A Turning Point- How I physically changed my life in 6 weeks.

I was exhausted: physically, spiritually and emotionally. I had been dealing with many things in my life, healing from many hurts, and hanging onto a lot of guilt. I was tired, grumpy and always getting sick. I had gained more weight than I had ever gained before. I was at 136.7lbs. I know this may seem like a low number but I am petite and on the BMI scale I was overweight. In high school I weighed 105lbs. Packing on some weight after high school is normal but 30lbs was too much for my little body. After I had my daughter I was back at 109 in no time due to illness, but I evened out at 121lbs. I was totally fine with 121. I was a mom, I looked healthy, and I looked fit.

My breaking point came in late August 2014, with me weighing 136.7lbs, sick and tired. I had to get rid of clothes that I loved because I could not fit into them. I was not buying into the stigma that EVERYONE gains weight as they get older, but that is what I was telling everyone. I would say that 27 was my turning point for when I couldn’t eat whatever I wanted to anymore. Getting older and having a harder time keeping your weight down is absolutely a reality, but honestly, NO one should just eat “whatever they want”. I was miserable. How can I be a hallmark for health and living organically while being overweight and sick? I couldn’t and I snapped. This is what I did:

I began juicing:
I purchased a juicer at a garage sale over the summer but didn’t use it for months. I watched a documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and thought, I could do that. I didn’t want to do a juice fast, but I knew that veggies were something I needed more of. They had always been a struggle to eat and I thought, I could gulp down juice. I went to the store and bought veggies and fruits. LOTS of them. I began trying different combinations of juice. I need to start writing down recipes, but mostly I just buy a huge variety of veggies and shove different ones in the juicer every day. Sometimes it actually tastes pretty good. Some days it’s just ok, but no matter what, I can gulp it down. I even got my daughter to start drinking juice every day! I juice in the morning. I don’t go without it. It is my vitamins. I skipped breakfast food for the first week while juicing, but now I will eat a small bowl of healthy cereal with it. I don’t eat anything heavy. When I juice it is about 75% vegetables and 25% fruit, as fruit contains natural sugar and we do not want to consume too much of that at once without having the fiber of the fruit to help our bodies digest the sugar.

I eliminated most processed food:
After watching another documentary, Fed Up, I started reading the sugar content on nutrition labels. I couldn’t believe most canned veggies had added sugar!! In fact, I was noticing most processed food has added sugar. Sugar has got to be one of the worst things to over-eat. Your body does not know what to do with excess sugars and turns them into fat. I became determined to home make almost everything we eat which also meant not going out to eat very often. This includes my daughter’s granola bars for school (recipe coming!) and all the bread we eat. I started planning out my meals for 2 weeks and wrote the grocery list accordingly. Not only does that help me home make most of it, but it saves me money! Now don’t get me wrong, I still eat occasional “junk” food. But something miraculous has happened. Junk food suddenly tastes gross, and my body is craving the healthy, good stuff!

I went organic:
Now, nearly everything I buy is organic. If it is boxed, it’s organic, and the label has been scoured for ingredients I just will not tolerate, like MSG or High Fructose Corn Syrup. All the veggies and fruits I buy are organic and locally grown (if possible).

I stopped focusing on meat as my main course:
This was a big change for me. I had to completely alter my mind set. I have not become a vegetarian, but I realized that protein isn’t what my body needs the most. American meals tend to center around the meat with smaller portions of veggies and starch. I realized that this is a bit twisted. Our bodies need veggies the most as veggies hold the widest variety of vitamins. I now make the largest portion of my meal veggies. I only eat meat 2 to 3 times a week and when I do it is grass fed or organic meat. Eating meat 2 to 3 times a week is enough. There are other ways to get protein, such as veggies, nuts, eggs etc.

I got back on my budget:
I have taught Dave Ramsay’s Financial Peace twice now, and since I am currently teaching a class, I figured I really better do my budget. You may think I must be rich or going into debt eating the way I do. On the contrary, I have cut my monthly food budget down drastically and am able to stick with it. Yes, even eating organic and very little meat. Probably the most important thing that has helped me is my bi-weekly meal plan. It keeps me organized and on track.

I started exercising…a bit. (haha I’m not perfect):
I hate cardio. I like things like yoga or pilates because…well…it isn’t cardio. Even so, I decided to do some. I now run or ride my bike 2 to 3 times a week around my neighborhood. I only go for about 20 to 30 minutes each time. This isn’t a lot, but I know it is helping me and I intend to increase this.

And here are the results!:

I have lost 11lbs.

11lbs in 6 weeks and I have kept it off since then! And it was way easier then I had imagined. I have tried so many crazy diets and pills and I couldn’t handle them for very long. None of that worked! What I am doing now is not a diet. It’s just a change in my lifestyle that I can totally handle going forward.

I haven’t gotten sick.

Not once. My daughter has only been sick one time in the past couple of months, but she no longer takes home all the school colds that the kids like to share. I thought I was going to get sick a couple of times, but the feeling always just WENT AWAY.

I am HAPPY!
I am happy with myself. I am happy with my strengths and weaknesses. I am happy with my body and my immune system. I believe I have a lot to offer, and the world is mine to conquer.