My New Plan Unveiled

I’ve decided to go ahead and tell you what the new program is that I’ve been so secretive about while I tried it for a bit. I’m really happy with it. I have hope and motivation for the first time in…I don’t even know when. But I want to do a little explaining first.

You’ve been along this journey with me and you know all of the struggles I’ve been having. It has done a number on my self-confidence and I have felt pretty hopeless.

For a little recap, I lost almost 90 lbs. on Weight Watchers, gained it back and more by the time I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression when the little one was 10 months old and have been struggling prior to that and after that.

Over the years, I have counted calories, tried clean eating, followed Trim Healthy Mama, Weight Watchers numerous times, Advocare, the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, and Metabolife. I have been dieting since I was in elementary school.

Most of these methods afforded me weight loss at some point—some more than others, but I never got to my goal on any of the programs. My previous endeavor at Weight Watchers was the time that I thought it would all “stick” and that I had truly changed my habits.

Unfortunately, I was wrong and as soon as I had high levels of stress in my life all of the weight came back on and I reverted back to my old habits—ones I’ve had since I’ve been a child. I had not “cured” myself, I was simply taking care of the side effects of my real issue by losing weight. All along I struggled with emotional eating.

 

My new plan has two parts that will complement each other.

Part One: The Plan

I heard about it a year and a half ago and brushed it off, not believing the rave reviews from friends—but I stayed a part of the Facebook group. Here we are a year and a half later and these ladies are still raving about it.

Last Friday, after not being able to get myself back on track (yet again)—I decided what I was doing was insane.

Trying to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results is insanity. And at that very moment I decided to join and stop WW for a while—I have since canceled WW.

I’m not saying WW doesn’t work or isn’t a good plan—I think it’s definitely a good plan and works for many, many people. However, I have also finally accepted that there is no “one size fits all” plan when it comes to weight loss and learning how to maintain weight.

That being said, I am trying something completely different and something that I would have (and did) scoff at in the past.

But it’s time to try something new and I won’t know the outcome unless I try. We’ll call it another endeavor, another experiment to see if this new way will work for me. So please hear me out and understand my perspective.

The new plan that both hubby and I are following is called Isagenix. We ordered one 30-Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System with the intent of each of us trying it for 15 days to see what we think because I was skeptical and pretty jaded.

The first day went well for me but hubby came home with a horrific headache and was ready to quit. Apparently, that is very common as the body gets rid of toxins. He decided he’d try another day.

On Day 2, we both felt fantastic. It’s really hard to explain. Of course we felt lighter, but we also felt that grogginess lift and I definitely have experienced more mental clarity and less brain fog. Part of this system is supposed to combat stress and fatigue—something we all know that I need.

I even noticed my skin looking better.

Anyways, the system is all natural and organic. You drink 2 shakes per day, eat 2 snacks, and eat one balanced meal that’s 400-600 calories. One day per week you do a cleanse—not a colon cleanse.

At this point, you’re probably about ready to give me a lecture. I know, I get it. I really do. But I’m also feeling the need to try something new, have some success, and get my life back again…I just have to try.

You have to remember that while many people gain back the weight with programs like this, many people also gain back the weight with other programs and ways of eating, including WW. But there are also some people who follow a plan like this, completely change their lives and the weight never comes back on. There are success stories as well as failures in every plan.

This plan will be paired with exercise, of course.

Both hubby and I have lost about 8 lbs. in 4 days (Monday through Thursday). My clothes are definitely fitting better, I have much more energy, and we’re both sleeping better (our Fitbits prove it!).

My plan is to lose the weight, fix the issues, and maintain when the time comes. Isagenix does have a plan for maintenance too. I have a lot of support from my family.

The next part should make you feel better if you are skeptical.

 

Part Two: Therapy

Today was my first session with a new therapist. At my Doctor’s Appointment, I asked to be referred to a therapist who specialized in disordered eating and my doctor promised to research and find the best one for me. And she did!

I absolutely love this therapist. She is so kind and understanding. She used to be a Stay at Home Mom and totally understands what that’s like. I just feel like I formed a better connection with her.

This session was more of a “get to know me” session. She summarized that she thought we needed to work on my “all or nothing” mentality, my perfectionism, low self-confidence, handling stress, and developing a support system that is here in Iowa. She recommended joining MOPS.

She told me to keep writing about what I’m going through and feeling—so you’re still on the hook for reading about my issues!

I don’t get to go back for about a month because of the holiday, etc. I have a homework assignment to come up with a list of things that I want more of and things I want less of. I love that I have an assignment because it makes me feel like I’m thoughtfully and intentionally working to better myself.

She saw that I was just “done” and willing to do whatever it takes to fix the mental issues so that I can finally lose the weight for good. I really feel like that’s the place where I’m at. I have just felt so hopeless and hit rock bottom this past year. I used to be too afraid to go to therapy for this, but I am finally ready.

 

So there you have it! This is what I’m doing and I’m glad I told you so I can start telling you all of the details along this new direction in my journey!

 

I ask that you please be kind in the comments. Please understand where I’m coming from and I also ask that you please be respectful. Your support would mean the world to me. Thanks!

First Day on My New Plan: Success

Hello! The picture of the cat has nothing to do with this post, but it’s cute anyways and who doesn’t like seeing a cute picture of a cat?

The first day on my new plan went well. I stepped on the scale this morning to see I’d lost 3.5 lbs. I’m sure it’s a lot of water weight but it’s still encouraging.

I am feeling pretty good today. The bloat is pretty much gone and I feel smaller—you know how that goes when you start something new!

I feel refreshed, hydrated, and have more moments of energy than I do of fatigue—I am still feeling tired here and there. Overall, I’m happy with how I’m doing so far—about 1.5 days in.

If this continues as is, I will be ready to share what I’m doing sooner rather than later!

Yesterday, I hopped on the bike for 30 minutes. I set up a comfortable little area for Little Miss Sunshine, gave her some snacks, and turned on an episode of Barney for her. We had a couple interruptions, but I got that workout in!

Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for today. I really need to straighten up the house and a few other things. It never ends…

 

How is your week going so far?

Weigh in Day: Trying Something New

 

I have wasted another week after not tracking my points. This time, I gained 1.5 lbs.

It’s all me, it’s not Weight Watchers. I just can’t seem to stick to the plan and how long am I going to keep trying to do the same thing?

But I just need a change—even if it’s just for a little while. Something to jump start my weight loss and make me feel good about myself, which always motivates me.

After stepping on the scale this morning, I decided I’ve had enough. I want to see progress and I want to see it now.

I want something strict to get me back on track and I don’t want to have to worry about what I’m going to eat—just for now. I know this is not a long term solution, but it’s what I feel I need to do right now.

I’ve selected a plan that will accomplish this for me. I don’t want to share what it is quite yet—I want to see what I think first. Maybe after the first two weeks are over? We’ll see.

I’ve never done a plan like this so it will be all new to me. I’ve had several friends tell me about their progress and how great they feel. I’ve been skeptical, but at this point I’m ready to try anything. I’m not canceling WW just yet.

So, I bought a 30 day kit of the plan and hubby is going to do it with me and we’ll split the kit and do this for 2 weeks to see what we think.

I’m betting that hubby will lose all of his weight in the first week and I’ll have 3 weeks to myself. HA Isn’t that how it works though?

I’m hopeful.

Inspiration Sunday

Weigh in Day: My Body is Weird

 

After a couple of weeks without exercise or tracking my points you can about imagine what I would see on the scale. But guess what?

I lost 2.5 lbs.!

I am just as shocked. If you remember, three weeks ago I had a fantastic week and gained 1.7 lbs. I’ve jokingly mentioned before that I seem to lose when I eat more and exercise less. Once again this has proved true. My body is weird.

Obviously that philosophy is flawed, but it does give me some insight into the way that my body works. Starving myself won’t be beneficial, nor will bingeing uncontrollably. It’s that ground right in between of just normal eating of pretty much everything in moderation. And of course a focus on the healthy things. That’s how I lost the weight before and that’s how I can lose it again. How could I forget this?

Stats:

	This Week	Last Week
Weekly Points Used:	-	-
Activity Points Earned:	18	17
Activity Points Used:	-	-
Total Steps:	44,216	43,518
Weight Loss this Week:	2.5 lbs.	-

I’m glad that I had a loss because it puts me at 11 lbs. lost, which is just .3 lbs. above my lowest weight. I’m ready to get serious about this again and this time I will have the help of hubby. He is wanting to lose some weight again and I think we can do this together.

Next week will be the first week that I begin to use my Passion Planner to schedule my days. I’ve planned a 6 a.m. wake up to workout. I will have to see how this goes and if it’s something I think I could keep doing and enjoy it.

The other option is to workout in the evenings with hubby, but it’s too easy to decide I’m too tired at the end of the day and not want to do anything. I used to enjoy getting my workout out of the way first thing but I’m not going to hold myself to any specific schedule for the following week because this is all about determining when I enjoy working out the most so that I can be consistent with it. I’ll start with this plan next week and go from there.

I’ve also realized that I haven’t been cooking like I used to. In the past, I would try new recipes and find healthy ways to make delicious dishes. This week I’ve made some different meals and they have been very satisfying to the palate. I look forward to trying more recipes next week and also creating a meal plan, at least for suppers.

This is the perfect time of the year to eat healthy. We’ve started to get a lot of produce from hubby’s parents since they have a huge garden: Green beans, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onions, kale, cabbage, just to name a few. I’m definitely gong to be searching for more zucchini recipes this year. If you have any, please share!

Have a great weekend!

How was your week? Did you meet your goals?

Before I became a Stay at Home Mom

Last week, I asked you to submit any questions you had for me on a Get to Know Me post. I will be answering those questions in posts, starting with this one from Finding Lori.

It is hard to believe that I have been a stay at home mom for over a year now. It seems like just yesterday that I worked a 40 hour traditional job. Being a mom has been more challenging than any job I have ever had, but it also has more benefits.

In January of 2007, I escaped the horrible life of working in retail and began working at a call center. I was working on completing my last “two years” of a B.A. in English Language and Literature and this new job turned out to be the perfect job as a student because I was often able to study at work.

I worked on various accounts and with each one I learned more. I learned about taxes and engines and eventually ended up with a door and window company in August of 2007. Let me tell you, call center agents are not paid nearly enough for the abuse received from some customers. It is an emotionally draining job.

I learned the most at this last account and I know way too much about windows and doors. I have installed the products, taken them apart and reassembled them, ordered parts, toured multiple factories, diagnosed service problems, ordered countless parts, and talked thousands of customers through the steps of fixing their products. It was not a job for the weary, I will tell you that. The turnover rate was pretty high and it took considerable time for people to “catch on”. It was a constant learning experience.

In 2011, I finally graduated from college. It took me four years to finish the last “two years” because I was also working full time. At this point, I was ready to find a new job. I actually hated working at a call center by this time (not as much as I hated retail though). There were unrealistic expectations at times (most of which have been changed), crazy drama, and office politics. I was so happy when I was able to begin working from home, but I still dreaded my work days.

Around this time I began working part time as a newspaper reporter in addition to my full time job. Eventually, I worked part time hours at both. Being a reporter was a good experience for me because I got to know a lot of people in my small town and learned how much I love to hear & write about others, but after about a year I realized that this wasn’t the job for me.

During this time, I was also offered a new position at my other job and I finally started to love my job—at least the work part of it, but not being highly underpaid. I was back to working full time hours at this place again.

This was a new program for which I was the first writer. I wrote content for both customers and phone agents. The type of work that I did at first would be considered technical writing.

After a while, the program expanded and the corporate office hired someone at their location with the same degree I had. I don’t think the client actually knew I had a degree—either way, I was doing the work which I was qualified for while still earning the same paycheck as I did as a call center agent. I was super bummed--but so it goes when you work for a call center because you don’t actually work for the client. It was really frustrating to realize that there was no way I could move up any further as a writer with this type of client relationship at a call center.

And so I decided to look at the job as simply a way to get experience. And it was great experience. As the program became a little more organized, they gave us official role names. For a while I was an editor until they decided to only have editors at the corporate location again—another bummer. And then I was a content author.

Long story short, I wrote articles and instructions for both agents and customers. This was written for the web, so it was much like blogging where I also included pictures, etc. I created an entire glossary for the company and even drew many of the pictures myself—I was pretty proud of it and so was the company. I wrote countless articles about varied topics.

Eventually, I was the only person at my office working on this program again. I was responsible for training the entire team, of about 40 people, as we learned more and more about the program—until they delegated that task to the “trainer” of the account and so I assisted her when she needed. It was a constant shift in organization as they figured out how it should be organized using their current structure of people.

I was pretty happy that maternity leave was nearing. I worked on creating a training guide and trained the person who would fill in for me when I was gone. I tried to have everything in order and a lot of organization to the way everything worked so it would always go smoothly.

After a long day at work and after having just taken on another project, I went into labor later on that evening and baby girl was born the next day. I eventually made the final decision that I would be a SAHM and went into the office one more time to talk to my boss and give my resignation. He told me that the call center and the client were really going to miss me and if I ever wanted to come back he would hire me immediately. I’m glad that I left on such good terms.

This job showed me how much I disliked working in the “business” world. I used to have to go on business trips and sit in meetings and get through dinners out with the clients. The people were super nice & the fancy restaurants were amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I just didn’t feel like it was where I belonged. I hated the competition and the way people acted to try to move their way up. That just isn’t me—I am a genuine person and don’t fake who I am.

But I did love the challenge of my job. I loved having to research and work on technical questions. I enjoyed working through a problem with a product and then figuring out how to put it all into words so that a 5th grader could understand the process. The mental challenge was awesome and kept me from getting bored and feeling unchallenged. I loved being able to work alone but also collaborate as a team.

Overall, I think I hated more aspects of my job than I loved but it was a great experience for 7 years. I learned a lot about myself. More than anything, I learned that jobs will always disappoint you in the end so it’s important not to put your entire life and soul into the job. Faith and family are most important to me and no job will ever rob me of either—it’s all about priorities.

And so this all contributed to my decision to be a SAHM and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. It means less money & expensive things, but the trade off is worth it to me. Now I am able to chase after my real dream of being a writer and publish a book. I’m just getting started!

Committing to Cardio

This post brought to you by an A Journey to Thin sponsor; content is my own.

I’ve been running my mouth about it for a couple of weeks now but it’s time to put my running shoes where my mouth is and take some action.

I’m committing to starting the Couch to 5K so that I can start reaping the benefits of cardio, some of which are explained in Women’s Health Magazine’s article titled 5 main brain boosting benefits of cardio exercises, which I can relate to my own life to help convince myself that I really need to do this.

I’ve been feeling a little blue again lately and I know that adding in cardio will get those “feel good” hormones flowing in my body. Not only will I grow my confidence, but (according to the article), I will also encourage brain growth and I’m down with that.

I don’t feel like I’m as productive as I want to be. My energy gets zapped way too quickly and by baby’s nap time I’m just ready to sit and relax with a cup of coffee in hand. According to the article, people who worked out were 23% more productive than on the days they didn’t work out. Coffee hasn’t been working its magic for me like I want it to, so instead of rolling out of bed and grabbing a cup of Joe, I’m going to start waking up at 6 a.m. for my cardio workout.

Last weekend when we went on a hilly bike ride for two hours, I started off feeling blue and ended feeling euphoric. The article references a study which indicates the exercise induced mood lift can last up to 12 hours—that gets me through the day! Exercise is great for stress relief and we all know I need that.

Why is it that the mind knows what the body needs and yet, while we never regret a workout, it’s a constant struggle to get it done? This is why I’m going to commit to get started by next week and possibly even tomorrow. I think that once I start forming better habits that I’ll be more inspired to continue on this journey.

I have no excuses—I have a treadmill and I can workout rain or shine while the baby naps. I also have a jogging stroller and could run outside if I need to workout while baby girl is awake. Not to mention, hubby and I could complete the workouts together. I just have to do it.

If you are interested in buying or using a treadmill or elliptical, you can refer to http://treadmill-ratings-reviews.com/ and https://fitness-equipment-source.com/.

Do you have any fitness goals you are committing to?

What My Future Self Would Do

After reading Roni’s post a month ago, I have been wanting to sit down and write about what my future self would do. I think that it will be insightful as to what my goals really are and how I could start working towards them.

• Set an alarm and wake up early to get a workout in first thing in the morning.
• Search for new healthy recipes to try and plan to make a new meal each week.
• Take time to sit down and read a good book.
• Have an organized and clutter free house.
• Do some form of strength training and have a toned body.
• Be able to go to the pool in a swimsuit and not feel self-conscious.
• Never let my weight get in the way of living life.
• Complete a triathlon.
• Be a good example of eating and living healthfully for my children.
• Eat vegetables at every meal.
• Have a BFF for girl talk.
• Take more care of my appearance.
• Write things that people would connect with and would make a difference.
• Have a workout that I truly enjoy.
• Finish a 5K towards the top of my age group.
• Be at a healthy weight.
• Would consistently reach 10,000 steps per day on the Fitbit.

As I look at this list, there are quite a few things that I can start working on now. For example, I should get started on that Couch to 5K program like I talked about. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by my goals, I will start making small steps toward achieving them.

What would your future self do?

How I Have Changed

Last night, hubby and I went to Applebee’s for supper. As we were waiting for our food, I watched as people received their meals. At a table near us, there was a young couple with a child. They each ordered mini burgers, onion rings, some other fried option, and split a basket of fries. The thought of that much food just made me sick. Our bodies simply do not need that much food, especially the calorie laden kind. It made me all the more proud of myself for truly changing. The changes that I have made have not happened over night. And I realize I still have a long way to go. But I have come so far.

I have been thinking about trying to eliminate some of the processed foods that I eat and replace them with fruits, vegetables, healthy dairy, and nuts. I really don’t know where to begin. How do I know what is processed and what is not? Especially when it comes to dairy, I’m unsure of that. I don’t want to go off into the deep end and completely eliminate all processed foods because I believe in balance and in being able to sustain my healthy way of living. But I do want to try to make healthier choices overall. Lately I’ve been noticing that when I make a vending machine splurge, I am not satisfied and I am left feeling guilty, bloated, and my body drags. I appreciated your tips on ways I can avoid sugar cravings and I want to try to implement them. My goal is to try to choose unprocessed snacks. I love eating wheat thins or baked chips with my sandwich at lunch, but I think I could find a healthy alternative that would satisfy my craving just as well. I know this won’t happen over night either, but slowly and surely I will get there.

Today is another rainy day. It’s supposed to thunderstorm all week. Hubby and I have been wanting to spend the day at the pool some Saturday, I guess it won’t be today! We ran all of our errands last night, so I’m looking forward to a relaxing day at home. I’ll do my usual cleaning (while listening to the Two Fit Chicks Podcast), doing laundry and maybe doing some cooking. Have a great weekend!!