I have had a lot of people messaging, texting, and emailing me: "What are you doing and how did you get that far?" So I thought I would blog about it so everyone can get the information. Let me start by saying I have tried ALL the weight loss avenues before and I have failed with the emphasis on I have failed . People that know me know that I take A LOT of time and research and seek out the BEST. I look for the best surgeons, best dentist, best pediatrician and so on. I feel that if I am going to spend a lot of money on something I want to know that I am getting the latest and greatest information and the best qualifications for my family and myself. So here is goes, here is my journey...... I hit my Low last year, my low was my health. Plain and simple I thought "if I don't change, I'm going to die. maybe not today or tomorrow but at a young age." I saw multiple doctors, had every test run only to find the usual things wrong you would find with an overweight, poorly conditioned 37 year old.
#1- I started to de-stress. I looked for the best massage therapist. I really feel that taking time to yourself away from your stresses is extremely important. Add in physical touch from a massage therapist and add in all the health benefits of massage and you've hit gold! I go 1x/month
#2- I took a nutrition class. Education about food and what food does to your body is extremely important. You can workout 6x/week and not be healthy if you still put processed food into your body. When I would diet, especially with weight watchers I THOUGHT I was learning about food, WRONG! Now don't get mad at me cuz I know weight weathers and jenny Craig help a lot of people. But for me it taught me how to CHEAT and get minimal results, that type of program relies on repeat business, nuff said bout that. I took a nutrition class and I read nutrition books ( look to the right and you will see the books I love) I learned that what you put into your body will directly affect how you feel, how you respond and over time how eating processed foods lead to common physical ailments like migraine headaches, brain fog, fatigue, overeating, chronic pain and on to more serious problems like auto immune diseases and problems: arthritis, crones, irritable bowel, diabetes. Processed food can lead to heart palpitations, heart disease, chronic fatigue, leaky gut, and 1,000+ other problems. If you don't believe me start reading, start learning on your own and see why what you eat REALLY matters.
Good rule of thumb: if it comes in a box or a bag...... it's processed!
#3 - I found a counselor. yep! I did! I realized I could not deal with some issues from my past on my own so I found a counselor that I felt comfortable with and talked through it.
#4 - Exercise! For me it has been bootcamp. I think it is vital that you find something that YOU like. Maybe it's bootcamp, maybe it's boxing, maybe it's running, maybe it's swimming or walking? Find something and start moving. My advice don't do it alone, way to hard to motivate yourself on the day's you don't want to work. Real quick I will talk about my bootcamp experience with altmanhealthandfitness.com. When I started with them I did not go in with the idea "I'm going to try this and lose weight" I went in with the attitude "I'm going to please my friend Amy and try this groupon for a session and that's it!" ha, was I wrong! I found a company that is COMMITTED to helping people get healthy and fit. Jay Altman is the best in the business, he spends countless hours on his own education and training and both Jay and Kelly live and breath what they teach. They know the struggles people face and they have an unbelievable way of helping you work through it. For me it started with Trust. I research this company, I spoke with members, I spoke with trainers and sat down 1 to 1 with Jay Altman before I decided to commit. I still remember the day I came home and said, "Lord, if this is the program that I am to follow then let nothing stand in my way, allow me to trust Jay and his knowledge of health and fitness, allow me to be successful and allow me to share my success with others" I am here today, 64 lbs lighter and 21 total inches smaller. I went from a size 22/24 to a 12/13. This success has not come easy. It has not come without anger, frustration, sadness, fear, disbelief and most of all pain. I have a family that saw I was committed and agreed to support me in any way they could. When people see that you are actually going to follow through, when they SEE change they will help you.
Lastly I rely on my faith and trust in God that He wants what is best for me, He loves me and wants me to be all that I can be.
One other thing I did this summer was to take horseback riding lessons. I know it sounds silly but there is something about having to take control of a 1 ton horse that really works the soul. I had the BEST horse trainer and she really knew how to work with people that had different styles and issues. I learned again how to trust, how to have courage and how to persevere when I felt like giving up. (unfortunately she has since moved to Idaho and is not able to work with anyone in MN, miss you Tammy!)
I wish I could tell you it was easy and the weight just fell off. Whoever tells you that..... has not been through a full transformation ~ they will more than likely gain their weight back. In fact I did'nt see much of any weight loss for 3 months! Losing a lot of weight is hard, it hurts physically and mentally. You will feel very alone, "why can others eat that and not gain weight" or feel sick and I can't? Or why can some people get away with not exercising and I have to exercise 6 days a week. The answer is because they can. Their metabolism is different and they may have health issues that don't show up until they are 70?
I still struggle, but not every day. I still have issues I have to work through. Fear and doubt still creep into my head. But I know I am stronger and I know what I need to do when those things start to overwhelm me. This may not be the route for you, but it worked for me. I am committed to help anyone who wants the help, all I ask is that you really sit down and have a plan. It is a time commitment, it is a financial commitment and you need to be prepared going into it because you will have MANY other roadblocks that you will have to face. Good luck and feel free to email or Facebook me with ANY other questions! Thanks for following my journey!
I know a lot of you are asking "well then what do you eat?" I will tell you on my next blog but I really want this to sink in first and have you start your plan :)
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