Introduction - MY STORY

Let me start off by stating that I am not a health care or diet professional. I just want to share my story and hopefully motivate someone to have the same success that I have had. In order to share my story, I need to give you a little background:

I am 29 years old, married and have a one year old son.

My lowest weight was just after high school at 135lbs.
In early 2009, I weighted 165.
I got engaged in October 2009.

After my engagement, I began my first MAJOR journey towards weight loss. I wanted to rock my wedding dress! I’ve never been more motivated in my life. (I mean, you only get married once, right?) I started Weight Watchers thru my work and I went to the gym religiously about 4 times a week. WW helped me put a lot into perspective and pay attention to my portions. It also forced me to be accountable because I had to weigh myself in front of a stranger each week. I had co-workers who were involved and we were all accountable to one another. I worked really hard to lose those 20 pounds and I felt AMAZING on my wedding day!

 

I weighted 145 on my wedding day in October 2010.
After the wedding, the weight started to creep back on.
I got pregnant in July 2011. My pre-pregnancy weight was 160.
I gained 25lbs during my pregnancy. (Gulp! I was 185 when I gave birth. Ugh!)
I weighed 162 when I went back to work in June 2012.
I am 5’8” and I am fortunate enough that weight gained is evenly distributed on my body.

I’ve watched women in my family be overweight and struggle their whole lives. Because of that, I have always tried to be somewhat aware of my weight. When pants got tight, I would get back on track watching what I ate and exercising. I never really had a ‘lifestyle’ of eating right and working out; I usually just went in spurts when I needed to.

Fast forward to Christmas 2012. My brother in law was staying with us for a few weeks during the holiday. He had been changing his diet for quite some time and was telling us how he stopped eating meat & dairy and that he felt great! My first response “What do you eat then?” “I could never do that! I love steak, chicken & cheese!” “That’s crazy” “How do you get your protein?”   So he made us a couple meals and asked us to watch ‘Forks over Knives’. We did and we were intrigued. He challenged us to try it for two weeks and see how we felt. We took his challenge one week before Christmas. CRAZY! We did end up eating meat lasagna at my family’s get together because there was no other option…and we were starving when we got there! But we definitely felt it the next day.

When I took on this challenge, I didn’t realize that weight loss would be an outcome. I wanted to try it to see if I noticed a difference in how I felt. One week after we started this, I lost 5lbs. I was surprised, but didn’t think much of it because I felt more energized and was sleeping much better. My husband actually told me he slept better than he has his entire life! After 2 weeks, I was down 10lbs! I weight 152 at the end of December.

 (Left: Honeymoon 2010. Center: Summer 2011. Right: January 2013)

By the end of January, I was 145. I couldn’t believe it! Not only did I feel good physically and emotionally, but I was fitting in some of my clothes from HIGH SCHOOL!!

Do we eat meat? No, we try to avoid it at all costs.
Do we eat seafood? Randomly. Maybe once a month.
Do we eat dairy? Only when we go out to restaurants and it cannot be avoided.
Do we eat organic? As much as we possibly can!
Do we eat perfect? Hell no! We try our best. At home we don’t eat any animal protein or dairy product. Going out is where we splurge. If someone invites us to dinner, we are not picky about where they go. We can always find something.
Is it hard? The first few weeks were hard. We had cravings. But as I've figured out what to cook, it's gotten easier. Plus, I really miss bacon :)

For the first time in my adult life I don’t need to count calories, stress about getting a work out in (although I will get back to that), or feel guilty if I eat a bad meal or a freaking cupcake! I feel good. I look good. And most of all, I am healthier and so is my family. It’s a great feeling!