Transformation Tuesday: April

Kelli and I want to start sharing transformation stories with you. So, here's our first one =)

So my sweet friends Lynette and Kelli asked me to put some thoughts together about weight loss, health and such things!

I was always a thin person (probably too thin!) and I've always been tall as well. My height is deceptive because I can gain a little weight and it doesn't show as much as a shorter person. Growing up, I did not enjoy PE (I *think* I tried to get a doctor’s excuse note to get out of PE) or sports of any kind and I was pretty lazy.

However, I've had 4 boys and with each one of the pregnancies I struggled to lose the baby-weight. But I was also kind to myself…it took 10 months to grow a person, I did not expect to lose it all within a few weeks. I gave myself some grace and gave myself a full year after having my babies to begin to lose weight. I nursed all my kids, some of them an extended amount of time…maintaining a sufficient milk supply became much more important than getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Once I hit a year, I would try to lose some weight…a few times I followed a certain diet or plan. However, with my first 3 pregnancies, I didn't even try to included exercise into my weight loss plan….I just dieted.

In addition to my weight loss efforts, my sweet husband has high cholesterol, diabetes and is overweight. He was a baseball player in high school and college…but just like me, over the years he’s come less and less active. Having a long life with my darling husband became #1.

Our family moved a couple of times in the most recent years and I turned 40!!! It felt like time was ticking away for me to take care of myself (after year and years of caring for other people). So this year, I made a plan to really get things in order and get *our* health under control. (I’m healthy but have developed allergy induced asthma…did you know Chattanooga is the ‘worst’ place in the US for allergies??? Nope, neither did I and not being able to breathe is super scary!)

We joined a local Y during their no-sign-up-fee event and applied for a scholarship. During the school year, the hubs (who was working from home) would go to the gym in the morning. I would go after my little part time job, but before I had to get the kids from school. We met with trainers and got work-out ideas. We’ve both lost a few pounds (weight loss was only part of our goal). We had already taken more processed foods and artificial ingredients out of our diets, but this year we started eating many more vegetarian meals (like, most of our dinners are vegetarian). No more sodas and junk food.

The hubs had his most recent blood tests done…his A1C was within low/normal range, his good cholesterol was better, his overall cholesterol was lower AND his triglycerides went from over 300 to low 200's……we have never seen results like this!!! His doctor was quite pleased and encouraged him to continue doing what he’s doing and they would discuss adjusting some of his meds at the next appointment!!! That is AMAZING!!!

For me, I've noticed that I can see muscles I've never seen before…like triceps!! And my bat-wings (you know, the flabby part of your under arm!!) aren't as big anymore. I can see three different muscles in my upper arms ya’ll!!! That is AMAZING!!! I had zero definition before this year…I can also lift much more weight that when I started and can do more machines as well. And generally speaking, I feel stronger!! I can carry my 30 pound 3 year old across the parking lot without having to put him down or stop to catch my breath. I have more energy and feel like I can keep up with my kids!! Before, we would stay home and watch TV. Now we go for hikes and walks and play outside.

We've had some challenges getting to the gym during summer since all the kids are home, but our kids keep us busy and moving!

So when it comes to weight loss and health, here are my thoughts…

• Give yourself some grace…
• Make sure your goals are realistic!! I will NEVER be as thin as I was in college (and that’s really OK). You may not ever get back to your pre-pregnancy weight and that is OK.
• If you happen to be a nursing mom (high five to you!!), try to keep baby nutrition your priority! You need calories in order to make milk…if you’re starving yourself to lose weight, your milk supply will certainly be affected!!
• Fad diets or plans are just that…fads and they will not last.
• Vegetarian meals are really tasty and are easy to make (I use www.budgetbytes.com A LOT, A LOT!!!)
• For fitness, find what works for YOU…could be a scary gym, could be a local Y, could be a running group, could be working out at home lifting canned goods…find something that works for you and your family…it IS a team effort!
• Surround yourself with people that can encourage you (like Lynette and Kelli)…
• Forgive yourself if you make a bad decision today and start again new tomorrow.

If you would like to share your transformation story, please let us know! We would love to highlight your success!

The Easy Way Out?

On Sunday I went to a nutrition seminar on a ninety day transformation program.  

I sat, listened, took notes even.  However, the biggest thing I did was suppress my eye rolls and groans.  

I really, really, really wanted to fall in love with this program and be able to pass it along to you.  

Unfortunately, I just couldn't endorse a program that pushed a product that was full of chemicals and passed it off as food.  Especially after I was told that it was full of vegetables.  

I also can't endorse a program that pushes little to no meat, don't get me wrong some people thrive on a vegetarian diet while others thrive on a diet full of meat, there is also the person that needs a balance of both; however it is up to YOU to figure out what works for you!

The big clincher in the deal was when I was told that I would have to give up coffee!  I'm sorry but no way, not happening!  

I was tempted though, it would be so easy.  You drink your breakfast and lunch and then just eat dinner with your family.  Easy peasy, the weight would literally roll off.  

Here's the deal, let me be straight with you; yes you can absolutely cut your calories down to almost nothing and you will lose weight.  You might even get used to eating very little and convince yourself over time that severe calorie reduction is the way to go.  

In the end though, you are going to struggle and your body isn't going to work as well as it should.  You will be cold a lot, your body will feel sluggish, your hormones will be out of whack so you will feel irritable and moody.  How do I know this?  Because I've done this type of diet before and one day I cracked and ate everything I saw.
 Self deprivation is not the way to go, trust me!

Don't get me wrong, I don't eat perfect all of the time.  In fact, today I ate a cookie that I bought at the store. It was really good and was the first cookie I had eaten in over a month. 

Was the cookie full of chemicals and junk?  Yes.  Was it a food that I had forbidden myself?  No, but it is a food that I limit myself too because I struggle with overindulging.  In fact, I am working on my self control problems when it comes to food; mainly sweets; so there are never any sweets kept in the house.  I can't do the moderation thing so for now I only eat sweets when I am out. 

As I sat in that seminar, I realized that diet and food are not a simple fix.  We all want the easy way out, a list with eat this but not that.  We want to wake up one day and be a size 4 or whatever our ideal number is.  Unfortunately, it isn't that simple, there isn't an easy way out!  It has taken me a year to lose sixty pounds.  I thought that by this time I would be at my ideal weight but I'm not.  There have been set backs and struggles but I have kept moving forward.  I am getting over my food hang ups, my binge eating habits, my struggle with vegetables, and my desire for the easy way out; the magic pill, shake, supplement, etc.  

Lynette and I want to help you out too.  We don't have a special program because we see the uniqueness in each person.  That is why we created Mom 4ce.  We want to help you make slow steady progress and reach your goals.  

So, how can we help you?