Food,  Life

A Year of Healthy Changes

Today is an anniversary. A one year anniversary. The day I made a commitment to healthy changes and weight loss. Weight, health, mental outlook ALL needed a bit of adjustment…

Have you been there?

Times when things in life seems to snowball and an internal alarm rings and you know changes have to be made for you. For others who may care for you. For ALL the reasons.

I’m sitting with my feet under the table this morning, sharing some table talk and being brutally honest with you.

I was always the small child in my class. Weighing in as an 88 lb. freshmen entering high school. I was a bottomless pit. Could out eat them all! Never gain. I did grow during the next four years from 5′ to 5’4″; but, I was active. A dancer; a twirler; a cheerleader; a runner; and even bicycling when it wasn’t cool with my best friend at 6:00 am on country backroads so no one would see us. Weight loss was not even in my radar.

And then college happened.

Twenty pounds added to my frame and my mother took me to our family doctor to find out if I was broken. A 1000 calorie diet was prescribed and a fitness college course put me back into running 2 1/2 miles a day. It worked. That plan. Twenty one pounds less of me in 3 weeks! Yippee! I was done…or so, I thought.

My wedding day weight was ideal.

My wedding dress was looser than the last fitting suggested. Then, life happened again. Pregnancy. Weight on. You get it. Finally weight loss after a C-section and fitting back into clothes again. Then, pregnancy number two when baby number 1 was 13 months old. C-section number 2 was more difficult to shake the weight.

Three years later it was back to work I went.

Teaching. Long distance for 2 years and then closer to home. And the weight started to rise. I would try a “quick fix” that had worked before. Crazy diet plans. Off the weight would come; only to return with a few more added friends that decided they liked taking residence up in my body.

Less time for workouts. Gyms weren’t a thing in those days. Activity induced asthma prevented running. My body just felt normal carrying more and more weight.

Weight loss no where in sight.

There were years of being successful and taking it off; but, restricted diets prevented more weight loss when I left the road and returned to “normal”.

A hysterectomy…and aging were not kind to me.

My body would simply want to shut down at 4:00 in the afternoon. I could feel my metabolism turning off and it was almost as if daily I could see another pound make its way to a safe haven on my body. Brain fog. It wasn’t good mentally. I would work on it. I would realize that extra weight was like today’s version of “smoking” with unhealthy results that would domino…and attempts would be made and again I would slide.

And then, 2019 occurred.

I was carrying way too much weight for this frame. I was diagnosed with health issues. Pain in my joints occurred. Movement was minimal. Walking was overwhelming. Metabolism was shot from the roller coaster rides of “diet” plans.

Who had I become?

I ended up with a plan of action. Physical therapy. Adding more movement to my life. But, it was brutal. What was happening? I was too young for this. I had more life to live. More play with littles in my life. More feet to have under my table.

Physical therapy moved to swimming therapy…less stress on my joints. Yoga sessions continued at home. It helped. I felt better. But, weight didn’t go down. No weight loss in sight. It was disheartening.

And, then, as all of us know, Covid happened.

The pool was closed. The gyms were shut down. My paid yoga online program disappeared from the site.

So, a decision was made.

I have dear friends who have been life long Weight Watcher cheerleaders. Been coaches. Heralded their wins from the rafters!

But, for me, it was a turn off. I was tired of counting anything. Calories. Carbs. Points. Done, I tell you. My sweet sister in law, you know, my husband’s twin, (you know that cute one in that pound cake post) as we were talking one day said, I lost 70 pounds on Weight Watchers. What? I never realized that she had battled with her weight or ever had that much to lose! It was during those years when we were all working and raising kids and saw each other at holidays or the traditional birthday celebration and I must not have seen her plight.

Between her confession and a dear friend’s sharing, I thought, what do I have to lose? It was a new and improved version. Boy, was it ever!

That app was downloaded on my phone and I have never looked back.

Weight Watchers had me take a survey…and it decided I was a green. I can change to blue or purple…but, I have taken their suggestion and stayed with green. It shows me how many points I can have daily and how many extra points I have weekly to navigate around. It gives me lots of foods to eat that are 0 points.

You see, on my phone, I can grocery shop and bar code any food and up pops how many points that food is for the serving size. I know if it’s worth the points before I buy…Genius!

The next brilliant thing is that it has a “create a recipe” section.

If I am cooking any of those great recipes that I share with you…I add the ingredients into that app and, there you have it, I know how many points that each recipe that I have shared with you is…and, YES! I have eaten some of ALL of those that I have shared.

If I go out to a restaurant, I can look up franchises and add in the menu to make healthy choices. I’m in love!

I add my food points in daily. It cheers me on!

Once a week, I weigh in at home. It celebrates me each morning and for each win. I earn points and can shop with those points. What?! Who doesn’t love shopping?

Additions can be made of activity, my sleep, and I can even connect with others for motivation, if I need that. There are even videos for workouts! An incredible amount of resources I have yet to get to the bottom. Who even knew?

There’s a constant chat available with coaches. AND, the worst fear that I always had with this plan—I do not have to go to meetings, sit through them or weigh in! YES! I was in.

I was hooked.

On March 1, 2020, I began using that app. Monitoring every bit of food that entered this body. Monitoring my water intake that I knew was healthy for me. Added in activities. Looked up suggested recipes. Receiving gifts in the mail for my accomplishments and the cheering me on from the app was worth it. Every. Penny.

You see, I needed a healthier lifestyle.

One of healthy living. One that I could accomplish. A plan that would assist in losing weight slowly (I wanted my skin to remember and stay with me!), increasing my metabolism, improving my health. Placing me in a better place mentally. This plan worked for me. We ALL have plans that work for us. Some of you are on a different plan for weight loss with great results. Some have had surgery; others, KETO or Nutrisystem or other promotional plans that promise great results.

The important thing is to choose health. That happened here. I now see a healthy lifestyle. I can feel my metabolism soaring. The celebration here with this one year anniversary????

February 2020

Now for the weight loss? there is now 56 pounds less of me!

Today…March 1, 2021

I’m moving! Actually running! The activity rings on my watch are getting met. I’m sitting in the floor reading books to that 20 month old who loves to visit. I desire to walk. The brain fog has left. Medications to help the joint pain, gone.

I have never been happier cooking than I am now! During the pandemic, I have cooked a lot. Deliveries of bread, cinnamon rolls, hot cocoa stirs, chili, and other goodies left to good friends. Each time I make a recipe, I know how many points per serving. That chili recipe? 9 points for green. Those molasses cookies? 3 points! I am more mindful though of the contents and quality of what I eat and make healthier decisions that ever before.

Can I tell you?? this is not a sponsored post…but, I definitely let them know when they ask how this plan is working for me!

I am thankful.

Truly thankful for this stage of my life. That a healthy lifestyle has returned.

My bloodwork is better than ever.

My doctors are cheering me on! Celebrating my successes.

Dear sweet friends, it’s so worth it. To know that I am making choices that improve the quality of my life? YES.

I hope that you are making choices that are healthy for you.

Whatever they are.

With mindset.

In daily habits. Perhaps, food or activity or attitudes. YOU, friends, have a choice to make this life the BEST it can be.

As for me? I’ll be over here cheering you on! Celebrating your successes! Encouraging you from the sidelines. Not just with weight or food, but with the choices you make to be the best YOU can be. And that app on my phone will still be counting and assisting and cheering me on.

What have you got to lose? or more importantly how can you improve your lifestyle today?

You’ve got this!

P.S. If I have peaked your interest, here’s a code to join me on the Weight Watchers plan. Both of us will benefit through this link!

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