I've had friends and family asking all kinds of questions about why I started this commitment, if I even needed to do anything at all, why I chose Herbalife, my results, and when am I going to "stop," so I thought I'd share a little bit about my commitment over the past year, and then I'll follow up with what worked for me.
Why I made the commitment...
I have struggled with my weight and eating healthy for {what feels like} my whole life.
MY WEIGHT: I've been WAY up on more than one occasion, and unfortunately, I've been WAY down. I don't shy away from admitting that I have struggled with an eating disorder, and I do everything I can to make sure I don't go back down that path. I have to be sure I'm following plans that encourage eating and fueling my body with what it needs rather than restricting myself from certain foods or low calorie goals.
EATING HEALTHY: I also don't shy away from the fact that I am not a good eater. I'm extremely picky and have had some bad experiences trying new foods. Being picky has held me back, made me fearful, and most of all, made being truly healthy extremely difficult.
Thankfully, God has had me on this journey long enough that I had confidence in myself and found my self-worth in Him. Many of you are to thank for that as well. I'm so thankful to have such encouraging and supportive friends and family, some of whom would comment from time to time that I "didn't even really need to lose weight." I had plenty of days that I felt beautiful, even at my heaviest (and my heaviest had NOTHING to do with "baby weight" as you'll read below).
But when you looked at the actual numbers, and where I was headed, it was scary and NOT at all healthy. I'll be real honest here and give you the facts - When I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 160 pounds. After battling hyperemesis during pregnancy, I lost 15 pounds during my first trimester and was down to 145. I left the hospital (with my nine-and-a-half pound beautiful baby girl) at 155...5 pounds lower than the day I found out I was pregnant. (I felt on-top-of-the-world, great, awesome, etc...I was going to be in great shape in NO time!) At some point, and the details don't really matter, I began to pack ON the pounds while I slipped into my role as a mommy. The day I went in for my first Herbalife consultation, I weighed 170 pounds. I had gained 15 pounds in about 3 or 4 months, and if I didn't make a change, it was only going to get worse.
A few more numbers - I wore a size 14 (after leaving the hospital in my pre-baby jeans that were a size 10), and my BMI was a very unhealthy 31.
I made the commitment because I WAS unhealthy (even if other people didn't see it). I was tired all the time with no energy to do the basic things I needed to in order to care for Bryleigh. I can't teach my daughter how to eat well and respect her body when I am not doing either of those things at all. And most importantly, I made the commitment for myself, because I want to raise the baby I already have (being active and involved), and I want to be healthy enough to have more babies (plural Brad Hammons...PLURAL ;))!! {But really, that last part is all up to God, and we are okay with His plans for our family.}
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| Some of my progress pics along the way! |
Why I chose Herbalife...
Over the past few years, I watched as my family transformed their health, with weight loss, increased athletic ability, and overall health. Not only did they achieve their goals, but their results were long term. What started as a way for my {now freshman in high school} cousin to get healthy turned in to a transformation for so many in our family, and I wanted to be a part of it! I respected the results that each of them had, and I knew that I could have my own results if I committed to it.
I also chose Herbalife because of their nutrition plan. As I mentioned, I am a VERY picky eater. I get overwhelmed trying to plan healthy meals and snacks every day, so having TWO whole meals and half of a snack already planned for me each day made it extremely easy for me to start eating healthier. {And just to note, I am by no means perfect. I still slip up all the time, and I'm still learning all kinds of things about nutrition. But I have come so far!}
My results and why I'm not stopping here...
Day 1 I was 170 pounds...Day 365 I was 135. I've lost a total of 32 inches and dropped from a size 14 to a 4! I will say the cliche that numbers don't matter...and they definitely don't. Being a size 4 doesn't define me. The fact that I weigh 35 pounds less than I did on this day 1 year ago doesn't magically make me a better person, but these numbers represent the progress I made over 12 months. The numbers show that my commitment to a plan paid off and it did work for me, and I'm certainly proud of that.
I'd consider myself still a "Work In Progress," and some people have had a problem with that, mostly because they know my past and are a little fearful I will take things too far. To that I would say that I have people in my life (ie. my mom and my husband) that hold me accountable and will call me out. My desire for the next year (and beyond) is to continue to learn what fuels my body best and adding exercise to my normal routine. So that's why I'm not stopping here. This journey for me is about getting healthy, NOT getting skinny (or having abs...but if they come, that will just be an added bonus).
Be sure to check back for "What worked for me..." - you can find the blog HERE.
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