A fellow Phi Mu sister and several friends asked if I would blog my story of how I'm losing and why....so here we go!!
Since
we started trying for a baby (before Shelby came along) I was never
really worried with my weight (I was 130) but after fertility drugs and
the stress that came with month after month of no baby I gained a good
15 lbs and then gained, *gasp*, 40 lbs while pregnant. After having
Shelby I lost 30 lbs from breast feeding in 7 weeks and then once again,
gained it back because I became depressed and also could not breast
feed any longer, aiding in my depression....I'm gonna say what I weighed
because I've gotta let it go and get it out.... May 31 I weighed 177
lbs ( the day I went in to be induced to have Shelby 3 years ago I
weighed 180 and that was a huge gut puncher but to weigh so close to
that and NOT BE pregnant kicked the breath out of me!!) I let the devil
in and he destroyed my self-esteem, walk with God, my view as a mother
and wife and my overall health.
Shelby is now 3 and I had enough
at the end of May and decided to seriously become myself again and
focus on the Lord again like He's called me to and get out of the funk
of depression and move forward for my family and their future!! This is
not about how I look, it's about how I should be for my husband and
family as a wife and mother. We are to treat our bodies as temples for
the Lord. If He dwells in your heart, then you should be the best for
Him as you can be and I believe filling my body with "trash" was
destroying His temple and it wasn't effective for Him to live in. It
made it hard for Him to teach me and guide me when He's blocked by sins
of the world. See, food became a crutch and a hindrance on EVERY PART
of my life. I made eating an event, an activity and something to cover
up my feelings when in fact eating was causing the feelings I was trying
to hide and destroy! I felt convicted one night at one of CrossPoint's
worship services that if I was truly to become who God wanted me to be,
then I needed to lay down the sin that was holding me back and that sin
was food and what I was putting in my body! I'm not gonna lie, it was
hard at first but such a revelation as to what all was holding me back! I
was broken with pain from all that I DID to hinder God's work FULLY in
my life. My lifestyle is not a diet or whatever to lose weight so I
look good, yes that's a perk from eating and living how I am now, but
it's not why I'm doing it, as much as it feels good to see myself
transform. The physical aspect isn't important. The spiritual, mental
& emotional transition is what's important to me. Now living healthy is
vital to me!! I'm no longer tied down to food and have realized the RIGHT mindset is to eat to nourish your body ONLY! Not a social
hour, event, something you plan your day around or seek healing and
comfort from.
Since living this way, just a little less than 2
months, I feel better, ACT better, sleep better, look better, have more
energy and daily drive, and don't feel like I'm in a fog and pitiful
darkness. I feel more connected with God and my TRUE self. I feel like
I'm a TRUE witness for God now and not just playin the part. Now, I've
still got a personal goal of 30 more total pounds to lose but as of
yesterday (July 16, 2012) I've lost 18.6 lbs and 12.5 overall inches! I
started my life change May 31, 2012 and my first goal is to lose 20 lbs
by the last day of July. I'm just 2 weeks and 2 lbs from that goal and
I WILL meet it! My next goal is to lose at least 15 lbs by the end of
Sept. and then to lose 15 more lbs by our 8th anniversary, Dec. 11,
2012. That's a total of 30 more pounds to total up to 50 pounds I will
lose in about 9 months. That may sound nuts to you, but to me, it's a
goal I will reach!!
Ok, so how am I doing this? Well, first off, I can only begin to do this through my Lord and Savior's daily Word, Holy
Spirit guiding and holding my hand and the Love and support of my
family and friends, which I've had unconditionally! Second, I'm
following First Fitness Nutrition with the AMAZING help, love and support of my friend and consultant,
Renee. You can contact her via office phone: 870-234-6226 or by email:
ibelieveinffn@gmail.com
If you're my Facebook friend you can find
her through my wall as well! First Fitness Nutrition is THE BEST
nutritional guide and lifestyle WAKE UP CALL I've ever used or tried.
FFN focuses on YOUR HEALTH and not your looks....that's what I like
because I'm about getting healthy and seeing results to my health, not
just looks. Your looks DO CHANGE though, don't get me wrong! :) FFN's
products are sooo great and make your wellness journey soooooo effective
and CHANGE YOUR LIFE! If you just do the meal plan that I mention, you WON'T GET the same results that you would by adding the FFN products to the healthy menu guide they give you. They focus on getting your body healthy, leaning your muscle and
taking the fat away! My colon was SOOOO unhealthy, it wasn't even
funny! The menu alone is not enough, but with FFN's all natural supplements, AND eating clean, ANYONE can do what I'm doing!
It's sooo important to have a
"coach" and Renee is THE BEST person in the world to coach you through
your lifestyle change! This is NOT A DIET but a lifestyle change! You
MUST get your mind set in the right direction to change your life. It's
not a half-way thing...."balls to the wall"(pardon the motto but it is
what it is!) is what our little joking motto has been between me and
Renee because I've tried it ALL! It is vital I take my supplements when
I'm supposed to and follow the menu guide. I've always been a great
"Rule-follower." Give me rules and I will follow them! :)
I'm
asked, "well what CAN you eat?". First off, it's not about what you can
or can't eat it about what you DO eat! I eat absolutely NO fried foods,
battered foods, sugar, starches (unless whole grain and only a 1/2 - 1
cup a day if I do, but I don't)! Extremely LOW sodium and NO SODAS!! I
drink HALF of my body weight, usually over that, in water a day, sugar
free lemonade and unsweetened tea with equal and sweeten low. I eat NO
red meats, personal choice, TONS of veggies and fruits as well as Light (NOT FAT FREE) dressings, in moderation.
So, here's my meals for one
day....
Breakfast
I
drink a perfect meal replacement shake with a cup of fruit added for breakfast. If I
know I'm going somewhere and there's nothing I can have or want I take my
little former formula dispenser and have a meal replacement shake. All I need is
8oz of water and some ice and I'm ready!! It fits perfectly in my Coach
purse! Hahah. This has rarely happened but I like having a better option if I don't want what we have at a restaurant or wherever!!
With us traveling almost every weekend, I've had to become creative with
my packing of foods and such. I love blueberries in my breakfast
shake so I buy the frozen blueberries and keep them in the hotel fridge
or sometimes stop at farmers markets on the way!! Preparation is key!
Snack
A
shake Popsicle! I mix 8oz of chocolate shake mix to make all these and I
can have one a day if I choose...I sometimes don't snack at all...
Lunch
Since I eat no red meats I eat a lot of fish and ground turkey and
today is seared Tilapia and a salad with Low Fat(NOT FAT FREE) 1000 island. Tip: at
lunch I eat a salad OR veggies and at dinner I eat a salad AND veggies. My
FIL makes amazing seasoning that none of us know exactly how he makes
but it's low sodium and the amount I use is VERY SMALL but it's an all
seasoning mix for anything!!
Dinner
tonight I ate with my parents at Red Lobster so this is what I ate there...
This WAS a salad with Low Fat (NOT FAT FREE) 1000island....lol no I
didn't add sweet n low in it lol...
Baked
tilapia WITH The cheese taken off! Hate when they do that!! It's sooo
good and grilled!! Asparagus and broccoli. Mmmmm I only ate one fillet
because the salad filled me up. I love RL salads!!!
And DRINK TONS OF WATER and Crystal Lite Pink Lemonade
I
take my owl cup EVERYWHERE I go!!!! It's ALWAYS with me! Since you're
supposed to drink half your weight in ounces a day of water, I can fill
this up and it's 16oz, so 2 glasses in one!!! NO Dessert or sweets!!!!!
That's
what I ate today.... And I'm satisfied and was FULL! I cook Sooooo much
now and I have to cook 3 different meals each time because Josh and
Shelby eat differently but it's worth it!!!!
This is a lot
different than I've been used to because I'm doing as Romans 12:2
says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve
what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2
NIV)" I am NOT conforming to this world any longer! But I'm renewing my
mind, heart and body in Christ Jesus!!
I weigh in every Monday as
well as measure. I've not been disappointed but once and it was silly
for me to do so since it was during my period. I didn't gain but I
didn't lose. That one second I let the devil in and he ruined that day
from there on out. Spent my evening in prayer to myself and repented.
In an instance your focus can get off and the devil will take full
advantage of that! The next day, I realized how silly that was because
all my measurements and weight stayed the same even during my period!!
That's NEVER happened and is phenomenal!!
Please don't give up on
yourself! I almost did! I'm doing all I can to prevent the diseases of
my ancestors as well as be the fit wife and mother God called me to be.
It's not a slacker-job, it is a daily commitment to do God's will for my
life and strengthen myself in mind, body and spirit.
Special SPECIAL thanks to Renee and Carina for always encouraging me and believing in me through this journey!! I couldn't do it without you both! Love you....
