that my birthday has passed, I'm finding it difficult to stay on track with them. 

Someone asked me recently if I planned to reintroduce those things, but in moderation. Honestly, I can't do it in moderation, so no. I'll continue to make short term goals of not eating that stuff until it just isn't a thing any more. 

4. How can you get the craving of sugar or sugary drinks from your brain?

In the beginning, I struggled with soda. I drank it every time I was near it. We eventually stopped buying it for the house but that didn't stop me from ordering it at restaurants or drinking it when offered by friends. Honestly, just like with sweets, I just had to stop. I tried to limit myself to one day a week when I knew I would be given free soda, Eventually that lead to me drinking it regularly again. Ultimately, I made it a goal to give up sugary drinks for a month. That was 7 months ago. Now it isn't a problem for me. Why not try to use Crystal Light, Mio, or real fruit to flavor your water? I constantly carry around a 32 ounce jug of water with me now but that was a big adjustment for me. Like with any dietary change, make little adjustments until you get to where you want to be. 

5. I have children and a job, I don't have time to do what you do. 

Yes you do. I have two children, we home-schooled the last two years, and I work 20-25 hours a week. Yes, you have time. There is never a time when I am not with my children or at work. The only gym I knew about at the time did not have childcare and with my husband working full time, the gym just wasn't an option in the beginning. Not to mention, I wasn't confident enough to go to the gym yet. I found a local walking trail that allowed me to take my kids and they would ride bikes or walk with me. This particular trail is a small circle and so they could play in the middle while I ran and I could still see them. Another trail I went, this wasn't possible so they learned really quickly to ride their bikes. I made it fun for them and guess what? On the mornings that Momma wasn't feeling it, they made me get up and go so they could have fun! 

Now, I do have a gym membership but I only got it in January, over a year after I started this journey. I still workout with the kids 3 days a week but make it a point to communicate with my husband to ensure I get some gym time during the week. It isn't easy but it is worth it. 

For those of you who work full time, I would try to carve out a window of time each day to get in your exercise. If that means doing it early before work or after you get out--make it happen!Are you a stay at home mom? If you have a local gym with childcare, utilize that! And don't forget, anyone can workout at home! I could have made a million excuses (and still could) but that wouldn't have gotten me to where I am today. Don't be your own biggest stumbling block. 

So what questions do you have that are getting in the way of you getting started or keeping you from continuing to be the best you can be? 

From the Bottom

Hitting rock bottom in terms of your health doesn't necessarily mean you will instantly choose to change. In fact, most people tend to wallow there awhile. It would have been easy for me to say that doing anything about my weight would have been too hard. In fact, that was my mind set for almost my entire adult life! Instead, when presented with a fork in the road--the fork of self pity vs. action-- I chose to act. Do you know what? It was hard! Consequently, it has also been worth it.
Where do you begin when you have no idea what you are doing? How do you change a life of bad habits? You start with what you know. For the better part of a year prior to my weight-loss, I had been toying around with the idea of using the Couch-to-5k app to begin running. I had even told others about it and it had been downloaded on my phone for months. It wasn't until January 11, 2014 that I had officially began to use the app. What a scary, hard, painful, adventure! I ran through shin splints for months before I realized I needed proper running shoes. I drug my kids along with me every day and they became my little coaches who pushed me harder and farther than I ever imagined I could go. I successfully completed my first 5k in May 2014 and placed 3rd in my age group.
The same day I started running,  I also started tracking what I was eating. In the beginning I used the Ultimate Value Diary app. The app is similar to Weight Watchers without the monthly fee. I was assigned points based on my weight and activity level and I was able to use those points however I saw fit. That meant if I spent 14 of my 35 points for the day on pizza, I'd have to be better about watching what I ate the rest of the day. With that app, I learned about controlling my portions. This actually floored me and quite frankly, made me mad in the beginning. Who only eats 1/2 cup of cereal in the morning? Despite this, I stuck to it. I learned portion control and made decisions that would truly lead me to where I am today. The benefit of this app for someone in the beginning of their journey is that it doesn't require changing your whole world all at once. There were some things I just had to give up cold turkey for my own piece of mind (Coca-Cola and Reese's cups) but everything else was still okay. As time went on I actually wanted to make changes to the quality of food that I was eating.
I have a lot of people ask me what I eat now. I am extremely hesitant to share this with people who are just starting out. I do not want to discourage them. The way I eat now is NOT how I ate in the beginning. The first 6 months of my journey were filled with all sorts of foods that I wouldn't eat today. In that first 6 months, I lost over 50 pounds. Do not nitpick yourself, just take it one day at a time. You will make changes you never imagined. To answer the question, almost 18 months later, I am a strict vegetarian. I have also given up sweets and pizza for the last 3 months. Renee 17 months ago would look at present day Renee and laugh at her. There was no way I would ever be able to change that much! I'm a living example, that with time, determination, and support, you can do big things!
With that in mind, please allow me to step up on my soap box for a minute. It hurts my heart to see people who are earnestly trying to better themselves, get put down for a food choice they made. I think it is super important to remember that we all start at different places. In my case, I had no previous fitness knowledge, so if I chose to swap out a can of soda for a glass of lemonade, I was making headway. If I decided to only eat one slice of pizza rather than three, I was winning. Life is a series of choices, of which we are all responsible for making. I cannot sit here with good conscious and watch someone feel bad for a decision they made when it is abundantly clear they are making better choices now then they would have before. At this point in my journey, if I sat down with a can of soda, I'd completely expect someone to call me out. That said, if someone had called me out in the beginning, it could have been a fatal blow to my lifestyle change journey. You can only do better when you know better. That said, there is a fine line between educating someone and criticizing someone. Remember that.

There is so much that I want to share over the life of this blog. Many people ask me great questions that I cannot adequately explain in the small amount time we are together. So I'm reaching out to you. What questions do you have?  Ask your questions and I will do a blog post dedicated to answering those questions. Don't be afraid, I have been where you are and I want to help you through!

Then & Now

The left is a picture from my son's birthday party. I truly wish I could tell you I was pregnant and that's why I looked that way. I was not, however. My youngest was 5 years old at the time. The right was just last week, when I realized I'd officially lost 90lbs!  

You can do this! 

Big Changes Started Small

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting in the Target parking lot on the phone with a friend. I was in crisis mode. My weight had gotten out of control and now, I'd have to pay for it. Literally.
Let me start a little farther back. I've always been a big girl. I can remember trying on a woman's size 12 in middle school and it didn't fit. My weight never bothered me that much growing up. It was just how I was. I went on to get married and have two beautiful children and it finally dawned on me that it wasn't okay to continue down the path I had been traveling.
I had lost weight before. 40 pounds actually. I was proud and felt accomplished. That is, until I moved to Dothan, AL. A new town, no friends or family for support, and no idea how to maintain what I had worked for since the fitness program I was using wasn't available here. So I stopped all together. It wasn't a conscious decision. In fact, I condoned all of my eating habits with statements like "Well, you have to meet new people and EVERYONE likes to eat--we'll meet them for dinner" and "I can have dessert and not go overboard"--only I couldn't. I quickly gained back the 40 pounds I had previously lost and an additional 50 pounds.
Heavier than I had ever been, I sat in my car on the phone that day and poured my heart out. My husband and I were trying to get new health coverage and because of my weight, we'd have to pay $80 a month in addition to the normal premium. Not only that, but I would have to speak with a health coach about my weight problem every week until I could get it under control. I've never been more embarrassed in my life. My friend listened carefully and agreed, it would be hard but it would be worth it. She encouraged me to just get started and that she would help along the way.
I look back at that hopeless Fall afternoon in 2013 and I smile now. My friend on the other line is still an amazing friend today and we sometimes talk about how far I have come. In the past almost 18 months I've gone from 250.5 pounds to 160.5 pounds.
I would never tell you it has been easy--it hasn't. I will tell you it was worth it. I have never used any supplements, pills, or wraps. This was all me--every drop of sweat, every tear, every pulled muscle was me.
If that hopeless woman from the Fall of 2013 can make big changes, I guarantee you can too! I'd love to show you my day to day endeavors in hopes that I can inspire you. I cannot say that what works for me will also do that same for you, I can say that any change in the right direction is a good change and big change only comes when you're willing to make small changes for the better.

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