40lbs & 6 sizes down (PART I) REBOOT

This post has been a very long time in the making... partly due to the desire to be a bit farther along in my weight loss than I am currently. But, I'm more than halfway there, so what the heck am I waiting for?!



First of all, I never, not in a million years, thought I'd ever battle my weight. Before babies, I'd always been active and could eat an entire pizza without gaining an ounce. Even after I had my first son, I was actually 13 lbs lighter and 2 sizes smaller than I was before I got pregnant. Stupid me, I didn't think to pack sweats after having him. I just brought jeans and had to use some hospital type rope to hold them up. True Story.

Here's me back in September of last year
at my heaviest at 220lbs. & size 18-20

However, within the first 2 months, I came down with an infection related to breast feeding and it threw my entire body off. I gained 30lbs in 2 months. And it's been a weight war ever since. I've tried everything from Atkins to Sensa. I even created challenges with cash prizes for who can lose the most weight. And I could- I just couldn't keep it off. Last year, I was doing the best I'd ever done since we were living in a house with a lap pool. I was exercising but not eating right, even though I thought I was. Weight was still coming off though. That all changed when we decided to move to Oregon. I stopped swimming and started stressing. A lot. And the weight came on fiercely! I didn't even realize how big I was until after our move here and I watched a video of me online singing for the last time at my home church. And I cried... more like bawled my eyes out. Partly because I loved and missed my church, but also because my weight had gotten out of control and I didn't even notice! Below are some freeze frames of the video but you can watch it here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16646294

With a very fresh out of state move, our finances were drained. A gym membership or a personal trainer weren't even on the table for discussion. I wasn't working, so I started taking long walks on the beach. The walks soon turned into strides, and the strides turned into jogs. I started feeling great almost instantly. But I was not getting any results. At all. Then Jerry & I started watching lots of food documentaries on Netflix. We quickly became fans of "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead". If you ever get a chance to watch that, I highly recommend it. It will blow you away! It wasn't too long after, we started juicing. Not juicing to loose weight, rather, detox from all the processed foods we've been consuming. I lost 8lbs in just a few days. I only mention that to bring you to this point: Do not juice simply to lose weight. If you do not continue a diet of fruits/vegetables, it will just come back on as quickly as it left. A reboot is to detox, not to be a weight loss program. You can find their entire programs in detail here: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com

http://vimeo.com/18732737

Now, I'd be totally lying if I typed how simple this first step was. Because it was not! It was difficult and nothing tasted good for this sweet-toothed chick! I was grumpy... boy was I grumpy! And lethargic too, for the first few days anyway. Oh! And I was grumpy- just in case I failed to mention that. I caved the first couple times I tried to do a juice reboot. But on the third try, I followed through and kept on for the 15-day reboot. The differences I'd seen convinced me that my diet had EVERYTHING to do with more than just my weight issues.

After the 15-day reboot, my complexion was absolutely clear. I will even go as far as saying, my skin was the best I'd ever known it to be. My nails & hair took on a dramatic change. I was sleeping better. Not only was I more motivated, I was focused. My mind was sharper and I could think more clearly. My moods and emotions evened out significantly and physically, I was energized. Even my eyesight improved. It was an incredible difference. Needless to say, I started changing the way I was thinking about food. Food was not just a way to satisfy a craving but fuel to keep the body going. What you put into your body is determines your body's performance. If you eat crap, you're gonna feel like crap. I know it's been said like a bazillion times and we all know this -BUT- like most of us, I ate when I could. I'd pop something in the microwave or drive through McDonald's if we were running late. I bbq'd a lot because I believed that made my meal healthy. Oh, I've been wrong about so many things...


Looking back on the process of my weight loss journey and everything I've learned along the way, 
it would be a bit overwhelming to put in just one blog post. So, I'm going to do one section at a time. This post is a glimpse into how I got started on this journey and how my battle with weight began. If this journey is something your interested in, drop me a line and let me know. If  there's enough interest, I'd be more than happy to share my beginning workouts & diet plan. Not diet as starving yourself, rather making better food choices. 


 I would recommend, again, watching Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. http://vimeo.com/18732737

Thanks again for all the encouragement and support from my facebook posts! At first I wasn't going to share this struggle because I was afraid that if I failed, everyone would know. However, your encouragement has been a huge motivation for me and has held me accountabe to stay on track. So, I thank you! Very much. ♥

Sharon