This change is more than just the desire to lose weight but a desire to live a healthy life.
When we think about losing weight and getting in shape, what do we think of? Before I started my fitness journey, I would see people who had lost a ton of weight and think, "I just can't do that. It is too hard." I would come up with excuses that "I can't cook" and "I have tried losing weight before and it just doesn't work and the fat won't budge." I also would say, "I don't have time" and "It costs too much money." I felt that because my husband still loved me, I didn't need to change. I convinced myself that I was still my skinny college self. Boy was that image shattered every time I saw full body photos of me. I avoided looking at those photos or sharing them on social media. Out of sight, out of mind, and I was happy.
My daily life consisted of a desk job. My work had this amazing snack station I visited daily with M&Ms, Swedish Fish, pistachios, fruit snacks, granola bars, HiChews, etc. I would come home to my loving husband and since we both had long days at work, we were too tired and hungry to take time to cook, so I would either throw Pizza Rolls in the oven, a frozen meal onto the stovetop, or my hubby would swing by Little Caesers or McDonalds on the way home. Then in the evening, we would cuddle up on the couch with a yummy bowl of ice cream or a bag of Doritos. I knew what I was eating was unhealthy, but I was content and avoiding the scary truth.
December 2016 I became pregnant. As a pregnant woman, you are very much aware of how much you weigh with doctor's visits and a growing belly. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was 197. I had never gone over 200 before and it didn't take long for that to happen. That big 2 was alarming, but I was pregnant and used that as my new excuse to not workout. When my son was born, I was 225, and although the weight melted off quickly, my body did not look the same. I could no longer lie to myself in the mirror... and thus started avoiding the mirror altogether.
But my bad eating choices caught up to me when my son was 3 months old. Long story short, I had gallstones and had to get my gallbladder removed in December 2017. The pain I had been experiencing for the previous 6 weeks was worse than Labor (I had an epidural... so that might not be saying much). It was incapacitating; I couldn't take care of my baby boy. I was in tears on the floor and initially thought it was Kidney Stones after a bad episode on Thanksgiving Day. That initial thought is what motivated me to start drinking tons of water and changing the foods I ate. I went 2 weeks with relief until a delicious meal at Tucanos with their all you can eat meat. That night I went to the ER with intolerable pain. Within 12 hrs they removed my gallbladder. This experience was an eye opener showing that all the greasy and fatty foods I had been eating had been destroying my body. It didn't matter if I lost weight anymore. Eating healthy was a choice I made in that moment for my health. If I lost weight, great! But I feel it is important to have a solid WHY behind your health journey.
Why did I start my journey? I want to take care of my body God has given me. I want to live long and watch my son grow and keep up with him. I want to teach my kids healthy habits I didn't have. So this change is more than just the desire to lose weight but a desire to live a healthy life.
The first change I made was eating healthy. I started eating correct portions using Beachbody's portion fix containers and the 21DayFix tracker app. I started eating clean whole foods that my body could break down easier. I upped the amount of protein and veggies I was eating and reduced the amount of carbs, cheese, and milk I was consuming. I started cooking more and eating every 3 hrs with small snacks between meals.
I also started drinking Shakeology, a superfood shake that is D-LISH!! It is filled with Protein and fiber which dramatically helped reduce hunger and food cravings. It is filled with Antioxidants, Vitamins, and Minerals, so I didn't need to keep buying my Pre-Natal Daily Vitamin. It has Adaptogens which help your body handle how it responds to stress which is where it helped me the most in my daily life. It also has Prebiotics, Probiotics and Digestive Enzyms to help with digestion and lowers cholesterol.
Eating healthy is what I've become obsessed about. I had tried calorie counting while working out 60 min each day in the past, but this change was actually working. I was eating 1800 calories each day along with a 30 min workout and the stubborn weight just started melting off. I lost 10lbs 2inches doing Beachbody's 21DayFix program. Then the holidays came and went and I went off track a little with my workouts. Then mid-January I started doing Beachbody's 80DayObsessed program. This program took the eating changes I had made to a whole new level with timed nutrition. This program uses the same portion fix containers, but it tells you when to eat what type of food group to optimize your healthy eating to fuel your body all day long. At the end of this week, we will be half way through the program and so far this year, I have lost an additional 15lbs and 11 inches! This has brought me down 2 pant sizes and I am now 27lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight at 169lbs!! I have not been this small in almost 4 years!
This journey has only been going now for 3 months, but it has been a life changing 3 months. I am now starting to become a Beachbody Coach so I can help others start their own life changing journey as I did (and still am) and find their "why" of why they want to become healthy. As exciting as the numbers have been, how I feel has been the most impactful. I'm not starving myself, I am cooking simple healthy meals and doing meal prep so I don't have to feel overwhelmed when dinner comes. This doesn't mean I won't have the occasional dessert, candy, or pizza, but with these healthy changes, I find that I feel full of energy and fresh and look forward to my meals and working out in a way I didn't before.
Let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear your fitness journey past, present, and future! What are your goals? What is your "why"?
Click here if you want me to be your coach to help you get started. I can help go over different challenge packs and pricing and see if there are any current promotions!!
